The Good Life

Course content

Whether we look to our relationships, our sense of place and belonging, our faith, or our virtues and deeds, humans have always been preoccupied with the question of “the good life” as we try to understand how and why our lives matter.

In this course, we examine the question of the good life as it surfaces in key texts from the history of philosophy, with a particular focus on the human condition and the search for meaning in the modern world.

From Aristotle to Sarah Ahmed, the course examines philosophical concepts such as anxiety, authenticity, care, dwelling, freedom, boredom, and virtue in order to reflect on the good life: What is a life lived well for a human being and how do we take up our own place in the world?

Our search will take us into the works of thinkers, writers, and artists from different eras and genres – from the ancient art of stoic joy, to the existential advocacy of the individual self, to diverse philosophical reflections on contemporary modern art and the aesthetics of ecocriticism.

We may not discover the secret to happiness in this course, but we will join an age-old pilgrimage in search of the good life.

Education

The course is planned with physical attendance.

Bachelor students enrol: TTEASK033U

Master's students enrol: TTEKASK33U

Learning outcome

Together, we will be aiming to: (1) enter into dialogue with European philosophical, literary, and artistic traditions that have grappled with existential questions; (2) acquire academic skills in navigating and interpreting philosophical works, novels, films, and artworks; (3) develop abilities in nuancing and articulating our own views and positions in dialogue with those of others; and (4) relate our particular lived experiences love to universal philosophical concepts that elucidate the human condition.

Class instruction. We will employ an array of short lectures, student presentations, dialogue between partners, small group activities, full-class discussions.

Written
Individual
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
ECTS
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Type of assessment details
Undergraduate requirements (bachelor students):

Requirement to pass the course for undergraduate students (bachelor students) are: a) A syllabus of 1,200-1,500 pages. The syllabus includes both the course literature covered in connection with the course and the assignment literature on which the written homework assignment is based, which the student finds and has approved by the teacher. The syllabus (course and assignment literature combined) may not exceed 1,500 pages. b) Active participation (at least 75% of the hours attended documented by protocol) and preparation of a written home assignment with a scope of 24,000-28,800 characters, i.e., 10-12 pages, based on 600-800 pages of literature as agreed with the course teacher. The assignment is assessed by the teacher. The assessment is based on the 7-point grading scale.

Graduate requirements (candidate/master students):

Requirement to pass the course for graduate students (candidate/master students) are: a) A syllabus of 1,200-1,500 pages. The syllabus includes both the course literature covered in connection with the teaching and the assignment literature on which the written homework assignment is based, which the student finds and has approved by the teacher. The syllabus (course and assignment literature combined) may not exceed 1,500 pages. b) Active participation (at least 75% of the hours attended documented by protocol) and preparation of a written home assignment with a scope of 36,000-48,000 characters, i.e., 15-20 pages, based on 800-1,000 pages of literature as agreed with the teacher. The assignment is assessed by the teacher. The assessment is based on the 7-point grading scale.
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Exam period

Winter and Summer Exam

Single subject courses (day)

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Preparation
  • 122
  • Exam Preparation
  • 150
  • Exam
  • 120
  • English
  • 420

Kursusinformation

Language
English
Course number
TTEASK033U
ECTS
15 ECTS
Programme level
Full Degree Master
Bachelor
Bachelor choice
Full Degree Master choice
Part Time Master
Duration

1 semester

Placement
Autumn And Spring
Price

Deltagergebyret er på: 3.750 kr. for et 7,5 ECTS kursus og 7.500 kr. for et 15 ECTS kursus.

Schedulegroup
Class A: Fridays 10:15-12:45
Class B: Tuesdays 13:15-15:45

Autumn 2024: First day is Friday 23 August

Spring 2025: First day is Friday 17 January
Studyboard
Study board of Theology
Contracting department
  • Theology
Contracting faculty
  • Faculty of Theology
Course Coordinator
  • Jakob Due Lorentzen   (3-726c74487c6d777436737d366c73)
Teacher

Class A: Jakob Due Lorentzen
Class B: Anne-Sophie Bogetoft Mortensen

Saved on the 28-11-2024

Are you BA- or KA-student?

Are you bachelor- or kandidat-student, then find the course in the course catalog for students:

Courseinformation of students