The Byrne Family First-Year Seminars are small, one-credit courses offered only to first-year students at Rutgers-New Brunswick offered through the Office of Undergraduate Education. The program offers students the chance to experience the excitement of original research as faculty members share their curiosity, their intellectual passion, and how they develop new ideas and fields of knowledge. Seminars are small, one-credit pass/fail courses that meet for 10 weeks. The Bloustein School’s Briavel Holcomb is teaching a class titled “R.U. Happy?” in which they explore the idea of happiness from various perspectives, the philosophy of happiness, positive psychology, life satisfaction measures and public policy, and different religions ideas of heaven. In their class this week, Dr. Holcomb took her class on a walking tour of New Brunswick culminating in “treats” at the Starbucks in the University’s new Barnes and Noble. “My secret agenda was to get them to know where the Bloustein School is, as we usually meet in a windowless room in Beck Hall!” said Dr. Holcomb.
