Dr. Roeser will present the model of flourishing developed by the Student Flourishing Initiative, an initiative led by a group of scholars from Penn State, the University of Virginia, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He will then introduce a series of studies focused on the teaching and student impacts of the “Art and Science of Human Flourishing” course, now completed by approximately 1,000 undergraduate students at the three universities. These outcomes of the “Art and Science of Human Flourishing” course will be discussed: 1) attentional skills, 2) social/emotional skills, 3) perspectives and mindset related to flourishing, and 4) physical and mental health. He will also share insights on creating a caring community of learners.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the research and strategies for conducting the course.
About the Presenter:
Dr. Roeser is the College’s first Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion and leader of the Prevention Research Center’s empathy awareness and compassion program. Rob also coordinates the center’s annual compassion lecture. His interests include contemplative practices (e.g., mindfulness, compassion) in education for staff and students; schools as central cultural contexts for child and adolescent academic and social-emotional development; school reform and professional development; and India, globalization and adolescent development.
