Philosophy 250HG - Topics in Philosophy: 'Happiness and The Good Life'
Happiness and the Good Life
Fall
2021
01
4.00
Laura Sizer
TTH 10:00AM-11:15AM
Mount Holyoke College
115634
Dwight Hall 202
lsizer@mtholyoke.edu
Philosophers through the ages have asked about the nature of happiness and its contribution to the 'good life.' Happiness is something we all want, but what is it? And why do we all want it so much? What makes us happy and why? Is a 'good life' also a happy one? This course will examine happiness from several different perspectives. We will look at what ancient and contemporary philosophers have said about the nature and importance of happiness in our lives and read recent work from the field of positive psychology. This is a writing intensive course that focuses on developing skills in philosophical reading, analysis, and writing.
Students will learn to read and critically analyze primary research articles in a number of different fields, and are expected to write a series of short papers and complete a final project.