Study Abroad Opportunities in Philosophy

CHINA:  Past, Present and Future

 

Click here to see a slideshow of the May 2005 trip to China.

 

PREREQUISITES:

 

"Asian Thought" (PHL 268 / RLG 268)

Seven-week pre-depature course (PHL 272Y) 

 

SAMPLE DESCRIPTION (May 2007):

 

Our trip to China will begin in the classroom during the spring semester prior to our departure. All students participating in the China ICA will be required to enroll in “Asian Thought” (PHL 268 / RLG 268). The courses will prepare students for their experience abroad by acquainting them with the foundational texts of China’s intellectual traditions, including Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, as well as by familiarizing them with the dramatic social and political changes that have shaped China during its long history. While this course is open to all students, regardless of whether they participate in the ICA, those who plan to travel to China will also be required to attend a seven-week pre-departue course (PHL 272Y). These sessions will provide a forum for intensive discussions concerning Chinese cultural history, practical issues regarding international travel, as well as brief exposure to Mandarin Chinese.

 

We depart for our three-week trip to China in mid-May. Our entry into China will take place in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. From Kunming we travel to the historic city of Lijiang, home of the Naxi people, then north to the town of Emei and its surrounding areas where we will discuss Chinese Buddhism at the foot of the world’s largest Buddha image carved into the cliffs at Leshan and hike along the lush trails of Emei Mountain. We then continue north to Xian, China’s ancient capital and eastern edge of the Silk Road, where we will see the famous tomb and terracotta warriors of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. Our next destination will be the town of Qufu in the east where we will hear from scholars about the importance of Confucianism in China while walking through the town that was Confucius’s birthplace. Our trip to China will conclude with a visit the Great Wall and to Beijing, the political heart of China and site of the Forbidden City, the Great Hall of the People, Mao’s Tomb and Tiananmen Square.

 

Frequently throughout the trip we will pause, usually in the evenings, for lectures and discussions about the sites we have seen, and whenever feasible these lectures will be given by professors and experts from Chinese universities and local institutions. During the three weeks, students are required to attend all lectures, participate in informal discussions about China and reflect intelligently on their experiences in a travel journal. A long seminar paper on some aspect of our trip will also be due soon after our return home.