PP3TGL: The Good Life: Lessons from Ancient Greece

Module code: PP3TGL

Module provider: Philosophy; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

ECTS credits: 10

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr George Mason, email: g.p.mason@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 26 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

What is the best life for a human? Is living it within our control or in the hands of fate? Is it better to be a powerful king or a modest citizen? What resources and abilities are required to live a good life? How should we make decisions about our lives that give us the best chance of living and doing well? Does living justly help or hinder us in our pursuit of a good life for ourselves?

In this module we will study the answers to these questions giving by Ancient Greek Philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle in texts such as the Nicomachean Ethics, The Politics, Republic and Gorgias. We will learn to examine these texts both in historical context and as they apply to our own lives.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

• Persuasively articulate and rigorously defend arguments about what constitutes the good life, through presentation, discussion and writing.
• Develop and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of major debates in ancient Greek ethical and political philosophy
• Show strong skills in analytical thinking, assessing arguments and counterarguments, and critical assessment.
• Draw insightful comparisons between Ancient Greek philosophy and the other philosophy they have studied, carefully considering differences in method, context and assumptions.

Module content

Questions covered in the module will typically include:

• What is justice? What makes a society just, and what makes an individual just? Is it always an advantage to the individual to behave justly?
• What is required for a good life? Is everybody capable of living a good life, or does it require wealth, power or privilege?
• What does it mean to be virtuous? Are there many virtues or just one? Is virtue found in a mean?
• Does studying philosophy help us to live good lives, or is it a waste of our time?
• Is it important that we decide for ourselves what we want out of life, or is it enough to be told the right answer by someone who knows?
• How can the structure of society help or hinder us as we try to live good lives?

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is taught by interactive lectures and discussion seminars. Students are expected to form study groups to continue discussions outside of class, guided by suggested questions and readings for each week. Students are encouraged to be active in all classes, asking questions and trying to answer the questions posed by others. A reading list and essay questions will be provided at the start of the course.

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs