BEH301 Course Syllabus (First Term 2013-2014) Page 1 of 6 Course Title : Positive Psychology and Positive Living Course Code : BEH 301 No. of Credits/Term : 3 Mode of Tuition : Lecture/Tutorial Class Contact Hours : 42 hours (3 hours per week) Category in Major Programme : Stream Elective BSMS, CSIP, minor in Behavioural Science Prerequisite(s) : BEH 103, BEH 203 or GEC 302 Lecture : Thursday 15:30-17:30 WYL 102 Tutorial : Monday 12:30-13:30 WYL 107 - or- Monday 15:30-16:30 WYL 113 Instructor : Dr. Victoria Ka-Ying Hui WYL 222 2616-7153 victoriahui@ln.edu.hk Monday 13:30-15:30 (by appointment) Thursday 13:30-15:30 (by appointment) Brief Course Description This course introduces the new development of positive psychology, specifically the applied positive psychology perspective, to enhance personal happiness and resilience, individual health, and productivity of institutions. The course also highlights positive psychology ideas and science, and some spiritual/religious ideas, such as those from Buddhism, regarding psychological interventions in different settings. Aims 1. To provide students with a new focus and development in psychology on the positive aspects of life 2. To investigate what makes life worth living thereby developing positive emotions, positive characters, positive relations, and positive institutions 3. To gain understanding of human virtues and strengths among individuals 4. To motivate students to show more enthusiasm to life 5. To inculcate students social and cooperative skills based on tolerance, integrity and civility
BEH301 Course Syllabus (First Term 2013-2014) Page 2 of 6 Learning Outcomes Knowledge: K1. To recall and understand the three pillars of positive psychology K2. To analyze the concepts and theories of human strengths, such as resilience, forgiveness, gratitude, optimism, hope, positive affect, and self-efficacy K3. To explore empirically documented positive psychology interventions in different settings K4. To deliver an oral presentation regarding one character strength Skills: S1. To apply human strengths and positive psychology theories, such as psychological capital and work engagement, in solving some social problems in societies and institutions S2. To develop positive communication skills with friends and family, as well as in institutions Values: V1. To become more able to cope with adversities and challenges V2. To develop flexible mindset and positive attitudes V3. To become more cooperative based on tolerance, integrity and civility V4. To appreciate what make life healthier and more meaningful Measurement of Learning Outcomes Students recall, understanding, analysis, and evaluation of positive psychology concepts, theories and interventions will be assessed by their response papers, tutorial presentation and final exam (K1-K4) Students communication skills can be assessed by their tutorial presentation, discussion and the ways they handle Q & A (S2) Students application of positive psychology theories to real-life examples will be assessed by their response papers, tutorial presentation and final exam (K4, S1-S2) Students attitudes to life and their showing more love and concern to family members, friends and others in the community will be assessed by their response papers and tutorial presentation (K4, S1, V1- V4) Students creativity and innovation can be assessed by their response papers and tutorial presentation (K4, V2, V4) Teaching Method This course is made up of lectures combined with tutorials. Audio-visual aids and additional readings will be supplemented. Guest speakers may be invited for some lectures.
BEH301 Course Syllabus (First Term 2013-2014) Page 3 of 6 Assessment 1. Response papers (30%) Students are to submit a total of six individual response papers in English and in hard copy throughout the term. These responses papers will involve some degree of personal examination on several positive psychology topics. With the exception of the first response paper, the length of the remaining five response papers should range between 800 and 1000 words (excluding references and appendices). No late submission is accepted. Students may be asked to submit electronic copy of their response papers to the instructor on request. Response Papers Deadline Submission Point 1. Self introduction (1%) 19 September, lecture time Lecture room 2. Happiness (5%) 25 September, 5 pm General office (WYL 201) 3. Character strengths (5%) 09 October, 5 pm General office (WYL 201) 4. Expressive writing (6%) 23 October, 5 pm General office (WYL 201) 5. Positive communication (6%) 27 November, 5 pm General office (WYL 201) 6. Romantic love (7%) 04 December, 5 pm General office (WYL 201) 2. Tutorial presentation & attendance (20%) Students will form small groups, select a movie portraying one of the assigned character strengths, and present their movie analysis. They will also submit a hard copy of their brief presentation proposal, which includes their presentation topic, the title of the movie, each group member s area of focus, and at least one complete reference, to the General Office (WYL 201). This presentation proposal is due on 02 October 2013, by 5pm. Additional guidance on managing the presentation will be arranged for students who need further assistance. Hard copies of their presentation materials should be provided for the instructor and for all their tutorial classmates during the preceding lecture (see below). Students may be asked to submit electronic copy of their presentation materials to the instructor on request. Presentation Materials Deadline Submission Point 1. Love (within the family) 31 October, lecture time Lecture room 2. Forgiveness 07 November, lecture time Lecture room 3. Hope 14 November, lecture time Lecture room Students are expected to attend all tutorial classes. To respect presenters and minimize disruptions, any student arriving over 10 minutes late will not be allowed to enter the tutorial room and be considered absent. 3. Final exam (50%) The final exam consists of essay questions, which involve all course materials. Supplementary examination will only be arranged for students with medical or other compelling reasons under exceptional circumstances. To be eligible for consideration, they must provide a formal letter and supporting evidence to the instructor within 24 hours of the missed exam. Otherwise a missed exam will receive a zero mark.
