AP/PHIL1100 3.0 M: The Meaning of Life
Offered by: PHIL
Session
Winter 2020
Term
W
Format
LECT
Instructor
Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite
An exploration of a number of fundamental practical philosophical questions, including: What is the meaning of (my) life? What is happiness, and how can I achieve it? What is wisdom? What is death, and what does it mean to me?
Course Website
Many courses utilize Moodle, York University's course website system. If your course is using Moodle, refer to the image below to access it.
Hilary Davis
Office Location: S446 Ross Building
Phone Number: (416) 736-2100 Ext. 77543
Office hours: Mondays & Tuesdays 1:00-2:00pm and by appointment
This introductory course explores a number of questions about the meaning of life, including: What is the meaning of (my) life? Is there any meaning at all? Is life absurd? If life is without meaning is that necessarily a bad thing? What is happiness? Is happiness identical to pleasure? Is there a difference between living a happy life and a good life? Should death be feared? Should we want to live forever?
In exploring these questions, we will read selections from the works of classical and contemporary philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Camus, Epictetus, Robert Nozick, Daniel Haybron, and Susan Wolf.
- Coursepack available from York Bookstore
- Jennifer Wilson Mulnix & M.J. Mulnix, Happy Lives, Good Lives: A Philosophical Examination. (Broadview Press, 2015).
- Lewis Vaughn and Jillian Scott McIntosh, Writing Philosophy: A Guide for Canadian Students, Second Canadian Edition. (Oxford, 2012).
- Electronic readings as indicated on course schedule
****This course uses Moodle to post assignments, lecture slides, course announcements, important links, and homework and assignment instructions. All written assignments must be submitted to Turnitin via Moodle. You must have a Passport York account and active York email which you check regularly.****
**Students are expected to attend lectures and tutorials regularly & to prepare all the reading assignments.**
- minor essay = 20%
- major essay = 30%
- participation = 10%
- weekly quizzes = 10%
- final exam = 30%
TOTAL 100%
Please note that this schedule of deadlines and grading breakdown is non-negotiable. The value of assignments will under no circumstances be reweighed or redistributed.
- Two 50-minute lectures per week
- One 50-minute tutorial per week
- To learn how to identify the main point (or thesis) and critically evaluate the arguments presented in short philosophical writing.
- To learn to write clear and engaging essays that present arguments supported with strong reasons.
- To learn about a variety of different philosophical approaches to life, death, happiness, and meaning.
- To reflect on your own conception of what constitutes a good or meaningful life.
- Academic Honesty
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Religious Observance
- Grading Scheme and Feedback
- 20% Rule
No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20% of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered in the compressed summer terms. - Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
