課程大綱

課程資訊

課程名稱	活出快樂:科學實證與演練 The Science of Joyful Living
開課學期	109-1
授課對象
授課教師	戴可馨
課號	LibEdu1102
課程識別碼	H01E10400
班次	01
學分	3.0
全/半年	半年
必/選修
上課時間	星期四3,4,5(10:20~13:10)
上課地點	綜404
備註	初選不開放。本課程以英語授課。愈加選者，請務必第一週出席課程。。A48:哲學與道德思考、生命科學總人數上限：53人
Ceiba 課程網頁	http://ceiba.ntu.edu.tw/1091LibEdu1102_01
課程簡介影片
核心能力關聯	本課程尚未建立核心能力關連
課程大綱
為確保您我的權利,請尊重智慧財產權及不得非法影印
課程概述	待補 Joy and love are intrinsically our authentic nature. However our life experiences and unresolved trauma can be a precursor to disconnection from our authentic nature and inherent strengths. In our pursuit of success and happiness, or a “good life” we are bombarded with endless responsibilities, tasks, and the pressure of doing and achieving more. Alongside this, environmental stressors such as digital overload, political instability, climate change and health pandemics can often feel overwhelming. Over time, our nervous systems become overloaded, taking a toll on our body, mind and spirit. Our physical and mental health may decline or our relationships and life satisfaction may deteriorate. At the end of the day (and life), will what we do and achieve matter if we are unhappy and suffering? What does the evidence tell us about creating a joyful, happy and meaningful life? This practice based, self-development course brings forth empirical findings and evidence based approaches for holistic wellbeing and a meaningful life. We explore diverse and integrated wellbeing constructs from the lenses of social work, positive psychology, and yoga and mindfulness. The evidence demonstrated how healthy and harmonious body, mind and spirit balance connects to overall life satisfaction. Students will explore and log about weekly practices and approaches designed to foster tools for holistic wellbeing. Students can learn new techniques and approaches to navigate the ebbs and flows of life’s daily stressors and challenges. This can prevent chronic stress and dis-ease and enhance resilience and wellbeing. This is a journey of self discovery, self care and self empowerment.
課程目標	待補 Course Objectives Students will be able to: 1. Understand differences between overlapping wellbeing constructs 2. Reconnect with personal strengths 3. Use breath to regulate and manage stress systems and bring overall wellbeing 4. Distinguish how mental, physical and spiritual health are interconnected 5. Become aware of their personal stress factors and incorporate self-care techniques for stress reduction, personal and professional wellbeing 6. Demonstrate basic understanding of the neurobiology of trauma, stress and relaxation response systems 7. Use mindfulness, create space in body and mind, and explore their own wellbeing 8. Evolve any limiting beliefs and begin to reframe perceived deficits to strengths 9. Distinguish between a fixed mindset to a positive growth mindset 10. Explore meaning and purpose in life
課程要求	待補 Instructional Method Students will engage in learning through the following methods: Experiential (breathwork, yoga and mindfulness). Demonstration, Lecture, Small and Large Group Work and Discussion, Role Play, and Web, Audio and Video Supplemental Resources. We will be using NTU COOL for the class e-learning platform. Here you will find all materials needed for each session. We will have a special day for a Forest Day Retreat on Oct 22. Please be prepared to take that day off. Since the day retreat will be longer than a normal session, hours from other sessions have been allocated towards that day. Therefore, this Course will finish (last session) on December 17. Please also note, two sessions will be fully online through NTU COOL (no in-class sessions on those days: October 1 and November 26). For yoga sessions, there will be weekly practice. Please inform the Professor of any physical and mental disharmony you are currently experiencing. Yoga can be postures can be modified to suit different needs. Each week, please dress accordingly for yoga, movement, breath practices. Comfortable workout, athletic, stretchy and breathable clothing is highly recommended. No jeans, short shorts, skirts and dresses. Please be prepared to leave your shoes outside the door of the classroom. It is recommended you have socks to cover your feet in general but you may want to go barefoot on your yoga mat. Please bring your hand sanitizer/disinfectant spray with you. Small towels can be helpful for sweat or as eye cover. Always bring your water bottle. As you know, this is a self-development course. If you are currently experiencing physical and mental health disharmony and life challenges, you are encouraged to also access student counseling. This Course can be a support for you but does not replace counseling. The Professor is happy to support you in your efforts for wellbeing and is open to discuss and work with you. Students are encouraged to utilize Professor office hours for further clarification into Course materials, lectures, assignments or for any important matters. They can contact TA also. • Mobile phones should not be accessed during class. • Personal information disclosed during any class or small group discussion should be kept confidential REGISTRATION INFORMATION: There is no preregistering for this Course. You must come to the first class session to take this Course. On September 17, please arrive 20-30 minutes earlier to either the morning or afternoon session. It willl be first come, first serve. Sign in with TA and take your place in the line. After the class, if you want to stay in, you must get a barcode from the TA and then register with that code. Please email professor in advance for any questions about mental or physical health suitability.
