Darren Harper – Philosophy and Creative Writing
"As an adult education tutor I focus on the areas of Philosophy, Literature and Creative Writing. I gained a 1st class honours degree in English & Creative Writing in 2012, followed by a PGCE (Lifelong Learning) in 2014 and am now undertaking a BA in Philosophy. I have taught at A Level in both English Literature and Creative Writing, and over the past two years have taught Creative Writing to undergraduates.
"For several years I have been teaching around the UK delivering residential courses at Dillington House in Somerset, Knuston Hall in Northamptonshire, the Green Park Hotel in Perthshire and, of course, Higham Hall in the Lake District. Additionally, I have also started to offer a range of on-line courses in these subjects on my website darrenharper.net and post frequently on my Facebook page Darren Harper Courses.
"I have written theatre reviews, plays, short stories and contributed to an anthology of graphic short stories. I have also interviewed, chaired and given both talks and workshops at the Borderlines Book Festival and Hexham Book Festival. Additionally, I have given philosophy talks to U3A groups, writing workshops to writing groups and delivered CPD workshops on Stoicism.
"My main interests in philosophy are political philosophy, comparative philosophy and religion, aesthetics and ethics, especially applied ethics, existentialism and Stoicism. I enjoy applying philosophical ideas to contemporary issues in an attempt to challenge ‘the tyranny of custom’." D.H.
We design our courses to meet the expectations of three particular types of student:
- those who already have undergone some Philosophy studies including those who feel ready to tackle the meaty stuff
- those who would enjoy a user-friendly introduction to themes. Look out especially for Darren's courses titled THE LAZY PHILOSOPHER'S GUIDE TO...
Connect with Darren:
WRITING FICTION: CHARACTER AND DIALOGUE
Higham Hall College Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth, Cumbria, United KingdomA residential creative writing course aimed at both beginning and intermediate writers interested in flash fiction, short stories, novellas or the novel. Consisting of lectures, writing exercises and individual tutorials, enjoy uninterrupted writing time in a beautiful rural retreat. In addition to taught sessions on ‘Character’ and ‘Dialogue,’ Darren will provide you with short stories
A PHILOSOPHER’S GUIDE TO SPIRITUALLY FOR ATHEISTS
Higham Hall College Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth, Cumbria, United KingdomWhat is spirituality? Can it be secular or must it be sacred? Can it help to fill the god-shaped-hole left by Nietzsche? Using lectures, literature, discussion and meditation, this course will draw upon a variety of global traditions to see if, as atheists or agnostics, we can utilise the wisdom of different cultures to feel
TALK & TEA: THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIDLIFE
Higham Hall College Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth, Cumbria, United KingdomWhy does midlife often induce incongruous changes in one’s life? Is it that the things we have spent our lives pursuing no longer hold value? Making reference to philosopher Kieran Setiya’s distinction between existential value and ameliorative value, as well as the traditional Hindu stages of life, we will explore the value of life’s goals.
A CRASH COURSE IN PHILOSOPHY
Higham Hall College Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth, Cumbria, United KingdomFormerly philosophy was the preserve of PhDs and the intellectually precocious, until now! In this course we will explore some of the key questions of philosophy, such as: “How do we know that we know what we know?” ; “How should we live?”; “What is the best form of society?”; “Why do bad things happen
TALK & TEA: A PHILOSOPHER’S GUIDE TO AUTHENTICITY
Higham Hall College Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth, Cumbria, United KingdomWhat does it mean to be authentic? Just how does one ‘keep it real’? Have ideals of authenticity been corrupted by an excessively individualistic Western culture? In this talk Nietzsche (‘Become who you are’) and Heidegger (‘People are inauthentic because they allow themselves to be moulded by the group’) will help us to explore our