HIST 8.03 Happiness: A History

The course aims to introduce students to a range of perspectives on human happiness, individual and collective, past and present. The course will explore happiness in different religious and wisdom traditions, while charting its emergence since the 18th century as a basic human expectation and even entitlement.  The course draws on a wide range of disciplines, including history, philosophy, religion, literary studies, contemporary psychology, economics, and social science.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:TMV; WCult:W

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Class of 2023 and Before Major Dist: INTER; Class of 2024 and Beyond Major Dist: modern.