Final Project

The final project for our course is designed to give you an opportunity to address a wide range of your peers and others interested in living better lives despite the many challenges and demands of the contemporary world. When you submit your essay, you will be asked whether you’re comfortable having your answer shared publicly. The course instructors will select two or three of the very best and these will be published (perhaps with some further editing) in a special section of Thrive Global on Campus, a new online platform devoted to well-being and mental health launched by Arianna Huffington. We also plan on publishing additional outstanding essays in a new section of the course website.

The specific assignment is to write a 500-800 word essay on the following topic:

• How has studying classical philosophies and trying out their methods contributed to your efforts to live a good life as a college student in a world wracked by COVID-19 and other crises?

Please keep in mind that you are writing for a wide audience not already familiar with the course or any of its specific aspects (like the exercises), so you’ll need to explain enough to make yourself clear. You may include hyperlinks to the course website or to other resources on the internet, as well as images, links to videos, etc. The best essays will be sufficiently focused, with a compelling detail or two, while also making some larger point. If instead of writing an essay you would like to use an alternative medium (perhaps a video or other creative work) for your final project, please consult the instructors no later than Wednesday, December 9 for permission.

Final projects are due by midnight on Sunday, December 13, and should be turned in as a Google Docs Document at this link; consult the instructors if you need a different means of turning in your final project.