2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
EAST1500 Introduction to Religious and Philosophical Texts of East Asia
20 creditsClass Size: 50
Module manager: Dr Martin Seeger
Email: m.seeger@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2017/18
This module is approved as a discovery module
Module summary
The module introduces East Asia's major religious and philosophical texts in their broader historical and cultural context. These texts will be discussed in relation to their historical and cultural contexts on the one hand and as part of religious praxis and artistic reproduction on the other. In order to do so, students will be asked to engage in a basic anthropological, historical and hermeneutic conversation with the basic texts of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Shinto, Islam and Christianity.Objectives
This module enables students to understand and critically analyze East Asia's major religious and philosophical texts in their broader historical and cultural context.Learning outcomes
- through thorough textual analysis and discussions of translated primary sources, students will gain a firm understanding of East Asia's religious and intellectual basis.
- to address the ways in which the West has studied East Asian texts
- to question the East Asian distinction between apocrypha and canonical texts
Skills outcomes
Students will be expected to
- have acquired a thorough grounding in the religious and intellectual textual basis of East Asia.
- be able to interpret specific pre-modern and modern East Asian religious and intellectual developments in their appropriate contexts
- transcend the boundaries between text, art and performance to fully understand the significance of the production of texts
Syllabus
- introduction to the main textual sources of Buddhism, Islam, Shinto, Christianity, Confucianism and Daoism.
- explore the function of certain texts within the context of religious praxis
- connect the production of texts with the development of visual and performing art
Teaching methods
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
| Lecture | 15 | 1.00 | 15.00 |
| Seminar | 5 | 1.00 | 5.00 |
| Independent online learning hours | 50.00 | ||
| Private study hours | 130.00 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20.00 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200.00 | ||
Private study
Reading of primary sources in translation and on-line research into textual databases.A BREAK DOWN OF HOURS:
EXAM PREPARATION: 30 HOURS
SEMINAR PREPARATION: 20 HOURS
SEMINAR REVISION: 20 HOURS
READING/RESEARCH FOR MINI-ASSIGNMENTS 20 HOURS
WRITING OF 2,000 WORDESSAY: 10 HOURS
REVISION AND PREPARATION FOR LECTURES 30 HOURS
ONLINE LEARNING 50 HOURS (Students will be required to identify and analyse relevant online sources, such as online dictionaries, newspaper articles, JSTOR, etc; in addition, VLE will be used for online discussions of themes, concepts and questions that were introduced in the seminars and lectures)
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
Progress will be closely monitored through assessment and in-class discussions of submissions and assigned readings. Feedback will be provided through the weekly assignments and the assessed essays.A 2,000 word essay is to be submitted on VLE and students will receive detailed feedbackon the essay. The assignment will ask the students to read and analyze certain passages through approaches and methods addressed in class.
Students are also strongly encouraged to visit the lecturers during their office hours in order to discuss certain passages or concepts introduced in class.
Methods of assessment
Coursework
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
| Essay or Dissertation | 2,000 words; questions will be posted on VLE; submission on VLE; feedback via VLE | 30.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 30.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Exams
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
| Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc) | 2 hr | 70.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 70.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Reading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 09/05/2017
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