Literature and Philosophy for Global Challenges

Are you curious about how the stories we tell influence politics, education, and society? Do you love reading, writing, and thinking deeply about human nature and global issues? This immersive Learn for Credit course invites you to challenge dominant narratives and discover how literature and philosophy can inspire real-world change.

Through engaging online modules and a dynamic on-campus workshop, you’ll explore big thinkers, and dive into cutting-edge ideas from psychology, anthropology, and economics. You’ll learn to read “dangerously”, critiquing texts, questioning assumptions, and imagining more hopeful futures.

Whether you're passionate about English, Philosophy, or global politics, this course will sharpen your critical thinking, deepen your understanding of human nature, and empower you to become a thoughtful changemaker.

You can choose to participate in just the in-person workshops, or complete the full course through the workshop, online modules and additional readings and assessment.

For-credit subject

This experience can provide credit towards a university subject. Contact us to find out how students can complete five experiences and apply for credit for one 10cp subject into a Bond University undergraduate degree and obtain two points towards their Queensland Certificate of Education.

  • This course is delivered via four online modules: 

    • “The Human Crisis”; Albert Camus and the Possibility of Peace
    • The State of Nature
    • Wicked Liberty
    • Human Action and Global Challenges

    Students will also complete a five-hour practical workshop where they will critique the positions of Hobbes and Rousseau, and the narratives of human nature that have been derived from them. Students will then learn the art of reading dangerously, learning to critique and analyse a selection of more recent advances in psychology, anthropology, philosophy and economics, and the real world examples in those sources, to discover a more optimistic way of looking at human rights issues. 

    You can choose to participate in just the in-person workshops, or complete the full course through the workshop, online modules and additional readings and assessment.

    Designed for: High school students in Years 11 and 12 

    Delivery: On campus/online

    Learning time: A total of 24 hours of learning, consisting of: 

    • 10 hours of online modules on the Bond Learner platform
    • 5 hours face-to-face on campus
    • 9 hours of additional readings and assessment

    Cost: $50

    Location: Bond University Gold Coast campus 

  • Practical workshop date: Friday, 1 May, 2026

    Registration closes: Friday, 24 April, 2026

    REGISTER NOW

     

    Practical workshop date: Saturday, 8 August, 2026

    Registration closes: Friday, 31 July, 2026

    REGISTER NOW

  • It’s ideal for those who want to explore recent insights from philosophy, anthropology, and psychology while developing critical reading and thinking skills. If you’re passionate about understanding how we can cooperate for positive social change and reimagining the stories that shape our world, this course is for you.

    • Explore the influential narratives of human nature made by Albert Camus, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Hannah Arendt. 
    • Identify influential narratives in responses to contemporary global challenges. 
    • Apply your understanding to propose alternative narratives that enable action to global challenges. 

This course is delivered via four online modules: 

  • “The Human Crisis”; Albert Camus and the Possibility of Peace
  • The State of Nature
  • Wicked Liberty
  • Human Action and Global Challenges

Students will also complete a five-hour practical workshop where they will critique the positions of Hobbes and Rousseau, and the narratives of human nature that have been derived from them. Students will then learn the art of reading dangerously, learning to critique and analyse a selection of more recent advances in psychology, anthropology, philosophy and economics, and the real world examples in those sources, to discover a more optimistic way of looking at human rights issues. 

You can choose to participate in just the in-person workshops, or complete the full course through the workshop, online modules and additional readings and assessment.

Designed for: High school students in Years 11 and 12 

Delivery: On campus/online

Learning time: A total of 24 hours of learning, consisting of: 

  • 10 hours of online modules on the Bond Learner platform
  • 5 hours face-to-face on campus
  • 9 hours of additional readings and assessment

Cost: $50

Location: Bond University Gold Coast campus 

High school study areas

English and Literature Extension

Philosophy and Reason

IB Theory of Knowledge

Meet your educator

Dr Daniel Brennan

Dr Daniel Brennan teaches in ethics and literature. He is the author of The Political Thought of Vaclav Havel (Brill, 2017), Surfing and the Philosophy of Sport (Lexington, 2021). He also co-edited the recent volume Hannah Arendt and the History of Thought (Lexington, 2022) and has published articles on philosophy, politics, film, and literature in some of the world's leading journals. 

Daniel was awarded the Vice Chancellor's Award for Quality Teaching and Learning in 2021. Daniel's teaching philosophy focuses on the ability for creative thinking about the dominant stories of our time to generate new ideas and inspiration for action.

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