If Confucianism is the Yang of Chinese culture, then Daoism is the Yin. Not only has Daoism had a profound influence on traditional Chinese art and thought, but this philosophy remains relevant to modern life in both the East and West. Students will be introduced to the main precepts of philosophical Daoism through modern Chinese interpretations of Taoist Tales. Students will explore Daoist concepts while building on their competencies in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Mandarin Chinese.
Each class, or every other class, students will be given a different tale translated into modern Chinese along with a vocabulary list for that reading. Students will be expected to read the tale and prepare to discuss it in Chinese with the teacher and classmates during the next class meeting.
All students will meet in small groups once a week with the teacher outside of the regular classes. A course pack of various Daoism tales materials will be provided.
Learning Outcomes:
By end of the term, students will be able to:
understand, discuss, and critique Daoist tales in Chinese.
communicate basic concepts of Daoist philosophy, in both oral and written Chinese
Analyze and discuss the relevance of Daoist concepts in the context of their own lives.
Delivery Method: Remotely accessible
Prerequisites: At least 2 terms of Chinese at the college level.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 4
M/Th 3:40PM - 5:30PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Course Frequency: Every 2-3 years
Categories: All courses , Chinese , Remotely Accessible
Tags: analyzing , discussion , listening , literature , philosophy , reading , speaking , Writing