Human Rights and Chinese Philosophy |
Syllabus |
Our topic is human rights and Chinese philosophy: where did the former notion come from, and what relation does it bear to the latter? Is there a Chinese notion of rights, somehow distinct from the Western notion? When Chinese thinkers began interpreting Western texts that spoke of rights, how were the texts understoodãand how did they influence twentieth century Chinese ethical thought?
We will seek answers to these questions by breaking the topic down into three parts: (1) the development of China's rights tradition; (2) the contemporary debate, both within China and between Chinese and others, on the nature and significance of human rights; (3) a series of topical issues relevant not only to how Chinese understand rights, but perhaps to how Westerners should as well.
Assigned readings are listed on a separate Assignment List. They include primary texts from the Chinese traditions and contemporary writings (in translation); contemporary secondary writings on Western and Chinese notions of rights; and a few more general articles, for instance on the question of ethical pluralism. Our main activity in each seminar session will be the discussion of these readings.
Each week two or more participants in the seminar will provide reading notes for the session's readings. One or two people will be assigned to each reading. Reading notes must be posted to the class WebBoard (see below) by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday before the class in which the reading will be discussed. This posting should run between 250 and 500 words, and should contain:
The timing of this posting is designed to ensure that all seminar participants will be able to use your notes as guides during their own preparation. Let me emphasize that these notes are informal and preliminary: it is perfectly all right for you to say "I don't understand where so-and-so is going at this point," so long as you have given the issue some thought. You are encouraged, finally, to speak to me prior to assuming preparing your notes in class if youre puzzled about the readings.
In addition to in-class discussion, we will all take part in further discussions via WebBoard. This should provide opportunities to float ideas, ask questions about difficult passages, and pursue issues in more depth than we have time for in class. I will respond to questions when appropriate, but I hope that you all will strive to help one another out by offering your own answers whenever possible.
The only required postings to this group, other than the reading notes, are class summaries. One student (schedule to be determined in class) will post an approximately 500 word summary of the class's discussion by 10:00 a.m. of the Friday following the class. You should aim to provide a concise yet informative summary, in outline form if you wish. If there are, to your mind, important questions that were raised (or should have been raised) in class which were left unanswered, by all means bring them up--whether or not you feel you have an answer!
Three writing assignments are required: (1) is a short paper (5-7 pages); (2) is a rough draft of the research paper (5-10 pages); and (3) is a research paper (approximately 15-20 pages).
I will pass out suggested topics for the short paper on February 16, but feel free to devise your own topic so long as you consult with me in advance. The paper will be due at 5 p.m. on March 3.
I encourage you to begin thinking about a topic for your research paper, and speak to me about it, as soon as possible. You must have done so (including conferring with me) by April 5. A short draft--it can be very rough, but it should be at least five pages--is due in class on April 19. The completed research paper will be due at 5 p.m. on May 5.
In summary, the requirements for this course are:
Half of your grade will be based on the your research project. The rough draft itself will be ungraded, though I guarantee that a good rough draft will contribute to a good final paper!
The short paper will contribute one quarter of your grade.
The remaining quarter of your grade will be based on your performance and participation. This includes discussion both during class and through WebBoard, as well as the reading notes and class summaries. As a rough guideline, minimal satisfactory participation in class would consist of one contribution, in class or via WebBoard, each week. Feel free to ask me at any time how I've assessed your participation up to that point. I will make sure to inform you around midterm if I feel that your participation is inadequate (roughly C- or below).
Late papers will be penalized one step (e.g., B+ to B) for each day late, with the exception that papers due on a Friday and turned in by the following Monday will be penalized only one step.
My office is 216 Russell House; my office hours will be Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. I'll regularly be available in my office at other times; just make an appointment in advance so I am sure to be there.
My phone number is x3654. I can be reached through email at sangle@wesleyan.edu.