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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Religion and Thought in Modern China: the Song, Jin, and Yuan by The Chinese University of Hong Kong

4.5
stars
45 ratings

About the Course

This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focus will be on the moments of paradigm shift from one mode of rationality to another. For each of these moments, cultural facts and artifacts—thought, literature, ritual—will be examined in relationship to changing social, political, and economic systems. The first two courses will cover the periods of the Warring States (481-256 BCE) and the Period of Division (220-589 CE), with a brief excursion into the Han (206 BCE-220 CE). The Warring States laid the social and cultural foundations for the emergence of the imperial mode of rationality; the Period of Division saw the Buddhist “conquest” of China and the emergence of a rationality defined by the opposition of the Three Teachings to shamanism, that is, of a clear contrast between elite and popular culture. The third and fourth courses will focus on the emergence of modern China in the Song-Yuan (960-1368) and of today’s China 1850 to the present. We will see how the modern attack on religion, redefined as "superstition", led not only to religious reform movements but also to a society in which science and the nation became the primary value systems promoted by the state. The courses are listed below: A Critical Cultural History of China - Early China I: Intellectual Change in the Warring States and Han (481 BCE-220 CE) A Critical Cultural History of China - Early China II: Religious Transformation in the Period of Division (220-589 CE) A Critical Cultural History of China - Modern China I: Religion and Thought in the Song, Jin, and Yuan (960-1368) A Critical Cultural History of China - Modern China II: Structuring Values (1850-2015)...

Top reviews

RR

Jan 26, 2019

Challenging course but it was very satisfying to be able to glimpse the complexity of religious thought in China during the Song, Jin, and Yuan. Thanks you, Professor..on to Part 4!

LG

May 4, 2021

loved this course! definitely worth looking into if you would like to know more about the different religions and practices in ancient China.

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1 - 15 of 15 Reviews for Religion and Thought in Modern China: the Song, Jin, and Yuan

By Patricia C

Jul 12, 2019

The lectures could use more organizational structure. There is a difference between a viewing audience and a reading audience. Especially when listening, the audience needs to be introduced to an idea and that idea needs to be repeated more than once to get the point across. I feel that the teacher is trying to tell a story that rambles on and we aren't always sure whats important, and why its important, and the characters seem to jump around back and forth through time. The teacher is obviously quite learned but the whole pedagogical style isn't well suited to online learning.

By Lucia G

May 5, 2021

loved this course! definitely worth looking into if you would like to know more about the different religions and practices in ancient China.

By Pavankumar B

Mar 26, 2020

Thoroughly enjoyed the course! This course has introduced me to so many new reading materials. Thank you.

By Joy S

Jul 31, 2019

pretty good comprehensive course. Too many quizzes

By David S

Dec 1, 2020

I have been able to complete three of the four MOOC's in this Chinese University of H.K. series— and they are all magisterial as taught by John Lagerwey, Research Professor at CUHK. The multi-volume textbook is expensive, so that this is a a great opportunity to obtain a selective overview!

Thirty or forty years ago we were told in English-language publications that little was known about the practice of Buddhism in ancient China, esp. Chan. This is obviously not (or no longer) the case. The course is about the kaleidoscopic synthesis of the "four Chinese religions." Many actors are cited or quoted, so there is necessarily some confusion but on the whole the story is clear. It might be a good idea to encourage students to produce an online glossary of terms and names.

The instructor is warm and personal but the automated captions have not been checked for error and there are some annoying non sequiturs in the text. The instructor vastly overuses the term 'okay', which is a distraction. There's also a small handful of quiz items that are either unanswerable or do not appear in the talks.

However, no one who has not followed these lectures will be sufficiently up to speed on Chinese history and culture. They constitute a remarkable achievement.

By Alejandro P

Oct 18, 2019

The course is at the same time fascinanting, but it also is very demanding. You need to learn a lot of changes in the period, dozens of scholars names, many references to the writings of those scholars and learn the role of the State regarding religions

By rslater

Jan 27, 2019

Challenging course but it was very satisfying to be able to glimpse the complexity of religious thought in China during the Song, Jin, and Yuan. Thanks you, Professor..on to Part 4!

By Felipe d A S

Jan 21, 2020

Great.It brought me closer to China and my teenage beliefs. I feel like reading more about it. I will buy the book on which the course is based.

By Fabio V

Mar 30, 2020

Beautiful voyage through Chinese religions history to better understand social changes and thought of modern China

By Ксения К

Dec 9, 2019

Good, fresh and very interesting course!

By Trent T

May 8, 2019

Excellent course!

By Kam L

Sep 24, 2020

Comprehensive analysis of religion's influence on Chinese government. It would be helpful if you understand Mandarin Chinese before taking this course.

By Benn

Nov 15, 2020

By the end I just wanted to finish it. I have a passing interest in China and things Chinese, so I'm supplementing my other learning with this course on religion and thought. It felt like a history of philosophy course and I think some of the broader points are missed when you go into this level of detail about minor points. I saw the learning objectives for each section, but had to remind myself what they were by the time I finished each one. I enjoyed the lecturing style and learned a lot but think it could be restructured. But perhaps I wasn't the target audience.

By منير ح

Oct 15, 2023

good