Advanced Course in Chinese Philosophy and Politics

Objective

After completion of the course the student is able to
- explicate the evolution of main endogenic schools of thought in Imperial China
- describe the complexities of conceptual thinking in traditional Chinese thinking
- illustrate and point out how the Communist Party is utilizing endogenic traditional concepts and conceptual structures in building a new base for their political legitimacy.

Content

This course is designed to introduce a critical and pluralist view on the Chinese idea history by reading original texts (in English). Students will gain an understanding of various forces of continuity and discontinuity of ideas and concepts, religious values and culture in traditional Imperial China. Eventually, students will study how the Party is utilising and interpreting their own tradition and concepts in not only building domestic legitimacy, but how the party is carefully choosing certain concepts and idea structures on global stage under the umbrella of "Chinese wisdom".

Qualifications

Completion of YMAT1107 Chinese Culture and History and/or OTMEVAL0014 China's Political System and China as a Global Actor in Before and After Corona World courses. Also available for students that have accomplished majority of international politics courses or minor in philosophy.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Fail: Written paper is brief and shallow and do not answer the given question at all or contains lot of mistakes. Student doesn’t understand or grasp central cultural, institutional or polito-economic concepts or processes of the given course / reading material. In addition, in answering the question the student fails to illustrate elementary China-related societal trajectories or knowledge. Understanding of China and the course topic remains incompetent.

Pass: Written paper answers the given question and illustrates that the student grasps essential central cultural, institutional or polito-economic concepts or processes of the given course / reading material. In addition, in answering the question the student illustrate in sufficient or excellent manner China-related societal trajectories or knowledge. Student is able not only to define the concepts and societal trajectories correctly, but more over the argumentation of essays are reflective and reasoning logical. Essay answers are structured in coherent and logical fashion.