預期每週課後學習時數
Office Hours	每週四 09:00~10:00 每週四 13:00~14:00 備註： Thursdays by appointment. Professor can be accessed before and after class as well.
指定閱讀	待補 Weekly resources will be available to students on NTU COOL.
參考書目	待補 There are no textbooks for this Course. All resources will be available on the web at no cost. Students will need to purchase a yoga mat and 2 yoga blocks. We will have yoga mat options available and students can place the order at Session 1. Please expect the following the expenses for this Course: 2 Yoga Blocks (we will order) (Around 200 NT for two) 1 Yoga Mat (we can order/you find yourself). Ours is made in Taiwan, cost is 580NT. Transportation for Forest Retreat: Estimated range: 300-400 NT
評量方式 (僅供參考)

課程進度

週次	日期	單元主題
Week 1	9/17	Module 1: Deconstruct the Elements of a Good Life We aim for a happy life that is filled with contentment and overall wellness. But is happiness overrated? How is joy different, and could this be what we need? Current evidence points out that wellbeing constructs such as meaning and purpose may be just as valuable as looking for happiness. Meaning and purpose in life brings motivation and a sense of direction that feels good for us. This introductory session deconstructs the key elements of subjective wellbeing and life satisfaction. Course information will be given and we will have our class opening circle and intention setting.
Week 2	9/24	Module 2: Turn Deficits into Strengths From childhood, the opinions, judgments and messaging of others and society become indoctrinated within us. These can create inadequacies of “not enough syndrome” (not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, strong enough, man enough, etc…). Often we focus on what we think we lack (our deficits) as we try to meet societal standards. This session we discover and explore your values and strengths and adopting the strengths approach and growth mindset.
Week 3	10/01 (Online)	Module 3: Manage Stress with Breath, Sleep & Self-Care (Online only; no in-class session) Sleeping and breathing are things we may take for granted and are underutilized superpowers in the face of socio-political-environmental & digital stress factors. By examining how the manifestations and impact of stress can be on our overall wellbeing, we understand the necessity, “what” and “why” of self-care. A key to regulating the nervous system is our original and most valuable tools-sleeping and breathing. This session illuminates how self-care practices enhance our capacity to become healthy, balanced and good managers of stress within our environments.
Week 4	10/08	Module 4: Connect Body Mind Spirit for Transformation Humans consists of interconnected physical, mental/psychological, social, spiritual and environmental domains (bio-psycho-social-spiritual holistic health model). In this session, we explore how stress and trauma impact all domains and how the social work practice approach of Integrative Body Mind Spirit that blends Eastern & Western health modalities can increase overall wellbeing and transcend trauma. From ancient Daoist wisdom to modern evidence of neuroplasticity, it is clear that combining body mind and spirit practices are vital for balanced health, life harmony and transformation. Yoga, an ancient practice with modern evidence, can be a key tool to do this.
Week 5	10/15	Module 5: Regulate Emotions with Self-Compassion & Self Love (10/15) Compassion means to be with others in their suffering, but how about being with ourselves during painful life experiences? Emotional agility and regulation can be key factors in resilience within stressful, adverse and challenging situations. This session explores the journey to regulate emotions, we can accept, learn and embrace them with self love and self compassion. Self-compassion and self love are critical factors in embracing emotions and nurturing ourselves to bring light to our shadows and life’s dark challenges. Through this, we can access our authentic nature, love ourselves, and find peace, joy and true contentment.
