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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2011/2012
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Social Anthropology

Undergraduate Course: Happiness: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (SCAN10043)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) Credits20
Home subject areaSocial Anthropology Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThis course will review the extent to which the social sciences have engaged with the topic of happiness from the Enlightenment to the present day. 'Happiness' will be broadly conceived, encompassing all subject appraisal of the quality of life and related matters such as aspiration and motives for this-worldly and other-worldly outcomes, and ethical judgements. Students will also address the literatures and policies relating to unhappiness and suffering, and discuss the pathologism of the social sciences as a cause for inadequate explicit analysis of social and cultural dimensions of happiness. The course will review cultural concepts and philosophies relating to happiness (such as utilitarianism and asceticism), as well as looking at the evidence of real-world differences in the achievement of happiness in diverse contexts and life-stages.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1) WebCT enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
CentralLectureWeekly Lecture1-11 09:00 - 10:50
First Class Week 1, Friday, 09:00 - 10:50, Zone: Central. Seminar Room 6, Chrystal Macmillan Building
No Exam Information
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the course will have:
- better appreciation of the importance of happiness as a topic in social analysis, social policies, and ethical debate
- stronger awareness of the importance of evaluative judgement in social analysis, and of the deficiencies in evaluation that result from a)inadequate cross-cultural perspectives, and b)inadequate explicitly attention to happiness as a criterion for judging social quality and quality of life
- better awareness of the evidence concerning the achievement of happiness in diverse contexts worldwide, and of the gaps in understanding and evidence that need to be addressed
- an enriched understanding of the evolution of the social sciences through appreciating the ways in which happiness has been foregrounded in the past and backgrounded for the past 100 years
Assessment Information
1. Long essay - 80%
2. Short written assignment based on individual and/or group projects in and out of class 20%
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Not entered
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Neil Thin
Tel: (0131 6)50 3880
Email: N.Thin@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Katie Teague
Tel: (0131 6)50 4001
Email: katie.teague@ed.ac.uk
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:45 am