#3: Philosophies and Religions in China
Have you ever stopped to think about why you do the things you do? As a youngster, you probably did things mostly because you were told to by an adult. But when you do have a choice, how do you choose? For example, if some of your friends wanted you to do something that you felt was wrong, how did you decide whether or not to do it? This is just one of many kinds of questions that lie within the fields of philosophy and religion. In this example, the question deals with ethics, or morals, which has to do with questions of right and wrong. Philosophy and religion tend to ask the "big questions" such as: What is the right thing to do? How did the world come into being? Why are we here on this planet? What is the purpose of life? What obligations do human beings have towards one another? As you will see in this book, these kinds of questions have been asked in China for over 2,000 years. We hope this volume sparks your interest, and inspires you to begin exploring some of the "big questions" from a Chinese point of view.
Topics covered include:
Confucianism
Mencius and Xun Zi
Mohism
Legalism
Daoism
Buddhism
Judaism
Islam
Christianity - Catholicism & Protestantism
Religious "unrest"
Communism
Book includes teacher introduction and planning strategies (with suggestions to adapt material for grades K-8), bulletin board resources and ideas, class discussion topics and projects, approaches to active learning, student information sheets, student activities, and references and resources.
Included CD-ROM (Win/Mac) features interviews with scholars and religious leaders on Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Judaism, and Tibetan Buddhism; interview transcripts and discussion handouts; additional teacher tips and charts; more student handouts and activities; photos; internet resource links; and puzzles.
The Chinese Culture Active Learning Series is endorsed by Huang Youyi, Vice President of China International Publishing Group and Vice President of Translators Association of China, and Lin Wusun, Retired President of CIPG, Senior Editor and Translator.
Price: $18 plus shipping/handling. Click here to order books from OCDF online, or you may order by calling 309-829-8202 (toll-free: 1-866-460-OCDF). Visa and Mastercard accepted. Checks in US dollars accepted for phone orders.
Reviews
This third in the innovative active learning series from OCDF and Dolphin Books on Chinese Culture offers the same rich format of resources and curriculum as the previous in the series of a book of basic teacher tools and student activities enhanced by a wealth of further resources on a CD ROM. This book in the series can be very usefully extended in its curriculum objectives by co-use of the resources in the two previous books in the series Holidays and Festivals (#1) and Myths and Legends (#2).At the heart of this series is the axiom that learning must be active not rote, and allow students to experience by hands on activity what they are learning and in so doing get a genuine feel for the culture of China. Teachers and parents considering purchasing this topic may ask can this be possible with such a complex, deep subject as the philosophies and religions of China. Can the target student of K through Grade 8, or home schoolers or kids in cultural programs truly be able to get a hands-on feel for philosophy?
The answer is yes, it is possible for even little children to hear the stories and enact in role play the dramas that underpin the philosophies and religions in China. But this booklet is a must for older kids who are beginning to be able to look at their own faith and world view and contrast it with those of others. The related activities of stories puzzles, word searches on the CD ROM tease out what underpins the faith and philosophies in China, and other activities illustrating the hugely diverse origins of these (e.g. with cooking, or in understanding calendars) help students grasp how same and different philosophy ands religion in China is to the west.
The book doesn't shun complex areas such as the history of Christianity and Judaism in China. It is extremely helpful in explaining the provenance of the five official religions of the People's Republic of China, those of Daoism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism and how they pertain to the state philosophy of Communism. It's also useful in its active learning technique in examining philosophy and religion in China in comparison with how they are lived here in the west. Crucial to this understanding are the resources on the CD ROM. In particular, the excellent voices speaking to the various religions in China, the voices of people who are able to link the religions as practised in China to how they are practised in the west, are the bridge to enhancing students learning of religion in China. These audio clips play a vital part in helping children connect their own experiences to the religions of China.
By no means an easy area of Chinese culture, this book takes a complex subject and makes it accessible for curious older students. The active learning axiom predicates that what students learn they will retain because they have entered into the world of the philosophy and religion of China via hands-on activities and the requirement that students compare their here with what happens in China. That is the basis of understanding a global world exhibiting many similarities, but where even "same" is sometimes significantly different.
--Sheena Macrae, co-editor of Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections
Our Chinese Daughters Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with offices in Bloomington, IL and Beijing. OCDF Publications is devoted to ensuring educators and parents have access to high-quality, accurate Chinese culture education resources.
Contributors to this volume include Donna Breniman (West Lake Middle School, Apex, NC), Li Fugen (President, Dolphin Books), Dr. Jane Liedtke (CEO, OCDF), Joyce Melton-Ma (Christian Life Middle School, Rockford, IL), Dr. Jason Patent (Stanford University), Sui Hong (OCDF), Sun Xiaobing (OCDF), Georgina Van Dort (Western Academy of Beijing), Michelle Wu (The Spence School, New York, NY), and Megan Zaroda (OCDF).
Updated 03.12.2010
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