City University of Hong Kong

Transcription

1 City University of Hong Kong Information on a Gateway Education Course offered by Department of Public Policy with effect from Semester A in 2013 / 2014 Part I Course Title: Civic Life Course Code: Course Duration: Confucianism and Liberalism: Comparative Perspectives of GE Semester Proposed Area: (Please insert 1 for the single primary area, and 2 for the secondary area if applicable. Students will only earn credit units from the primary area.) 1 Arts and Humanities Study of Societies, Social and Business Organisations Science and Technology No. of Credit Units: 3 Level: A1/B1 Medium of Instruction: English Medium of Assessment: English Prerequisites: (Course Code and Title) None Precursors: (Course Code and Title) None Equivalent Courses: (Course Code and Title) None Exclusive Courses: (Course Code and Title) None

2 Part II 1. Abstract This course investigates the meaning of civic life in the liberal and Confucian traditions from cross-cultural and comparative perspectives. It examines : (1) how citizens in both traditions understand the meaning of the moral person or the good man differently and (2) how this difference resulted in a peculiar mode of civic virtue (the virtue required for the sustenance and reproduction of the political society) and citizenship (civic fellowship among the citizens) in each cultural and political tradition. After comparing between liberal civility/citizenship and Confucian civility/citizenship from the political philosophical perspective, the course turns to the empirical cases of how modern East Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Japan have developed their own unique modes of civility and citizenship that are suitable in the modern society and still characteristically Confucian in a broad sense. During the course, students are expected to read core philosophical texts in both moral and political traditions and actively discuss about different moral ideals of the self and its civic and public implications. Students will have an opportunity (or opportunities) to formally present their views in group presentations. Finally, each student will write a short research paper that explores a new mode of East Asian civility and/or citizenship. 2. Course Aims This course aims to help students think critically about a decent social and political life (that is, civic life ) in contemporary East Asian societies through a cross-cultural comparison between East Asia s traditional Confucian notion/practice of civil politics and modern West s liberal notion/practice of civil politics. More specifically, it seeks to develop in students an critical understanding of, first, the importance of the civic foundation of a political community and second, the diversity in the idea and practice of civility across cultures. Rejecting the common, equally problematic, perceptions prevalent among the East Asians that Confucianism is nothing other than nepotistic familism or docility-enhancing paternalism and that liberalism is nothing more than a theory of voluntary contract among the self-seeking individuals, this course helps students discover how each tradition has developed its own unique modes of civility, civil society, and civil politics. This discovery shall then enable students to explore a possibility of a new mode of civil politics that creatively acculturates liberalism and Confucianism, that is not only culturally relevant but socio-politically desirable in East Asia s traditionally Confucian yet increasingly liberalizing societies. Therefore, the course will foster in students cultural sensitivity (how culturally unique Confucian and liberal traditions are), analytical skill (on what psychological, ethical, and socio-political grounds each civil tradition is built), critical mind (how different Confucian and liberal traditions are), and dialectical thinking (how to create a new mode of civil politics that is characteristically Confucian and yet liberal-oriented).

3 3. Course Intended Learning Outcomes (s) Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to: No. s Weighting (if applicable) 1. Understand the importance of the civic foundation of the political community and explore a new mode of civility, civil society, and civil politics in one s own society through cross-cultural comparisons. 2. Discover, articulate, and critically engage with the psychological, ethical, and socio-political grounds of Confucian and liberal civil traditions. 3. Critically evaluate the liberal tradition of civility from the Confucian perspective, and vice versa. 4. Apply the critically evaluated liberal and Confucian conceptions and practices of civility to a particular East Asian post-confucian country such as China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, and/or Singapore. 5. Develop an open mind, cultural sensibility, and multiple points of view in evaluating a given political community and construct political theoretical arguments based on cross-cultural comparison and dialectical thinking. 4. Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs) (designed to facilitate students achievement of the s - Some TLAs may address more than one.) TLA No. Hours/week (if applicable) Lectures: Students are expected to understand, analyse, and critically revisit basic theoretical concepts, political theories, social and historical practices, and ideas and arguments; they will critically examine political theoretical, cultural, and moral issues arising from reflections on both liberal and Confucian moral and political traditions. Class discussion and debate: Students will clarify and evaluate key concepts and arguments through exchange and interaction with others by offering and receiving peer review; not only will students learn to advance their own arguments but they will also discover the importance of appreciating and critically engaging with alternative views and arguments , 2, 3-5

