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fandomhigh2006-09-20 10:51 am
preacher-custer.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2006-09-20 10:51 am
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World Religions, Wednesday, 2nd Period
Jesse seems to be permanently locked into his favorite spot, feet propped on his desk. Or he might just be asleep with a cup of coffee in his hand.
The clipboard for sign-ins is once again on one of the front desks, with a stack of handouts.
After everyone has come in, signed in, and taken their seats, Jesse opens his eyes and starts in on his lecture.
"Today, the syllabus says we're going to talk about Shinto1 and Confucianism2. Not because they're closely related. They ain't. But because they influenced the thought and culture of two major eastern nations - Japan and China.
Shinto could be considered a form of animism, which those of you who were awake will remember from last week.
Confucianism, on the other hand, is not really a religion, it's a kind of secular thought that has been so deeply ingrained in Asian culture that it has been given almost sacred status."
What follows is a lecture on the political philosophy of Confucianism, and Shinto, which had been the state religion of Japan until after World War II.
"Obviously, there are other religions that believe in reincarnation. There aren't many moral codes that include such an organized setup for bureaucracy.
I ain't a big fan of bureaucracy myself, but it worked for China and a lot of Asia for a long time.
What I want from y'all today is gonna be nice and easy." Jesse grins.
"Get together in groups of two to four and pick a topic." He finally brings his feet down off his desk and stands up to write two questions on the whiteboard:
1. Reincarnation - who was your partner in a past life?
"If you're in groups of larger than two, everyone mix and match. Give it a guess. Was your partner a goatherd, a princess, a bug? Do me a favor, kids, remember that in history, there are a helluva lot fewer Cleopatras than there are shit shovelers."
2. Shame - does it help or hurt?
"Confucianism ritualizes shame, saying that internalizing the values gets people to behave properly because they fear shame and losing face. It works. Does it take away people's free will? Or is it an irrefutable way to make people make the right choices without some boogeyman threatening eternal damnation?"
He finishes writing the discussion options and sits down again. Funny thing for students paying attention - while lecturing, Jesse's thick Texas drawl recedes, only to return once he drops the teacher's posture and relaxes again.
"I figure I know which one most of y'all are gonna wanna talk about. Have fun. I know I'll have fun listenin' to what y'all've got to say."
Handout links:
1Shinto
2Confucianism
Syllabus
The clipboard for sign-ins is once again on one of the front desks, with a stack of handouts.
After everyone has come in, signed in, and taken their seats, Jesse opens his eyes and starts in on his lecture.
"Today, the syllabus says we're going to talk about Shinto1 and Confucianism2. Not because they're closely related. They ain't. But because they influenced the thought and culture of two major eastern nations - Japan and China.
Shinto could be considered a form of animism, which those of you who were awake will remember from last week.
Confucianism, on the other hand, is not really a religion, it's a kind of secular thought that has been so deeply ingrained in Asian culture that it has been given almost sacred status."
What follows is a lecture on the political philosophy of Confucianism, and Shinto, which had been the state religion of Japan until after World War II.
"Obviously, there are other religions that believe in reincarnation. There aren't many moral codes that include such an organized setup for bureaucracy.
I ain't a big fan of bureaucracy myself, but it worked for China and a lot of Asia for a long time.
What I want from y'all today is gonna be nice and easy." Jesse grins.
"Get together in groups of two to four and pick a topic." He finally brings his feet down off his desk and stands up to write two questions on the whiteboard:
1. Reincarnation - who was your partner in a past life?
"If you're in groups of larger than two, everyone mix and match. Give it a guess. Was your partner a goatherd, a princess, a bug? Do me a favor, kids, remember that in history, there are a helluva lot fewer Cleopatras than there are shit shovelers."
2. Shame - does it help or hurt?
"Confucianism ritualizes shame, saying that internalizing the values gets people to behave properly because they fear shame and losing face. It works. Does it take away people's free will? Or is it an irrefutable way to make people make the right choices without some boogeyman threatening eternal damnation?"
He finishes writing the discussion options and sits down again. Funny thing for students paying attention - while lecturing, Jesse's thick Texas drawl recedes, only to return once he drops the teacher's posture and relaxes again.
"I figure I know which one most of y'all are gonna wanna talk about. Have fun. I know I'll have fun listenin' to what y'all've got to say."
Handout links:
1Shinto
2Confucianism
Syllabus
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"Well, let's be different. What is everyone else talking about?"
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This may be a problem.
"This may be a problem."
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