We all have feelings, but the field of psychology has grappled for over 100 years with what it means to feel. Despite the supposed universality of emotion, the field is full of debates and questions, such as: are emotions and their expressions universal? How many emotions are there? If you aren’t conscious of it, is it still an emotion? Do different emotions have distinct profiles in the brain or in the body? Is emotion something to be regulated, or enhanced? What is the difference between regulating an emotion and having a reaction; is the absence of reactivity indicative of successful regulation? Can being unhappy truly make you physically ill? The goal of this class is to provide broad and foundational knowledge in the area of affect, as well as advanced and graduate level knowledge in a sub-area of affect of your choosing, as an element of psychology’s discipline specific knowledge. The foundational content of the course is organized around four main areas: history of the study of affect, methods in affective science, affect in context, and the impact of affect on our lives. This is a self-guided course.

We all have feelings, but the field of psychology has grappled for over 100 years with what it means to feel. Despite the supposed universality of emotion, the field is full of debates and questions, such as: are emotions and their expressions universal? How many emotions are there? If you aren’t conscious of it, is it still an emotion? Do different emotions have distinct profiles in the brain or in the body? Is emotion something to be regulated, or enhanced? What is the difference between regulating an emotion and having a reaction; is the absence of reactivity indicative of successful regulation? Can being unhappy truly make you physically ill? The goal of this class is to provide broad and foundational knowledge in the area of affect, as well as advanced and graduate level knowledge in a sub-area of affect of your choosing, as an element of psychology’s discipline specific knowledge. The foundational content of the course is organized around four main areas: history of the study of affect, methods in affective science, affect in context, and the impact of affect on our lives. This is a self-guided course.

We all have feelings, but the field of psychology has grappled for over 100 years with what it means to feel. Despite the supposed universality of emotion, the field is full of debates and questions, such as: are emotions and their expressions universal? How many emotions are there? If you aren’t conscious of it, is it still an emotion? Do different emotions have distinct profiles in the brain or in the body? Is emotion something to be regulated, or enhanced? What is the difference between regulating an emotion and having a reaction; is the absence of reactivity indicative of successful regulation? Can being unhappy truly make you physically ill? The goal of this class is to provide broad and foundational knowledge in the area of affect, as well as advanced and graduate level knowledge in a sub-area of affect of your choosing, as an element of psychology’s discipline specific knowledge. The foundational content of the course is organized around four main areas: history of the study of affect, methods in affective science, affect in context, and the impact of affect on our lives. This is a self-guided course.