Heartland Community College
Master Course Syllabus
Division name: HUMANITIES & FINE ARTS
COURSE PREFIX & NUMBER: PHIL 105
COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Non-Western Philosophy
DATE PREPARED: September, 2004
DATE REVISED:
PCS/CIP/ID NO: 11 380101 13
IAI NO. (if available): H4 903 N
EFFECTIVE DATE OF FIRST CLASS: January 2005
CREDIT HOURS: 3
CONTACT HOURS: 3
LECTURE HOURS: 3
LABORATORY HOURS: 0
CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Include specific prerequisites):
An introduction to non-western philosophy, surveying Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism,
Shintoism, Buddhism, Islam, and African philosophies.
TEXTBOOKS:
Bonevac, Daniel, and Stephen Phillips, eds. Understanding Non-Western Philosophy:
Introductory Reading. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1993.
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND
TRANSFERABILITY:
PHIL 105 fulfills 3 of the required 9 semester hours of credit in the Humanities for the A.A.
or A.S. degrees. It is a General Education course and is included in the Illinois Articulation
Initiative. Therefore, it should transfer to any Illinois college or university as a general
education requirement in the Humanities. Check with an advisor about transferability to
particular institutions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES (Learning Outcomes)
Outcomes
General
Education
Outcome
Range of Assessment Methods
Outline the main historical
developments and the main
philosophical concepts of the
non-western philosophical
traditions, matching important
works with the philosophers
who wrote them and important
beliefs with the philosophers
who held them.
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Identify the historically
dominant non-western
philosophical “problems,” the
non-western philosophers who
dealt with each of them, and
the reasons that they have
become viewed as “problems.”
Contextualize various nonwestern philosophies and
philosophical problems within
the societies and cultures that
gave rise to them, identifying
the social phenomena that
provided the impetus for
solutions to those problems.
Analyze critically the extent
that a philosopher’s identity,
assumptions, and social
context influence his or her
perspective or beliefs.

Describe the differences
between non-western and
western philosophical views
and the ways of thinking that
underlie the respective
cultures.
Demonstrate an ability to
critically evaluate the
effectiveness of non-western
philosophical solutions that
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D3
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D2
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CT1
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Written examinations, consisting
of short essay, multiple choice,
true/false, and short answer
questions
Class discussions
Student presentations
Written examinations, consisting
of short essay, multiple choice,
true/false, and short answer
questions
Class discussions
Student presentations
Written examinations, consisting
of short essay, multiple choice,
true/false, and short answer
questions
Class discussions
Student presentations
Written examinations, consisting
of short essay, multiple choice,
true/false, and short answer
questions
Class discussions
Student presentations
Written examinations, consisting
of short essay, multiple choice,
true/false, and short answer
questions
Class discussions
Student presentations
Written examinations, consisting
of short essay, multiple choice,
true/false, and short answer
questions
have been proposed to the
main philosophical problems.
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Demonstrate the ability to aptly
interpret difficult philosophical
texts and support those
interpretations with reasoned
arguments.
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Demonstrate an ability to
analyze the historical
processes and experiences
that enable human beings to
come to knowledge.
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Class discussions
Student presentations
Research paper with
documented sources
Written examinations, consisting
of short essay, multiple choice,
true/false, and short answer
questions
Class discussions
Student presentations
Research paper with
documented sources
Written examinations, consisting
of short essay, multiple choice,
true/false. and short answer
questions
Class discussions
Student presentations
COURSE/LAB OUTLINE:
1. Africa (Ancient Egypt)
2. South Asia (Hinduism, Early Buddhism, Jainism, Non-Dualism, Sikhism)
3. China (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism,)
4. Japan (Shintoism and Buddhism)
5, Middle East and Northern Africa (Islam, creationism, rationalism)
METHOD OF EVALUATION (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
There are several exams composed of short essay, multiple choice, true/false, and short
answer questions. There is a research paper of at least nine pages, with documented sources.
Attendance and class-participation are graded.
The final grade will be calculated as follows:
75% = Exams
20% = Research paper
5 % = Participation and attendance
The grading system will be as follows:
A=90%
B=80%
C=70%
D=60%
F=less than 60%
REQUIRED WRITING AND READING:
Besides the essay examination questions, required writing will take the form of a research
paper of at least nine pages. Required reading will be from the textbook and from outside
sources.