| Unit name | What is the Good Life? |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLAS12354 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lampe |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
How should one live? What is the secret of happiness? In this unit we'll approach these questions through the perspectives of Greek epic, tragedy, and philosophy. We'll begin by taking a good look at the "heroic" values of Homer's Iliad. We'll then consider how Sophocles' Ajax puts those values more directly in conflict with one another, and also confronts them with 5th century concerns about cooperation and civilization. We'll then transition to a different brand of "heroism," the philosophical martyrdom of Plato's Socrates. Finally, we'll spend several weeks thinking about various aspects of Epictetus' fully systematized philosophical lifestyle, which draws on Homer, tragedy, and especially Socrates in Order to promise impregnable happiness to whoever makes a sustained and serious effort to attain it.
1 x essay of c. 2,000 words (50%) and 1 x 90 minute exam (50%).