4 Use of multi-media aids (films, news coverage, documentaries, online resources, etc.): Various media aids and resources will be employed to provide narrative examples to enhance cultural sensibility, stimulate imaginative thinking and critical reflection on the practice of civility in the Confucian and liberal traditions. Short Quiz: Designed to test student s grasp of basic concepts and theories and their ability to apply them to reality. Group presentation: This will offer students a chance to develop well-argued and defensible positions of their own through a process of collaboration; it will also encourage them to explore alternative ways of understanding a civil life and revisit critically their own Chinese civility its cultural uniqueness, strengths and limitations. Individual essay: Each student will explore a proper mode of civil politics in Hong Kong or other East Asian countries of the student s interest. This requires a student to search for a way to tame possessive individualism and promote civic virtue and citizenship in East Asia. 1, 2, 4, 5 4, 5 1, 2, 4, 5 5. Assessment Tasks/Activities (designed to assess how well the students achieve the s Some assessment tasks/activities may address more than one.) Type of Assessment Tasks/Activities No. Weighting (if applicable) Class attendance and participation in in-class discussions, debates, and other forms of critical exchanges (such as small group discussions and group-based debates) Short quiz: Designed to test student s grasps of basic concepts and arguments. (To be held during the semester after Lectures 5 & 11 ); also quizzes will encourage students to critically re-evaluate the basic concepts and theories of civility and citizenship through cross- and intra-cultural comparisons. 10 % 30% Remarks

5 Individual essay: A short research paper requiring students to master and critically revisit the basic concepts and perspectives learned during the coursework and to apply them to the analysis of various modes of civility and citizenship in East Asian societies. In this task, a student will be encouraged to explore a mode of civility and citizenship that is culturally relevant and socially practicable in Hong Kong or in China. (Due date: one week after the final lecture, the essay will be returned with both grade and written comments within two weeks after its submission.) Group presentation: Offers students a chance to develop well-argued and defensible positions of their own through a process of collaboration, which will involve analyses of concepts and theories, cultural comparisons, and critical evaluations of different modes of civility and citizenship. (To be held either during the semester. Students performance will be discussed during and after the class. Emphasis is placed on how group presentation has encouraged others to actively engage with each other participation.) 30% 30% 6. Grading of Student Achievement: Refer to Grading of Courses in the Academic Regulations. Letter Grade A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- Short essay and short quiz Grading criteria in relation to s Ability to respond to questions clearly and creatively; strong evidence of original and critical thinking; good organization, capacity to analyse, compare, and critically evaluate; reflective understanding of the social value and civic purpose of civility and citizenship; evidence of cultural open-mindedness and a development of constructive yet critical attitude towards one s own civic culture. Evidence of grasp of subject, some evidence of critical capacity and analytic ability, reasonable understanding of issues; evidence of cultural open-mindedness and a critical attitude towards one s own civic culture. Adequate understanding of the subject; ability to critically engage with basic concepts and theories; a basic ability to form a research question and explore it in an argument-oriented essay.

