Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons^™

Becoming Confucian In America Today, Pamela Herron

Pamela Herron

Is Confucianism relevant to students in America in the twenty-first century? Does a 2,500 year old philosophy have anything to offer contemporary society? This paper examines the methodology behind teaching Confucianism and Daoism to students at the University of Texas at El Paso where this course has been taught successfully for the past two years. Using translations of the Daodejing (Roger T. Ames and David Hall) and The Analects of Confucius (Roger T. Ames and Henry Rosemont, Jr.) students are asked to examine and analyze these ancient texts with the intention of determining their relevance to today’s people and culture. …