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APA Newsletters NEWSLETTER ON ASIAN AND ASIAN-AMERICAN PHILOSOPHERS AND PHILOSOPHY Volume 11, Number 1 Fall 2011 FROM THE EDITOR, DAVID H. KIM ARTICLES A. MINH NGUYEN “Teaching Chinese Philosophy: A Survey of the Field” FALGUNI A. SHETH “Report on ‘(Mis)Recognition: Race, Emotion, Embodiment’ Panel” © 2011 by The American Philosophical Association ISSN 2155-9708 APA NEWSLETTER ON Asian and Asian-American Philosophers and Philosophies David H. Kim, Editor Fall 2011 Volume 11, Number 1 on this philosophical tradition in progress (with Professor Bang FROM THE EDITOR at Kyungpook National University, South Korea) and translating Chong, Yak-Yong (丁若鏞)’s “Four Commentaries on Yi-Jing” (周易四箋) (also with Professor Bang). JeeLoo Liu is Associate Professor of Philosophy at David H. Kim CSU Fullerton and President of the Association of Chinese University of San Francisco Philosophers in America (ACPA). Her research interests are Chinese Philosophy and Philosophy of Mind. She is the author of The value of Chinese Philosophy—not to mention Asian An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy: From Ancient Philosophy Philosophy generally—warrants much greater recognition in the to Chinese Buddhism (Blackwell, 2006) and co-editor, with profession than it currently receives. The teaching of Chinese John Perry, of Consciousness and the Self (Cambridge philosophy, then, is a significant matter, and this edition of the University Press, December 2011). Currently, she is working Newsletter begins with an important service to the profession, on a monograph on Neo-Confucianism, tentatively entitled a survey article by Professor Minh Nguyen on current teaching Metaphysics, Morality, and Mind: An Analytic Reconstruction of Chinese Philosophy in various parts of the world and in of Neo-Confucianism. Recently, in July 2010, Professor Liu North America particularly. From May 2009 to December 2010, co-organized a conference in Beijing, China on Chinese Professor Nguyen distributed and processed questionnaires metaphysics and epistemology with Renmin University (in on the nature, challenges, and rewards of teaching Chinese China) in July 2010. She is also a member of the advisory board Philosophy. The results are organized and presented here. I of the John Templeton Foundation. would like to thank Professor Nguyen for giving us much to consider. Welcome aboard, Halla and JeeLoo! At the 2010 Eastern Division Meeting of the APA, the Committee on Asian and Asian American Philosophers and Philosophies sponsored two panels: 1) “The Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi” and 2) “(Mis)Recognition: Race, Emotion, ARTICLES Embodiment.” A report on the first of these has been offered by Minh Nguyen and Josef Velazquez in the previous APA Newsletter (vol. 10, no. 2, Spring 2011). In this edition of the Newsletter, a brief report is given on the second panel, the Teaching Chinese Philosophy: A Survey of theme of which is especially salient to our current condition the Field in which various peoples of Asian, Middle Eastern, or Muslim backgrounds face special obstacles to social inclusion in the A. Minh Nguyen U.S. and elsewhere. Thanks go to Falguni Sheth for the report. Eastern Kentucky University Finally, since the members of this committee serve terms that begin in July of a given year, this Newsletter offers Introduction an opportunity to acknowledge changes in committee What are the challenges that instructors face in teaching membership. I am honored to begin my term as Chair of this Chinese philosophy to Western students? How are they to committee. Having been Associate Chair over this last year, be overcome? How can we integrate Chinese thought into I have watched our outgoing Chair, Gary Mar, expertly fulfill our philosophy curriculum to make it more inclusive? One his role, and it gives me great pleasure to thank Gary for his potentially valuable source of insight into these matters is wonderful leadership over the last three years. Also rotating off the opinions of those who have taught Chinese philosophy to of the committee are Bo Mou and Minh Nguyen. I would like Western students. From May 2009 to December 2010, I asked to thank them on behalf of the committee for their excellent instructors of Chinese philosophy from all over the world to service to the profession. Much appreciated, Bo and Minh! complete an anonymous questionnaire that contained ten Lastly, I would like to extend a warm welcome to two new open-ended questions. Eighty-three such instructors, mostly members, Professor Halla Kim and Professor JeeLoo Liu. from North America, responded. Halla Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department The aim of this paper is to share the data collected and of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Nebraska at highlight certain results. We shall discuss the lessons that can be Omaha, with an emphasis in German Idealism and East Asian drawn from them at another time.1 The questionnaire attempts philosophy. He is also a coordinator for the East Asian Study to elicit responses