COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA257.11

COURSE TITLE: Work, Wisdom and Happiness

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1 unit

INSTRUCTOR: Barry Schwartz

E-MAIL ADDRESS: bschwar1@swarthmore.edu

MEETING DATES: Sundays 11/20 & 12/4 from 9AM - 5PM

PREREQUISITE(S): Completion of Core Curriculum

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Final paper and class participation

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES For centuries, work was regarded as nothing but toil— a requirement for earning one's daily bread. But in recent decades, expectations about work have been transformed as has its very nature.  While it still provides one’s daily bread, it is also regarded as a major opportunity for people to find purpose, meaning, and happiness in their lives. In this course we'll study the latest research on what makes people happy at work, on how happiness at work improves the quality of work, on how people and organizations develop wisdom, and on what makes a career not just successful but meaningful.  We will also discuss some of the impediments—both individual and organizational—to doing meaningful and satisfying work. Students will develop their own visions of their ideal career, and of the ideal company they’d like to lead or work for.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
I was a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College for 45 years, working at the intersection of psychology and economics. My focus has been on how people make decisions, and I'm especially interested in the moral dimensions of the decisions people make. Among my books are The Paradox of Choice (2004), Practical Wisdom, written with Kenneth Sharpe (2010), and Why We Work (2015). I have spoken about each of these topics at TED [on choice, see: http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html on wisdom, see: http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html, and on work, see: http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_way_we_think_about_work_is_broken]. These talks have been viewed by more than 12 million people.