phd in chinese philosophy

Kwong-loi Shun

Professor, Recalled

Office: Philosophy Hall 242 Office hours: By appointment E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.klshun.com/

Courses for Fall 2024: Confucius for Today

(B. Phil., University of Oxford; Ph.D., Stanford University). Kwong-loi Shun specializes in Chinese philosophy and moral psychology. His current research is a five-volume work on Confucian thought. The first volume, Mencius and Early Chinese Thought, was published in 1997, and a manuscript of the second volume, Zhu Xi and Later Confucian Thought, is under revision. The third volume, From Philology to Philosophy, discusses methodological issues in transitioning from philological studies to philosophical studies, and is close to completion. The fourth and fifth volumes, On Self and Self-Transformation and A Study in Confucian Moral Psychology, jointly provide a comprehensive study of Confucian moral psychology, the former being primarily philological and the latter primarily philosophical.

He started teaching at Berkeley in 1986, and was Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Undergraduate Division in the College of Letters & Science when he left Berkeley in 2004. He returned to Berkeley in 2014 after having served as Principal of the University of Toronto at Scarborough and then Head of New Asia College in Hong Kong (founded by Confucian scholars Qian Mu and Tang Junyi to promote Chinese culture). Before his return, he was Chair Professor of Philosophy and Sin Wai Kin Professor of Chinese Culture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Currently, in addition to teaching regular courses on Chinese philosophy and moral psychology, he devotes most of his time to the philosophical study of Confucian thought. He is also deeply interested in undergraduate education, and has published on liberal education in the U.S. and Confucian learning. He was President of the American Philosophical Association (Pacific Division) in 2017-18.

Warp, Weft, and Way

Chinese and comparative philosophy 中國哲學與比較哲學.

Graduate Programs in Chinese Philosophy

Here follows an alphabetic list of PhD programs in philosophy in which one can study Chinese philosophy in English. For each program, we include:

• Link to department
• Names of those whose specialization relates to Chinese philosophy, with links to their webpages
• Link to placement information
• Further information about studying Chinese philosophy there

At the bottom of the list, we also list MA-specific programs that include an emphasis on Chinese philosophy, as well as “ Cognate Programs ” (i.e., non-Philosophy PhD programs) with specialists in Chinese philosophy. (We hope to include more each information on programs in each of these categories in the near future.)

We have chosen to present descriptive information without guidance or evaluation. For discussion of how to pursue graduate training in Chinese philosophy, the following might be of use:

• Discussions of graduate study on Warp, Weft, and Way
• Discussion of and links to an APA Newsletter on the state of the comparative philosophy field (published 2008; includes some solid advice for graduate study)
• Chris Fraser’s “ Graduate Study in Philosophy ” page (mostly from 2009)
• Eric Hutton’s “ Advice for Students Wanting to Pursue a PhD in Chinese Thought ” page (also somewhat dated)

The initial work on this list was conducted by Yong Huang, Steve Angle, Jim Behuniak, and Alexus McLeod. We welcome additions, comments, or corrections.

Recent changes:

• Added Loyola University Chicago (March 21, 2024)
• Added Lancaster University; removed Princeton University and University of Connecticut; a few minor adjustments (March 5, 2024)
• Updated NUS (September 29, 2022)
• Updates to Hong Kong Baptist, HKUST, Lingnan, Nanyang, Princeton (September 26, 2022)
• Updated University of Hong Kong (September 25, 2022)
• Updated University of Macau faculty; moved Indiana University to main list from cognate list (October 19, 2021)

Australia National University Chinese University of Hong Kong City University of Hong Kong CUNY Graduate Center Duke University East China Normal University Georgetown University Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Indiana University Lancaster University Lingnan University Loyola University Chicago Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) National University of Singapore University of New Mexico University of Auckland University of British Columbia University of California, Berkeley University of California, Riverside University of Hawaii University of Hong Kong University of Macau University of Michigan University of New South Wales University of Oklahoma University of Toronto University of Utah

