Imagining the Good Life: From Agora to the American Dream
| Module title | Imagining the Good Life: From Agora to the American Dream |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2085 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Karen Scott (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 12 |
|---|
Module description
What is a Good Life and how can society be organised to achieve it? What are the roles of virtue, pleasure, happiness, freedom, and justice? What role should the state have in conceptualising and creating a good life for its citizens and others? What function should a vision of The Good Life play in organising society? These questions have tasked theorists for two millennia or more. In this module you will engage with these questions and learn about some key theories of The Good Life from ancient to modern times. You will also be able to assess the relevance of those ideas in relation to pressing contemporary issues such as welfare reform, financial instability and climate change.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In this module you will learn to think critically about one of the key political conundrums which has exercised theorists over two millennia and more. You will learn about key theorists contextualised by the political setting in which they were writing. You will be able to critically analyse and apply their concepts to contemporary political issues. In this module you will be encouraged to develop critical analysis to understand and interpret key political theories on the Good Life, and develop skills at applying these theories to contemporary real world issues, assessing their relevance
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a substantive knowledge of the theories considered, their significance and the major critical positions adopted towards them
- 2. Demonstrate an understanding of the theories and the capacity to analyse the relationship of these theories to contemporary debates
- 3. Analyse complex concepts at a theoretical and applied level
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Identify, discuss and evaluate the major components of theories covered and their argumentative articulation
- 5. Engage in both reasoned interpretation and reasoned criticism of such theories
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Evaluate different interpretations of The Good Life in relation to current issues
- 7. Demonstrate appropriate communication skills
- 8. Formulate well articulated conclusions on theories of The Good Life based on a variety of evidence
- 9. Demonstrate a capacity for independent study and research.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
The Good Life in Antiquity
- Aristotle and the Perfect Life
- Epicurus and the Pleasure Principle
- Hypatia, Hysteria and Happiness
The Good Life in Modernity
- Bentham and the Greatest Happiness Principle
- Mill and the Liberated Life
- Wollstonecraft and miserable modern women
- Social Justice and Welfare: Rawls, Sen and Nussbaum
The Good Life in Contemporary Crisis
- Wellbeing and Welfare Reform
- The American Dream and the Zombie Apocalypse
- A Zero Carbon Life.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Preparation for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Reading set texts (30 hours) and secondary material (15 hours) |
| Guided independent study | 53 | Assessment preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan | Informal discussion with students on their essay plan | 1-9 | Verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 80 | 3000 words | 1-9 | Written |
| Report | 20 | Reflective report -1000 words | 1-9 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (3000 words) | 1-9 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Report | Reflective report (1000 words) | 1-9 | End of term 2 |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Barnes, J., ed. The Complete Works of Aristotle, Volumes I and II, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984. (selected passages TBC)
Berger, F.R. (1984) Happiness, Justice and Freedom: the Moral and Political Philosophy of John Stuart Mill. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Bhikhu C Parekh (1973) Jeremy Bentham 1748-1832. Bentham's Political Thought. Croom Helm
Bok, D (2010) The Politics of Happiness Princeton: Princeton University Press
Kenny, A. (1992) Aristotle on the Perfect Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press
Nussbaum, M.C. (2004) Mill between Aristotle and Bentham. Daedalus 133:2, pp60-68
Nussbaum, M.C. (1999) Sex and Social Justice. Oxford University Press.
Rawls, J. (1971) A Theory of Justice. Harvard University Press.
Sen, A, K. (1985) Wellbeing, Agency and Freedom: The Dewey Lectures 1984. The Journal of Philosophy 82:4 pp169-221
Wollstonecraft, M. Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (1796)
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 15/02/2016 |
| Last revision date | 28/07/2020 |
