58勛圖

DI5914 The Good Life: Biblical Ethics and Human Flourishing

Academic year

2026 to 2027 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

15

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 11

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

Online Learning

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Dr C M Froehlich

Dr C M Froehlich
This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr Caleb Froehlich

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

What does it mean to live the good life? Is it wanting what you have or having what you want? Is a good life the same as a happy life? This module explores the relationship between human flourishing, happiness, and moral goodness through the lens of the Bible and Christian thought, including queer, feminist, black, and disability theology, alongside philosophical and scientific perspectives. We will examine how theologians, psychologists, biologists, and economists have agreed and disagreed on human flourishing and how these debates shape contemporary ethical issues, including IVF, abortion, transhumanism, social justice, animal rights, capitalism, poverty, war, and more. Students will engage critically with these challenges, deepening their understanding of ethics and human flourishing.

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

Coursework = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 live seminar on Microsoft Teams per unit (X4 weeks). Each seminar session will be offered twice on the same day, once in the morning and once in the evening to account for different time zones.

Scheduled learning hours

4

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

286

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • demonstrate an understanding of the good life and human flourishing from the perspective of a range of biblical and theological ethical systems
  • explain how moral theology/biblical ethics has influenced historical and contemporary conceptions of the good life and human flourishing
  • understand why conceptions of the good life and human flourishing inform the application of ethical theory in practice
  • critically assess the extent to which varying biblical and theological concerns and traditions inform conceptions of the good life and human flourishing within individual authors and ethical systems
  • evaluate the consistency (or otherwise) of the historical and contemporary application of Christian moral concepts to a range of practical ethical and political debates