UNIV 104NHow to Live a Meaningful Life

Catalog

HOW TO LIVE A MEANINGFUL LIFE - - - The UNIV 101 & UNIV 104 courses offer a blended course format which includes two primary components, one focusing on the academic topic, taught by a faculty member with the second component devoted to new student transition topics, taught by a professional staff partner instructor. This freshmen seminar course will explore an intriguing intellectual topic, help freshmen hone critical thinking and writing skills, and assist students in making a successful transition to university life. - - - Modeled after Dr. Richard Light's Harvard class, How to live wisely, this course will take students on a journey of self-discovery to identify personal strengths, weaknesses, values and passions then align these with societal issues of interest to identify career paths that maximize life fulfillment. The course marries effective practices from different philosophies - Rumi, Zen meditation, Buddhist mindfulness - with modern science on happiness, gratitude and resilience, e.g. Smith's Four Pillars of Meaning, to equip students with strategies that will help them foster personal development, deal effectively with stress and adversity, contribute to society and live a more enlightened, meaningful life. Students will leave with new understanding and skills in addition to a plan for how to use their college experience to promote both career and whole-person development. NOTE: All UNIV 101 and UNIV 104 courses are restricted to students in their FIRST SEMESTER at the University. Students MAY NOT register for more than one UNIV 101 or UNIV 104 course.