Introduction
Before the Communist Revolution, a number of religious and philosophical systems were practiced in China. Traditionally Taoism and Confucianism provided ethical guides to the proper behavior of individuals and officials. Both of these systems originated in China during the so-called Golden Age of Chinese thought, several centuries before the beginning of the Christian era. Taoism sought to promote the inner peace of individuals and harmony with their surroundings. Confucianism, based on the teachings and writings of the philosopher Confucius, is an ethical system that sought to teach the proper way for all people to behave in society. Each relationship--husband-wife, parents-children, ruler-subjects--involved a set of obligations which, if upheld, would lead to a just and harmonious society. Following his teachings would also promote a stable, lasting government.
Task
In this webquest, you will be looking at the philosophies of Confucianism and Daoism (Taoism).
You will be:
1) analyzing the similarities and differences between the Analects (Confucius) and the Tao Te Ching (Daoism/Taoism);
2) Applying these philosophies to real life situations;
3) Writing a response (at least a paragraph in length) : If you were a ruler during this period of time in China, which Philosophy would you use as a guideline to govern your region and why?
Process
1) You will work in partner groups to do this activity.
2) Each individual will complete the worksheet provided in class (The text Analysis of the excerpts from the Analects and the Tao Te Ching) using the following links to help you:
Founder and Background information about Confucianism and Daoism/Taoism:
http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/chinrelg.html
Excerpts from the Analects:
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides4/analects.html
http://georgeacademics.com/LessonPlans/WorldHistory1/I%20China/analects…
Tao Te Ching:
http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html
3) After doing the text analysis, you will then complete the graphic organizer that compares and contrasts these two philosophies.
4) Finally, you will write a written response: How did these Chinese Philosophies keep order in China? If you were a ruler, which Philosophy would you use to govern China and why? (be sure to cite specific examples from the texts to support your claim)
Evaluation
You will be evaluated based on the completion of the text analysis (10pts); compare/contrast graphic organizer (10pts) and your written response (10pts). Total = 30pts