TERM PAPER ASSIGNMENT
Write an Japanese philosophy essay
Your term paper will be on a topic of your choosing, so long as it is comparative in nature and i addresses at least one of the major traditions of Japanese philosophy discussed in this class. It is worth a maximum of twenty-five points toward your final grade. Specific requirements are detailed on the reverse side of this page, but broadly speaking, your criteria are as follows:
• Your topic should be legitimately interesting to you, addressing a question you are sincerely interested in answering.
• Your approach should be comparative in nature. At a minimum, it must draw on at least two thinkers or schools of thought, at least one of which must be in Japanese philosophy.
(You are free to draw on what you've studied in other philosophy classes as well.)
• Done well, comparative philosophy delves deeper than merely saying two theories agree about X but disagree about Y. Look for apparent similarities and then show the subtle differences between them. Highlight obvious differences and then find the common ground one wouldn't expect to find.
• Your work must be original. If there is evidence that you are not the sole author of your term paper, UD's Honor Code authorizes me to fail you for the course.
Either a polished, well-formed first draft or a comprehensive, polished, well-formed outline of your term paper is due at the beginning of class on April 26. (See the attached "Sample Outline 2" for an example of what a comprehensive, polished, well-formed outline looks like ) This will count as one of your three writing assignments for the semester, worth a maximum of 25 points.
Requirements for the final draft:
• 1600- 2000 words, following the rules and guidelines laid out in "Instructions for Writing Well in This Course", with the following amendment:
o Use Times New Roman in 14-point font for all text, except for Chinese or Japanese characters. (Using these characters is not required. If you do choose to use them and you'd like some help, I will be happy to assist).
• The use of, and reference to, scholarly sources, including at least two primary sources in print and at least three secondary sources in print. You may use online sources as well, but these are not sufficient by themselves. You need to do more for this paper than surf the web.
o You are certainly encouraged to collect digital copies of journal articles via interlibrary loan, but in almost all cases, when you cite them you'll cite the original print medium, not a URL
o If you use sources in other languages, in your citations you must translate the names of the sources into English to demonstrate that they are scholarly in nature.
Prompt:
According to Shinto, you and I are both possessed of kami. According to Kiikai's Shingon Buddhism, you and I are both capable of realizing enlightenment in this very existence (sokushin-jobutsu). In other words, both Shinto and Shingon agree that the key to spiritual enlightenment is present within this very body. On this much they agree. Explain the important philosophical differences between their two doctrines.
Draw from Kukai's major works and secondary texts about Krikai and Shinto to support your argument.