PHI 160 Course Outline

Caption: The heading row descibes the categories of information about the course, while the row in the table body holds the course information itself.
Course Prefix	Course Number	Course Title	Lecture/Lab Hours	Credit Hours
PHI	160	Non-Western Philosophy	3 Lecture/Demonstration	3 Credit Hours

Course description

Introduces selected philosophical concepts and value systems of several non-Western cultures. Gives attention to the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta and other Hindu texts, Confucius, the Tao Te Ching and other Chinese classics and key texts from at least two other traditions. IAI H4 903N

Topical outline

I. Indian Philosophy

A. The Upanishads

B. The Bhagavad Gita

C. The Vedanta

II. Chinese Philosophy

A. Confucius' Analects

B. The Great Learning

C. The Doctrine of the Mean

D. The Tao Te Ching

E. Chu His

III. Japaneses Philosophy

A. Dogen

B. Shinran

C. Massao Abe

Method of presentation

1. Guest Speakers
2. Lecture
3. Class Discussion
4. Other:

a. Film, video and other media
b. Guest lecturers
c. Student presentations
d. In class projects including group discussion

Student outcomes

1. explain the major philosophical theories studied in the class, including, where applicable, their ideas on:

a. the acquisition of philosophical knowledge or insight

b. the experiential matrix of philosophical concepts

c. the limits of philosophy

d. the nature of the phenomenal world

e. time

f. selfhood

g. the nature of the transcendent

h. ethical or personal-social implications

i. the appropriate language in which to express philosophical knowledge or insights

2. discuss how philosophy is related to religion, science, literature.

3. formulate generalizations concerning how a philosophy relates to its tradition.
4. select and expound key passages from primary sources and be able to discuss major issues in translation.
5. formulate generalizations concerning cultures (e.g. Hindu, Chinese)
6. formulate cross-cultural comparisons.
7. discuss potential errors in the generalizations in Numbers 5 and 6, including how specific
philosophers or texts diverge from these generalizations.
8. explain three theories concerning the possibility of cross-cultural comparisons.
9. discuss the problems of ethnocentrism and relativism.
10. formulate a personal theory of cross-cultural comparison 11 and formulate a personal
philosophy concerning the topics in number one.
11. write at least ten pages (of approximately 300 words each) of college-level writing in the
process of demonstrating the accomplishment of the other outcomes.

Method of evaluation

Typical classroom techniques

Class participation
Objective tests
Final exam
Essays/Term papers
Oral examination

Course content learning outcomes

Additional assessment information (optional)

Papers
Class presentations

Textbooks

Optional

Radhakrishnan. Source Book in Indian Philosophy Princeton University Press, 1967
Chan. Source Book in Chinese Philosophy Princeton University Press, 1969

Supplementary materials

Required

or use a selection of primary texts.

Software

None

Updated: Fall 2018