If you know one line from the Declaration of Independence, it’s probably this one: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” But what does it mean today, and what has it meant in all the years since 1776? 

In this course we will look at how happiness has been represented and experienced by various populations in the United States from 1776 to the present. To do this we will read literature by European American, African American, Native American, Chinese American, Latinx American, and Arab American writers. Interspersed among literary texts will be several texts about theories and measures of happiness, along with music, art, film/TV and advertising that focuses on happiness. As we read these texts we will ask questions like these: How do literary texts give us access to understandings about what happiness means to people who differ by gender, race, ethnicity, and historical moment? And what do these texts obscure? How do our own conceptions of happiness shift as we consider multiple texts on the topic? How do non-literary texts represent or obscure the intersection of race with other identifications, especially those based on gender and sexuality?

This course satisfies the following CURRENT English major/minor requirement: NOT APPLICABLE

This course satisfies the following NEW English major/minor requirements: Foundations & Methods (200-level), Regions: Americas, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Time: Contemporary/Modern

Course Requirements:

Course requirements: one five-page paper, one ten-page paper, one comic, and lots of short collaborative assignments