ATS3326 Living a meaningful life: Wisdom traditions and their contemplative practices
Faculty of Arts
ATS3326 Living a meaningful life: Wisdom traditions and their contemplative practices is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2026 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ATS3326
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS3326
No unit lists ATS3326 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Pre-requisite: Must have passed 12 credit points from any Faculty units at level 2.
Prohibition: ATS2266
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
This unit will be informative, experiential and reflective. You will use teachings and texts from a number of the world's great wisdom traditions, and their contemplative practices to help you reflect on and discuss some of life's most important questions. The wisdom traditions explored will vary across historical periods, from ancient to modern, and cultures, from east to west. You will investigate the application and relevance of these teachings and contemplative practices in daily life through direct experience to see if deep and direct insights might be gained into questions such as:
- What is wisdom and is there such a thing as perennial wisdom?
- What is the purpose and meaning of life?
- Is there more to life than just material existence?
- What values should we base our life on ?
- How should we relate to each other (and why)?
- What is our place in the Universe?
- What is the self and what is its relationship to consciousness?
- How can contemplative practices help us to answer these questions?
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- JournalWritten30%
- Interactive Oral Assessment (IOA)Demonstration50%
- ReflectionWritten20%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
explain the foundations of and connections between some of the world’s wisdom traditions;
- 2
apply contemplative practices from a variety of cultures and wisdom traditions;
- 3
reflect on, deepen and analyse self-awareness and how it relates to understanding the self and consciousness;
- 4
cultivate, apply and explain prosocial qualities such as compassion, altruism and common humanity;
- 5
explain ways that wisdom traditions use to live a fuller and more meaningful life;
- 6
explain what perennial wisdom is and how it can inform daily life and find solutions to challenges.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Tutorials24 hours
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachSimulation or virtual practice
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.
The unit will be delivered through Moodle and other online platforms, such as Zoom.
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.
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
This unit allows you to develop your research skills by engaging in structured inquiry using a systematic approach and discipline-specific methodologies.
This unit allows you to engage in guided, immersive experiences to develop relevant skills, knowledge and attitudes through simulation or virtual practice.
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
- Dr Kevin Berryman
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS3326?
ATS3326 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS3326 offered?
In 2026, ATS3326 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is ATS3326?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS3326 have an exam?
No. ATS3326 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.