Course Schedule
Please note that the assignment deadlines in this schedule are listed in US/Eastern Time. For more about due dates, see "A Note about Deadlines."
| Start Date | Lesson | Learning Sequence & Video Lectures | Assignment Due: 10 PM EDT/5 AM IDT (next day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, October 22 | Getting Started and the Prologue | Prologue: - The Jumping Off Place |
Monday, October 29 |
| Saturday, October 27 | Lesson 1: What are We? Who am I? | 1.1. Human/Nature: - What is Human Nature? - The Great Chain of Being - Homo Politicus 1.2. Identity and Authenticity: - Be Yourself! How Am I Not Myself? - Us and Them, Us vs. Them |
Monday, November 5 |
| Saturday, November 3 | Lesson 2: Freedom and Reflection | 2.1 Freedom: - Are we free? Liberty, Freedom and Bad Faith - The Lock of Liberty & the Flight from Freedom 2.2 Personal Reflection: - You Talkin’ to Me? - Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray 2.3 Political Reflection: - The Evil of Banality - Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing |
Monday, November 12 |
| Saturday, November 10 | Lesson 3: Be Happy but Remember Death | 3.1 Happiness: - Shiny, Happy People - The Politics of Happiness 3.2 Death: - The Dancing Dead - The Deadly Triangle of Politics |
Monday, November 19 |
| Saturday, November 17 | Lesson 4: Meaning | 4.1 Personal/Universal Meaning: - Is that All there is? - Man’s Search for Meaning 4.2 Political Meaning: - The Politics of Meaning - Why Breathe? Why Breed? |
Monday, November 26 |
| Saturday, November 24 | Lesson 5: Truth and Trust | 5.1 Personal/Universal Truth: - Facts, Fiction, and Fantasy - Out of the Cave? 5.2 Political Truth: - The Power of Truth - 2+2=5? |
Monday, December 3 |
| Saturday, December 1 | Lesson 6: Morality | 6.1 Personal/Universal Morality: - For Kith and Kin? - Either/Or - Behind and Beyond, Good and Evil 6.2 Political Morality: - Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide? - The Experiment - A Tale of Two Guillotines |
Monday, December 10 |
| Saturday, December 8 | Lesson 7: God and Religion | 7.1 Personal/Universal Religion: - The Sacrifice - The Creation 7.2 Religion and Politics: - God Save Leviathan! - For the Love of God! The Bonfire of the Vanities - God is Dead! Long Live God! |
Monday, December 24 (extended deadline) |
| Saturday, December 15 | Lesson 8: Alienation and Love | 8.1 Personal/Universal Love: - Is There Anybody Out There? - All You Need Is Love? - Free Love 8.2 Political Love: - 1+ 1 = 0 - Love Making Politics |
Monday, December 31 (extended deadline) |
| Sunday, December 23 | Epilogue: Hope |
Open the Gate: Hope's Home: NeverEnding: |
Optional Assignment |