THE TAOIST TRADITION

[

RELIGION 4403 / 6403

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

FALL 2008

                                                            PROFESSOR RUSSELL KIRKLAND

HTTP://KIRKLAND.MYWEB.UGA.EDU

Peabody Hall 221

                                                            Office Hours: T 3:30-4:30 and by appt.

"Were one asked to characterize the life of religion in the broadest and most general terms possible, one might say that it consists of the belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto."  

                        — William James (1842-1910), The Varieties of Religious Experience  (1902)

[   THE PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

            The academic study of religion is a systematic exploration of the visions, values, and activities by which individuals and societies of past and present have understood and shaped their life-experiences. The goal of such courses is to promote a mature sensitivity to religious traditions, personalities, issues, and institutions, within their proper historical contexts.  Such courses are not intended to persuade students either toward or away from any specific tradition, nor are they intended to serve as an element of any personal spiritual search in which students might already be engaged.  Rather, the goal of such courses is for students to achieve an accurate understanding of certain cultures' religions on those cultures' own terms, and to evaluate those religions in a manner that is both properly critical and properly sympathetic.  Should you want an experience that is "spiritually fulfilling" to you personally, please go to a religious center of your choice and practice there. You are in this course to study religion:  if you wish to practice religion, or to learn how to do so, you are in the wrong place.

            Taoism (now often written “Daoism”) is a ancient Chinese cultural tradition focused primarily on methods and strategies for individual and socio-political integration with the totality of reality, including its transcendent dimensions.  Taoism encompasses a broad array of moral, social, philosophical, and religious ideas, values, and practices.  Over the long history of China, Taoism incorporated the teachings and practices of men and women whose interests and concerns were often quite different.  Like other religions around the world, Taoism includes some contemplatives, whose orientation often seems attractive to modern people—particularly to Westerners looking for alternatives to their own cultural traditions. 

            Many Westerners, misled by writers who know nothing about the authentic traditions of Taoism, misunderstand Taoism:  ignorant of the richness and depth of nearly 2500 years of Taoist practices, ideals and self-representations, many Westerners have fallen victim to ignorant commercializations falsely marketed as “Taoism”—such as that found in mindless fluff like The Tao of Pooh, or in pseudo-translations of the Tao te ching by self-absorbed dilettantes who have cannot even read the text in its original language, and do not even think that they, or you, ought to bother.  Such products are disrespectful of all actual Taoists of past and present, and are simply a colonialistic exploitation of “cherry-picked” elements of other cultures’ religions, for the ignoble purpose of deluding alienated Westerners who are “seeking truth” but are unwilling either to seek it within their own cultural heritage or to invest themselves in the effort and sacrifice needed to achieve an authentic appreciation of the religions of others.  If you seek to “find yourself” in Taoism, please understand that Taoism is not about “you,” and neither is this course.  This course is about how  China’s Taoists have found themselves.

            In this course, you will learn that Taoism is an ancient and immense tradition of great subtlety and complexity.  You will see how its many dimensions evolved to answer the needs of people of different periods and different propensities, and you should learn respect for, and understanding of, the teachings and practices of all those people.  Taoism is not an abstract "timeless wisdom" that simply consists of warm, fuzzy ideas suitable for, or even necessarily available for, appropriation by modern Westerners.  Rather, Taoism is a specific set of cultural traditions that evolved within the historical context of ancient, medieval, and modern China, evolving to meet the spiritual needs of people in specific historical situations.  In medieval times, that tradition was quietly exported to Korea.  But Taoists never formulated teachings designed to be marketed in foreign cultures, and no representive of China’s authentic living tradition has ever come to the West to teach—either as academics or as “gurus” for “seekers” of exotic “Eastern wisdom.”  Westerners who delude themselves that they are "following the Tao" are simply in love with ideas created by other deluded modern Westerners, not by the authentic Taoist masters of China. 