Week 6	10/22	Module 6: Heal and be Awed by Nature (10/22) A sense of “awe” and nature’s healing properties promote healing, wellbeing, and transcendent states of something greater than ourselves. Awe is generated from profound experiences such as magnificent landscapes, a heroic story, art and spirituality. Nature can literally heal us as evidenced by how trees and their phytoncides help to regulate physical and emotional health. Forest bathing can inspire a deeper connection and unification with nature. In this session, we rewild, forest bathe and be awed by the beauty of Dongyanshan Forest at our forest yoga retreat.
Week 7	10/29	Module 7: Reframe your Belief and Change the Story This session discusses ways to shift out of a deficit narrative into one of strength. Negativity bias, limiting beliefs and deficit perceptions of ourselves and our life circumstances can slide into a deficits focused narrative which often get overplayed, repeating over and over. Often, how we perceive this narratives do not serve our best interests and may prevent our strengths from flourishing. Words have power, and learning ways to reframe or reauthor our story can be an empowering and transformative process to counteract our deficits perceptions and narrative of ourselves. Perhaps, we can begin to rewrite our life stories into ones of survival, courage and empowerment.
Week 8	11/05	Module 8: Seek Safety within your Body This session explores how movement based activities such as yoga, exercise, athletics, and dance can be beneficial for our holistic health. How does the body impact our emotions, mental wellbeing and our zest for life? It is demonstrated that body movement can be a mediator to stress, can help to release traumas, and can enhance our feel good hormones. Using our bodies in health and wellbeing is crucial. We will explore movement in many forms. Don’t forget to wear sporty, comfortable clothes!
Week 9	11/12	Session 9: Experience Mindfulness & Meditation Mindfulness and meditation have been buzz words lately and are being embraced in society. This session discusses mindfulness (moment to moment awareness) and how we can cultivate it in our lives in order to live with more clarity, wisdom, and embodied attention. We will also discuss how meditation can build new neural pathways and can be beneficial to establish healthy wellbeing behavior.
Week 10	11/19	Module 10: Demystify Spirit & Energy Both scientists and spiritualists believe there is an vibrant frequency throughout us and the universe. Energy is in everything and is everywhere and as we can use this lifeforce (Chi, Prana) in our wellbeing journey. This session explores how energy and spirit connect to health and wellbeing. A special guest will discuss traditional wisdom and spirit practices and a guided self-exploration journey.
Week 11	11/26 (Online)	Module 11: Practice Kindness & Help Others (online only session) No classroom session this week. Please access this session online. Meaning and purpose, key social constructs of wellbeing, can often begin to take shape through acts of kindness and service to others. A desire to help others without expecting something in return is often referred to as altruism. The evidence points out that by being kind to others is good for our own wellbeing. Our neuroplasticity increases as we increase concern for others through our behavior, feelings and attitude. This session dives deeper into meaning and purpose through exploration of the pro social behaviors of kindness and altruism.
Week 12	12/03	Module 12: Build Empathy & Social Connections Meaningful connection brings joy into our lives and is a key pillar to wellbeing and elevating our spirits. This session looks into how building empathy skills can forge meaningful connections with others. In particular, empathy through mirroring, active listening and summarizing can be impactful to better understand others experiences. Also, when we feel fully heard enables a nurturing and supportive energy. Empathy is critical to human connection and feeling understood without judgment. Through an empathy circle we will practice these skills.
Week 13	12/10	Session 13: Do Gratitude & Count your Blessings Giving thanks for what we do have, can be a liberating aspect from suffering. Gratitude or “being thankful” is another common wellbeing construct that is gaining wide popularity. This session discusses gratitude a wellness practice. Moreover, recognizing our blessings instead of focusing on what we do not have can enhance our capacity to experience wellness and joy.
Week 14	12/17	Session 14: Reassessing Joy, Happiness, Meaning & Purpose In this final session, we share how the Course concepts come together in order to cultivate a joyful life. However, we may need to be with our feelings of vulnerability and use them as our ally in our quest for joy. If Joy was the trunk of a tree, the many wellbeing concepts are the roots that giveth tree sustenance. As a wellness ambassador, each students will find their voice as an advocate for a wellness practice or concept that contributes to a joyful life. We will have a closing circle.
Week 15	12/24 No Class	(No Class: hours allotted to Forest Day Retreat)
Week 16	12/31 (No Class)	(No Class: hours allotted to Forest Day Retreat)
Week 17	1/07 (No Class)	(No Class: hours allotted to Forest Day Retreat)