First and foremost, the course aims to guide students to provide and reflect on the philosophical concept of culture in a broad and narrow sense by deductive method.  Next, students can be able to touch and establish their own image of Chinese culture through an inductive approach, that is, through the main cities, local foods, architecture, daily etiquette, philosophy, religions, spirituality, pieces of literature, paintings, social phenomena, the system of educations, music, traditional medicines, history of ideograms, filial piety, movies, and so on. Last but not least,  the course aims to give a method of cross-cultural comparison and dialogue between China and Italy. In any field of work, students can deal with cross-cultural unity and diversity with a sapiential and profound view.

The curriculum will launch with some central themes week by week using the methods of presentation, discussion, and aesthetic contemplation.

- What is culture?

- The progress and declension of culture or redemption?

- The relationship between culture and religion

- The crises of European culture and the crises of Chinese culture in the contemporary world

- China's major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, etc.)

- China's major universities (with scholarship information for studying in China)

- China's culinary culture

- Traditional Chinese architecture (Hutong, Yuanlin, etc.)

- Chinese etiquette

- Main Chinese philosophy/ religions (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism)

- The prominent figures of the intercultural dialogue between China and the West: Matteo Ricci, Gabriele M. Allegro, Thomas Merton

- Chinese spirituality with the practice of meditation, Zen, and contemplation

- Traditional Chinese medicine: comparison of the concept of well-being between China and Italy

- Traditional Chinese music: aesthetic contemplation

- Traditional Chinese painting: aesthetic contemplation

- The brief history of ideograms

- The classical stories and proverbs about filial piety

- The classical Chinese films

Cultivate passion and an open heart to approach other cultures that are different from one's own. Obviously, in this course, we mean Chinese culture or rather East Asian culture.

Ability to give and receive nourishment from the other culture.

Ability to promote integral ecology.

Knowledge and ability to "Bring China to Home": introducing Chinese culture to friends, colleagues, acquaintances, clients, etc.

Communication skills: present and express oneself scientifically in both oral and written ways.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Teaching activities will involve students' active participation in lectures. The teaching approach will be articulated by discussing the central themes, categories, and paradigms applied to understanding general and Chinese cultures. The method will consider both a deductive and an inductive way of thinking and reflecting. 

Attendance

The student is obligated:

to participate in discussion and dialogue during class with authenticity;

to communicate with Professor when absent via email;

to watch the films as homework before the following lectures;

to read the texts/manuals chosen by Professor;

to write the reflection paper he/she has requested by Professor

Course books

Necessary books to read:

M. Castorina, La cultura cinese: manuale di mediazione linguistica, Milano: Hoepli, 2011.

S. Oppes, Le memorie di fra’ Gabriele M. Allegra ofm. Il «san Girolamo» della Cina, libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004.

A. Bongiovanni, Il dialogo interreligioso: orientamenti per la formazione, Bologna: Editrice missionaria italiana, 2008.

Another two from: 

L. Colangelo, Buone feste! Breve raccolta di storie popolari cinesi, Milano: Hoepli, 2013. 

B. Porter, Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits, Counterpoint; illustrated edition 2009.

T. Merton, La via semplice di Chuang Tzu, Paoline Editoriale libri, 2014.  (la versione in inglese. T. Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu, New Directions, 2010).

T. Merton, Lo Zen e gli uccelli rapaci, Gribaudi, 2014.

M. Ricci, Dieci capitoli di un uomo strano, Quaderni Quodlibet, 2010.

Assessment

Examinees must demonstrate their understanding of the core concepts: culture, Chinese culture, dialogue, interfaith dialogue, and intercultural dialogue. At the same time, they will have to demonstrate their interest and passion for specific topics with a synthesis to convey it.   

The grade will be awarded considering personal commitments during the path: participation in discussions; personal reflection on specific topics with their authenticity, knowledge enough, depth, creativity, i.e., nothing to be copied from the internet; skill in arguing the issue either chosen by themselves or chosen in the examination by the Professor.

Oral Examination.  Students may begin with a prepared topic by giving a short presentation, such as a small lecture. Afterward, Professor may indicate the other issue, and students respond correspondingly.

In the oral examination, the student must show that they have understood the course's fundamental concepts and can convey the related knowledge in a relevant way. Students must create/bring some manual/artistic/aesthetic objects to interpret the chosen topics.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Study of the exam texts plus three texts from the optional list.

Attendance

The non-attending student from the necessary texts must bring another three from the recommended ones to the examination.

Course books

Necessary books:

M. Castorina, La cultura cinese: manuale di mediazione linguistica, Milano: Hoepli, 2011.

A. Bongiovanni, Il dialogo interreligioso: orientamenti per la formazione, Bologna: Editrice missionaria italiana, 2008.

S. Oppes, Le memorie di fra’ Gabriele M. Allegra ofm. Il «san Girolamo» della Cina, libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004.  

Other three books from:

L. Colangelo, Buone feste! Breve raccolta di storie popolari cinesi, Milano: Hoepli, 2013.

B. Porter, Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits, Counterpoint; illustrated edition 2009.

T. Merton, La via semplice di Chuang Tzu, Paoline Editoriale libri, 2014.  (la versione in inglese. T. Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu, New Directions, 2010).

T. Merton, Lo Zen e gli uccelli rapaci, Gribaudi, 2014.

M. Ricci, Dieci capitoli di un uomo strano, Quaderni Quodlibet, 2010.

M. Buber, Il cammino dell’uomo, Magnano: Qiqajon, 1991.

S. Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying, Rider editore, 2008.

Assessment

Oral Examination.  Students may begin with a prepared topic by giving a short presentation such as a small lecture. Afterward, the Professor may indicate the other topics, and students should respond correspondingly.

In the oral examination, the student must show that he/she has understood the course's fundamental concepts and can convey the related knowledge in a relevant way. Students are welcome to create/bring some manual/artistic/aesthetic objects to interpret the topics chosen by themselves. For example, if he/she presents the hermitage culture in China, he/she can also create a video to arrange all the images (mountain, silence, trees, etc.) during the examination. 

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.