ATS2266 Living a meaningful life: The history, philosophy and practice of a contemplative life
Faculty of Arts
ATS2266 Living a meaningful life: The history, philosophy and practice of a contemplative life is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2025 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ATS2266
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After ATS2266
No unit lists ATS2266 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Pre-requisite: Must have passed 12 credit points from any Faculty at level 1
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
This unit will be informative, experiential and reflective. We will explore important questions relating to understanding ourselves, our connection with others and the Universe, and what is a value-driven, meaningful and fulfilling life from the perspectives of various wisdom traditions. Through such knowledge and by direct experience we will explore how those traditions have used contemplative practices to gain deep and direct insights into such important questions. Each week there will be core Questions to focus inquiry including:
- What is wisdom?
- What is the purpose of life?
- Who (or what) are we?
- What values should we base our life or behaviour on?
- What is true happiness and how do we find it?
- How should we relate to each other (and why)?
- What is our place in the Universe?
- How do contemplative practices deepen our relationships with ourselves, each other and the Universe?
These questions will be explored not just theoretically but also experientially.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- ReflectionWritten40%
- EssayWritten40%
- In-Class Participation ActivityExercise20%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Explore contemplative practices from a variety of cultures and wisdom traditions.
- 2
Deepen self-awareness and explore concepts of the ‘self’ and consciousness.
- 3
Cultivate prosocial qualities such as compassion, altruism and common humanity.
- 4
Explore ways to live a fuller and more meaningful life consistent with one’s deeply held values and ethics.
- 5
Reflect on concepts like awakening and enlightenment.
- 6
Use perennial wisdom to inform solutions to contemporary challenges.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Tutorials24 hours
- Teaching approachSimulation or virtual practice
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit allows you to engage in guided, immersive experiences to develop relevant skills, knowledge and attitudes through simulation or virtual practice.
This unit includes problem-based learning approaches, where you engage in research, integrate theory and practice and apply knowledge and skills to develop viable solutions in response to a problem or set of problems.
This unit allows you to develop your research skills by engaging in structured inquiry using a systematic approach and discipline-specific methodologies.
The unit will be delivered through Moodle and other online platforms, such as Zoom. Other online resources - Kahoot and Polleverywhere.com - will be used to enhance student learning.
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities., Enquiry-based learning - This unit engages you in enquiry-based learning, where you will be encouraged to use your own knowledge to develop and engage in a process of enquiry, study and research to identify areas to be investigated and an approach to doing so.
This unit will provide you with opportunities to work with peers in groups and pairs in class. You will have interactive discussions to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the topic, and reinforce your learning.
Learning resources
Technology resources
This unit requires access to a laptop that meets minimum specifications (https://www.monash.edu/esolutions/students/bring-your-own-device-byod). Free specialist software is available via MoVE (https://www.monash.edu/learning-teaching/innovation/learning-technologies/move).
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Craig Hassed
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Craig Hassed
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS2266?
ATS2266 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS2266 offered?
In 2025, ATS2266 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is ATS2266?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS2266 have an exam?
No. ATS2266 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.