            In this course, we will explore the nature and evolution of "REAL TAOISM" —

            • the Taoism that flourished at all social levels in China—among scholars, officials, and

emperors, as well as common folk of both genders—up until the time of the Western

disruption of  Chinese society in the mid-19^th century;

            • the Taoism that survived—in somewhat fragile condition—the vicissitudes of the 20^th

century, including rabid government-sponsored persecution between 1966 and 1976,

and subtlerrepression even today;

            • the Taoism that was not taken seriously by scholars in the West until the late 1970s;

            • the Taoism that is seldom found on American websites or in American bookstores; and

hence

            • the Taoism that remains generally unknown, even among most people in China today.

Despite the persecution of Taoists (and practitioners of other religions) during the “Cultural Revolution” of the 1960s-1970s, Taoism is still alive and well in China today, practiced by men and women in every region, though they still often have to “keep a low profile.”  Many American books and websites about Taoism—with important exceptions, noted below—are actually the product of people who have never actually met a living Taoist, and have no idea that authentic Taoist traditions are still being practiced in China today.  Meanwhile, many Chinese people today are curious to learn more about this ancient, long-suppressed tradition.

            Since a full exploration of the entire Taoist tradition is impossible in one semester, we will focus upon certain enduring themes, especially the diverse Taoist approaches to self-cultivation.  As we study Taoist traditions and their representatives in the 21^st century, we will attempt both (1) to learn to distinguish among the many historical forms of Taoism, and (2) to discern what common themes and ideals are shared among them.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1.  To illumine the hermeneutic issues involved in understanding religion across cultures.  Prof. Mark MacWilliams of St. Lawrence University calls this process “gaining cross-cultural religious literacy.”

2.  To introduce the Taoist traditions of China, in relation to other Chinese traditions.

3.  To illustrate that religious traditions evolve, and that such evolution can be understood by reference to historical, intellectual, cultural and existential phenomena.

4.  To sample the cultural riches of Taoism by reading important selections from Taoist texts.

5.  To stimulate meaningful comparison, and contrast, of Taoist traditions with those more familar to students from their own cultural heritage.  As Prof. Mark MacWilliams says, this means:  “To learn more about religion and about one's self. Max Müller, a famous historian of religions, once said, "One who knows one religion knows none." The same can be said about human life. One who knows only one culture or one way of living knows none. To know ourselves--who we are, who we could be--means we must know others. And to know others means we must study that which informs and guides their sense of self, society, and world. To study what people believe is ultimately real, good, beautiful, true, and the way they put this into practice is to study religion.”

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

This syllabus is simply a general plan for the course.  Changes and variations, as announced to the class by the instructor, may be necessary at times.  You are responsible for learning the contents of this syllabus, and for abiding by its prescriptions and proscriptions.  All academic work must meet the standards contained in the document titled A Culture of Honesty.  All students are responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work.

Your ATTENDANCE each class is expected!  It is expected that you will be present in class each day, for the entire class period, unless you have a legitimate, documentable justification for any absence.  If you finish the course with three or fewer unexcused absences, your attendance may have a marginal effect on your course grade.  The more your unexcused absences, the more your course grade will be reduced. 

You are expected to take thorough notes in class.  If, because of illness, etc., you are forced to miss class, it is your responsibility to check with classmates about what you missed—not to expect the instructor to give you a personal review.  Do not, for instance, e-mail the instructor and ask “what are we supposed to be reading?”  

You are expected to complete ALL the assigned readings, in a prompt and thorough fashion.  There will be objective tests during the term  Those tests will be based largely upon the readings.  Anyone who fails to learn the material presented in the readings can expect to score poorly on the tests. 

A student who submits assigned work before the midterm withdrawal date, then withdraws from the course, will receive a WP or a WF based on that work. A student who withdraws before submitting assigned work will receive a grade of WP, provided his/her attendance has been regular.  

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

            It is your responsibility to show respect for others by refraining from any activity that might distract others or interfere with the learning process in any way.  Failure to do so will affect your course grade!

1. The classroom is not a lunchroom:  NO EATING OR DRINKING in Class is Allowed, unless you present signed certification by a doctor proving that you are medically required to do so.

2.  The classroom is not a phonebooth or message center.  It is your responsibility to make sure that any phone you bring into the classroom is turned off before class begins, and that any computer that you bring to class is set to make no noise (e.g., signals that “you’ve got mail!”).  If your electronic equipment should make noise during class, you will lose credit for attendance that day. 

