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 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

  1. Aristotle and the Perfect Life
  2. Epicurus and the Pleasure Principle
  3. Hypatia, Hysteria and Happiness

The Good Life in Modernity

  1. Bentham and the Greatest Happiness Principle
  2. Mill and the Liberated Life
  3. Wollstonecraft and miserable modern women
  4. Social Justice and Welfare: Rawls, Sen and Nussbaum

The Good Life in Contemporary Crisis

  1. Wellbeing and Welfare Reform
  2. The American Dream and the Zombie Apocalypse
  3. 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).

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay planInformal discussion with students on their essay plan1-9Verbal

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
80020

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay803000 words1-9Written
Report20Reflective report – 1000 words1-9Written
0
0
0
0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay (3000 words)1-9August/September re-assessment period
ReportReflective report (1000 words)1-9End of term 2