• Links for Chinese religions
• Selected handouts
• Slides
• Syllabus: Reading | Course Requirements and Grading | Schedule

Reading:

Available in Bookstore

Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, eds., Sources of Chinese Tradition, 2nd ed., vol. 1
Joseph A. Adler, Chinese Religious Traditions

On Course Reserve [CR]

David K. Jordan, Gods, Ghosts and Ancestors: The Folk Religion of a Taiwanese Village

The Master said, "Learning without thinking is in vain; thinking without learning is dangerous."

Course Requirements and Grading:

1. Participation (15%). Regular attendance, timely completion of reading assignments, active participation in class discussions, and one short conference with me in my office no later than Friday, September 20. Grading criteria are as follows:

A:  Regular attendance, regular contribution to discussion
B:  Regular attendance, occasional contribution
C:  Too many absences OR too little contribution
D:  Too many absences AND too little contribution
F:  Other serious problems

Option: To supplement the class discussion portion of your participation grade, you may turn in, at any time but a maximum of one per week, written "reaction papers" (1-2 pages, typed) containing your reactions to, reflections on, and questions about course readings and lectures. These will be graded 1 (credit), 2 (good), or 3 (excellent) and will be returned within a week.

Fu-hsi, the first Sage, who created the diagrams of the Yijing

3. Three take-home essays (3-5 pages, 20% each). Topics will be distributed in class one week before they are due. The last one will take the place of a final exam and will be due in my office on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 6:30 p.m.

Option: If you have a B+ or better grade in the course by Thanksgiving vacation, and if you have a topic in Chinese religions that you would like to pursue further, you may write a 6-10 page research paper (typed, double-spaced, plus bibliography) instead of the final essay. You must clear your topic with me before Thanksgiving break. The paper will make use of at least two books or articles outside of assigned class readings, and will be due the day scheduled for a final exam. If you choose this option, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped and this paper will count 25%.

Note: If you have a disability that will affect your work or participation in this class, please contact Erin Salva, Coordinator of Disability Services, at PBX 5453 or via e-mail at salvae@kenyon.edu, and speak to me individually, early in the semester, about the arrangements you will need.