Modern Psychological Conceptions of Happiness and Aristotle's Classical Idea of Happiness

Argue how modern psychological conceptions of happiness and the classical idea of happiness in Aristotle differ.

Part 1: Topic Selection

• Due no later than 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday of Unit 6


• Ungraded, but with feedback

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this assignment, students will be able to

• discuss a variety of theories of leisure,


• compare and contrast major philosophical perspectives on leisure both classical and modern,


• synthesize various philosophical, psychological and economic theories of leisure,


• defend a certain philosophical position on leisure, and


• Generate arguments in a logical and analytic style of thinking.

Instructions

1. Students will prepare an essay (1100 words, +/- 100 words, excluding Title and Reference pages).


2. Choose a topic from the list below:  

• Argue why Josef Pieper conception of leisure is the best one in modernity, or instead why it might be a limited conception in comparison to another theory of leisure.


• Argue why a life is better with leisure today, and why for the classical Greeks, an absence of leisure meant an absence of a happy life.


• Argue why John Dewey and modern liberal thinkers did not agree with Aristotle’s ideas on education or on leisure generally.


• Argue how modern psychological conceptions of happiness and the classical idea of happiness in Aristotle differ.


• What was the “Greek Leisure Ideal” and how would it manifest today according to Sebastian De Grazia? What happened to it?


• Argue why the liberal arts are so important in education and leisure, and explain its Greek origin and how that is received today.
• • You must choose from this list, but it can be modified slightly if you have an idea you wish to pursue. The main requirement is that you must contrast at least one ancient thinker and one modern one.
  
  
  • The paper must be well researched and contain a minimum of 6 sound academic sources.
  
  
  • Textbook or course readings may be used, but do not count in this total
  
  
  • At least 3 of the new sources should be peer reviewed sources
  
  
  • The paper must be free of spelling and grammatic errors, and written and organized according to APA style.

The Iterative Parts of the Essay

There are four parts to this essay that must be followed in sequence in order for the paper to reach the final part and be graded.

Part 1: Topic Selection

• Due no later than 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday of Unit 6


• Ungraded, but with feedback

Your topic selection is Part 1 of the iterative process. Submit your topic choice, with rationale for any amendments. This part is valuable as the professor will approve any modifications you may wish to make to the topic as listed. If you choose not to modify, you can get valuable feedback by asking clarification questions about the topic question you are interested in, so take full advantage of this. See above instructions for more details.

Part 2: Outline

• Due no later than 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday of Unit 7


• Ungraded, but with feedback

Part 2 requires that you submit an outline of your essay: the argument(s) you will make and how your essay will proceed. The professor will provide critical feedback to help you in the early stages of your writing. See above instructions for more details.

Part 3: Bibliography

• Due no later than 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday of Unit 8


• Ungraded, but with feedback

Part 3 determines which texts or articles you will use to support your argument(s). You will be required to submit, on its own, a basic bibliography of at least 6 new* references you will use, with 1 or 2 sentences for each describing how it will bolster your argument(s). The professor will provide critical feedback to help you choose good sources.

* The textbook or course readings may be used as sources, but do not count in this total as new reference sources. New sources are those you must find and incorporate on your own. Further, at least 3 of the new sources should be peer reviewed sources. See above instructions for more details.

Part 4: Final Submission

• Due no later than 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday of Unit 10


• Worth 20% of final grade

This is where everything comes together, and the essay is completed. See above instructions for more details.

Evaluation

Part 4: Final Submission will be marked in its entirety out of 100. The following rubric indicates the criteria students are to adhere to, and their relative weights to the assignment overall.