News Source: Times Now – Amongst the many courses in Yale, the most popular is the recently launched Psyc 157 – the course on Happiness. Within a few days of opening the registration, 300 students had enrolled for the same. The number more than doubled to about 1200 within the next three days as one in every four students in the undergraduate classes of Yale signed up for ‘Happiness’, making it the most popular course ever in the 316 years history of the varsity.
The popularity of this new course in Yale reinforces the reality of increasing amount of stress in academic. The course titles Psyc 157 – Psychology and Good Life is being taught by Laurie Santos, 42, a psychology professor and the head of one of Yale’s residential colleges. The focus of the course is to help students lead a happier and more satisfying life and is delivered in twice-weekly lectures.
A report released in 2013 by Yale College Council had found more than half of its undergraduates seeking mental health care during their time at the varsity. Quoting the same, Dr Santos hopes to overcome the ‘mental health crises we are seeing at places like Yale” by means of such courses as Psyc 157. Students agree.Alanna Maynes, a 19-year-old freshman who has enrolled for the courses spoke with the journal and agreed on the increased stress levels in the students today.
At present, 1182 undergraduate students are currently enrolled in the course. Record of such large enrollments in a single course was Psychology and the Law in 1992 which had about 1050 students. Most of the large lectures of Yale do not exceed 600 students.
