Study-unit Cultural heritage and religious practices in China
| Course name | Socioanthropological studies for integration and social security |
|---|---|
| Study-unit Code | A002557 |
| Curriculum | Comune a tutti i curricula |
| Lecturer | Ester Bianchi |
| Lecturers |
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| Hours |
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| CFU | 6 |
| Course Regulation | Coorte 2023 |
| Supplied | 2024/25 |
| Supplied other course regulation | |
| Sector | L-OR/21 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Type of learning activities | Attività formativa monodisciplinare |
| Language of instruction | Italian and English |
| Contents | The main purpose of this course is to give an overview on the spread and consolidation of Buddhism in China, giving ample space to Chinese Buddhism in modern and contemporary times. |
| Reference texts | 1) Textbook: - Rossi, Donatella (a cura di) e AA VV, Fili di Seta. Introduzione al Pensiero Filosofico e Religioso dell'Asia, Ubaldini Editore, Roma, 2017: IL BUDDHISMO (Bruno Lo Turco) e IL BUDDHISMO CINESE (E. Bianchi). 2) Monographic text: Bianchi, Ester, Faxian: un pellegrino cinese nell’India del V secolo. Con traduzione del diario di viaggio Gaoseng Faxian zhuan. Nuova edizione, Morlacchi, Perugia, 2013. 3) One of the texts on Buddhism in Imperial China posted in the course page in Unistudium. 4) One of the texts on Buddhism in modern and contemporary China posted in the course page in Unistudium. NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS: The program for non-attending students is the same as for attending students (points 1, 2, 3, and 4 mentioned above, with variations to point 3 depending on the CFU) with the addition of one of the following essays on Buddhism in Modern China: E. Bianchi, “Oscillando fra ammodernamento, tradizione e riforma: il Buddhismo cinese incontra la modernità", in Elisa Giunipero e Gianni Criveller (eds.), Fede e cultura nell’attualità cinese (XL Convegno di Studi Religiosi 8-9-10 novembre 2018), Infinity Books Ltd, Malta, 2019, pp. 53-68 (disponibile su Unistudium). ENGLISH TEXTS (REPLACING THE PREVIOUS ONES): 1) Ch’en K.S., Buddhism in China: A Historical Survey, Prince-ton (N.J.), Princeton University Press, 1964. 2) Legge, James 1886. A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: Being an account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hien of his travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline, available on-line: https://web.archive.org/web/20090124223922/http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/f/fa-hien/f15l/ 3) One of the texts on Buddhism in Imperial China posted in the course page in Unistudium (ONLY FOR 9 CFU EXAMS). 4) One of the texts on Buddhism in modern and contemporary China posted in the course page in Unistudium. 5) FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS ONLY: D. CAMPO, 2020. “Chinese Buddhism in the post-Mao era: Preserving and Reinventing the Received Tradition.” In S. Feuchtwang, ed., 255-280; Handbook on Religion in China (Edward Elgar Publishing). ** Students of Chinese Literature 3 can choose to prepare the following program for non-attendees, focused on Chinese Literature from the 3rd to the 11th century: 1) Mario Sabattini - Paolo Santangelo, Storia della Cina, Bari, Laterza, 2008 (capp. IV-VIII); 2) One of the following textbooks (chapters from the Three Kingdoms to the 20th century): - Wilt Idema - Lloyd Haft, Letteratura Cinese, Venezia, Cafoscarina, 2000; - Lionello Lanciotti, Letteratura cinese, Roma, ISIAO, 2007. 3) Pesaro, Nicoletta, “Letteratura cinese moderna e contemporanea”, in Samarani, Guido e Scarpari Maurizio, Cina: Verso la modernità, Torino Einaudi, 2009, pp. 693-746; 4.a) One of the following texts: - Giulia Baccini, I sette savi del bosco di bambù. Personalità eccentriche nella Cina medievale. Testo cinese a fronte, Marsilio, 2016. - Barbara Bisetto, Il laccio scarlatto, Venezia, Marsilio, 2010. - Luca Stirpe, Echi d'amore. La Sanyan di Feng Menglong e le fonti in cinese classico, Aracne, 2013; - Luca Stirpe, Il canzoniere di Li Yu (937-978). Ediz. multilingue, Libreria Editrice Orientalia, 2015; - Pu Songling, I racconti fantastici di Liao. Traduzione di Ludovico Antonio Di Giura, Milano, Mondadori, 1997; - Wu Cheng'en, Lo scimiotto. Traduzione di Adriana Motti, Torino, Einaudi, 1960; - Chin P'ing Mei. Romanzo erotico cinese del secolo XVI. Traduzione di Piero Jahier e Maj-Lis Rissler Stoneman, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1980; - Ts'ao Hsueh-ch'in, Il sogno della camera rossa. Traduzione di Edoarda Masi, Torino, U.T.E.T., 1981; - Ts'ao Hsüeh-ch'in, Il sogno della camera rossa. Romanzo cinese del secolo XVIII, Torino, Einaudi, 1994. 4.b) Paper of 8-10 pages on a modern or contemporary Chinese author and one or two of his/her novels (details posted on Unistudium). |
