Flourishing with Others: Building Thriving Relationships

Catalog description

Interpersonal relationships are key for happiness and well-being. Christopher Peterson, one of the pioneers of positive psychology used to say that the field could be summarized in three words: "Other people matter." In this course, we will take a deep dive into the research on relationships that work well and foster well-being. We will study positive relationships at different levels, from the closest ones, like families and romantic partnerships, to friendships, relationships between colleagues and in teams at work, to broader communities, and our relationship with nature and our planet. For each of these domains, we will learn practical ways to nurture and improve relationships and to help people flourish through them. This class will combine academic rigor with experiential learning, and it will provide many opportunities for self-reflection, conversation in small teams and applied "experiments" in students' lives.