Australia National University

Specialists:

• Bronwyn Finnigan , philosophy of action, ethics, philosophy of mind and epistemology in Western and Asian philosophical traditions
• Koji Tanaka , Buddhist Philosophy and Logic, Chinese Philosophy

Placement information

Further information:

Chinese University of Hong Kong

• David Chai , Daoist philosophy, comparative philosophy
• Chung-yi Cheng , Confucianism, Chinese philosophy, comparative philosophy
• Yong Huang , Chinese philosophy, comparative philosophy, moral philosophy
• Kai-chiu Ng , Chinese philosophy, Confucianism
• Zhihua Yao , Buddhist philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy

Placement information not available

City University of Hong Kong  (Department of Public Policy)

• Ho-mun Chan , comparative philosophy
• Ruiping Fan , Confucianism, comparative bioethics
• Sungmoon Kim , Chinese philosophy, political philosophy

CUNY Graduate Center

• Graham Priest , Philosophical logic, Philosophies of Mathematics and Language, Metaphysics, History of Philosophy (East and West), Buddhist Philosophy
• Hagop Sarkissian , Moral Psychology, Metaethics, Chinese Philosophy, Cognitive Science of Religion

Placement Information

Further Information:

Duke University

• David B. Wong , Chinese Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, Ethics

East China Normal University

Specialists (for details on all the below individuals in English, see here ; for more on the department faculty in Chinese, see here ):

• Yang Guorong, metaphysics, ethics, history of Chinese philosophy, comparative philosophy
• Zong Desheng, philosophy of language, ethics, comparative philosophy
• Yu Zhenhua, metaphysics, epistemology and comparative philosophy
• Fang Xudong, Neo-Confucianism, Confucian Ethics, Interpretation of classics
• Xue Yu, Chinese Buddhism
• Liu Liangjian, Chinese philosophy, comparative study of Chinese and Western philosophy
• Paul Joseph D’Ambrosio, Chinese philosophy, Neo-Daoism (Xuanxue), comparative study of Western and Chinese philosophy, ethics

See the departmental link above for more information on the history and scope of the department’s English-language programs; see also this post from our blog (November, 2021).

Georgetown University

• Erin Cline (primary appointment in Theology; Associate Member of the Philosophy Department and a member of its Primary Dissertation Faculty), early Chinese ethical, religious, and political thought
• Philip J. Ivanhoe (Professor and Chair, East Asian Languages and Cultures)

Students can apply to the Philosophy PhD program to work with Professor Cline and/or other Philosophy department members with appreciation for Asian or comparative philosophy. Georgetown offers classical Chinese and has many other Asianists in East Asian Languages and Cultures, history, religious studies, and elsewhere. Students can also apply to the Ph.D. program in Theological and Religious Studies (housed in the Theology Department) to study Chinese philosophy.

Hong Kong Baptist University

• Benedict Chan , Social & Political Philosophy, Applied Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mind
• Jonathan Chan , Chinese philosophy
• James Dominic Rooney, Chinese philosophy and metaphysics

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

• Charles Wing-hoi Chan , Confucian philosophy
• Jenny HUNG , Chinese Philosophy, Buddhism, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Logic, Philosophy of Science
• Simon Man-ho Wong , Confucian philosophy
• Eric C Nelson , Chinese philosophy

Indiana University

• Aaron Stalnaker
• Michael Ing
• Nicholas Vogt
• Alexus McLeod

Stalnaker, Ing, and McLeod all have their main appointments in Religious Studies ; see here for more on Religious Studies’s “Chinese Thought” area. Vogt’s appointment is in East Asian Languages & Cultures. Stalnaker has an adjunct appointment in Philosophy and can direct dissertations there.

