2020 spring is the most tumultuous time I have ever got as a teacher. During the middle of the spring break, I received a short order to change everything online with only 10 day or so to prepare. And there is no standard format to follow. Basically, every teacher needs to figure out how to do it by their own.

The same went to my students, who, with a very breezy mood of spring travel and relaxation, were suddenly ordered to stay at home. For most of these students, they were struggling and wrestling with this abrupt disruption to their learning habit ever since.

However, it is still utterly joyful for me to witness and experience so many solid engagements of students with my newly designed remote teaching. In this online environment, these “real human” moments feel especially precious because you get to know that the humanity of these students was trying to gather enough authenticity, focus and persistence to radiate beyond the screen so that you can eventually feel it.

In this post, I will document the works of my students in one of my upper-division courses in philosophy and religious studies, “Ru and Confucianism” (PHL/REL 394), to commemorate this unique spring, and to let myself remember all these beautiful faces, voices, vignettes, and ways of human living in the depth of my heart.

Let’s start from Theo Barry (Washington College, 22′)’s explanation of one key concept Qi (vital-energy) in Confucianism, and how he practiced meditation close to the ocean near his Californian residence during the quarantine time:

Jason Economidis (Washington College, 22′) uses his new knowledge of “harmony” or “harmonization” to re-describe his experience as a roller, and expresses his best wishes for the world in the end.

Christopher Fuchs (Washington College, 20′) has graduated from the college. He took two classes with me in his final semester, and in this class of “Ru and Confucianism,” he found resonance of Confucian philosophy with his decade-long practice of archery. After knowing that archery is one of the six arts to be taught in the original Confucian school, he felt thrilled. So, during the time of quarantine, he continued to practice it, yet with a new understanding of it and also, of his life. (This is by far the best philosophical demonstration of archery I ever see!)

Elizabeth Hay (Washington College, 21′) was deeply inspired by the Confucian commitment to meritocracy. She explained how this contrasts with American culture, and per my frank view, her thought can be a par with many high-end scholarship on this currently very hot topic in comparative political thought. During a time of pandemic, doesn’t her view on expertise and authority sound particularly relevant? (She submitted a ppt with voice instruction, and you can download it below)

“Ru and Confucianism” includes an introduction to other schools of ancient Chinese thought: Daoism, Mohism, Legalism, etc., since you cannot understand Ruism without knowing its competitors. April Jones (Washington College, 20′) made an exquisite video to explain why Daoism can bring relief to humanity during the time of pandemic. April’s video on modern philosophy was once featured by my previous post, and obviously, she is a very good philosopher who is very good at video production! Although I, as a Confucian scholar, have some critiques towards Laozi’s understanding of the Dao, I still think April’s instructional video is among the best to indicate the value of ancient Chinese thought for the contemporary world! You must check this out!

Finally, I will present Emily Wiest (Washington College, 21′)’s explanation of the idea “Humaneness” in Confucianism. Normally, it is not easy to capture the relationship among varying virtues advocated by Confucius. But Emmy did a great job to do this with a carefully selected, beautiful background song! In the time of pandemic, I hope “humaneness” still be the cardinal virtue to guide humanity.

Last but not least, as you may infer from the above, I included a contemplative portion in the course, and produced a series of podcasts and youtube videos to explain and demonstrate “Confucian Meditation” starting from its most simplest breathing method. The playlist includes 9 videos in my youtube channel.

Some continuous projects during the teaching of the pandemic:

• In 2020 fall, students in the course of Ru and Confucianism continued to present great works. Maggie Blake (Washington College, 22′) made a devotional video to commemorate her father and explained it using the Ru concept of filiality. Such a moving story!

With a feeling of delight, confidence and concern, I present all these works of my students and mine in this post, and I hope they can bring inspirations on the values of liberal arts higher education, comparative philosophical, religious and civilizational studies, and most importantly, on how to live through uncertain times with joy and firm will!

• In the 2022 Fall, Avery-Grey Dos Santos demonstrated her baking-of-bread as a deeply meditative and therapeutic act to connect to her family, peers, and the universe!

[Click here to check the syllabus and student evaluation for “Ru and Confucianism” (PHL/REL 394)]