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CS92PROD
Success and Failure (FYS)
CSPL 205F
Spring 2025
Section: 01  

Students who get into colleges like Wesleyan are typically high achievers who are planning for successful futures. But success and failure are highly subjective concepts and often reflect unconscious beliefs about personal identities, what is expected of us by families, peers, and cultures, and our perceptions, right or wrong, of different occupations. Some of our most firmly rooted concepts of success and failure are based on where we come from, what our parents do, their level of education, and what our peers choose to pursue. Society also sends us strong messages about our identities, including gender, race, religion, and socioeconomic status. What is particularly tricky is understanding what identities and cultural influences may motivate us at any given time. While rooted in developmental psychology, this course will take an interdisciplinary approach to help students define success and failure for themselves, drawing from organizational behavior, sociology, American studies, education studies, film and more. We will ask: What does American culture tell us about the definitions of success and failure? Are those definitions changing in today's dynamic economic environment? Is it inevitable to feel anxious and overwhelmed? What is the role of luck and merit in success and failure? How important is it to find meaning and purpose in work? Can you flourish in life if you don't? What is the role of work in a life worth living?
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ALLB
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Student Option
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Requirement for: None
Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above

Last Updated on DEC-03-2024
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