Final Essay: What is Asian Behavior and Thought?

Final Essay: What is Asian Behavior and Thought?

This course is an introduction to the social and

religious traditions of the Asian continent. Through engagement with

primary sources students will examine different dimensions and

foundations of the spiritual and philosophical teachings that continue to

structure the lives of billions of people.

Course readings will be primary sources in religious and philosophical

literature.

In particular, the course will examine the concepts of self, nature, and society as they are articulated in the philosophy/religion of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, i.e. the four representative conceptual paradigms of holistic non-dualism.

Required texts:

Donald S. Lopez,

The Norton Anthology of World

Religions: Buddhism

.

Eknath Easwaran,

The Upanishads

.

David Hinton

or other,

The Four Chinese Classics

.

Burton Watson or other

The Complete

Works of Chuang Tzu.