The discussions concentrate on cultural and social aspects as well as on comparison of themes and viewpoints in the two genres. May be repeated for credit when a new topic is offered. Open to nonmajors. Mr. Van Norden. An examination of selected topics relevant to the study of Asia in an interdisciplinary framework.
Topics vary from year to year.
May be repeated for credit when a new topic is offered. Open to nonmajors. An exploration of some of the methodological issues raised by the prospect of one culture understanding and making judgments about another. The course will consider essays on ethical and cognitive relativism, incommensurability, and the hermeneutics of suspicion and faith. Although the focus is primarily methodological, recent Western approaches to understanding Chinese philosophy will provide test cases for some of the theories examined.