Hong Kong
Polytechnic University is offering free online course on Life and Death:
Mysteries and Meanings. This course highlights the importance of the
interdisciplinary (scientific, religious and philosophical) perspectives and
their interplay, which demonstrates tensions, conflicts and above all, this
being the arch-goal of this course, the possibility of coordination and
corroboration, forming various ultimately coherent outlooks on life and death.
In this four week
course, applicants will unravel the mysteries and the meanings of life and
death from the interdisciplinary (science, religion an
d philosophy, especially
applied ethics) and the cultural perspectives. This course will start on August
2, 2017.
Course
At A Glance
Length: 4 weeks
Effort:
4-6 hours pw
Subject: Philosophy
& Ethics
Institution:
Hong Kong Polytechnic University and edx
Languages:
English
Price:
Free
Certificate
Available: Yes, Add a Verified Certificate for $50
Session:
Course Starts on August 2, 2017
Providers’ Details
The Hong Kong
Polytechnic University is committed to education and preparing students to
becoming global citizens through quality learning and teaching. We are
internationally known for our excellence in professional education and
innovative research.
About
This Course
If you are
interested in questions about life and death and keen to seek ultimate answers,
this inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural course will amaze you with the
diverse perspectives and answers proposed to the perennial questions, such as
- What
are the meanings of life and death? Can science provide us with an
adequate answer? - Why are
you here? What is the purpose of your life? - Is the
afterlife essential for making our present lifetime hopeful and
meaningful? Or is it merely an option? Or can it be an option at all? - Would
death turn our endeavors in the present lifetime futile? Or should death
be a reason for us to lead an even more meaningful lifetime?
Why
Take This Course?
Apart from the
general questions, we also examine the controversies in the life and death
contexts: suicide, euthanasia & abortion. We examine the pros and cons of
these moral disputes, coupled with the key questions below:
- How do
we understand the phenomenon of suicide? - Why is
euthanasia so controversial? - Why is
the controversy about abortion bound up with the conception of what counts
as a human?
Learning
Outcomes
- Perspective
thinking skills by examining the scientific, religious and philosophical
perspectives, searching for various models of consistent outlook on
life-and-death - Coherent
ethical reflections from case-studies to theories - Empathetic
thinking through an immersive card game - To
better understand different cultural values over matters of life and death
Instructors
Mr. Kasim Ma
Chariman
The Islamic Union of Hong Kong Da’Wah Committee
Ven. Dr. Sik
Fa Ren
Visiting Assistant
Professor
The University of Hong Kong
Rev. Thomas
Kwan
Principal Consultant
of Project inspired
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Prof. Ole
Döring
Professor of
Sinology
Freie University
Director of SIGENET
Charité Medical University
Departmental Academic Advisor to the General Education Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Prof. Adrian
Bejan
J.A. Jones
Professor Mechanical Engineering
Dr. David
Wan
Lecturer,
General Education Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr. Kam-por
Yu
Director,
General Education Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr. John
Yuen
Associate
Professor, School of Nursing
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr. Jack
Chun
Associate Director,
General Education Centre
MOOC Leader of “Life and Death”
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Requirements
None
How
To Join This Course
- Go to
the course website link - Create
an edX account to SignUp - Choose
“Register Now” to get started. - EdX
offers honor code certificates of achievement, verified certificates of
achievement, and XSeries certificates of achievement. Currently, verified
certificates are only available in some courses. - Once
applicant sign up for a course and activate their account, click on the
Log In button on the edx.org homepage and type in their email address and
edX password. This will take them to the dashboard, with access to each of
their active courses. (Before a course begins, it will be listed on their
dashboard but will not yet have a “view course” option.)
