Sociology of Happiness ((3))

Catalog description

The Sociology of Happiness course explores the interplay between individuals and society in the pursuit of happiness, which is notably an ideal conceived as an unalienable right in the American Declaration of Independence. It provides a brief historical and primarily contemporary examination of social science approaches to understanding an individual's emotional wellbeing by considering fundamental questions like, what it means to be happy? Can money buy happiness? And methodological questions like, how do we measure happiness, particularly across-cultures? Sociological theoretical perspectives provide important contributions to the "new science of happiness" by expanding subjectively understood components of the human emotive experience to include the impact of social institutions, that is, cultural matters, economic and political conditions, religious beliefs and complex interpersonal relationships in short, by considering the impact of society on an individual's sense of social wellbeing. Students will be introduced to the growing area of "happiness studies" by engaging varied explorations ranging from review of literature to exploring multi-media, to conducting exercises and fieldwork observations.