Graduate Institute in Eastern Classics

Fall Seminar Reading List

Week One

Sima Qian, The Grand Scribe’s Records, Volume 1.  Edited by William H. Nienhauser, Jr.  pp. 1-86.  Photocopy available in bookstore.

Xiao Jing, Classic of Filial Piety, translated by James Legge.  Photocopy available in bookstore.

Week Two

Confucius, Confucius Analects: with Selections from Traditional Commentaries, translated by Edward Slingerland (Hackett), pp. 1-124.

Confucius Analects, pp. 125-235.

Week Three

Mo Tzu,  Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsun Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu, translated by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press), fascicles 8, 9, 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 31, 32, 35, 39 .  Fascicles 14, 15. Photocopy available in bookstore.

Mencius, Books I-II, translated by either David Hinton (Counterpoint), or by D.C. Lau (Penguin Classics).

Week Four

Mencius, Books III-IV.

Mencius, Books V-VI.

Week Five

Hsun Tzu, Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsun Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu, translated by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press), sections 1, 2, 9, 15, 17, pp. 15-88.  

Hsun Tzu, sections 19-23, pp. 89-171.

Week Six

Chuang Tzu, The Book of Chuang Tzu, translated by Martin Palmer with Elizabeth Breully (Shambhala), chapters 1-7.

Chuang Tzu, chapters 8-22.

Week Seven

Lao Tzu, The Way of Lao Tzu, translated by Wing-Tsit Chan (Macmillan), entire.

Han Fei Tzu, fascicles 20, 21.  Photocopy available in bookstore.

Week Eight

Han Fei Tzu, Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsun Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu, translated by Burton Watson, sections 5-10, pp. 16-72.

Han Fei Tzu, sections 12, 13, 17, 18, 49, 50, pp. 72-129.

Week Nine

Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty, translated by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press),sections6, 15, 61, 68, 79 , pp. 35-99, 131-157, and section 61, photocopy available in bookstore.

Sima Qian, sections 85-88, 126, pp. 159-26, and “Sima Qian’s Letter to Ren An,” pp. 227-237.

Week Ten

Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty I, translated by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press), sections 7, 8, 16, 48, 53, 55, 56,  pp. 1-128.

Sima Qian, Han Dynasty I, sections 89-94 and 9-12, pp. 131-202 and 267-319. 

Week Eleven

The Rig Veda:  An Anthology, translated by Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty (Penguin), sections 10.129, 10.121, 10.90, 10.130, 10.190, 10.81-82, 10.72, 10.14, 10.16, 10.18, 10.154, 10.135, 10.58, 10.71, 10.125, 10.101, 10.151, 1.164, 1.163, 1.162, 10.56

The Rig Veda, sections 1.1, 1.26, 5.2, 2.35, 10.51, 10.124, 10.5, 8.79, 9.74, 4.58,  8.48, 10.136, 4.18, 10.28, 1.32, 2.12, 5.83, 7.101, 1.50, 1.160, 1.185, 6.70; 10.10, 1.179, 10.95, 10.85.

Week Twelve (Papers Due)

Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, parts I-II, in collections translated by either Patrick Olivelle (Oxford), or Robert Ernest Hume (Oxford). 

Katha Upanishad.

Week Thirteen

Kena Upanishad and Isha Upanishad.

Thanksgiving, no class.

Week Fourteen

Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad.

Maitri Upanishad.

Week Fifteen

Tattva-Kaumudi, karikas 1-29.  Read both the Sankhya Karika verses and the commentary by Vacaspati Misra.  Photocopy available in bookstore

Tattva-KaumuSdi, karika 30 to end.

Week Sixteen

The Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, translated by Hariharananda Aranya (SUNY Press), Books 1 and 2.  Read both Patanjali’s sutras and Vyasa’s commentary.

The Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, Books 3 and 4.