Unit Two
Introduction to A Wonderful Life & Happiness
Reading for the Main Idea
1. Read one of the following texts assigned to you by your instructor
2. Working in pairs discuss the thesis of the writer in relationship
3. Present the thesis to the rest of your class
Class Discussion
What makes a wonderful life?
What makes you happy?
What is your happiest memory?
What does that mean?
Time for citizens to forge a better future for our country by Michael D. Higgins
The meaningful life is a road worth travelingn by Clifton B. Parker
Joy by Zadie Smith
Happiness & its Discontents by
David Haybron
Unit 2 Class Notes
Submit Work
Writing Task- Response #1
Read David Haybron’s article, “Happiness and Its Discontents,” NYT April 13, (Article upload) 2014.
Upload your Close-Reading Form on Haybron’s article. Make sure you summarise his definition of what constitutes happiness.
Consider what his definition includes and what it leaves out.
Writing Task - Essay
What makes a “wonderful life”? (750 words) – Sept 25
Do a close-reading of Patrick J. Deneen’s article on
“Awakening from the American Dream: The End of Escape in American Cinema?” Perspectives on Political Science, April 2, 2010.
Instructions
What are the three lessons offered by the movies examined in the article? Put these three lessons together, and in your own words, try to summarise some truth about what makes a wonderful life.
Whether you are or are not from the U.S., comment on the extent to which conflicts between individual freedom, personal choice, duty to family and community, and configurations in the built environment (where and how we live) are issues within the society you just left. How much of Deneen’s reading of the films’ critiques on American society would be relevant to your own experience in your home country?
Finally, in your own conclusion, how can the cynicism at the end of Deneen’s article be balanced by the hope for more genuine fulfilment in the society of tomorrow? Describe your hopes for the relationship between individuals, society and the built environment. Because you have limited space (750 words), try to isolate this hope to one or two central values.
Introduction to Pathos, Ethos and Logos
Introduction to some basic rhetorical tools - Ethos, Pathos. Logos from Braveheart