OB 383

Lives of Consequence: How Individuals Discover Paths to Meaningful Engagement

Graduate School of Business

Recommended for route(s):

[ Litigation ] Civil Rights/Liberties: General

General course Description:

This Bass Seminar will examine the lives of extra-ordinary individuals who have made exceptional contributions to society, either through their impact on business, politics, or the arts. We will take a close look, for example, at creative individuals such as Steve Jobs, George Lucas, and Pixar's Brad Bird; political achievers such as Margaret Thatcher, John F. Kennedy, Tony Blair, and Martin Luther King; and business leaders such as Bill Gates, Whole Foods CEO John Mackay, and Starbuck's Howard Schultz (to name just a few). We will use these examples to develop ideas about the narrative unfolding of creative and extra-ordinary lives. Using theories and evidence from the social and behavioral sciences, we will develop a conceptual framework for thinking about individuals' "paths to extra-ordinary achievement." Drawing on psychological and philosophical theory and research, we will also examine how human achievement relates to happiness and perceptions of meaning in one's life. Participants in this seminar will work in small groups to study individuals or domains of special interest. Students will also have an opportunity to apply the framework to their own lives using a series of enjoyable reflective exercises. The seminar will be very discussion oriented and quite lively. The goal of the seminar is to change how you think about your self and your life - and that is an exciting and engaging challenge.

Course Style: A Substantive course teaches the law, theory, and policy in a particular area of law

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