TIFFIN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF ARTS &
SCIENCES
Minimum Course Content Guide
Course Number: COM 625
Course Name: Discovering the Golden Rule: Philosophers and Philosophies
Prerequisite(s): BA
Course Description: This course will examine the axial age, a
period in history from 800 B.C. to 200 B.C. which, according to German
philosopher Karl Jaspers, was a time when common precepts in philosophical
principles appeared in China, India, the Middle East, and the West. Jaspers saw
this time as pivotal in human evolution in that the philosophical and spiritual
principles emerging throughout these regions seeded the world’s major religions
and contemporary philosophical beliefs: Confucianism and Taoism in China, Hinduism
and Buddhism in India, philosophical rationalism in Greece, and monotheism in
Israel, all of which formed the basis of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism,
Confucianism, Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This period was also
characterized by great violence and brutality, to which the axial sages spoke
and uniformly called on people to be compassionate and ethical in their
relations with others. The idea of the
Golden Rule—do unto others as you would like done to yourself— became a
universal cornerstone of religious and philosophical teaching. Offered every
Fall. (3 hour)
Outcomes
Assessment Course
Master of
Humanities
Intended Outcome 2:
Students
will develop/further develop the ability to engage in honest, courteous,
intelligent, scholarly discourse. Courses Involved: All MA HUM courses.
Activity Statement: Weekly threaded discussion will be
required of all courses in the Master of Humanities program. Participation and
quality of content will be evaluated as determined by the context of the
course.
Assessment Criteria:
80%
of the students will achieve a
score of 80 percent or better on threaded discussions.
Goals:
·
To understand the
term and theory of the axial age.
·
To study the
characteristics and history comprising the axial age.
·
To study the
philosophers of the era, including Lao Tzu, Confucius, Siddhartha Gautama,
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Archimedes, Jeremiah, Isaiah and
Elijah.
·
To understand the
major movements and philosophical beliefs of the period.
·
To review
pre-axial religions and historical events to understand what circumstances the
axial philosophers were addressing.
·
To synthesize the
many parts into a meaningful whole, connecting them to contemporary times and
issues surrounding globalization?
Evaluations:
Students
will be graded on writing and participation in at least 10 discussion threads,
five 1-3 page reaction papers, and one research project of 15-20 pages, using
the WIC Rubric.
Minimum Topic Outline:
1. Define term
and theory of the axial age.
2. Review the
major historical events and religions that shaped the cultures of this period.
3. Overview of
the philosophers and major precepts of their teachings.
A. China—Lao Tzu, Confucius
B. India—Siddhartha Gautama, mystics of the Upanishads
C.
Middle East—Jeremiah, Isaiah and Elijah
D. Greece—Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,
Archimedes
4. Synthesizing
the many parts into a meaningful whole—how do the teachings apply to
contemporary times and the issues surrounding globalization?
Potential Textbooks:
· Armstrong, Karen (2006). The Great Transformation: The Beginning of our
Religious Traditions,
First edition, Anchor ISBN# 978-0-385-72124-0.
· Hamilton, Edith (1964). The Echo of
Greece, New York: W. W.
Norton & Company.
·
Tzu. Tao Te Ching 2006
Skylight, PA ISBn# 978-1-59473-204-1
Lead Instructor: Colleen
Vallo
Updated: October 2010
Reviewed: Fall 2010
Reviewed: June 2012
Reviewed: Sept. 2012
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