Course Syllabus
The Good Life |
 |
| Semester & Location: |
Summer 2024, Session 2 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
|
Major Disciplines: |
Philosophy, Literature |
|
Prerequisite(s): |
None |
|
Minor Disciplines: |
Ethics, Religious Studies |
|
Study Tour: |
Greece |
|
Faculty Member: |
Jakob Due Lorentzen |
| Time & Place: |
Time: see below in the course summary and in the course calendar |
Description of Course
In this course we examine the question of the good life as it surfaces in seminal texts from Continental philosophy. In particular, we will focus on topics such as presence, dwelling, authenticity, and the search for love and meaning in the modern world.
From the poetry of Sappho and the dawn of Greek art and philosophy to Kierkegaard’s Copenhagen and the search for the good life today, the course takes us into the works of European thinkers, writers, and artists who in various ways articulate insights into what is the fullest and richest way of living a human life, the “good life.”
To fully examine how the ancient search for meaning and the human condition can resonate with our modern today, we take the course to the streets of Athens. Here we will read, discuss, and immerse our (modern) selves in the sites and thoughts of ancient Greece as we ask anew the question of the good life. Our inquiry will unfold in the sensory realms, incorporating art, architecture, philosophy, Greek myth, and poetry. What insights do old and new ideas hold for us and the ever-accelerating pace of our modern lives?
We may not discover the secret to happiness in this course, but we do partake in an age-old pilgrimage in search of the good life.
Learning Objectives
Together, we will be aiming to: (1) enter into dialogue with European philosophical, literary, and artistic traditions that have grappled with existential questions; (2) acquire academic skills in navigating and interpreting philosophical works, poems, and artworks; (3) develop abilities in nuancing and articulating our own views and positions in dialogue with those of others; and (4) relate our particular lived experience of the search for the good life to universal philosophical concepts that elucidate the human condition.
Faculty
Jakob Due Lorentzen, Ph.D. in Philosophy and Aesthetics, Aarhus University, 2021. Cand. Mag. in Philosophy, University of Copenhagen, 2004. M.A. in Philosophy, Stony Brook University, 2002. Program Director, European Humanities, DIS, 2007-2017. Søren Kierkegaard Research Center, University of Copenhagen, 2022-present. With DIS since 2006.
Readings
Stop by the DIS Library, Vestergade 23, to pick up your textbooks for the course:
- Plato. Phaedo. London: Oxford University Press, 2009.
- Heidegger, Martin. Sojourns. Albany: SUNY Press, 2005.
All other class readings will be available in electronic form on Canvas as selections in Files or as e-books in Modules. Class readings include selections from the following:
- Ahmed, Sara. The Promise of Happiness. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010.
- Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Terence Irwin. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2010.
- Brinkmann, Svend. "Living Well and Living Right". In Hill et al. Critical Happiness Studies. Oxon & New York: Routledge, 2020, pp. 131-143.
- Carson, Anne. If Not, Winther. Fragments of Sappho. New York: Afred A. Knopf, 2002.
- Crudden, Michael. The Homeric Hymns. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
- Diogenes Laertius. Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
- Gosetti-Ferencei, Jennifer Anna. On Being and Becoming: An Existentialist Approach to Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021.
- Hadot, Pierre. "Only the Present is Our Happiness." In Philosophy as a Way of Life. Oxford: Blackwell, 1995.
- Heidegger, Martin. Poetry, Language, Thought. London: Harper Perennial, 2013.
- Kierkegaard, Søren. Either/Or, I and II. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987 (e-book in Modules).
- Kierkegaard, Søren. The Concept of Anxiety. London: W.W. Norton, 2015.
- Kierkegaard, Søren. The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016 (e-book in Modules).
- Lorentzen, Jakob Due. The Art of Dwelling. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 2021.
- Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Birth of Tragedy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
- Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Joyous Science. London: Penguin Books, 2018.
- Plato. Symposium. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. (e-book in Modules).
- Rosa, Hartmut. The Uncontrollability of the World. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2020 (e-book in Modules).
Study Tour to Athens and Delphi
On this week-long study tour, we follow the question of the good life to the mythical landscape of Greece as our classroom now moves to the legendary settings of Athens and Delphi. Not only does Western philosophy originate here, but like no others, the ancient Greeks were concerned with the multifaceted question of what a good life is for a human being.
From the ancient art of stoic joy to reflections on love, beauty and the art of dwelling, we take full advantage of the embodied experience of Greece and its sacred places, temples, and theaters.
We visit the very sites where Plato, Aristotle, Socrates and the Stoics once lived and taught, to fully appreciate how their ideas still inform and inspire our modern minds and the aspiration to live a meaningful life, a life lived well.
We complete our search for the good life, as our pilgrimage takes us to the slopes of Mount Parnassus to the legendary oracle in Delphi. Known to the Greeks as the center of the world, the sacred grounds of Delphi will serve as the backdrop for reflections on the good life and a concluding symposium as the sun sets on the Corinthian Bay.
Approach to Learning
I facilitate an inclusive learning environment through interactive, discussion-based sessions which includes a close study of texts in combination with shared reflection, discussion and analysis. We will employ an array of short lectures, presentations, dialogue between partners, small group activities, full-class discussions, and assignments out and about in the city and on the study tour. The course mixes classroom sessions with site-specific readings and experiential learning during field studies and on tour.
Expectations of Participants
Active participation in all activities is essential for the success of the course. In each meeting, whether in the classroom or on tour, you are asked to raise questions in relation to the assigned texts or other material, to respond to your peers’ contributions, and to collaborate in group work. Full preparation before meetings includes close textual readings, note-taking, writing of discussion posts (see below), and reflection on possible directions for our dialogue once we are together.
Classroom Etiquette
Computers in the classroom for notetaking and access to readings only. No phones in class.
Evaluation
The purpose of the course assignments is to deepen and nuance your understanding of particular topics that deeply interest you, while acquiring tools for philosophical thinking useful across life.
Discussion Board Posts
In preparation for each class, you are asked to contribute to a discussion thread on Canvas. After having engaged with the assigned material, but before we meet in class, you will post your reflections and questions on the readings in paragraph form (1–3 substantial paragraphs each time). Once you have uploaded your post, you will also be expected to comment on one of your classmates' posts as part of the assignment. This is a great opportunity to read the contributions of your peers as well. The discussion posts will serve as preparatory work for your final paper and will hone your thinking on the course topics in general.
Final Paper
The paper (5-7 pages + a reference page) will draw from and comprise content from your own discussion board posts. It will be a chance for you to bring together your reflections on the various themes we have touched upon throughout the course – into one paper. While the content of your final paper can overlap with your previous submissions (what you wrote in your discussion board posts), you must write a unique introduction and conclusion, edit the paper for clarity, and update your reflections wherever relevant. Include a unifying idea, addressed in the introduction and conclusion, and emphasized throughout wherever relevant. Don't worry if some of your content does not tie back directly to this theme; that is to be expected in this sort of assignment.
Grading Breakdown
| Assignment |
Percent |
|
Attendance & Participation: |
25% |
| Discussion Posts: |
50% |
|
Written Assignment: |
25% |
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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