Short course
Happiness: The State of Mind
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Location:
Online
Dates:
15/04/2027 - 24/06/2027
Study format:
Online - live
Fees:
£430.00
What does it mean to live a happy life? Is happiness pleasure, flourishing, tranquillity, fulfilment? Or is it something deeper, perhaps connected to freedom, morality, and self-understanding?
This course examines philosophical approaches to happiness from classical to contemporary perspectives. We will consider Aristotle’s conception of eudaimonia, Kant’s reflections on becoming worthy of happiness, and J. S. Mill’s claim that it is ‘better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.’ Alongside these historical approaches, the course considers contemporary theories of happiness that link happiness to emotional attunement, life satisfaction, activity, and engagement with the world.
Students will critically reflect on the relationship between happiness, emotions, morality, pleasure, meaning, and personal identity, while engaging with both classical philosophical texts and contemporary debates. The course combines accessible discussion with rigorous philosophical analysis and encourages students to reflect critically on the reasons we have for being happy and what it means to live well.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Programme details
This course begins on the 15 April 2027, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 22 April 2027, 18:00-19:00 (UK time).
Week 1: Introduction to Happiness and the Good Life
Week 2: Aristotle and Eudaimonia
Week 3: Kant and Becoming Worthy of Happiness
Week 4: Mill, Utilitarianism and Higher Pleasures
Week 5: Happiness as Emotional Attunement
Week 6: Happiness as Activity and Engagement
Week 7: Happiness, Pleasure, and Emotion
Week 8: Contemporary Theories of Happiness
Week 9: Happiness, Self-Understanding, and the World
Week 10: Reasons for Happiness and Living Well
Level and demands
This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.
Course aims
This course aims to:
- Introduce major philosophical theories of happiness from classical and contemporary traditions
- Examine the relationship between happiness, morality, emotions, freedom, and self-understanding
- Develop students’ critical and reflective engagement with philosophical accounts of the good life
IT requirements
Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.
Programme details
This course begins on the 15 April 2027, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 22 April 2027, 18:00-19:00 (UK time).
Week 1: Introduction to Happiness and the Good Life
Week 2: Aristotle and Eudaimonia
Week 3: Kant and Becoming Worthy of Happiness
Week 4: Mill, Utilitarianism and Higher Pleasures
Week 5: Happiness as Emotional Attunement
Week 6: Happiness as Activity and Engagement
Week 7: Happiness, Pleasure, and Emotion
Week 8: Contemporary Theories of Happiness
Week 9: Happiness, Self-Understanding, and the World
Week 10: Reasons for Happiness and Living Well
Teaching methods
This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.
All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of major philosophical theories of happiness and flourishing.
- Critically evaluate differing philosophical approaches to pleasure, morality, emotions, and wellbeing.
- Construct and communicate reasoned philosophical arguments concerning happiness and the good life.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Dr Amna Whiston – Tutor
Dr Amna Whiston is a philosopher whose work brings together moral philosophy, the philosophy of mind, and an engagement with the history of ideas from Plato and Aristotle to Kant and Marx. She approaches philosophy with an empirical and interdisciplinary sensibility, attentive to how abstract concepts illuminate lived experience.
Alongside publishing and presenting her work in the UK and internationally, she teaches philosophy for Oxford University’s Department of Lifelong Learning and supervises students on Cambridge’s Advanced Diploma and PgCert programmes in philosophy. Her current research focuses on the normativity of emotions.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Level and demands
This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £430.00 |
Module code: O26P857PHZ
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.
