Research Paper on Kindness and Happiness

The Science of Happiness (ONLINE) Dr. Franzese

Guidelines for Capstone Project of the Elon Core Curriculum:

Learning outcome: The term paper protocol has been designed to provide you the opportunity to synthesize the information gained over the course of the semester, to apply theories of happiness to the consideration of a specific topic, and to evaluate empirical scholarship on the topic. The term paper project involves multiple stages which will afford you the opportunity to think broadly on your topic, focus your thinking, receive feedback from a peer, provide feedback, and engage in the critical process of revision. The process culminates in your creation of a revise and resubmit response letter (template to be provided) which reflects on the manuscript preparation process.

Connection to course objectives: This assignment has been designed to reflect and facilitate the course objectives which guide our class this semester, including:

• To explore and uncover answers to questions regarding happiness (e.g., What is happiness? How is happiness measured? Are some individuals happier than others? Are some cultures happier than others? Can happiness be induced?).
• To employ findings from sociology, psychology, anthropology, and the natural sciences to answer these questions.
• To learn about the theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and empirical findings used by each discipline to answer these questions.
• To gain experience in the process of synthesizing and integrating research literatures from multiple disciplines.
• To strengthen critical thinking, analytical skills, and articulation through the consideration, discussion, and interpretation of research and theory about happiness.

Task: There are three options for the term paper.

Option A: Random Acts of Kindness. This topic requires that you read the article by Lewellyn Jones (to be posted on Moodle), perform random acts of kindness, and consider the experience of conducting the acts and the observed responses to your acts through the literature on happiness.