BEH301 Course Syllabus (First Term 2013-2014) Page 4 of 6 Indicative Content 1. Introduction Historical development of positive psychology; and the applied positive psychology perspective Three pillars of positive psychology Psychology and Buddhism Philosophical foundations: Character strengths and virtues across cultures 2. Values in Pursuit of Good Lives What are values? Healthy values to well-being Subjective well-being & life satisfaction: The science of happiness & positive affect The good lives model 3. Human Strengths in Practice A model of resilience/resiliency in Western and Chinese societies Strengths of courage: Persistence (perseverance), vitality (zest, enthusiasm, vigor, energy) Strengths of humanity: Social intelligence, positive relations, positive communication Strengths of temperance: forgiveness Strengths of transcendence: Gratitude, hope (optimism), humor 4. Positive Living & Psychological Interventions in Different Settings Applying to mental health: Positive psychotherapy, mindfulness training Applying to workplace: Positive organizational behavior, psychological capital, work engagement Applying to ageing: Positive ageing Required Textbook Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2013). Positive psychology: The science of happiness and flourishing (International edition, 2 nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Supplementary Readings Key Journals: 1. Journal of Psychology in Chinese Societies, Vol. 8, No.1, The Hong Kong Psychological Society and The Chinese University Press. 2. The Journal of Positive Psychology, Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group 3. Journal of Happiness Studies
BEH301 Course Syllabus (First Term 2013-2014) Page 5 of 6 Books: Aponte, J. F., & Wohl, J. (Eds.). (2000). Psychological intervention and cultural diversity (2 nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Dockett, K. H., Dudley-Grant, G. R., & Bankart, C. P. (Eds.). (2003). Psychology and Buddhism: From individual to global community. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. Donaldson, S. I., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Nakamura, J. (Eds.). (2011). Applied positive psychology: Improving everyday life, health, schools, work, and society. New York: Routledge. Glantz, M. D., & Johnson, J. L. (Eds.). (1999). Resilience and development: Positive life adaptations. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. Hanna, S. L., Suggett, R., & Radtke, D. (2008). Person to person: Positive relationships don t just happen (5 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall. Kahneman, D., Diener, E., & Schwarz, N. (Eds.). (1999). Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Keyes, C. L. M., & Haidt, J. (Eds.). (2003). Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Lewis, S. (2011). Positive psychology at work: How positive leadership and appreciative inquiry create inspiring organizations. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (Eds.). (2004). Positive psychology in practice. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2007). Psychological capital: Developing the human competitive edge. New York: Oxford University Press. Nelson, D. L., & Cooper, C. L. (Eds.). (2007). Positive organizational behavior. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press. Pryce-Jones, J. (2010). Happiness at work: Maximizing your psychological capital for success. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Rath, T., & Harter, J. (2011). Wellbeing: The five essential elements. New York: The Gallup Press. Seligman, M. E. P. (1998). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. New York: Free Press. Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York: Free Press. Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York: Free Press. Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (Eds.). (2002). Handbook of positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. Articles and Book Chapters: 林 琳, 時 勘, 蕭 愛 鈴. (2008). 工 作 投 入 的 研 究 現 狀 與 展 望 [The review of the research on work engagement]. 管 理 評 論 [Management Review], 20(3), 8-15. Bonanno, G.. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20-28. Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34-43.
BEH301 Course Syllabus (First Term 2013-2014) Page 6 of 6 Luthans, F., Avey, J. B., Clapp-Smith, R., & Li, W. (2008). More evidence on the value of Chinese workers psychological capital: A potentially unlimited competitive resource? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(5), 818-827. Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2009). The point of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(2), 291-307. Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Walumbwa, F. O., & Li, W. (2005). The psychological capital of Chinese workers: Exploring the relationship with performance. Management and Organization Review, 1(2), 249-271. Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. (2007). Emerging positive organizational behavior. Journal of Management, 33(3), 321-349. Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. Siu, O. L. (2006). 抗 逆 力 [Resilience]. 北 大 商 業 評 論 Peking U Business Review, April 2006, 72-74. Siu, O. L. (2007). Locus of control. In S. Rogelberg (Ed.), Encyclopedia of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 461-462). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE publications. Siu, O. L., Chow, S. L., Phillips, D. R., & Lin, L. (2006). An exploratory study of resilience among Hong Kong employees: Ways to happiness. In Y. K. Ng & L. S. Ho (Eds.), Happiness and public policy: Theory, case studies, and implications (pp. 209-220). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Siu, O. L., Hui, C. H., Phillips, D. R., Lin, L., Wong, T. W., & Shi, K. (2009). A study of resiliency among Chinese health care workers: Capacity to cope with workplace stress. Journal of Research in Personality, 43(5), 770-776. Siu, O. L., Lu, C. Q., & Spector, P. E. (2007). Employees well-being in Greater China: The direct and moderating effects of general self-efficacy. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 56(2), 288-301. Siu, O. L., Phillips, D. R., & Lin, L. (2007, December). Exploring psychological capital to face new challenges of global business: Evidence from Chinese employees. Proceedings of the Southeast Chapter of the Academy of International Business, Hangzhou, China. Stajkovic, A. D. (2006). Development of a core confidence-higher order construct. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6), 1208-1224. Wright, T. A. (2003). Positive organizational behavior: An idea whose time has truly come. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(4), 437-442. Academic Integrity Students shall be aware of the University regulations about dishonest practice in course work and the possible consequences as stipulated in the regulations governing University examinations. With regard to your coursework in particular, you must note the sources of quotations, data and general information in the essay. These sources/references should appear in alphabetical order in your list of references/bibliography. According to Lingnan University and Social Sciences Programme policy, plagiarism is "presentation of another person's work without proper acknowledgment of the source". Plagiarism (unattributed copying) will be heavily penalised and may attract a zero mark and disciplinary action.