Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well?
Windows on the Good Life (IDSC 251), is a 2-credt course (S/CR/NC) that grapples with this question by exploring some of the formative cultural products of western civilization, works that are a delight to read for both their wisdom and artfulness. The course is offered each term by Prof. Larry Cooper and Alan Rubenstein (Hanson Scholar in Ethical Inquiry) and cycles through works by Plato (Fall), from the Bible (Winter), and by Shakespeare (Spring). Each year has its own theme and the readings change across terms and years. As a result, students can take the course as many times as they please. The course meets 6 times each term. Questions? Contact Alan Rubenstein or Larry Cooper.
Here are some past themes for the course:
Love and Human Flourishing
Plato: Symposium, Bible: The Book of Genesis, Shakespeare: Othello and As You Like It
Living Well and Dying Well
Plato: Phaedo, Bible: The Book of Job, Shakespeare: King Lear
What is Virtue?
Plato: Meno, Bible: The Book of Samuel, Shakespeare: Hamlet
Religion, Politics, and Philosophy
Plato: Euthyphro, Apology and Crito, Bible: The Book of Exodus, Shakespeare: Macbeth and The Tempest