History of Japanese Thought
Course code
HIL6637.HT
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Jaapani mõttelugu
Course title in English
History of Japanese Thought
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2025/2026 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2026/2027 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Brief description of the course
The course provides an overview of the most significant Japanese thinkers (including Kūkai, Dōgen, Shinran, Ogyū Sorai, and others) and central worldviews, such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shintō. While these thinkers and intellectual currents are examined within their historical contexts, significant attention is also given to how these ideas manifest in contemporary literature, cinema, and other cultural phenomena. Students will learn to analyze key texts in the history of thought and identify reflections of these philosophical ideas within broader cultural expressions.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- knows key figures in Japanese thought (e.g., Kūkai, Dōgen, Shinran), religious-philosophical systems (Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintō), and their historical development;
- understands the core concepts of traditional Japanese worldviews and can explain their influence and transformation across different historical periods;
- recognizes and analyzes the reflections and applications of Japanese philosophical ideas in contemporary literature, cinema, and other cultural phenomena;
- engages in reasoned discussion on the role of Japanese thought in the formation of Japanese cultural identity and aesthetics.
- knows key figures in Japanese thought (e.g., Kūkai, Dōgen, Shinran), religious-philosophical systems (Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintō), and their historical development;
- understands the core concepts of traditional Japanese worldviews and can explain their influence and transformation across different historical periods;
- recognizes and analyzes the reflections and applications of Japanese philosophical ideas in contemporary literature, cinema, and other cultural phenomena;
- engages in reasoned discussion on the role of Japanese thought in the formation of Japanese cultural identity and aesthetics.
Teacher
Alari Allik
Study programmes containing that course