Lancaster University

• Philippe Major , Confucianism, Zen Buddhism, topics related to epistemic hegemony

Lingnan University

• Elton Chan , Confucianism, political philosophy
• Waiwai Chiu , Chinese philosophy

Loyola University Chicago

• Richard Kim , East Asian Philosophy, Ethics, Moral Psychology

Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)

• LI Chenyang , Chinese Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy
• SUNG Hiu Chuk Winnie , Chinese Philosophy, Self-knowledge , Moral Psychology

The NTU Philosophy Group was established in view of the rich intellectual and cultural resources available at a research-intensive science and technological university located in culturally affluent Singapore. As such, the master plan of our programmes is focused primarily on (1) Philosophy of Science and (2) Chinese Philosophy. Both areas of research are conducted with an interdisciplinary approach and an East-West comparative perspective.

National University of Singapore

• LOY Hui Chieh , Chinese Philosophy, Greek Philosophy
• LO Yuet Keung  (Chinese studies; classes in Chinese), Chinese Philosophy
• Scott Cook (Yale-NUS), Chinese texts and intellectual history
• Matthew Walker (Yale-NUS), Ancient Greek philosophy, comparative philosophy

As a group, the NUS and affiliated Yale-NUS graduate faculty includes numerous philosophers actively working on projects in moral and political philosophy; metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind; Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy, and the history of Western philosophy.

University of New Mexico

• Emily McRae,  Buddhist Philosophy, Ethics, Moral Psychology, Feminism

UNM has a number of faculty in areas that may also be of interest to some studying Chinese Philosophy, such as Indian Philosophy and Tibetan Philosophy.  They are making a hire this year in Buddhist Philosophy.

University of Auckland

• Jeremy Michael Seligman , Early Chinese Logic, Logic

Asian Philosophy is not listed as an area of expertise in the Auckland program’s listing of postgraduate specializations, but it does say that one can customize a course of study suitable to one’s particular needs and interests.

University of British Columbia

• Edward Slingerland , Chinese Philosophy, Cognitive Linguistics
• Evan Thompson , Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science, Cross-Cultural Philosophy
• Catherine Prueitt, Sanskritic pre-modern South Asian philosophies

As of 2021, Slingerland has moved into the Philosophy Department.

University of California, Berkeley

• Kwong-loi Shun , Chinese philosophy, Moral psychology

There is no regular track or concentration in Chinese philosophy in the Berkeley program, the department stresses however that its Ph.D. program is “structured to give students a high degree of independence in tailoring their studies to their interests.” Professor Shun “teaches two courses a year, primarily on Chinese philosophy and moral psychology, and devotes the rest of his time to researching and promoting the philosophical study of Confucian thought.”

University of California, Riverside

• Lisa Raphals , Chinese and Comparative Philosophy, Classical Greece
• Eric Schwitzgebel , Empirical Psychology and Philosophy of Mind, Ethics

Raphals is in the department of Comparative Literature and Foreign Languages, but is also affiliated with the Philosophy Department as “Cooperating Faculty”.

University of Hawaii

• Chung-ying Cheng , Chinese Philosophy (Classical and Neo-Confucianism), Comparative Philosophy
• Franklin Perkins , Classical Chinese Philosophy, Early Modern European Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy

A number of other faculty in the Philosophy Department work in areas possibly of interest to students of Chinese Philosophy, including Indian Philosophy, Japanese Philosophy.  Perkins starts at Hawaii in January 2017.

University of Hong Kong

• Daniel Bell , Confucianism, Chinese political and social philosophy
• JIN Yutang , Confucian and Chinese political thought, democratic theory, comparative political theory
• Mark Meulenbeld , Daoism and Chinese religions
• TANG Siu-fu , Early Confucianism (in particular the thought of Xunzi), ethics and political philosophy, comparative philosophy, and issues of modernity and Chinese thought.
• Justin Tiwald , Classical and post-classical Chinese philosophy, especially Classical Confucianism, Daoism, and Neo-Confucianism
• WANG Pei , Chinese intellectual history, French philosophy, comparative philosophy
• ZHOU Boqun , Early Chinese philosophy,  Chinese paleography, history of science and technology in China

Daniel Bell is in the Faculty of Law; JIN Yutang is in the Department of Politics and Public Administration; Mark Meulenbeld, Tang Siu-fu, WANG Pei, and ZHOU Boqun are in the School of Chinese.

