PSY 420 - Positive Psychology

Semester Hours: 3
Positive psychology is one of the newest areas of psychology. Although originally described in the mid-1950s, it was not until Martin Seligman’s 1998 inaugural address to the American Psychological that positive psychology claimed its place within the discipline of psychology. Today, positive psychology is described as the “scientific study of what goes right in life, from birth to death and all the stops in between… it takes seriously as a subject matter those things that make life worth living” (Peterson, 2006). The three pillars of positive psychology are positive subjective experiences (happiness, joy, etc.), positive character strengths and virtues, and positive institutions (families, schools, religious and civic communities that foster the good life, etc.). In addition to studying the principles of positive psychology, this course will contain an experiential component which will allow students to employ the methods and concepts to enrich their own lives. (Peterson, C. [2006]. A primer in positive psychology. Oxford University Press, New York.)

Pre-requisites: PSY 200 - General Psychology and junior standing or above.