What is happiness? Where and how does one find it? What has it to do with the good life? Americans consider the pursuit of happiness their birthright and the lynchpin of the American dream. Does happiness define the meaning and purpose of life for people everywhere? In this course, we consider what philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, neuroscientists, writers, and artists have to say about happiness and reflect on its relationship to love, belonging, community, fame, fortune, freedom, spirituality, and mortality. The class moves between Asian and Western sources and interrogate deeply held assumptions through the lens of cross-cultural inquiry.