University of Macau

• Victoria Harrison, analytic philosophy of religion with a focus on ancient Indian and classical Chinese philosophies.
• Ting-Mien Lee, Chinese philosophy, with a specific focus on the interaction of language, power-struggle strategies, and moral theories.
• Hans-Georg Moeller, Daoist philosophy, social theory, comparative philosophy, Chinese philosophy
• Qingjie Wang, East-West Comparative Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, Ethics and Moral Philosophy, contemporary European Philosophy, esp. Heidegge and Hermeneutics
• Ellen Zhang, Chinese philosophy

https://fah.um.edu.mo/phd-in-philosophy-and-religious-studies/ https://grs.um.edu.mo/index.php/prospective-students/doctoral-degrees-programmes/

University of Michigan

• Sonja Özbey , classical Chinese philosophy and early modern European philosophy

University of New South Wales

• Karyn Lai , Chinese philosophy, Environmental philosophy

Classical Chinese philosophy is listed as one of several “History and Philosophical Traditions” concentrations offered in the program.

University of Oklahoma

• Amy Olberding , Early Chinese Philosophy, Ethics

University of Toronto

• Chris Fraser , Mohist philosophy, Daoist philosophy, Confucian philosophy, ethics, theory of action

The Toronto program prides itself on offering broad coverage in all areas of the history of Philosophy, as well as “in aspects of the history of non-Western philosophy.”

University of Utah

• Eric Hutton , Chinese philosophy, ancient Greek philosophy, ethics

The Philosophy department is willing to offer financial support to both MA/MS and PhD students. Students who are interested in Chinese philosophy may also wish to investigate the MA program in Asian Studies , if they are interested in pursuing a more inter-disciplinary track.

Beijing Normal University

• Details here . Instructors include BNU and Renmin University faculty, as well as international guest faculty (see website for details).

Colorado State University

• Details here .

Eastern Michigan University

• Details here . One of the department’s two MA tracks is in pluralistic philosophical “methodology.”

Fudan University (Shanghai)

• Fudan EMA Program Information

East China Normal University (Shanghai)

• Information on the English-language MA program at ECNU is available here

Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles)

Renmin University (Beijing)

• Updated (December 2021) details on the English-language MA Program in “Chinese Philosophy, Religion, and Culture are here

San Francisco State University

• Details here

San Jose State University

West Chester University (Pennsylvania)

Wuhan University

• Details on the English-language International MA Program here  , and an update here .

Cognate Programs

Georgetown University (Erin Cline, Theology; see also above for Philosophy options)

Harvard University (Michael Puett, Peter Bol)

KU Leuven (Carine Defoort, Nicolas Standaert); see also here .

London School of Economics (Leigh Jenco)

Northwestern (Loubna El Amine)

Pennsylvania State University (Erica Brindley, On-cho Ng)

University of California, Berkeley (Mark Csikszentmihalyi, Michael Nylan)

University of Chicago Divinity School (Brook Ziporyn)

University of Pennsylvania (Paul Goldin)

The department of Philosophy at East China Normal University was established in 1986, and since then has maintained national and international recognition as one of the most acclaimed philosophy departments in China. The department now accepts applications from prospective international students for a 2-year MA program or 4- year PhD program in Chinese Philosophy.

The graduate program in Chinese Philosophy at ECNU offers general courses in Chinese language, culture, and history with courses more specifically focusing on Classical, medieval, and modern Chinese philosophy, Chinese intellectual history, and reading classical Chinese.

