Are there practices by which you can cultivate what it takes to live a flourishing life?

This course aims to assist you in finding the answers to these questions for yourself, building a sustainable base for flourishing during your undergraduate years and beyond. You will explore scientific, philosophical, and artistic ideas about flourishing, while experimenting with contemplative practices that work directly with your mind, body, emotions, and relationships. Together, after exploring the foundations of flourishing, we will investigate the cultivation of flourishing according to a model with five dimensions (foundations, awareness, connection, wisdom and integration.)

Step inside Rob Roeser’s classroom by reading this Penn Stater magazine article.

Video: Briana Blackwell describes the Art and Science of Human Flourishing

Article: A student perspective on the Art and Science of Human Flourishing

Taught by Robert Roeser and Elaine Berrena
Course number: HDFS297x

In this course, we will explore both the art of caring for others, as well as the science on the impact of care and compassion on health, wellbeing, and social relationships. We will explore the nature of human nature -– is care in our nature? We will discuss how human qualities like kindness, courage, compassion and forgiveness are educable — they can be strengthened through practice. We will also discuss how these qualities are particularly important for care-givers -– those who take care of many others –- and how these qualities can prevent empathy fatigue and burnout. Finally, given the times we live in, time in which the world is broken and divided, we see the art and practice of care and compassion as more important than ever before.

Taught by Martin Sliwinski, Elisha Clark Halpin and Robert Roeser
Course number: HHD & AA 197

This course offers students the opportunity to investigate the processes of healthy aging and maturation from a transdisciplinary perspective that draws upon developmental and biomedical science, contemplative (e.g., mindfulness & compassion practice), art and embodiment practices, and their own experience. Topics will focus on understanding common experiences and challenges that people face in the context of psychological, behavioral, social, and biological changes that they experience during adulthood. Course activities include small group discussions and structured exercises that reinforce concepts introduced in lectures and assigned readings. Students will develop conceptual knowledge, experiential insight, and practical skills for navigating adulthood, building meaningful intergenerational relationships, and cultivating an awareness of shared humanity and inclusivity across generations.

Taught by Blake Colaianne
Course number: HDFS 497x

Mindfulness has become a pillar of many programs and practices within human development and education. In this course, we will (1) explore the research on why and how mindfulness can support healthy development across the lifespan and (2) critically examine how prevention and intervention programs aim to cultivate these skills. Students will also experience a variety of meditations throughout the course as we discuss how to integrate these practices into our personal and professional lives.

Taught by Deborah Schussler
Course number: EDLDR597

This course will enable students to understand and develop the skills needed to foster emotionally intelligent leadership. Students will explore the theoretical frameworks of emotional intelligence, social-emotional learning, and leadership styles. The course adopts an empirical and experiential approach whereby students will both analyze extant research and reflect on what they do as leaders in their own contexts. The course draws from fields of study including psychology, social psychology, education, organizational leadership, and contemplative science.

Taught by Robert Roeser, Richard Doyle, and Elaine Berrena
Course number: HDFS297x

In this 5-week, 1-credit course, named after Ram Dass’ (1971) classic contemplative text “Be Here Now”, we will explore the teachings of this American psychologist and spiritual teacher on human flourishing. The course will introduce students to the remarkable life of Ram Dass (aka Professor Richard Alpert), as well as key insights he offered on living a life of flourishing. The teachings of Ram Dass on flourishing will be discussed in relation to the themes of awareness, interconnection, insight into self, and service. The course will include both experiential (e.g., meditation practices, dialogues) and academic (e.g., readings, lectures, videos) forms of learning.

Taught by Jennifer Frank
Course number: SPLED297

The goal of this course is to provide current and future educators and related service providers with an overview of research on mindfulness-based practices and applied examples of how to integrate these practices into educational settings. We will examine how mindfulness and related secular contemplative (non-religious) strategies can be used to reduce stress, maintain focus, improve sleep, and maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle. We will also explore how educators can use mindfulness to enhance their own professional and personal well-being.

Taught by Molly Countermine
Course number: HDFS111

This course will explore the roles of aesthetic experience, the arts, and creativity in personal and collective flourishing, and offer experiential learning opportunities for students to develop their aesthetic awareness and creative capacity through observing, participating in, and reflecting on various kinds of artistic performances, art installations, and art-making activities, and exploring the role that aesthetic experience plays in their identity development and flourishing. This course was made possible with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Associate Teaching Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Molly Countermine has a teaching style that embodies empathy, compassion and awareness. She sums up her approach as “Grace before grades, relationships before rigor” and believes deeply that students learn best from people they trust.

Dr. Countermine begins each class with an arrival practice, a 2-minute meditation that allows everyone to take a break out of their busy schedules and re-focus. She may read a poem, a passage from a book, or a use a guided meditation practice.