& TEXTS

1.  COURSE READER          [Available from Bel-Jean’s Printer, downtown, opposite the UGA arch]

2.  REQUIRED BOOKS (Available at local bookstores or at sites such as http://www.directtextbook.com)

Russell Kirkland, Taoism: The Enduring Tradition

            Livia Kohn, The Taoist Experience: An Anthology

            Livia Kohn, Cosmos and Community: The Ethical Dimension of Taoism

            J. J. Clarke, The Tao of the West:  Western Transformations of Taoist Thought

            Victor Mair, trans., Lao-tzu: Tao-te ching

            Victor Mair, trans., Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang-tzu

            Eva Wong, trans., Seven Taoist Masters: A Folk Novel of China

            Bill Porter, Road to Heaven:  Encounters with Chinese Hermits

: THE ACADEMIC VALUE OF THE INTERNET

Your instructor’s webpage (HTTP://KIRKLAND.MYWEB.UGA.EDU) includes many pertinent 

                        ●  STUDY GUIDES

●  FULL-TEXT PUBLICATIONS

                        ●  LINKS TO OTHER SITES ON ASIAN RELIGIONS.

However, like many other good sites, this one has its limitations.  First, it is presently quite outdated.  Secondly, it has never provided all the material that even your instructor would like it to provide.  And thirdly, it was not constructed, in the first instance, to serve as a pedagogical tool.  Even such a website tries to fulfill different functions for different people:  some are intended as professional connections for other scholars, others are designed to appeal to the general public.  The latter may be more colorful or amusing, but are not necessarily more reliable or more informative.  Remember to think critically about what you are seeing:  many sites have an unexpressed agenda, just like movies and TV shows, and some may be well-intentioned but insubstantial and/or unsound.  So beware attempting to use the internet as an educational tool — particularly in regard to non-Western religions — without expert guidance.  Remember that all a person has to do to create, for example, a website on Taoism is to set up the website:  he or she does not really have to know much, or anything, about Taoism!  And for psychological and/or economic reasons, some people construct such sites just to get attention, or to get a reputation that they have not bothered to earn through hard work or proven expertise.  Newcomers can easily mistake such a site for a reliable resource.  See the instructive guide to “Evaluating Websites” from a committee of the American Library Association at http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/EvaluatingWebsites1.htm.

            With a very few exceptions, responsible scholars do not put their actual research on the web.  Few professors’ webpages, for instance, even provide full bibliographic data telling you what they have published. And only a handful post unpublished research findings, or provide full-text reprints of any of their publications, the way that your instructor and a few others do on their own webpages.  So despite the immense amount of stuff that you can find on the internet, it is unreliable as an educational resource. 

            Solid and reliable studies of non-Western traditions, generally appear only in your university LIBRARY, within the pages of scholarly books and journals.  Such publications—unlike internet websites—undergo a careful peer-review process, by which today’s knowledgeable authorities confirm the substance and value of good scholarship and screen out shoddy material.  So DO NOT attempt to "do research" on the web!  Your instructor will recommend particular websites that are useful and dependable.  But unless instructed otherwise, you should plan to do all of your research in your university library, informed by your instructor and guided by trained reference librarians.

            For the study of Taoism, the prime internet sites that provide an abundance of reliable material are:

1.  “TAOIST CULTURE AND INFORMATION CENTRE”:                 http://www.eng.taoism.org.hk/

2.  Professor James Miller’s “DAOIST STUDIES”:                         http://www.daoiststudies.org.

3.  Professor Fabrizio Pregadio’s complementary sites:

“TAOIST STUDIES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB”:           http://venus.unive.it/pregadio/taoism.html. 

“GOLDEN ELIXIR”:                                             http://venus.unive.it/dsao/pregadio/.

            4.   Louis Komjathy’s “CENTER FOR DAOIST STUDIES” website:             http://www.daoistcenter.org/

5.   PROFESSOR Russell Kirkland’s (obsolescent) website:  HTTP://KIRKLAND.MYWEB.UGA.EDU

6.   THE BRITISH TAOIST ASSOCIATION:                                   http://www.taoists.co.uk/.

Trustworthy reviews of many books on Taoism may be found at:

            1.  http://rels.queensu.ca/dao/reviews.php

            2.  http://www.uga.edu/religion/rk/pdf/booknotes.html.

