1. Although it can be said that the Ramayana centers around such "masculine" concerns as honor, warfare, and politics, it might also be observed that women are, in many ways, the central figures who move the epic narratives and guide the fates of the male characters. If you agree, discuss why and how they are made central? Make specific references to characters and incidents in the Sanskrit epic.
2. In reading the Ramayana and the Zuo Zhuan (and other Chinese texts), a philosophy of exemplary kingship can be formulated. Contemplate first what the aspects of this philosophy are and how they seem to develop in each tradition. For your paper, then, you may compare and contrast a particular point of similarity or difference between the two traditions. On the other hand, you may be inclined to contemplate the ramifications of the philosophical ideal on the actual population that is affected by such a system of kingship. In whichever approach you take, please be very specific in your analysis.
3. The selections from the classical Indian and Chinese texts place emphasis on an idealized notion of righteousness. Choose one aspect of this idealization and do a close analysis of it. Where does each tradition locate righteousness (embodied in the Indian notion of dharma and the Chinese concept of filial piety)? How do they emphasize its importance? In what ways does it inform the values of the culture? You may reflect on one of these questions in your analysis or do a pointed comparison/contrast of specific formulations of righteousness that overlap or differ between the two traditions.