Unit+II+The+Philosophical+Foundations+of+North+East+Asia


 * The Philosophical Foundations of North East Asia **


 * The focus of this unit is to gain a working knowledge of the primary philosophical foundations of East Asian thought. By 'working knowledge' I mean an understanding that is characterized by demonstrating how and where certain philosophical approaches have significant influence in East Asian culture.**

__**Essential Questions:**__
 * __Knowledge:__**
 * **Students will identify the origin of material from four of the belief systems impacting on Chinese culture and society: Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism.**
 * **Students will understand how Buddhism has been engineered to reflect the approaches of different practitioners in China, Korea and Japan.**
 * **Students will identify those Taoist ideals that can be adapted to Western lifestyles in order to improve the perspective of the individual.**
 * **Students will see how Christianity became a force of resistance and ultimately of solidarity within Korean history.**
 * __Skills:__**
 * **Students will critically assess how Taoist ideals can be transferred into a foreign culture.**
 * **Students will create works which show how certain belief systems have influenced East Asian thought and culture.**
 * **Students will compare and contrast Eastern philosophies and the depth of their respective impacts on the cultures of China, Korea and Japan.**
 * **Students will compare and contrast the philosophies of East Asia with any one of those philosophies promoted in Western culture.**
 * __Enduring Understandings:__**
 * **Religions can evolve to fit the circumstances of its practitioners.**
 * **The people of East Asia are likely to practice more than one belief system - or none at all.**
 * **Philosophies are a significant element in the organization and existence of East Asian societies.**
 * **In what ways have Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism shaped the world views of Chinese, Korean and Japanese people?**
 * **What elements of these three faiths are embraced or rejected by modern Chinese, Korean and Japanese people?**

Cornell Note Taker Template:
 * To be used when you view each slide show presentation on the religions below. Or when you read about them. Keep good notes. Don't rely on the sources below exclusively. Personalize your information.**

__**Lesson 1**__ How are religion different from philosophies? How are they similar? Define each? Perhaps you have come up with the following sort of things in the chart below. Create a Google Doc entitled "Religion and Philosophy". Create two charts; one for 'Religion' and one for 'Philosophy.' They should be like the one below. Using the internet, find three definitions, copy them, review them, then summarize them by stating what their similarities are.
 * "What is a Religion? A Philosophy?"**
 * Source || Definition ||~ Similarities found in all three definitions ||
 * 1 ||  ||~   ||
 * 2 ||  ||~   ||
 * 3 ||  ||~   ||
 * Answer the following questions on that same document:**
 * 1) **WHAT DO RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY HAVE IN COMMON?**
 * 2) **WHY IS THE STUDY OF RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY IMPORTANT?**

I believe that at some point in our lives we will all wrestle intellectually with our concept of what God (or "god") means to ourselves. Moreover, I believe we will also enter into some sort of examination of what we believe is the purpose of belief systems. Here is a website created by an organization promoting religious tolerance (still about religions, but links to atheism and agnosticism) [|World Religions] Below is a testimony of a former student of this school. As you watch pay attention to her private journey and how she arrived at her belief. media type="youtube" key="cc0WZjgaJEQ" height="344" width="425"
 * __Assignment 1 for Unit II__**

Your format can be in film of no more than three minutes (iMovie, Garage Band, or even Xtranormal) or in a mixed media (Comic Life). This is a minor project grade worth 15 marks. Post your completed project on your individual wikipage. Be sure to give it a unique name so as to avoid overlap with another person's on this wiki.
 * Your assignment**: This is an individual (pair or group - no more than three people) assignment where you can share your belief with other members of our school community. Be sure to be succinct in responding to the following questions within your testimony.
 * How does your religion impact your identity? Be sure to describe your journey (even if it is on-going).
 * How does your religion impact your family?
 * How does your religion impact your society (and even the world)?
 * Be sure to show me a general outline of the script you will be speaking to for this project.**


 * __Preamble:__**

//**To enter a wiki for each philosophy simply mouse over and click.**//
 * Below** are four (and then some) of the most influential schools of thought and religious philosophy in East Asian thinking and society. Each has contributed something that can be found in East Asian society. True other philosophies have also come to influence this region, i.e. Christianity, and more recently, economic and political ideologies such as communism and democracy. However, these four have certainly been influential in China's history, and therefore, they have also been influential to the other nations in the region, namely Japan and Korea.
 * Before entering into this study, please read [|//Sanjiao: The Three Teachings//]**