The Science of Happiness: A Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Cultural Approach to Happiness and Well-being (Bachelor)

The Science of Happiness: A Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Cultural Approach to Happiness and Well-being (Bachelor)

82-021-WM07-H-0121

Bachelor (UNI)

BA Betriebswirtschaftslehre

Modul

Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät

Matta, Shashi

5

This course on The Science of Happiness is designed for Bachelor students who want exposure into a multi-disciplinary (Psychology, Business, Sociology) and a multi-cultural (Philosophy, Theology) approach to happiness and well-being.

The main objectives of this course are to:
- Learn theories on happiness and well-being, through recent research and scholarship from multiple fields.
- Identify factors that influence happiness and well-being in diverse settings (professional / work life, personal and social life, the domain of consumption).
- Understand the different dimensions of happiness and subjective well-being and how they are related.
- Learn theories and frameworks on happiness and well-being from multiple cultures (underpinnings from philosophy and theology across cultures).
- Promote critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and creativity as skills required for personal and professional happiness and well-being.

Students will be exposed to multiple, international guest professors from different fields who research / teach topics related to happiness and well-being. The course is designed for students from different programs and hence will include and promote intellectual and functional diversity. Students will gain soft skills such as teamwork and communication. As lectures and tutorials are held in English, students will have the opportunity to enhance their language skills in a professional setting.

Part I: Introduction to Happiness and Subjective Well-being
- The Construct of Happiness: Definitions from Multiple Disciplines
- Components that Comprise Subjective Well-being

Part II: Happiness and Well-Being: Perspectives from Psychology
- Research on Happiness and Well-being from Cognitive and Social Psychology
- Happiness and the Psychology of Mindfulness, Gratitude, Prosociality, and Goals

Part III: Happiness and Well-Being: Perspectives from Business and Sociology
- What affects (and motivates) Happiness as Employees and as Consumers?
- The Relationship between Happiness and Income / Wealth

Part IV: Cultural Approaches to Happiness: Perspectives from Philosophy and Theology
- A Historical Perspective of Pursuing Happiness from Across the World
- Convergent and Divergent views on Happiness and Well-being from the East and the West

Part V: Measuring Happiness
- Multiple Approaches to Measuring Happiness
- UPenn Authentic Happiness Inventory, Subjective Well-Being Measurement, Gross National Happiness Index

Part VI: Living Happiness
- Designing Interventions for Happiness and Well-Being in Personal and Professional Settings
- Cultivating Critical Thinking, Emotional Intelligence and Creativity for Happiness

None

- Lecture (Virtual, via Zoom)
- Tutorial (Virtual, via Zoom)

Performance record assessed with at least “sufficient”: Final Exam (90 minutes)

28 h = Time of attendance: Lectures
28 h = Time of attendance: Tutorials
28 h = Self-study pre-and-post Lectures
28 h = Self-study pre-and-post Tutorials
38 h = Exam preparation
150 h = Total workload

Written Exam (100%)

SS