HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

APSS1A02: Introduction to Western Theories of Human Nature
Course Syllabus
First Term, 2018-19

1. Course lecturer: Dr. Ching-wa Wong (GH303, ext.5706; sscwwong@polyu.edu.hk)

2. Course objectives:
The subject aims to familiarize students with several prominent ideas of human nature
underlying the ethical, political, spiritual, and scientific outlooks of western society.
The topics to be introduced include six major systems of thought that shape our
contemporary views of the world, namely: (1) the classical Greek theories; (2)
Christianity; (3) the Enlightenment theories; (4) Marxism; (5) Psychoanalysis; and (6)
Existentialism; plus a brief comparison of these with (7) Confucianism. They are
chosen specifically to illuminate the conflicts of ideologies often observed in
contemporary society, and with a view to helping students to develop their own ideas
of a good human life.
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to have their own views
concerning the following questions: (1) Is there a universal human nature? (2) What,
if any, is the essence of a human being? (3) What are the problems with our society
from the point of view of human nature? (4) Can there be solutions to these problems
by appealing to our human nature? And as the teaching approach is both historical
and philosophical, it is essential that students develop their answers through careful
and critical analysis of the theories, and also apply them to practical issues in life.

3. Course plan:

Weeks Topics/Activities
1 I. Introduction
2-3 II. Classical Greek theories: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
4 III. The conception of God in Christianity
5-6 IV. Enlightenment Philosophy: Descartes, Hume, and Kant
7 V. Marx’s theory of revolution
8 VI. Psychoanalysis: Freud and Jung
9 VII. Existentialism: Sartre
10 VIII. Confucianism: ancient and contemporary versions
11 Quiz
12-13 Group Presentations
14 Deadline for essay submission

4. Group project, quiz, and assignment:

 Group Project: Form groups of 6-8 persons to work on the topic given below.
Present your ideas about a theory of human nature in the form of a PowerPoint

1
 presentation, which should be about 25 minutes long. In the presentation, you
should give a clear position of your group and give reasons to support it.
 Quiz: A mid-term quiz (consisting of 15-20 multiple-choice questions plus one
essay-question) will be conducted in week 11.
 Individual essay: Each student is required to submit an individual essay of about
1,500 words. The deadline of submission is 5 December 2018.

5. Assessment:
 Quiz 30%
 Group Project 30%
 Individual Essay 40%

6. Question for the group project

 Present a theory of human nature (e.g., from Christianity, Buddhism,
Confucianism, Darwinism, Marxism…etc.) which you think can give the best
guide to our conduct of life. Suggest how the theory can give satisfactory
solutions to the most urgent problems in our society. Defend your answer with
examples.

7. Question for the individual essay

 Outline the theory of human nature proposed by one of the following
philosophers:
 Plato
 Aristotle
 Descartes
 Kant
 Marx
 Freud
 Sartre
What do you think are the strong points of the theory, which made it attractive for
its followers in the past? And is the theory still acceptable for contemporary
society? What improvement can be made on the theory?

8. Textbooks
 Lavine, T.Z. (1984). From Socrates to Sartre: the Philosophic Quest. New York:
Bantam Books.
 Stevenson, Leslie F., Haberman, David L. & Wright, Peter M. (2013). Twelve
Theories of Human Nature, New York: Oxford University Press.

--END--