Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC2085: Imagining the Good Life: From Agora to the American Dream

This module descriptor refers to the 2023/4 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Content

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 and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities2211 x 2 hour seminars
Guided independent study30Preparation for seminars
Guided independent study45Reading set texts (30 hours) and secondary material (15 hours)
Guided independent study53Assessment preparation

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).