The graduate program is centered around the foundational texts of Chinese philosophy, the intellectual and political debates of pre-Qin China, and their influence in Chinese intellectual and socio-political history. A further emphasis is placed on engaging these topics through the language native to the texts in which they are recorded, classical Chinese. Core courses include Readings in Confucianism, including the Analects of Confucius and the Mencius ; Readings in Daoism, including the Laozi and the Zhuangzi , as well as courses on Philosophical Chinese. Major elective courses include Neo-Confucianism, Neo-Daoism, The Five Classics, and Non-Canonical Chinese Philosophy amongst others. University requirements include Chinese language courses, Chinese Culture and Civilization, as well as interdepartmental electives.

Program Requirements

Degree Requirements

1. Requirements for the M.A. Program

The MA program at ECNU is a two-year program. The degree requirement has two components: 

（ 1 ） Completion of 30 credit hours of course work. The course work is comprised of 2 common-core courses (Chinese Language, Chinese Culture/Civilization, 7 credits), 4 required courses in philosophy (12 credits), 3 elective courses in philosophy (9 credits), and 1 outside course from any of the following departments: Chinese Language and Literature, History, Anthropology, Political Science, and other MA programs at ECNU (at least 2 credits). In addition, students are required to participate in at least 4 academic lectures, and submit a written report for each lecture attended (1 credit). Students MUST pass HSK Level 3 (≥180) or pass the “International Chinese Proficiency Standard Test” arranged by the university before graduation.

（ 2 ） Successful defense of an MA thesis of at least 10,000 words in length. Successful defense of the M.A. thesis research plan is also required in the end of the second semester. 

2. Requirements for the Ph.D.

The 4-year Ph.D. program requires course work of 15 credits and a Ph.D. dissertation. The Ph.D. program at ECNU is a four-year program. The degree requirement has three components:  

（ 1 ） Completion of 15 credit hours of course work. The course work is comprised of 1 common-core course (Chinese Language, Chinese Culture/Civilization, 2-3 credits), 3 required courses in philosophy (9 credits), and 1 or 2 elective courses (at least 3-4 credits). In addition, students are required to participate in at least 4 academic lectures, and submit a written report for each lecture attended (1 credit). Students MUST pass HSK Level 3 (≥180) or pass the “ International Chinese Proficiency Standard Test” arranged by the university before graduation. 

（ 2 ） At least 1 academic article published in A&HCI or SSCI journals, or at least 2 academic articles published in other journals (as the sole or first author, indicating ECNU as the sole or first academic affiliation). 

（ 3 ） Successful defense of a Ph.D. thesis of at least 50,000 words in length. Successful defense of the Ph.D. thesis research plan is also required in the third semester.

• Search this site Search this site Site search
• Conferences
• Announcements
• CCS Webinars/Seminars
• Other Events
• Faculty (By Last Name)
• Faculty (By Department)
• Center for Chinese Studies Staff
• Library Staff
• Past faculty / staff
• Executive Committee
• Visiting Scholars
• Course Lists

Publications

• Student Support
• Faculty Support
• Study Abroad
• For CCS faculty only: documents

夏威夷大學中國研究中心 / 夏威夷大学中国研究中心

Cheng, chung-ying 成中英.

BA 1956, National Taiwan University MA 1958, University of Washington PhD 1964, Harvard University

Professor Cheng’s chief research interests are in five areas: Chinese logic, the I Ching and the origins of Chinese philosophy, Confucian and Neo-Confucian Philosophy, the onto-hermeneutics of Eastern and Western philosophy, and Chan (Zen) philosophy. Recently he has worked on the philosophy of c-management and Confucian Bio-Ethics as they relate to the Chinese tradition, and on how Chinese culture fits into world culture. Professor Cheng serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chinese Philosophy.

