ASP215 - Philosophy, Happiness, and the Good Life
Unit details
| 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 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Patrick Stokes |
| Prerequisite: | Any first year Arts unit |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 2-hour online seminar per week |
| Typical 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. |
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.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Critically evaluate key ideas in ethical and moral philosophy concerning the nature of happiness and the good life from a range of great Western philosophers, from Aristotle in the ancient world through to Immanuel Kant in the modern period | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: CommunicationGLO4: Critical thinking GLO8: Global citizenship |
| ULO2 | Apply key ethical and moral ideas from leading Western thinkers to a range of different practical cases, examples, and dilemmas, and understand how these ideas have informed Western legal, political, and cultural institutions | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: CommunicationGLO5: Problem solving GLO8: Global citizenship |
| ULO3 | Work collaboratively to analyse, compare, and defend philosophical arguments, backed by relevant evidence, and present competing claims in the context of philosophical dialogue | GLO3: Digital literacy GLO5: Problem solving GLO7: Teamwork |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: (Group) Essay 1 | 1600 words or equivalent | 40% | Week 7 |
| Assessment 2: Essay 2 | 1600 words or equivalent | 40% | Week 11 |
| Assessment 3: Seminar/Online Exercises | 800 words or equivalent | 20% | Ongoing |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for ASP215 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
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.