Pursuing Happiness

by Parfitt, Matthew; Skorczewski, Dawn;

• ISBN13: 9781319056322
• ISBN10: 1319056326
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781319258795
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2019-10-01
• Publisher: WORTH PUBLISHERS INC
• More Book Details

About This Book

Pursuing Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader, 2nd Edition

ISBN: 9781319056322

Pursuing Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader is a thought-provoking textbook that delves into the complex and multifaceted concept of happiness. This second edition, published in 2020, is designed to engage students in a deeper exploration of what makes us happy and how we can cultivate it in our lives.

Who Uses It?

Primarily, this book is used by students and instructors in composition and writing courses at the college and university levels. It is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the psychology of happiness, including professionals looking to explore this topic further.

History and Editions

The second edition of Pursuing Happiness has been updated to include 20 new reading selections that offer diverse perspectives on happiness. These selections range from discussions on the threats to happiness in the digital age to the value of embracing a somber mood. The book provides flexibility for teaching about happiness in various disciplines, making it an ideal package option for composition courses.

Author and Other Works

The authors of Pursuing Happiness are Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski. Matthew Parfitt is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at Boston University’s College of General Studies and has received the Peyton Richter Award for interdisciplinary teaching. Dawn Skorczewski is Professor of English and Director of University Writing at Brandeis University, and she has also served as the 2013 Fulbright Professor of American Culture in Amsterdam. Both authors have extensive experience in education and have co-edited other notable works, such as *Conflicts and Crises in the Composition Classroom—And What Instructors Can Do About Them*.

Key Features

• Comprehensive Coverage: The book explores the central concept of happiness through a variety of readings, including essays, articles, and excerpts.
• Diverse Perspectives: The selections cover a range of disciplines, from psychology to philosophy, offering multiple viewpoints on what makes us happy.
• Teaching Tools: The book includes general introductions, chapter introductions, and headnotes that provide context, along with prompts and assignments for discussion, informal writing, and research.
• Flexibility: The catalog at macmillanlearning.com offers support for teaching the themes, sample syllabi, and a list of related resources and links.

Detailed Information

ISBNs and Formats

• Print Book: ISBN-13: 9781319056322
• E-book: Available through various digital platforms

Publication Details

• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's
• Publication Date: 2020
• Number of Pages: Varies depending on the format
• Language: English

Other Editions and Formats

• First Edition: Available through Bedford/St. Martin's (2015)
• Digital Formats: Available as an e-book through various retailers

Related ISBNs:

• 9781319056322 (Print Book)
• 9781319056339 (E-book)

Rental Options:

• Available for rent through eCampus.com and other retailers for various durations.

This detailed information section provides a quick reference for all the available formats and sources for Pursuing Happiness, making it easier to find and access the book in the preferred format.

Table of Contents

[[new selections are marked with an asterisk]]

About The Bedford Spotlight Reader Series

Preface for Instructors

Contents by Discipline

Contents by Theme

Contents by Rhetorical Purpose

Introduction for Students

Chapter 1. What is Happiness?

*Voltaire, The Good Brahmin

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, The Sources of Happiness

Martha C. Nussbaum, Who Is the Happy Warrior? Philosophy Poses Questions to Psychology

*Darrin M. McMahon, From the Happiness of Virtue to the Virtue of Happiness: 400 BC–AD 1780

*Sissela Bok, Illusion

*Sara Ahmed, Happiness and Queer Politics

*Jon Meacham, Free to Be Happy

Chapter 2. What Makes People Happy?

Michael Argyle and Peter Hills, The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, If We Are So Rich, Why Aren’t We Happy?

National Academy of Sciences, Global Well-Being Ladder

Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener, Can Money Buy Happiness?

*Hal E. Hershfield, Cassie Mogilner, and Uri Barnea, People Who Choose Time Over Money Are Happier

Sonja Lyubomirsky, How Happy Are You and Why?

Ed Diener and Martin Seligman, Very Happy People

Chapter 3. Do We Deserve to Be Happy

Jennifer Michael Hecht, Remember Death

*Emily Esfahani Smith, There’s More to Life than Being Happy

Giles Fraser, Taking Pills for Unhappiness Reinforces the Idea That Being Sad Is Not Human

John Keats, Ode on Melancholy

*Laren Stover, The Case for Melancholy

*Naomi Shihab Nye, Kindness

*The New Economics Foundation, The Happy Planet Index

Mohsen Joshanloo and Dan Weijers, Aversion to Happiness across Cultures: A Review of Where and Why People Are Averse to Happiness

David Brooks, What Suffering Does

Chapter 4. Can We Create Our Own Happiness?

Gretchen Rubin, July: Buy Some Happiness

*Lucky Strike Cigarettes, Be Happy, Go Lucky

*Oliver Sacks, My Own Life

Graham Hill, Living with Less. A Lot Less.

*Lucille Clifton, won’t you celebrate with me

Noelle Oxenhandler, Ah, But the Breezes . . .

*Paul E. Jose, Bee T. Lim, and Fred B. Bryant, Does Savoring Increase Happiness? A Daily Diary Study

Chapter 5. Does Technology Make Us Happier?

*Maria Konnikova, How Facebook Makes Us Unhappy

*Lynn Stuart Parramore, Happy All the Time

*Adam Piore, What Technology Can’t Change About Happiness

*James McWilliams, Saving the Self in the Age of the Selfie.

*Sherry Turkle, Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.

*Max Strom, from There Is No App for Happiness

*Sentence Guides for Academic Writers

Acknowledgements

Index of Authors and Titles