China-Related Courses

• Phil 370 Chinese Philosophy
• Phil 406 Intro. to Chan (Zen) Buddhist Philosophy
• Phil 607 East Asian Philosophy
• Phil 671 Neo-Confucianism
• Phil 770 Seminar in Chinese Philosophy
• JOURNAL OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY, Chung-ying Cheng as Editor-in-Chief, published by Blackwell Publishers, Melden and Oxford. Quarterly, new editions from 2000, 2001 and up to date.
• Contemporary Chinese Philosophy, edited by me with Nicholas Bunnin. Preface and Long Section on Afterwords by me. Malden and Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2002. 429 pages.
• Treatise on Confucian Philosophy: The Way of Uniting the Outer and the Inner, Beijing: China Social Scienes Publishers, 2001, 431 pages.
• Ontology and Interpretation, (in Chinese), Beijing: Sanlian Publishers, 2000. 382 pages. C Theory: Chinese Philosophy of Management>> (in Chinese), Shanghai: Xueling Publishers, 1999. 458 pages
• Light of Wisdom: The Contemporary Application of Chinese Management Philosophy (Ed. w/Zhou Hanguang). Shanghai: Chinese Textile University Press, 1997.
• “Transforming Confucian Virtues into Human Rights: A Study of Human Agency and Potency in Confucian Ethics” in Wm deBary (Ed.)  Confucianism and Human Rights . New York: Columbia University Press, 1997.
• C lilun: Yijing guanli zhexue . [C Theory: The Yijing philosopy of management].Taibei: Dongda Tushu Chubanshe, 1995.
• Wenhua, lilun yu guanli: Zhongguo xiandaihua de zhexue xingsi . [Culture, Ethics, and the Philosophy of Management]. Guiyang: Guizhou Renmin Chubanshe, 1991.
• Shiji zhi jiao de jueze: Lun Zhong-Xi zhexue zhong de huitong yu ronghe . [Choice at the Turn of a New Century: On the Interflux and Integration of Chinese and Western Philosophy]. Shanghai: Zhishi Chubanshe, 1991.
• The Distribution of Power and Rewards: Selected Essays from the Conference on Democracy and Social Justice East and West (Co-ed. w/James Hsiung). Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1991.
• New Dimensions of Confucian & Neo-Confucian Philosophy , Albany: New York University Press, 1991.

Doctor of Philosophy

Our department offers the following doctoral programs in East Asian Languages and Cultures:

• Chinese Literature and Culture
• Chinese Linguistics
• Chinese Archaeology
• Japanese Literature and Culture
• Japanese Linguistics
• Korean Literature and Culture
• Trans-Asian Studies

Candidates for the degree are expected to acquire a thorough familiarity with East Asian studies, an adequate command of relevant languages, and a comprehensive knowledge of East Asian history, social institutions, and thought. The University's basic requirements for the Ph.D. program are given in the "Graduate Degrees" section of the  Stanford Bulletin .

Students should consult the most up-to-date version of the degree plan on the  Stanford Bulletin webpage . Each student should meet with their faculty advisor at least once per quarter to discuss the degree requirements and their progress.

Photo by Linda Cicero

Graduate Admissions

Graduate Handbook

Graduate Student Resources

Chinese Philosophy

MPhil & PhD

The Department began offering MPhil programme in 1966 and PhD programme in 1980s, and has since provided solid philosophical training to more than 200 postgraduate students. Many of them now serving the local and international academic communities through their dedication to teaching and research.

We currently have about 30 MPhil and PhD students, who are under the supervision of our full-time professors. The diverse research interests of our faculty cover most areas of mainstream philosophy, being particularly strong in Chinese philosophy. In the past few decades, research in Anglo-American as well as Continental European philosophy has become prominent, with outstanding research outputs in the fields of phenomenology, ethics, and philosophy of mind.

MPhil and PhD Programme aim to:

• Provide solid academic training to students in philosophy, especially in the following specialized areas: Chinese/ Eastern philosophy, Anglo-American philosophy, Continental-European philosophy and comparative philosophy.
• Enhance student’s ability and skill to undertake rigorous independent research in specialized areas in philosophy.
• Cultivate excellent young scholars who will serve local and overseas academic communities and other professional sectors.