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.
The course is planned with physical attendance.
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.
Full degree students enrolled in Study Programmes at UCPH departments: Send an e-mail to evu@teol.ku.dk to sign up. Remember to attach a pre-approval form your Study Board. Application deadline 1 June and 1 December.
Visiting exchange and guest students – send an e-mail to international@teol.ku.dk to sign up.
Creditstudents – follow link
Open University students – follow link
Professionel master students – follow link
- 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
BachelorBachelor choiceFull Degree Master choicePart Time Master
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Autumn And Spring
- 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 (3-6f697145796a747133707a336970)
Teacher
Jakob Due Lorentzen
Se skema
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Kursusinformation for indskrevne studerende