WHAT IS THE MEANING OF DEATH? A BIG QUESTIONS COURSE

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Lower-Level

This course will ask students to learn and reflect on theoretical positions on death from historical and contemporary philosophers, but will also place a heavy emphasis on developing a student’s own attitude toward death as not just a topic for theoretical and abstract discussion, but a phenomenon that they must inevitably encounter in their own lives. Thus, the philosophical material will be supplemented with poetry, film, literature, and personal essays from non-philosophers: material that will enrich their own thoughts as they try to determine the respect in which they agree or disagree with the philosophical perspectives on offer. One goal is to have the students recognize the extent to which philosophical reflection, and engaging with the humanities, can influence and deepen their perception and understanding of their lives.