Exploring The Good Life: Trauma, Meaning, and Flourishing

What does it mean to live a life worth living and how is that pursuit shaped by suffering and trauma? How does one live well after trauma? Who do we respond to and what should we do when we fail to recover after trauma? Grounded in the Life Worth Living framework, this course invites students to critically examine these questions of identity, purpose, and flourishing. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, including theology, philosophy, psychology, and cultural studies, students will explore how diverse worldviews answer to these questions and what it means to seek meaning in the aftermath of suffering. Through reflective writing, experiential activities, and dialogue, students will engage in a process of personal exploration that challenges their current perspectives and fosters growth. The course cultivates essential competencies including self-awareness, cultural humility, empathy, and the ability to approach intellectual and emotional discomfort with openness, care, and curiosity.