History of Eastern Philosophy
Philosophy 145
Bellevue Community College, Fall 2005
Daily 9:30-10:20, Room C254
Instructor: Mark Storey
Office Hours:
Daily 10:30-11:15 a.m., R230-E, (425) 564-2118, mstorey@bcc.ctc.edu
Course Description:
This course is designed to introduce students to the classical philosophic traditions of
India and China. More specifically, we will study the historical origins and beliefs of the
philosophies found in traditions such as Vedic ritual, Hinduism, Jainism, Carvaka,
Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism. We will explore issues
surrounding the nature of philosophic inquiry, social ethics, metaphysics, epistemology,
human nature, religion, aesthetics, and logic.
Students will be expected to accomplish three fundamental goals for each text, issue, or
question explored, with emphasis on the first goal. First, students must understand and
articulate in writing what the issues addressed are and how the philosophers studied
respond to them. What are the questions being asked? How do the philosophers answer
them? How do the philosophers defend themselves? Second, students should be able to
explain why an intelligent and informed person might agree with the philosopher. Third,
students should be able to explain why an intelligent and informed person might disagree
with the philosopher. Eastern philosophy makes use of many terms unfamiliar to many
American students, so there will also be a need to master a rich, new vocabulary.
Required Texts:
 Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore, A Source Book in Indian
Philosophy
 Wing-tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy
 Joel Kupperman, Classic Asian Philosophy
Course Requirements:
 Regular attendance and thoughtful reading of the texts prior to class
 Two 4-5 page take-home papers (1/5 of course grade each)
 Three in-class tests (1/5 of course grade each)
 Read http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/ArtsHum/policy.html regarding attendance & grades
Grading Policy:
Tests will not be given early or late. There are no make-up tests. Students must plan their
personal and work schedules with test dates in mind. If a student has a serious illness or a
death in the immediate family that is verified, then the instructor may—if he deems it
appropriate—assign a different exam (e.g., of an essay style). See Part 8 of the “Student
Procedures and Expectations” document at www.bcc.ctc.edu/ArtsHum/policy.html.
Take-home papers that are turned in late (for whatever the reason) will be penalized as
follows. If it is turned in or taken late on the day it is due, its GPA grade will be lowered
0.2 GPA points. If it is turned in or taken one day late, its GPA grade will be lowered 0.5
GPA grade points. For each day late thereafter (including weekends and holidays), the
GPA grade will be lowered an additional 0.2 GPA grade points. For example, if a paper is
due Friday and it is turned in the following Monday (i.e., three days late) and it would
have received a 3.0, then the grade would be lowered 0.9 GPA points (0.5+0.2+0.2=0.9)
to a 2.1. Students may turn take-home papers in early.
The instructor does not give HWs or Is merely to salvage a student’s GPA or financial
aid. If a student’s schedule changes and he or she is no longer able to attend class, he or
she should go to Registration and drop the class officially.
Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the
Director of Disability Support Services, room B132 (425-641-2498 or TTY 425-6034110) to establish their eligibility for accommodation. In addition, students are
encouraged to review their accommodation requirements with each instructor during the
first week of the quarter.
For information on BCC’s Philosophy Tutorial Program, and other Philosophy classes,
visit the Philosophy Department’s web site at: www.bcc.ctc.edu/philosophy/
Course Schedule
This is a tentative course reading schedule. Students are responsible for being in class on
time to hear of any changes. Do a thorough reading of the assigned text before coming to
class. Numbers refer to pages for “I” and “C,” and to chapters for “K.”
I: Indian Philosophy K: Kupperman
Date
Sep 19-23
Sep 26-30
Oct 3-7
Oct 10-14
Oct 17-21
Oct 24-28
Oct 31-Nov 4
Nov 7-11
Nov 14-18
Nov 21-25
Nov 28-Dec 2
Dec 5
Monday
Intro
K chap 3; I
101-138
I 227-249
I 424-425,
453-454,486487, 506-509
Essay due
I 292-328
C 425-449
No Class
C 14-48
C 115-135
K chap 7
C 211-231
TEST 9:30
Tuesday
I 3-36
No Class
C: Chinese Philosophy
Wednesday
K chap 1
I 138-145
Thursday
I 37-96
I 145-163
I 250-251
I 349-358,
386-387
K chap 2
TEST
TEST
C 136-176
Film
C 232-243
The test dates are Oct 12, Nov 1, Dec 5.
Essay due dates are Oct 10, Dec 2
I 328-345
Film
C 3-13
C 49-83
K chap 6
C 309-313
C 251-261
Friday
Film
I 272-292
K chap 8
Film
Film
K chap 5
No Class
Film
K chap 4
No Class
C 177-210
No Class
Essay due