Seminars & Short Courses
Introduction to Early Confucianism
This NCTA course, taught by PhD student Kathryn Vandrey, provides an introduction to the early development of Chinese thought with a focus on the religious, political, and philosophical theories of classical Confucianism from the Spring and Autumns period (770 BCE) to the end of the Western Han (9 CE). This course will combine lectures, primary materials (in translation), and modern scholarship to explore the different positions of three foundational figures: Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. We will also explore the role of women in early Confucian philosophy and the way they internalized and exhibited knowledge within Confucian social systems. By the end of the course, participants will be able to: recognize basic Confucian doctrines and practices and discuss them in their own words, identify key figures in early Confucianism, integrate academic sources into a K-12 classroom setting, and foster student's cultural and historical awareness of non-western philosophies.
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