Graduate Institute in Eastern Classics

Fall Seminar Reading List

Monday and Thursday 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

View the Fall 2009 EC Seminar Reading List in adobe pdf format

Week One
1.  Sima Qian, Shi ji 1, 2, 3, 4, in The Grand Scribe’s Records, Vol. 1. William H. Nienhauser, Jr. ed., Indiana University Press, pp 1-86. (Photocopy provided)
2.  Xiao Jing (Classic of Filial Piety), translated by James Legge. Text available online at http://www.chinapage.com/confucius/xiaojing-be.html

Week Two
3.   Confucius, Lun-yu (Analects) 1-11. Recommended translation: Confucius
Analects:  with Selections from Traditional Commentaries, translated by Edward Slingerland (Hackett, 2003), pp. 1-124. 
4.   Lun-yu (Analects) 12-20.  (Slingerland, pp. 125-235)

Week Three
5.  The Mo Zi, fascicles 8, 9, 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 31, 32, 35, 39  in Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsun Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu (Burton Watson, Columbia University Press) and fascicles 14, 15 in photocopies from The Works of Motze (Yi-pao Mei, Confucius Publishing Co.) available in the bookstore.
6.   Meng Zi (Mencius), (translated by either David Hinton – published by
Counterpoint, or by D. C. Lau – published by Penguin Classics).
Hinton: Chapters I-IV; Lau: Books I-II.

Week Four
7.   Meng Zi (Mencius), Hinton: Chapters V-VIII; Lau: Books III-IV.
8.   Meng Zi (Mencius), Hinton: Chapters IX-XII; Lau: Books V-VI.

Week Five
9.  Xun Zi, Writings of Hsun Tzu, sections 1, 2, 9, 15, 17 [pp. 15-88] in Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsun Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu (Burton Watson, Columbia University Press).
10. Xun Zi, sections 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 [89-171].

Week Six
11.  the Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tzu), chapters 1 through 7– all the “inner chapters.”  (The work named after Zhuang Zi has been translated under various titles, including The Book of Chuang Tzu (translated by Martin Palmer with Elizabeth Breully) or Basic Writings.  Not all versions contain the assigned chapters.) 
12.  the Zhuang Zi, chapters 8 through 22 – all the “outer chapters.”

Week Seven
13. the Lao Zi, The Way of Lao Tzu (Tao-te ching). Recommended translation: Wing-Tsit Chan (Macmillan, 1963), entire. 
14. reread the Lao Zi  after reading the Han Fei Zi, fascicles 20, 21 (photocopy in the bookstore).

Week Eight
15.  the Han Fei Zi, sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 [pp.16-72] in Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsun Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu (Burton Watson, Columbia University Press).
16.  the Han Fei Zi, sections 12, 13, 17, 18, 49, 50 [pp.72-129].  

Week Nine
17. Sima Qian, Shih Ji 6, 15, 61, 68, 79 in Records of the Grand Historian:  Qin Dynasty (translated by Burton Watson, Columbia University Press), pp. 35-99, 131-57 and a photocopy for Shih Ji 61 (available in St. John’s College bookstore).
18.  Sima Qian, Shi Ji 85-88, 126 in Records of the Grand Historian:  Qin Dynasty, pp. 159-216, and Sima Qian’s Letter to Ren An (in Watson, Appendix 2: pp. 227-37).

Week Ten
19. Sima Qian, Shih Ji 48, 7, 8, 16, 53, 55, 56 in Records of the Grand Historian:  Han Dynasty, Vol. 1 (translated by Burton Watson, Columbia University Press), pp. 1-128.
20. Sima Qian, Shi Ji 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94; 9, 10, 11, 12, in Records of the Grand Historian:  Han Dynasty, Vol. 1, pp. 131-202, 267-319.   

Week Eleven
21. Rig Veda.  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 in The Rig Veda: An Anthology, Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty, Penguin Books. Rig Veda  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.  Katha Upanishad. Recommended translations: Olivelle or Hume. Please note that the Radhakrishnan includes transliterated Sanskrit text, but is on the whole a markedly slanted translation.

22.  Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad I-II.                                   

Week Thirteen
23.  Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad III-IV.
24.  Thanksgiving – no class
                                                   

Week Fourteen
25.  Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad V-VI.
26.  Svetasvatara Upanishad. 

Week Fifteen
27. Tattva-Kaumudi (Sankhya) Karika 1-29 (pp. 1-70). Read both the Sankhya Karika verses and commentary by Vacaspati Misra. Xerox available in bookstore.
28. Tattva-Kaumudi, Karika 30-end (pp. 70-112).

Week Sixteen
29. The Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, Books 1 and 2 (tr. Hariharananda Aranya, SUNY Press, 1983). Read both Patanjali’s sutras and the ancient commentary by Vyasa, but ignore the modern commentary in smaller print.
30.  The Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, Books 3 and 4.