Courses

In this course, we will study the Science of Happiness through three main lenses - biology, psychology, and sociology. Biology helps us understand, for example, the amygdala’s role in our emotions and the relationships between our body’s physiology, stress, and well-being. Psychology contributes to the course through understanding mental health and the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Sociology adds understanding of relationships with family, community, and friends, as well as structural and societal aspects of happiness.

Students will learn about key contributions from these fields through reading research studies and papers on relevant theories. We start with the individual, examining research on well-being, strengths, mindset, willpower, and habits. We examine early developmental relationships, romantic partnering, and the individual’s relationships with community and society. The mind-body relationship is examined for the interplay around nutrition, sleep, and physical activity. We discuss strengths and resilience, mindsets, optimism, willpower, and habits. We spend time understanding the development of mental health treatment and the state-of-the-art of psychotherapy and substance treatments today.

We will get to know the campus through meeting in several key locations. We will also explore the surrounding community through a trip to a nearby horse farm to learn about animal-assisted therapies and volunteerism. Students will have a chance to design their own strategies for happiness as they transition to Indiana University. The final project will be an opportunity to apply knowledge gained and transmit it to others.

This course is eligible for honors credit through Hutton Honors College. 

Catalog Information: SWK-S 200  SPECIAL TPCS IN HUMAN SERVICES

Instructor:

Carol Hostetter

Email:

chostett@iu.edu

Department:

School of Social Work

Carol Hostetter has taught psychology, sociology, and social work courses at Indiana University. She especially enjoys teaching about anti-racism, group dynamics, and mental health. Dr. Hostetter is passionate about student success and has won many teaching awards, including the top teaching award for all eight campuses of Indiana University. She has published on social presence in online classes, undergraduate research, learning analytics, and social rewards in faculty development. In 2021 Dr. Hostetter served as guest editor for a special double issue of Advances in Social Work, titled “Dismantling White Supremacy in Social Work Education.” 

This class is not approved for the IU Bloomington General Education Program.