A good glossary of terms associated with Taoism is found at http://rels.queensu.ca/dao/glossary.php.  For readers of Chinese, another place to start is “ZHONGGUO DAOJIAO”  http://www.chinataoism.org/.  See further the “Web Links” page from Louis Komjathy’s site, reproduced in your course reader.

4 REQUIREMENTS

% Regular class attendance

& Timely completion of ALL readings

!       Two in-class tests                      [each 30% of course grade]

4         A final exam                              [40% of course grade]

If a student’s written work seems to indicate that he/she failed to do the assigned readings, or if her/his attendence is irregular, such facts will seriously affect her/his grade on specific assignments, and in the course overall.  Class attendance will be recorded, and will be a primary factor in determining the disposition of borderline grades at the end of the course.  NOTE the “Critieria for Evaluation of Papers,” in your course READER.  The READER also includes: 

Kirkland, “THE WRITING PROCESS AS PARTNERSHIP”; and

Kirkland, “A GUIDE TO WRITING ACADEMIC PAPERS.”

Following the advice provided there will help you write good papers in this and other courses.  Failure to show that you have read those documents and have taken them seriously will very much affect your grade.

[

COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS

THE ORDER OF COVERAGE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

READINGS LISTED IN SQUARE BRACKETS ARE RECOMMENDED ONLY

INTRODUCTION

READER:  "On the Academic Study of Religion in American Colleges and Universities"

“Why Study Religion?”  http://www.studyreligion.org/why/index.html

READER:  “A Definition of Religion”  [For a fuller discussion, see Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  “Defining Religion”]

READER:  Fuller, Religion and the Life Cycle, 1-13, 136-40

READER:  Kirkland, “Asian Religions and Security Concerns in the 21^st Century:  Learning How to Ask

                        The Right Questions”

CHINA AND ITS RELIGIONS

READER:  “ELEMENTS OF CHINESE RELIGION”

[Stephen Teiser, “The Spirits of Chinese Religion”: 

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/lopez.html]

[“A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization” by the fine historian Patricia Buckley Ebrey is found at http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv.  A resource for dealing with the confusions caused by the conflicting systems for romanizing Chinese words is http://www.edepot.com/taoroman.html.  See also:

• Major Periods in Chinese History: http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln270/History.htm

• “Traditional / Mythic Periods”: http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln270/MythHist.htm

• Other Useful Links Appear at:   http://www.asianstudiesarena.com/asianstudiesarena/links.html]

TAOISM — "ANOTHER FINE MESS..."

THE “TAOISM” OF THE WESTERN IMAGINATION

Kirkland, Taoism:  xiv-xx

Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  "The Taoism of the Western Imagination and the Taoism of China:  De-Colonializing

            the Exotic Teachings of the East"

READER:  Girardot, Abstract of “‘Finding the Way’: James Legge and the Victorian Invention of Taoism”

                        [full-text available online through the ATLA Religion Database, accessible through GALILEO]

Clarke, The Tao of the West:  1-4bot. [4bot.-9]  9-15, 16-22, 27-40top  [40top-47mid]  47mid.-51mid.,

            52mid.-53bot.

Siegler, Review of Clarke:  http://rels.queensu.ca/dao/review.clarke.php

READER:  Kirkland, “On Coveting Thy Neighbor’s Tao: Reflections on J. J. Clarke’s The Tao of the West”

            [Komjathy, “Taoist Texts in Translation”: 

http://www.daoistcenter.org/Articles_files/Articles_pdf/Texts.pdf]

THE TAOISM OF CHINA

READER:  Bokenkamp, “The World-view of the Taoist Religion: General Perspectives and Definitions”

Komjathy,  “Daoism and Daoists”:  http://www.daoistcenter.org/Daoism.html

Miller, “Daoism: A Short Introduction”:  http://www.oneworld-publications.com/samples/daoism.htm

