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Instructors and Course Information

  • Instructors: J-F Chapman, D. Santor

  • Course: FSS1150-1550 - The Science of Happiness and Success

  • Materials copyright: Darcy Santor © 2019-2023

  • Updated: 2023

Goals of the Course

  • Exploration of psychology related to happiness and success in life and school.

  • Main Goals:

    • Learn the definition of happiness.

    • Develop skills necessary for happiness and academic success.

    • Practice skills learned (e.g., note-taking, study techniques, test anxiety management).

    • Reflection on past discussions regarding happiness and success.

What is University All About?

Key Elements of University Experience

  • Discovery: Understanding oneself and personal strengths.

  • Networking: Meeting and collaborating with others.

  • Pursuit of Excellence: Mastering a field of study and applying knowledge.

  • Degree Completion: Fulfilling necessary requirements.

Challenges & Skills

  • Discovery, networking, excellence, and completing a degree can conflict with each other.

Major Challenges:

  1. Academic Challenges: Readiness for university-level work.

  2. Mental Health Challenges: Dealing with stress and adversity.

  3. Scheduling Challenges: Balancing discovery, socializing, and academics.

Are You Ready?

  • Many students lack readiness to cope with stress and expectations at university.

  • Personal anecdote on being unprepared.

Academic Challenges

Survey Findings (2019)

  • Approximately 25% of students reported difficulties with assumed skills essential for university.

  • Participants: Over 2200 students from four universities (Toronto, Western, York, Waterloo).

Difficulties Experienced by First-Year Students

  • Common Academic Challenges (percent experiencing difficulties):

    • Writing Skills: Summaries (30%), Thesis development (26%), Referencing styles (25%), Grammatical mistakes (26%).

    • Critical Thinking: Identifying strengths of articles (24%), Lack of confidence in writing critical reviews (49%).

    • Test Preparation: Studying for tests (34%), Time management (30%).

Predictors of Success at University

Academic Skills

  • Importance of over 10,000 studies on academic success predictors.

  • Key findings:

    • Top 7 predictors are modifiable skills, not IQ, which ranks ninth.

Social and Emotional Skills

Definition

  • Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Skills to understand/manage emotions and set/goals effectively.

Case Study: Isabelle Weidemann

  • Olympic achievements and personal growth related to social emotional skills.

  • Emphasis on emotional honesty and finding joy in performance over results.

Research Findings

Social Emotional Skills Teaching

  • Over 317 studies with 320,000+ students confirm:

    1. SEL can be taught at scale.

    2. Positive effects on mental health and academic performance lasting 3-5 years.

    3. Happiness correlates with success in various life areas.

Course Structure

Coaching Concept

  • Treat studying as athletic training for improved retention and skill acquisition.

  • Opportunity for self-assessment of strengths and weaknesses.

Course Evaluation

Assessment Breakdown

  • Homework: 20% - Various teaching exercises.

  • Paper: 25% - 5-page assignment.

  • Mid-term Exam: 20% - covering first five weeks.

  • Final Exam/Reflection: 20% and 15% respectively.

  • Importance of completing homework for course success.

Attendance Policy

  • Mandatory attendance; exceeding three missed classes without exemption results in failure.

Redos and Support

  • Options to redo the mid-term and resubmit papers for grade improvement.

Class Resources

Platforms

  • Brightspace: Assignment and survey submissions.

  • Discord: Facilitating peer communication and support.

Transition to University

Adjustments Required

  1. Inverted Schedule: Less classroom time compared to increased self-study time.

  2. Grade Expectations: Significant average drop from high school performance.

Understanding Happiness and Success

Definitions

  • Happiness as a spectrum of emotions; success defined variably between wealth and meaningful experience.

Philosophical Perspectives on Happiness

Historical Insights

  • Aristippus (Hedonism): Happiness from pleasure.

  • Confucius: Morality and altruism as sources of happiness.

  • Plato: Fulfillment of social duties as central to happiness.

  • Aristotle: Achieving the good life through moral character and lifelong habits.

Happiness in Contemporary Psychology

Current Research Focus

  • Empirical studies on happiness, its predictors, and modifiability.

Key Theorists

  • Ed Diener: Introduced the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS).

Genetics and Happiness

Findings on Satisfaction

  • Genetic factors account for 50% of life satisfaction; behavior and environment contribute the rest.

The Good Life - Martin Seligman

PERMA Framework

  • 5 Elements of a Good Life: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Achievement.

Skills Development

Social Emotional Skills

  • Teaching emotional regulation, relationships, mental health awareness leading to better outcomes.

  • Study Skills: Techniques proven to boost academic performance and efficiency.

Recap of Course Content

  1. Goals and course approach.

  2. Definitions of happiness.

  3. Components of PERMA model.

  4. Importance of social emotional learning and study skills.

  5. Notable psychologists: Ed Diener, Martin Seligman, and their contributions.

Homework Assignments

Tasks for Next Class

  1. Reading Assignment: Chapter on "What is Wellbeing" by Martin Seligman.

  2. Upload Notes: Capture and submit notes on the reading.

  3. Complete Survey: Participation and self-assessment survey through email.

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