PHIL 220 Introduction to Eastern Philosophy (5 credits)
Distribution Area Fulfilled Humanities; General Transfer Elective
Course Description
An introductory survey of the main philosophies in India, China and Japan. Helps students understand the philosophical similarities between these systems, especially as they relate to self, reality, value, knowledge and religion.
Course Content
A. An introductory survey of the main philosophies in India, China and Japan. Helps students understand the philosophical similarities between these systems, especially as they relate to self, reality, value, knowledge and religion.
B. A brief, historical overview of Asian and Indian philosophical tradition
C. The nature and attributes of reality
D. The theory of the One and the many
E. Knowledge and skepticism
F. Ways of obtaining knowledge and the kinds of things that can be known
G. Philosophy and its connection to religion
H. Ethics: virtue, society, four noble truths
I. Personal identity : Self and nothingness
J. Life and death in the Eastern tradition
Student Outcomes
1. Examine the historical development of each of the traditional Asian and Indian philosophies in order to demonstrate understanding as to how later theories both differed from, and built upon, earlier theories in that tradition.
2. Identify the problems that exist in distinguishing reality from perceived reality and how these problems are addressed by philosophers.
3. Distinguish between the different ways that Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Hinduism view reality and how they reconcile the ideas of the “One” and the “many.”
4. Describe what constitutes knowledge and compare the different ways knowledge can be obtained.
5. Determine whether or not a distinction between religion and philosophy exists in the eastern philosophical traditions.
6. Examine the four noble truths and the concept of Jen (Ren) in order to evaluate how these concepts influence ethics.
7. Demonstrate understanding of the role that virtue plays in the ethical systems of these philosophies.
8. Compare and contrast the different descriptions of self in Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Hinduism.
9. Define the term “nothingness” and explain its relationship to the self.
10. Evaluate eastern attitudes on death, reincarnation and their view of the afterlife.
Degree Outcomes
Humanities: Graduates acquire critical skills to interpret, analyze, and evaluate forms of human expression, which can include creation and performance as an expression of human experience.
Critical, Creative and Reflective Thinking: Graduates will evaluate, analyze, synthesize, and generate ideas; construct informed, meaningful, and justifiable conclusions; and process feelings, beliefs, biases, strengths, and weaknesses as they relate to their thinking, decisions, and creations.
Lecture Contact Hours 50
Lab Contact Hours 0
Clinical Contact Hours 0
Total Contact Hours 50
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