Module POC3085 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC3085: Imagining the Good Life: From Agora to the American Dream
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.
Module Aims
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
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate a strong and substantive knowledge of the theories considered, their significance and the major critical positions adopted towards them 2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the theories and the ability to apply these theories to contemporary debates 3. Analyse complex concepts at a theoretical and applied level |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Identify, discuss and critically evaluate the major concepts deployed of theories covered and their argumentative articulation; 5. Critically engage in both reasoned interpretation and reasoned criticism of such theories |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Critically evaluate different interpretations of The Good Life in relation to current issues 7. Demonstrate clear, effective and efficient communication skills 8. Formulate well-articulated conclusions on theories of the Good Life based on a broad range of sources 9. Demonstrate a capacity for independent study and research. |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
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)
