We are pleased to introduce the Second Annual Confucian Studies Summer Institute at the Nishan Birthplace of the Sage Academy in Shandong, China, June 6 to July 3, 2012.
This month-long training program for teachers of Chinese culture (and select graduate students) will be led by professors Roger T. Ames (University of Hawaii), Sor-hoon Tan (National University of Singapore) and Tian Chenshan (Beijing Foreign Studies University), with a special series of lectures by Henry Rosemont, Jr. (Brown University). Our time together will revolve around careful and critical readings of classical texts and contemporary commentaries, seminars, discussion groups, cultural events and activities, and a number of field trips.
Given China’s rapid political and economic rise, anticipating the weight and measure of China’s growing influence has become a serious academic concern. To meet this urgent situation effectively, scholars must not only be aware of current affairs, but must also be sensitized through exposure to canonical texts and their interpretive contexts to take Chinese culture on its own terms. The purpose of this program is to read such texts carefully and make them our own.
Because Chinese works have so often been read through the lens of western presuppositions, careful attention to the linguistic, cultural, and philosophic context in which the classics were written is key to understanding what makes these works distinctively Chinese. The challenge is to develop an interpretive approach which allows western scholars and students to recognize the common sense of ancient China, and yet does not subsume Chinese thinking within the familiar categories of western discourse. Beyond the technical questions of scholarly engagement, gaining familiarity with the deep cultural background enables us to better comprehend contemporary China and its social and political ambitions.
Our unique location beside Mt. Nishan, the birthplace of Confucius, affords us a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in the study of ancient Chinese thought. At the forefront of the burgeoning revival of traditional culture, the newly built Nishan Birthplace of the Sage Academy sits just one thousand meters from the ancient Confucian Academy where over the centuries scholars, officials, and emperors came to pursue knowledge and wisdom and pay respects to the Great Sage. This area has been known as a holy place of learning for many generations, and we are pleased to carry on this educational tradition.
Following the success of the First Annual Confucian Studies Summer Institute this past July, we are excited about extending and deepening the opportunity to pursue a close reading of these rich materials and share them with scholars who will in turn share them with their own students. The organizers at the Nishan Birthplace of the Sage Academy, the Center for East-West Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, and the Beijing Sihai Confucian Academy welcome and encourage teachers of Chinese culture to join us this Summer for a unique and enriching educational experience right at the heart of traditional Chinese culture.
For more information please contact us at:
Phone: 86-10-8881-5305
Email: cewrbeiwai@bfsu.edu.cn, ornishansummercewrbw@gmail.com
Address:
Center for East-West Relations
Beijing Foreign Studies University
2 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haidian District, Beijing, 100089
China
Website: http://cewren.user.d-jet.com/list.aspx?cid=12
