In a world of cultural diversity, global inequality, and political conflict, enhancing quality of life is arguably the unifying principle in our ambitions for social planning and personal lifestyle. But just what does "quality of life" mean? How did it become a preeminent concern for policy-makers and the public at large? And what's at stake if we subordinate other conceptions of the common good to this idea?
This course takes up these questions through an examination of quality of life's conceptual dimensions and social contexts. We'll read a variety of primary sources and recent arguments that illustrate the idea of quality of life and the debates about whether it's improving or deteriorating in various domains. We'll also use the sociological imagination to understand critically and historically how "quality of life" has come to frame personal aspirations, community initiatives, and political concerns in societies today.
Learning objectives:
| Conceptual: to understand "quality of life" as a scientific measure of real conditions as well as a social discourse that frames social problems and civilizational trajectories in particular ways. |
| Empirical: to analyze current issues and historical developments as they enhance or impair individual and collective well-being. |
| Critical: to grasp the social contexts that make quality of life a driving framework for understanding the 'greater good' today. |
| Political: to assess social movements and political initiatives that seek to enhance various aspects of quality of life. |
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