| Educational objectives | - Knowledge of the fundamentals of Buddhist thought, cosmology and orthopraxis. - Knowledge of the history, doctrines and practices of Chinese Buddhism; - Ability to provide cultural mediation with East and South-East Asian migrants in a religious context. |
| Prerequisites | Chinese language (highly recommended but not compulsory). To attend this class students shall have acquired a basic knowledge of Chinese Imperial and modern history. Those that did not study Chinese history before, are kindly requested to read a book on “History of China”. |
| Teaching methods | The course is organized as follows: - standard classes on the main topics of the program; - special lessons and conferences given by invited professors; - further studies (students will further be presented with workshops and with documentaries and movies); - educational visits (museums, exhibitions etc.). UNISTUDIUM e-learning platform will be broadly used both to share information and materials and to communicate with students. |
| Other information | The course is targeted at MA students in Chinese Society and Culture (MA in Philosophy and Ethic of Relations and MA in Socioanthropological Studies); it is also addressed to students in Chinese Literature III (BA in Foreign Languages and Civilizations), who can also chose an alternative program on late imperial and modern Chinese literature (see program). |
| Learning verification modality | The final oral exam (half an hour) is to test the students’ understanding of a certain topic of Chinese Buddhism within its historical, socio-cultural, philosophical and religious context. During the course students will be given the opportunity to prepare a paper on a specific topic, which will be presented to the class during the workshop classes, and which will serve as part of the exam (1/3 of the final exam score). In general terms, the exam focuses on the following aspects: · Knowledge and understanding - Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: Summary · Knowledge and understanding - Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: Detail · Autonomy of judgment, understood as the ability to produce autonomous judgments, arriving at coherent reflections on social, scientific or ethical issues; · Communication skills, conceived as the ability to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to other interlocutors; · Learning ability, understood as the necessary skill to advance in studies with a high degree of autonomy In case a student intends to anticipate his/her exam in a year preceding the one it is scheduled in his/her curriculum, it is recommended to anticipate as well the attendance of the lessons and to schedule the exam in the first useful session after the lessons have been concluded. |
| Extended program | This course is to give an overview on the spread and consolidation of Buddhism in China, giving ample space to Chinese Buddhism in modern and contemporary times and taking into account new perspectives developed in modern Buddhist Studies. The first part of the course will provide an introduction of the historical developments and the doctrinal fundamentals of Indian Buddhism. The following lessons will focus on the history, doctrines, practices and peculiarities of Chinese Buddhism, covering their evolution up to present day Mainland China and Taiwan. A number of thematic lessons will explore some specific aspects of Chinese Buddhism, such as Chinese pilgrimages to India and the role of women in Chinese Buddhism. Students will also be encourage to present papers to the class (workshops). |
| Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile | 4. Quality education |