180034 KU Introduction to Confucianism (2023W)

This introductory course presents an alternative approach to beauty that cultivates aesthetic reflection and formulates it with philosophical precision. As the study of beauty, the term “aesthetics” was not common in China or Japan in its present form as a collective term until around the 19th century. Nevertheless, aesthetic discourses on Chinese and Japanese literature, painting, dance, calligraphy, horticulture, etc.-as well as on their basic concepts, underlying these pursuits-had already existed for centuries. In China, for example, poetry, painting, and calligraphy were known as the “Three Perfections” that a cultivated learner should acquire. Aesthetic sensibilities, which are defined by terms such as cut (kire), finesse (iki), balanced harmony (dao/ki), aesthetic self-cultivation, pathos of things (mono no aware) or simple beauty (wabi-sabi), testify to a sophisticated, subtle perception of beauty. The beginnings of this subtle aesthetic lie in the distant past yet are still used today in and through contemporary media (anime, etc.) as well as in the martial arts. The concepts and the arts have developed under Buddhist, Confucianist, Shinto influence and convey a detailed and deep reflection on art, theatre, film, literature, calligraphy, tea ceremony, horticulture, etc. In the first part of the course, important aesthetic concepts such as “iki”, “kire”, “ma” and the “three perfections” will be analyzed and presented using various sources within literature, film, painting, and calligraphy. In the second part of the course, important Japanese and Chinese aesthetics texts will be read and analysed. In addition to the explanations offered by the course instructor, texts and films in German and English will be made available to the students. These sources show the practical application of the concepts presented and should therefore be read in advance. The aims of the course are:
1. Providing an introduction to central concepts of East Asian aesthetics
2. Prompting critical reflection on traditional and contemporary approaches to aesthetics in a broader intercultural context
3. Developing the ability to apply the concepts learned in practice.