Happiness and Culture: the Material Culture of Pleasure and Exhilaration

3.00 credits · Undergraduate

Prereq: 3 credits from VMCS 1201, 1301; or permission of the Department This course considers how diverse objects shape the ways humans think about and pursue happiness. Taking an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural approach, the course is built around the exploration of a range of material culture including personal objects (e.g. children's toys and board games), consumables (e.g. chocolate bars and soda pop), and landscapes and other built environments (e.g. karesansui dry gardens). Through active, hands-on, and collaborative learning with objects, the course aims to support students both in understanding how perceptions and pursuits of happiness vary across time and place and in appreciating the ways object-based approach can enrich our understandings and experiences of happiness. (Format: Integrated Lecture/Tutorial) (Exclusion: VMCS 3991 Happiness and Culture)