Fall 2006:
Course Title: Foundations of Social Theory
Faculty: David Porter
Class hours per week: 2
Enrollment: 14 (for credit) + 15 (not for credit)
Course Description:
This graduate-level course will offer a broad historical survey covering a selection of writings by some of the most influential social theorists of the Western tradition and their critics, providing both an overview and critique of major strands of social theory, with some consideration of the extent they might or might not apply to China. The course is designed for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences who wish to familiarize themselves with some of the most widely used texts in social and cultural theory. All course readings will be in English and the class, which will be run as a seminar with occasional lectures, will be conducted mostly in English. Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings in advance of each class and to be prepared to participate actively in class discussion of the readings. Additional requirements include two short papers, an oral presentation, and a final examination, all of which are to be in English.
Spring 2007:
Course Title: Theory and Method of Cross-Cultural Comparison
Faculty: David Porter
Dates: Feb 26 – June 15, 2007
Class hours per week: 2
Projected enrollment: 40
Course Description:
This graduate-level interdisciplinary course will take an historical approach to inquiring into the nature and purpose of comparative studies in the humanites and social sciences. Beginning with Jesuit writings about China in the seventeenth century, we will examine the motives and consequences of various approaches to thinking across large cultural divides such as that between China and the West within such fields of history, anthropology, literature, sociology, and art history. Readings might include works by such writers as Ricci, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Hegel, Lionel Jensen, Craig Clunas, Richard Nisbett, Dorothy Ko, and Lydia Liu. All course readings will be in English and the class, which will be run as a seminar with occasional lectures, will be conducted mostly in English. Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings in advance of each class and to be prepared to participate actively in class discussion of the readings. Additional requirements include two short papers, an oral presentation, and a final examination, all of which are to be in English.