            [Sivin, “On the Word ‘Taoism’ as a Source of Perplexity”:  http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~nsivin/perp.html]

Kohn, The Taoist Experience:  1-7

Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  Review of Kohn’s The Taoist Experience:

Kirkland, Taoism:  1-19, 211-217

READER:  Kirkland, “The History of Taoism: A New Outline”

            [Barrett, “Daoism:  A Historical Narrative”  (Daoism Handbook, xviii-xxvii)]

READER:  Kirkland, “Tao/Dao”  (from Encyclopedia of Taoism)

THE CLASSICAL LEGACY OF TAOISM

THE "FIRST TAOISTS"?  THE NEI YEH (“INNER CULTIVATION”)

Kirkland, Taoism:  20-22  [23-35]  39-52

READER:  Komjathy, “Inward Training”:  3-28

            [Roth translation: http://www.panlatrevo.com/texts/neiyeh]

THE “USELESS WORDS” OF  CHUANG CHOU  (“Chuang-tzu”/”Zhuangzi”)

Kirkland, Taoism:  33-39

            [Roth, “Zhuangzi”:  http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/zhuangzi]

Clarke, The Tao of the West:  57-59, 175-184

Mair, trans., Wandering on the Way:  xi-xvi [xlvii-liv] 3-71 [75-151] 152-173 [174-347]

"THE ELDERS" — THE TAO TE CHING  (Daode jing)

Kirkland, Taoism:  52-73

READER:  Kirkland, “Five Chapters from the Tao te ching”

Mair, trans., Lao-tzu: Te-tao ching:  148-153, 3-105

Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  “The Kuo-Tien (Guodian) ‘Lao-tzu’ Texts”   

ETHICAL DIMENSIONS OF TAOISM’S CLASSICAL LEGACY

Clarke, The Tao of the West: 90-95  [95-102mid.]  102mid.-108mid.

READER:  Kirkland, "’Responsible Non-Action’ in a Natural World’”

READER:  Kirkland, "Self-Fulfillment through Selflessness: The Moral Teachings of the Daode Jing"

            [Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  “The Roots of Altruism in the Taoist Tradition”]

Kohn, Cosmos and Community:  1-2, 115-20, and as assigned

THE GROWTH AND FLOWERING OF TAOISM

TAOISM IN ITS FORMATIVE PERIOD

Clarke, The Tao of the West:  28-36

Kirkland, Taoism:  74-84

"ARISTOCRATIC TAOISM"

Kirkland, Taoism:  85-97

READER:  Kirkland, “Daoshi/Tao-shih (Taoist Priest/Priestess)”    

“Lay Organizations” and “Monastic Institutions”:  Kohn, Cosmos and Community:  9-12

“Forms of Community”:  Kohn, Cosmos and Community:  72-74

“From Community to Cosmos”:  Kohn, Cosmos and Community:  103-6 [108-111]

Newly Translated Texts of "Aristocratic Taoism”: 

            •  [A Shang-ch’ing Meditation on "The Three Ones":  Kohn, The Taoist Experience:  204-14]

            •  The Scripture for Saving Humanity (Ling-paoTu-jen ching):   Kohn, The Taoist Experience:  43-48

“DYNASTIC TAOISM” — THE VALUE OF TAOISM FOR RULERS AND OFFICIALS IN IMPERIAL TIMES

Kirkland, Taoism:  116-126, 144-171

            [Chao, Shin-yi, “Daoist Examinations and Daoist Schools,” Journal of Chinese Religions 31 (2003)]

            [Chao, Shin-yi, “Huizong and the Divine Empyrean Palace Network,” in Emperor Huizong and Late

Northern Song China, edited by Patricia Ebrey and Maggie Bickford]

"SPIRTUAL IMMORTALITY" — THE “GOAL” OF TAOIST PRACTICE

Clarke, The Tao of the West:  117-120mid., 123bot.-124mid.

