Course Schedule

Week 1    Feb. 19    Introduction

Week 2    Feb. 26    Confucianism

• Joachim Gentz, “Confucianism,” Understanding Chinese Religions (Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press, 2013), pp. 53-69.

Week 3    Mar. 5    James LEGGE

• James Legge, The Religions of China: Confucianism and Taoism described and compared with Christianity (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1880), pp. 241-272.


• Presentation: Norman J. Girardot, “James Legge and the Strange Saga of British Sinology and the Comparative Science of Religions in the Nineteenth Century,” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 12.2 (July, 2002): 155-165.


• Optional Reading: Norman J. Girardot, “The Victorian Text of Chinese Religion: With Special Reference to the Protestant Paradigm of James Legge’s ‘Religions of China,’” Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie 12 (2001): 23-57. 

Week 4    Mar. 12    Gilbert REID

• Gilbert Reid, A Christian’s Appreciation of Other Faiths (Chicago: Open Court Publishing Company, 1921), pp. 11-28.


• Presentation: Donald Bishop, “The International Institute of Shanghai, an Eastern Parliament of Religions,” Studies in Comparative Religion 6.3 (1972).


• Optional Reading: LIAN Xi, The Conversion of Missionaries: Liberalism in American Protestant Missions in China, 1907-1932 (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997), pp. 171-191.

Week 5    Mar. 19    KU Hung-ming (GU Hongming)

• KU Hung-ming, The Spirit of the Chinese People (Peking: Peking Daily News, 1915), pp. 53-73; 110-114.


• Presentation: Chunmei Du, “Gu Hongming as a Cultural Amphibian: A Confucian Universalist Critique of Modern Western Civilization,” Journal of World History 22.4 (Dec. 2011): 715-746.


• Optional Reading: Prasenjit Duara, “The Discourse of Civilization and Pan-Asianism,” Journal of World History 12.1 (2001): 99-130.

Week 6    Mar. 26    LIN Yutang

• LIN Yutang, My Country and My People (New York: John Day, 1935), pp. 95-111.


• Presentation: Joe (Joseph) Sample, “His Country and His Language: Lin Yutang and the Interpretation of Things Chinese,” in Suoqiao Qian, ed., The Cross-Cultural Legacy of Lin Yutang: Critical Perspectives (Berkeley: Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 2015), pp. 185-200.


• Optional Reading: Suoqiao Qian, “The Genesis and Reception of My Country and My People,” in Suoqiao Qian, ed., The Cross-Cultural Legacy of Lin Yutang: Critical Perspectives (Berkeley: Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 2015), pp. 162-181.

Week 7    Apr. 2    Intercollegiate activities (No class)

Week 8    Apr. 9    Guest lecture on Taiwanese languages and cultures

• Guest speaker: Tristan H. 崔璀璨

Week 9    Apr. 16    Midterm week

• Midterm comparative essay is due on April 27 at 11:59 p.m.

Week 10    Apr. 23    Self-exploration: Autobiography

• XIE Bingying, translated by Shirley Chang, “Midpoint of an Ordinary Life,” in Jing M. Wang, ed., Autobiographical Stories by Modern Chinese Women Writers (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2003), pp. 151-166.


• Optional Reading: Jing M. Wang, When “I” Was Born: Women’s Autobiography in Modern China (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2008), pp. 1-10.

Week 11    Apr. 30    Interpersonal relations: Discourse of love

• Lynn Pan, When True Love Came to China (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2015), pp. 207-228.


• Presentation: Rachel Hui-Chi Hsu, “Cross-Cultural Sexual Narratives and Gendered Reception in Republican China,” Journal of Modern Chinese History 14.1 (2020): 111-134.


• Optional Reading: Ting Guo, “Politics of Love: Love as a Religious and Political Discourse in Modern China through the Lens of Political Leaders,” Critical Research on Religion 8.1 (2020): 39-52.

Week 12    May 7    Human and nature: Animal protection

• Shuk-wah Poon, “Buddhist Activism and Animal Protection in Republican China,” in Paul Katz and Stefania Travagnin, eds., Concepts and Methods for the Study of Chinese Religions III: Key Concepts in Practice (Belin: de Gruyter, 2019), pp. 91-111.


• Presentation: Lianghao Lu, “The Confluence of Karma and Hygiene: Vegetarianism with Renewed Meanings for Modern Chinese Buddhism,” Journal of Chinese Religions 49.1 (May 2021): 75-108.

Week 13    May 14    Human and Heaven: Spirit-writing practices *Guest speaker: Dr. Matthias Schumann*

• Matthias Schumann and Elena Valussi, “Introduction,” in Matthias Schumann and Elena Valussi, eds., Communicating with the Gods: Spirit-Writing in Chinese History and Society (Leiden: Brill, 2023), pp. 1-35.


• Optional Reading: Matthias Schumann, “Science and Spirit-Writing: The Shanghai Lingxuehui and the Changing Fate of Spiritualism in Republican China,” in Philip Clart, David Ownby, and Chien-chuan Wang, eds., Text and Context: Redemptive Societies in the History of Religions of Modern and Contemporary China (Leiden: Brill, 2020), pp. 126-172.

Week 14    May 21    University anniversary/Athletic contests (No class)

Week 15    May 28    Midterm papers review and course recapitulation

• Review of midterm papers: appreciation of outstanding work


• Course overview and final reflection


• Semester-end dinner after class (?)

Week 16    June 4    Final work preparation

• Final work is due on June 18 at 11:59 p.m.

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Course Assignments

• Weekly Response (20%): Before each class, students should read the assigned text(s) and submit one comment and one question by Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.


• Participation (15%): Active engagement in class discussions and overall contribution to the course. Excused absences are permitted for valid reasons, but students must still submit their weekly response.


• Presentation (15%): Students will work in pairs (or small groups, depending on class size) to give one 30-minute presentation on a selected academic article. The presentation should introduce the author, summarize the article, and provide additional contexts.


• Midterm Paper (25%): A comparative essay analyzing two figures (either both Chinese, both Western, or one of each) from the first part of the course. Compare their selected texts and perspectives. Integrating secondary sources is encouraged, but your own insights should remain central. The midterm paper should be approximately 1,500 words in English. Students may use either Chicago or MLA citation style. The paper is due on April 27 at 11:59 p.m.


• Final Work (25%): A personal autobiographical writing reflecting on your experiences living in Taiwan, preferably with a focus on cross-cultural observations and reflections. It should be at least 2,500 words in English and is due on June 18 at 11:59 p.m.

Course Policies

• Device Use: Laptops and tablets are allowed in class to support learning. However, mobile phones are not permitted.


• Extensions for the midterm essay and final work may be requested by email before the original deadline. The request should include a reason for the extension and a proposed new due date/time. Weekly responses cannot be extended.

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