CONFUCIANISM AND DAOISM
The
traditions originating in China represent still another type of world
religion. Like Hinduism, they are ethnically based and have
expanded because of Chinese emigration. Unlike Hinduism, however,
any "secret teachings" (seen somewhat in Daoist writings) are quite
limited and the overall approach is something we might call far more
secular than sacred. This was certainly how Jesuit missionaries
several hundred years ago regarded the so-called Chinese rites, the
patterns by which Christian converts continued to honor the spirits of
their ancestors. The philosophies of Confucianism and Daoism,
then, are more closely linked with a way of seeing individuals in their
society than they are with anything supernatural, yet popular religion
(the religious observances of ordinary people) at the same time
exhibits much the same profusion of deities and celebrations that we
have seen with both Hinduism and Buddhism. 
Also, with the coming of Buddhism to China some fifteen
hundred years ago, Daoism readily borrowed from Buddhist practices by
developing its own monastic tradition. A few centuries later,
when Japan came to adopt Chinese patterns, all three
traditions--Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism--came to play a role in
Japanese society.
The most striking difference with what we have already seen is the manner in which the peoples of China and Japan did not identify themselves religiously with a single tradition. Instead, each tradition was seen as answering particular needs, and even Christianity could be accepted as long as it did not seem to offer a threat to other loyalties. This can be seen as demonstrating a "both/and" or inclusive outlook in contrast to the "either/or" or exclusive outlook more familiar to Westerners. In Chinese or Japanese temples, especially smaller local shrines, there can be images from all three Asian traditions.
Since this is not a course in Asian philosophy as such, you will not need to have much more than a surface familiarity with the dominant themes of both Confucian and Daoist thought. You should understand what are meant by the five relationships as well as the central values of the fully developed person (what is otherwise translated as "the superior man") spelled out in Confucianism, and you should also understand how Daoist writings present the idea of reality as a harmonous interplay of opposites (something which allowed a deeper feeling for Buddhist views when they were brought to China).
A key contrast between the two is how society itself should be seen. For the Confucian, society is something natural and beneficial, and education is the key to understanding how to maintain a good society. For the Daoist, society is something artificial and destructive, and learning is more the problem than a solution when it comes to how to live. In practice, however, both outlooks came to be melded together, and familiar practices such as divination through the I Jing reflect this.
The table below has links to material on both Chinese philosophy and Chinese religion. For those who are using a textbook, whether the one recommended for the course or some other, the information in the links on the lefthand column on Chinese philosophy (from courses at Columbia and the University of Washington) will be somewhat repetitive. For those not using a text I encourage you to take some time to look over what is available to get a general picture of the philosophical background for the religious traditions as they exist at present. Again, there are links to YouTube videos that may allow a better feeling for the religious aspect of these traditions
One thing to note as your read: There are two systems of transliteration for Chinese words. The older spells the "d" sound with the letter "t" and to express the "t" sound uses an apostrophe (as in the word t'ien, meaning "heaven"). The newer is closer to what we expect, and it is what I generally use on these web pages. The older is what will often be found in the links below.
Also, with the coming of Buddhism to China some fifteen
hundred years ago, Daoism readily borrowed from Buddhist practices by
developing its own monastic tradition. A few centuries later,
when Japan came to adopt Chinese patterns, all three
traditions--Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism--came to play a role in
Japanese society. The most striking difference with what we have already seen is the manner in which the peoples of China and Japan did not identify themselves religiously with a single tradition. Instead, each tradition was seen as answering particular needs, and even Christianity could be accepted as long as it did not seem to offer a threat to other loyalties. This can be seen as demonstrating a "both/and" or inclusive outlook in contrast to the "either/or" or exclusive outlook more familiar to Westerners. In Chinese or Japanese temples, especially smaller local shrines, there can be images from all three Asian traditions.
Since this is not a course in Asian philosophy as such, you will not need to have much more than a surface familiarity with the dominant themes of both Confucian and Daoist thought. You should understand what are meant by the five relationships as well as the central values of the fully developed person (what is otherwise translated as "the superior man") spelled out in Confucianism, and you should also understand how Daoist writings present the idea of reality as a harmonous interplay of opposites (something which allowed a deeper feeling for Buddhist views when they were brought to China).
A key contrast between the two is how society itself should be seen. For the Confucian, society is something natural and beneficial, and education is the key to understanding how to maintain a good society. For the Daoist, society is something artificial and destructive, and learning is more the problem than a solution when it comes to how to live. In practice, however, both outlooks came to be melded together, and familiar practices such as divination through the I Jing reflect this.
The table below has links to material on both Chinese philosophy and Chinese religion. For those who are using a textbook, whether the one recommended for the course or some other, the information in the links on the lefthand column on Chinese philosophy (from courses at Columbia and the University of Washington) will be somewhat repetitive. For those not using a text I encourage you to take some time to look over what is available to get a general picture of the philosophical background for the religious traditions as they exist at present. Again, there are links to YouTube videos that may allow a better feeling for the religious aspect of these traditions
One thing to note as your read: There are two systems of transliteration for Chinese words. The older spells the "d" sound with the letter "t" and to express the "t" sound uses an apostrophe (as in the word t'ien, meaning "heaven"). The newer is closer to what we expect, and it is what I generally use on these web pages. The older is what will often be found in the links below.
illustration: Altar in a Daoist
Temple in Hong Kong (my own photo)