Where am I?
Dedicated Semester
Happiness: Traditions and Tensions
Fontbonne University Dedicated Semester Fall '10
The search for happiness is a universal experience. For centuries, philosophers, leaders, scholars and ordinary people everywhere have sought the key to finding and maintaining happiness.
But what is happiness? What does it mean to pursue this elusive concept, and is it even an attainable goal?
The Fontbonne University 2010 Dedicated Semester will dissect, discuss and debate Happiness: Traditions and Tensions, examining the search for, the meaning of and the history surrounding happiness.
"Our dedicated semester events will explore not just what it takes to make us happy as individuals but also as a community and a nation," said Corinne Taff, chair of the 2010 dedicated semester and assistant professor and chair of interdisciplinary studies. "We will also explore the balance between pursuing individual happiness and acting toward the greater social good. We are looking forward to a variety of events that will bring critical thinking to a topic that applies to everyone's lives."
During the semester, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to explore happiness as a community. Events will include activities, guest speakers, films, panels, discussions and courses built on and around the semester's theme, and will range from fun to philosophical.
A unique academic experience, this collaborative initiative encourages the entire university, as well as the local community, to explore a single theme during the 2010 fall semester.
An Annual Tradition
Fontbonne University welcomes you to a unique academic experience — it’s what we call our dedicated semester.
This collaborative initiative encourages the entire university — students, faculty and staff — to explore a single theme each fall semester. The inaugural effort was introduced in fall 2007 when the university examined “Judaism and Its Cultures.”
In addition to courses offered by many of our academic departments, there will be films, panels, speakers and events, all designed to give students an opportunity to learn in detail about the semester’s chosen topic. We will also involve the local community in relevant ways in order to extend the focus of this endeavor beyond our campus borders.