to the following questions: Group on campus. His main research interests are traditional 1) What are the challenges that you have faced in Korean philosophy and contemporary Japanese philosophy. He teaching Chinese philosophy to Western students? is co-authoring “Introduction to Korean Philosophy,” a primer Please be specific and detailed. — APA Newsletter, Fall 2011, Volume 11, Number 1 — 2) With respect to the challenges that you have succeeded 9) What are the rewards of learning Chinese philosophy in overcoming, how did you do it? Please specify any for you? And for your students? teaching techniques (active learning, group work, role 10) Would you recommend any research (books, articles, playing, etc.) and/or classroom strategies (problem reports, etc.) on any of the subjects that we have solving, case studies, background reports, etc.) that covered, especially research on the challenges of worked for you. teaching Chinese philosophy to Western students? 3) With respect to the challenges that you have yet to overcome, why do they seem so intractable? Why the Survey? The survey is administered to gauge how instructors are doing 4) In “How to Add Chinese Philosophy to Your Introductory in teaching Chinese philosophy to Western students. From a Course,” Bryan W. Van Norden writes: sociological and pedagogical point of view, it is fruitful to explore But instead of either Confucius or Laozi [or the challenges, if any, that they face and how such challenges Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) or Han Feizi (Han Fei can be overcome. Potential survey participants are asked Tzu)], I recommend five philosophers for your to describe any teaching techniques, classroom strategies, introductory classes: Mozi (Mo Tzu), an agent- and/or instructional materials that work for them and their neutral consequentialist, Yang Zhu (Yang Chu), students. I also attempt to collect hard data about the benefits an egoist, Mengzi (Mencius), a Confucian of teaching and learning Chinese philosophy. While this study virtue ethician, Gongsun Longzi (Kung-sun is not intended as a contribution to first-order philosophy of Lung Tzu), the author of a sophistical dialogue, any sort, the results it delivers may prove beneficial not only and Xunzi (Hsun Tzu), a Confucian virtue to those interested in assessing sweeping sociological claims ethician who was a critic of Mengzi.2 about teaching Chinese thought, but also to all of its practitioners In the context of this essay, “introductory course” and who wish to improve their instruction regardless of whether “introductory class” refer to introductory course and they are affiliated with a philosophy, religion, history, literature, introductory class in philosophy that do not focus on or East Asian studies program. Chinese thought. Do you agree with Van Norden? Why Population and Sample or why not? The target population consists of professional philosophers and 5) Assuming that Van Norden is right, what is it about the other academics who teach Chinese philosophy to Western work of Confucius, Laozi, Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), or students. I won’t attempt to break down results by different Han Feizi (Han Fei Tzu) that makes the task of teaching categories of survey respondents—for instance, those with it to Western students so challenging? a Ph.D. in philosophy (the predominant group); graduate 6) If you are to teach an undergraduate course introducing students in philosophy; those with a Ph.D. in another field such Chinese philosophy to Western students, what will as religion, history, literature, or East Asian studies; graduate be the course objectives? What will be the student students in such a field; etc. learning outcomes? (Course objectives correspond From May 2009 to December 2010, I emailed invitations to to what the instructor will do in the course. Student 488 people from all over the world for whom I had evidence for learning outcomes correspond to what successful thinking that they had taught Chinese philosophy to Western students will learn in the course.) students (e.g., actual syllabi of courses in Chinese philosophy). 7) Would you recommend any instructional materials Eighty-three people completed and returned their copies of the (books, software, Web-based resources, etc.) for an questionnaire. The response rate is thus 17.0%. undergraduate course introducing Chinese philosophy Below are statistics about the survey respondents’ countries to Western students? of current residence. 8) What are the rewards of teaching Chinese philosophy for you? And for your department? Country of Residence Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents Australia 1 1.2 Belgium 2 2.4 Canada 5 6.0 China3 7 8.4 Germany 1 1.2 Ireland 2 2.4 Israel 1 1.2 Italy 1 1.2 New Zealand 1 1.2 Taiwan 1 1.2 United States 61 73.5 — 2 — — Asian and Asian-American Philosophers and Philosophies — Limitations of the Study • Most students come in with virtually no background, which There are three limitations that need to be acknowledged and seems to work fine.
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