ASP215 - Philosophy, Happiness, and the Good Life
| Year: | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online, Community Based Delivery (CBD)* |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Prerequisite: | Any first year Arts unit |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Study commitment | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
| Scheduled learning activities - campus | 1 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per week |
| Scheduled learning activities - online | 1 x 2-hour online seminar per week |
| Note: | *Community Based Delivery (CBD): only for students of the National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation NIKERI Institute (located at the Waurn Ponds campus) |
Content
In this course, we look at some basic life questions everyone faces: what is happiness, and how do we attain it? Is pleasure the goal of life? Is fame the best thing to aspire to? Is strength of character enough to be happy, or do we need good luck? Should we moderate, or try to conquer emotions like anger? Is it ever right to lie? Is altruism the key to a good life, or pursuing self-interest? Each week, competing answers to these questions are examined, and students are prompted to engage with a host of the most important Western philosophers: Socrates, Aristotle, the Stoics, Cicero, Epicureanism, Natural Law, Hume, Kant and utilitarianism.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.