We'll go through a quick theoretical overview of the main philosophies in the field of ethics (the study of the good life and proper conduct), but we'll mostly be discussing and debating real-life cases. What's the right thing to do, and how can you tell? We might not come to definite conclusions - we might not even agree about the answers - but hopefully this class will help you think through how to make more conscious ethical choices in your daily life.

This course will give you an understanding of eight of the most important and thought-provoking psychological experiments of the twentieth century. We'll discuss ways that you can apply the experiments' insights to your daily life to make your life smoother and happier.

Everyone's probably heard a "Confucius says..." joke or two, and most people are familiar with fortune cookies and their wacky wisdom. But what did Confucius actually say, and what are the main ideas and symbols in the philosophy of the world's most populous country? Come find out what thinkers like Laozi (author of the saying "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"), Confucius, and Mencius had to say about how we should live our lives!

"Confucius says" jokes abound, but how much do you really know about the philosophy of Confucius, Laozi (Lao Tzu), Mencius, or other Chinese philosophers like Zhuangzi and Mozi? If you're interested in learning more about ancient Chinese philosophers (and how modern psychological insights have confirmed their wisdom about human behavior), come join me for a discussion of their thoughts about life (and their continued relevance in our lives today).

You can hardly read a newspaper or magazine these days without coming across an article that's somehow related to neuroscience. This course will briefly cover the basics of this up and coming field of scientific exploration. We'll talk about the neuron, the cortex, the different parts of the brain and nervous system, and how neurons communicate with one another. If time permits, we will also discuss how our various sensory systems work [movement, sensation, olfaction (smell), taste, audition (hearing), and vision].

Happiness: it's relevant to everyone's lives, and it's a topic that everyone's interested in, but few can define it. What exactly is happiness? How can we achieve happiness? Should happiness even be our end goal in life? We'll look at these questions and more, drawing upon philosophers' age-old insights and the recent findings of neuroscientists and psychologists.