6 D F Some understanding of basic concepts and theories; failure to develop a critical attitude toward the dominant mode of civility in one s society; a minimal ability to critically engage with other students; a minimal ability to demonstrate one s own discoveries or findings in a written essay. Failure to understand basic concepts and theories; failure to critically apply concepts and theories of civility and citizenship in real life situations; failure to critically engage with others; failure to write an argument-oriented paper. Letter Grade A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D F Group presentation Grading criteria in relation to s A superb ability to analyse core concepts and theories; to compare different modes of civility and citizenship across culture and identify or discover the cultural uniqueness of each mode of civility and citizenship; an ability to present materials clearly and in a way that they can encourage other students to think critically about the subject and explore alternative ways of looking at the issue through various forms of dialogical interactions; an ability to anticipate some possible questions; an ability to respond respectfully and critically to questions and different views. The use of materials largely relevant to the topic; indications of good grasp of subject; some evidence of critical capacity and analytic ability, reasonable understanding of issues; an ability to make other students critically engage with each others; an ability to respond to questions and alternative views respectfully and reasonably.. Basic and adequate understanding of the subject; ability to respond to initiate dialogic interactions among students; a certain ability to reflect various modes of civility and citizenship critically. An acceptable level of familiarity with the subject matter and grasps of materials; a minimal ability to encourage other students to critically reflect on the subject and to participate enthusiastically in group discussion. Little evidence of familiarity with the subject matter; weakness in critical and analytic skills; a failure to generate a viable group discussion; a failure to respond to the questions intelligently.

7 Part III Keyword Syllabus: Please provide information about the tentative weekly schedule under Part B of the Annex to this Form. Political theory; politics; ethics; civility; public; Confucianism; liberalism; cultural analysis; theoretical investigation; normative vs. descriptive; ethical reasoning; power; authority; rights; liberty; justice; equality; community; fairness; consent; autonomy; political obligation; civil disobedience; democracy; decency; family; virtue ethics; civic education; atomistic individualism; social contract; egotism; narcissism; nepotism; docility; paternalism; moral agency; moral transformation; passion; self-control; filiality; citizenship; relationship; strangership; sociability, ritual; Recommended Reading: Text(s): Introductory readings: - Mulhall, Stephen and Swift, Adam (1996), Liberals and Communitarians, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. [A comprehensive survey on the liberal-communitarian debate.] - Yao, Xinzhong (2000), An Introduction to Confucianism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [A brief introduction to Confucianism as a philosophical system and cultural tradition.] - Bell, Daniel A. (2000), East Meets West: Human Rights and Democracy in East Asia, Princeton: Princeton University Press. [An insightful account on the East Asian encounter with the Western concept of human rights and democracy. Other recommended readings: - Bell, Daniel A. Ed. (2008), Confucian Political Ethics, Princeton: Princeton University Press. - Bell, Daniel A. and Hahm, Chaibong, Eds. (2003), Confucianism for the Modern World, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Bellah, Robert N. et al. (1985), Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life, Berkeley: University of California Press. - Berkowitz, Peter (1999), Virtue and the Making of Modern Liberalism, Princeton: Princeton University Press. - De Bary, Wm. Theodore and Tu, Weiming, Eds. (1998), Confucianism and Human Rights, New York: Columbia University Press.

8 - Glendon, Mary A. and Blankenhorn, David, Eds. (1995), Seedbeds of Virtue: Sources of Competence, Character, and Citizenship in American Society. Lanham: Madison Books. - Hahm, Cahihark and Bell, Daniel A. Eds. (2004), The Politics of Affective Relations: East Asia and Beyond, Lanham: Lexington Books. - Hall, David L. and Ames, Roger T. (1999), The Democracy of the Dead, Chicago: Open Court. - Ikegami, Eiko (2005), Bonds of Civility: Aesthetic Networks and the Political Origins of Japanese Culture, Cambridge: Harvard University Press. - Seligman, Adam B. (1992), The Idea of Civil Society, Princeton: Princeton University Press. - Shklar, Judith N. (1984), Ordinary Vices, Cambridge: The Belknap Press. - Shun, Kwong-loi and Wong, David B. (2004), Confucian Ethics: A Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy, and Community, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Tan, Sor-hoon (2003), Confucian Democracy: A Dewyean Reconstruction, Albany: State University of New York Press. - Tarcov, Nathan (1998), Locke s Education for Liberty, Lanham: Lexington Books. - Yu, Kam-por, Tao, Julia, and Ivanhoe, Philip J. (2010), Taking Confucian Ethics Seriously, Albany: State University of New York Press. Online Resources: [The website of The Philosophers Magazine]