Kirkland, Taoism:  172-190

Kohn, The Taoist Experience: 

• Ascension to the Immortal Realm:  303-5

• Life in the Immortal Realm:  333-35   [336-43; 358-62]

• Stories of Hsien ("Immortals") in Chinese Lore and Literature:  [290-99; 351-58; 325-332; for more

on "The Flower Maiden," see Kirkland, "Huang Ling-wei"]

• The Queen Mother of the West:  [56-62]

“CULTIVATING REALITY” — MODELS AND TRADITIONS THROUGH T’ANG TIMES

Kirkland, Taoism:  190-210

Kohn, The Taoist Experience: 

• Meditation for Men and Women:  215-19   [319-25; 224-28—note the Buddhist influence]

            • Ssu-ma Ch'eng-chen's Teachings on the Taoist Life:  236-41

            • Self-cultivation in the T'ien-yin-tzu:  80-86

            • The Scripture on Clarity and Stillness (Ch’ing-ching ching / Qingjing jing):  25-29

READER:  Komjathy, “Developing Clarity and Stillness: The Scripture for Daily Internal Practice”

            (also at http://www.daoistcenter.org/Articles_files/Articles_pdf/DM.pdf)

Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  Review of Wong, Cultivating Stillness

            [Kohn, Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques: 125-34, 137-52, 154-56, 193-222]

            [Kohn, Seven Steps to the Tao:  31-73, 83-111]

“COMPLETE PERFECTION” (CH’ÜAN-CHEN / QUANZHEN) AND "GENTRY TAOISM"

READER:  Berling, The Syncretic Religion of Lin Chao-en:  38-46

Kohn, The Taoist Experience: 

            • The Teachings of "Inner Alchemy"—The Wu-chen p'ien, "On Awakening to True Reality":  313-19

            • The Teachings of Wang Che (“Wang Ch'ung-yang,” Founder of the Ch'üan-chen Tradition)—

                        The "Fifteen Articles":  86-92

            • Moral and Spiritual Discipline on the Taoist Path

                        • The Story of "The Gourd Master":  95-100

                        • Lü Tung-pin and his "Yellow Millet Dream":  119-132

            [Komjathy, Cultivating Perfection]

WOMEN IN TAOISM

Kirkland, Taoism:  126-144

Despeux and Kohn, Women in Daoism, Introduction (http://www.threepinespress.com/pdf/pdf.women.pdf)

Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  Review of Benn, The Cavern-Mystery Transmission:

            [Despeux and Kohn, Women in Daoism]

[Cahill, “Discipline and Transformation: Body and Practice in the Lives of Daoist Holy Women…”]

LATE-IMPERIAL TAOISM

“Introduction to Quanzhen Daoism and the Dragon Gate Tradition”: http://www.taoists.co.uk/quanzhen.htm

Kirkland, Taoism:  110-115

READER:  Martina Darga, “The Taoist Idea of Transformation in the Xingming guizhi (Hsing-ming Kuei-chih)”

THE TAOIST LIFE IN LATE-IMPERIAL LITERATURE

Wong, trans., Seven Taoist Masters  (a 17^th-century Taoist novel)

Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  Review of Seven Taoist Masters

            [Philip Clart, trans., The Story of Han Xiangzi: The Alchemical Adventures of a Daoist Immortal]

TAOISM TODAY

  >       Video:  “Chinese Taoism”

READER:  Kirkland, “The Relevance of Taoism in the 21st-Century World”

            [Vincent Goossaert, The Taoists of Peking, 1800-1949]

Porter, Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits: 39-59, 208-220 

Kirkland, WEBPAGE:  Review of Porter

            [“The Daoist World Today”:  http://www.eng.taoism.org.hk/daoist-world-today/default.asp]

[Lai Chi-tim, “Daoism in China Today,” in Daniel Overmyer, ed., Religion in China Today]

First Day of Class	Aug. 19, Tu
Guest Lecture:  “Premodern China” Thomas Ganschow, Professor Emeritus, UGA Department of History	Aug. 21, Th
Drop/Add for RELI 4402 Ends	Aug. 21, Th
Midpoint Withdrawal Deadline	October 23, Th
Video: Chinese Taoism	Nov. 13, Th
Thanksgiving Break	Nov. 24-28, M-F
Last Day of Class	Dec. 9, Tu
Assigned Final Exam Period	Thu, Dec 11:  3:30 - 6:30 pm