EAS190: CONFUCIANISM AND THE SAMURAI ETHIC

Fall ’04, 1st Quarter

Call Number: 7706

Meeting times: TTH 2:45-5:35 P.M. in Humanities 111

Instructor: Susanna Fessler, Assoc. Professor	Phone: (518)442-4119
Office Hours: T Th 1:15-2:15 and by appt.	Fax: (518)442-4118
Office: Humanities 210	E-Mail: fessler@albany.edu

Course Description:

This course will examine the Confucian roots of the samurai ethic, and follow the transformation of those ideals from the 5th century B.C. to the modern day. We will read both primary and secondary texts in an effort to understand how Confucianism has influenced China's neighbor, Japan. The class will be run in a chronological fashion, beginning with a look at the Analects and ending with a look at Confucian/samurai values in 20th century Japan. We will emphasize a comparative approach, one that integrates the Western tradition. There are no prerequisites for this course.

General Education Information

This course fulfills the General Education categories of Oral Discourse and Global & Cross-Cultural Perspectives.

Characteristics of all General Education Courses:

General Education courses offer explicit rather than tacit understandings of the procedures, practices, methodology and fundamental assumptions of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields.

General Education courses recognize multiple perspectives on the subject matter.

General Education courses emphasize active learning in an engaged environment that enables students to be General Education courses offer introductions to the central topics of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields.

producers as well as consumers of knowledge.

General Education courses promote critical inquiry into the assumptions, goals, and methods of various fields of academic study; they aim to develop the interpretive, analytic, and evaluative competencies characteristic of critical thinking.

Characteristics of Oral Discourse Courses:

Approved courses provide opportunities for students to develop the oral communication skills they need to participate more effectively in public and academic debates and discussions. Courses offer opportunities to participate in a variety of communication contexts and to reflect on the principles and theory relevant to specific oral communication activities.

Characteristics of Global & Cross-Cultural Perspectives Courses:

Approved courses engage students in comparative and integrative analyses. Courses offer global perspectives on historical or contemporary events or comparisons between societies or regions. Courses emphasize the dynamic interaction between and among cultures and regions and the global forces that give rise to and define cultures and regions.

Required Texts:

▪Confucius: Confucian Analects, The Great Learning & Doctrine of the Mean, Legge, trans.

▪Hagakure: the Book of the Samurai, by Yamamoto Tsunetomo

▪Selected Readings on ERES (University Library Electronic Reserves)

▪Lecture notes and other course handouts/materials (downloading optional) are on the web at http://www.albany.edu/eas/190/index.htm

Grading:

▪Students will write one five-page paper on the topic of their choice related to course material. [Note that due dates for the papers are staggered alphabetically]

▪Every student will be responsible for one in-class presentation during the course of the quarter (see handout for more information).

▪There will be a final exam at the end of the quarter.

▪Attendance will be taken regularly.

▪ Unannounced quizzes will be given throughout the quarter on the content of the reading for that given day of class. The quizzes are short, multiple-choice quizzes, and are easy if you have done the reading but impossible if you have not. In other words, it is in your best interest to come to class prepared. Quizzes are given at the beginning of class. If you are more than ten minutes late, you cannot take the quiz. Missed quizzes cannot be made up.[1]

This course is A-E graded unless designated otherwise by individual students. Your grade for the quarter will be determined on the following criteria:

Quizzes 20%

Attendance 15%

Paper 25%

Presentation 20%

Final Exam 20%

I do not give extra-credit assignments. I do not curve grades. If you anticipate a problem that will affect your grade, I encourage you to see me as soon as possible. I will not give a grade of "Incomplete" unless you have a certified medical or dean's excuse. The late policy on papers is a grade reduction of ½ grade for each day the assignment is late.

			Topic	Reading
Aug.	31	T	Course Introduction Taxonomy of Philosophy	None
Sept.	2	Th	The Analects & Confucius, Part I Nuts and Bolts of Presentations	Analects: 137-236
	7	T	The Analects, Part II Presentations: Problems of Translation	Analects: 237-354
	9	Th	The Great Learning Presentations: Asian Values	Great Learning: 355-381
	14	T	Confucianism in Japan Presentations: Other factors	Collcutt: 111-154
	16	Th	NO CLASS – Rosh Hashanah
	21	T	Prince Shōtoku’s 17 Article Constitution Presentations: Then and Now	Tsunoda:36-39; 49-53
	23	Th	Confucian movements in the Tokugawa Presentations: Neo-Confucianism in Japan	Tsunoda: 355-357; 363-367
	28	T	Samurai Values Bushidō and Confucianism Presentations: What would Confucius think?	Hosoi Heishū: 393-413 Tsunoda: 394-404 Hagakure: all
	30	Th	Kaibara Ekken Presentations: The Western Tradition on Women	Tsunoda: 376-377 Kaibara: 33-46; 63-64 First Draft Due (A-G)
Oct.	5	T	Confucianism in Tokugawa fiction Presentations: Popular Confucianism	Callahan: 1-20 Bakin 423-428 First Draft Due (H-Z)
	7	Th	Confucianism and Imperialism Presentations: Traditions at the turn of the century	Hibino: vii-165 Tsunoda 784-795
	12	T	Post-war Confucianism (Views of Japan) Presentations: World War II	Vogel: 142-162 Lebra 1-21 Sakaiya: 117-125
	14	Th	9/11 & Kamikaze: A Comparison Presentations: Modern Values	Final Draft Due (A-G)
	19	T	Final Exam	Final Draft Due (H-Z)

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[1]If you are absent on a day there is a quiz and your absence is excused (i.e., due to illness or other emergency), then the missed quiz will not count against you. When you have returned to class, please be sure to check with the instructor for any missed work, announcements, etc.