Human Flourishing and Higher Education

Edited by:
Joseph L. DeVitis, Retired Professor of Education
Pietro A. Sasso, Delaware State University

A volume in the series: Identity & Practice in Higher Education-Student Affairs. Editor(s): Pietro A. Sasso, Delaware State University. Shelley Price-Williams, University of Northern Iowa.

In Press 2024

This book provides a more overarching, inclusive, appraisal of “human flourishing,” especially as it applies to the larger society and higher education. In an increasingly fractured world, it is imperative that both internal (individual) attributes of that notion be juxtaposed with external (social, economic, and political) factors that may either enhance or constrain development toward a more fulsome realization of “human flourishing.” The text focuses more on external contingencies since that side of the equation has been more submerged through history than the former model. Thus, the chapters take on a kind of Deweyan approach in that they simultaneously treat school and society, rather than a narrow look at only higher education. The methodological lenses for the book include critical pedagogy, critical social theory, philosophical analysis, and qualitative research.

The volume uses the term “human flourishing,” as opposed to “human thriving,” because (1) it connotes a fuller flavor for the means and ends in developing both individuals and societies; (2) “thriving” sometimes connotes a sense of status, a problematic aspirational goal; (3) more universities and colleges are creating “centers for human flourishing,” as in the case of Baylor, Harvard, Notre Dame of Maryland, and Stanford. In sum, “human flourishing” seems more attuned to the larger aims of liberal education, building a good life and a saner society, and the forging of continuous efforts toward higher ethical aims. Indeed, it is more synonymous with fulsome growth in individual identity and the enrichment of cultural development within a pluralistic world.

ENDORSEMENTS:

"DeVitis and Sasso have collected a series of insightful and critical analyses of higher education in the U.S. By focusing on eudaimonia—and correctly translating the term as “human flourishing”—they have put together an impressive lineup of essays that delimit the restrictions of contemporary college and university life. This compendium is a must-read for anyone interested in a critical reassessment of higher learning in America." — Deron Boyles, Georgia State University

"Human Flourishing and Higher Education is rare among books focused on higher education. The editors show us how colleges and universities can act as incubators for growth among students so that they can fulfill their goals and purpose and truly flourish. If institutions of higher education do this well, and in a socially equitable manner, more people will think critically, contribute more fully to society, and achieve more happiness for themselves and the world." — Marybeth Gasman, Rutgers Graduate School of Education

CONTENTS
Dedications. Preface, Joseph L. DeVitis and Pietro A. Sasso. PART I: HUMAN FLOURISHING: SOCIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES. Psychology’s Box: Containing Human Flourishing in a Riven Land, Joseph L. DeVitis. Mental Health and Student Flourishing through the Dynamic Student Development Meta-Theory, Pietro A. Sasso, Ashton Maisel, and Paige Vadnais. A Spirituality of Flourishing, Gary Doupe. Critique of Capitalism, Neoliberalism, and Obsessive Materialism and Individualism, John Smyth. Are the Kids Alright? How Higher Education’s Focus on Human Flourishing Risks Detracting From Student Needs, Carrie Freie. Liberal Education, Moral Agency, and a Flourishing Life, Daniel R. DeNicola. On Civic Engagement, Student Activism, and Global Citizenship, Joanna Swanger. PART II: HIGHER EDUCATION: HUMAN FLOURISHING IN PRACTICE. Is Civic Practice a Pathway to a Flourishing University? Richard Guarasci. Fostering Intellectual Humility Among Undergraduate Students: Integrating the Seven Strategies of Character Development, Johann Ducharme and Kate Allman. Rethinking Human Flourishing in Higher Education From a Community Cultural Wealth Lens, Hannah L. Reyes, Michelle M. Leao, and Antonio Duran. What Women Can Teach Us About Flourishing in Post-Pandemic Higher Education, Elaine Berrena, Laura Cruz, Marly Doty, Eileen Grodziak, Maureen Ittig, Jacqueline Schwab, and Robin Yaure. Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression: How Can We Flourish? Ann Wendle and Richie Stevens. Allowing Human Flourishing in Ability to Enhance Accessibility of Higher Education, Melanie D. Yates and Aaron Harrell. Flourishing in Undergraduate Science: Vital Engagement in a Structured Research Program for Minoritized Students in STEM, London Williams, Denise Ortiz, Brit Toven-Lindsey, Casey Shapiro, Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, and Tracy Johnson. Understanding Human Flourishing and the First-Generation College Student Experience From an Ecological Systems Lens, Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron, Christian R. Suero, and Sharrell Hassell-Goodman. Religious Diversity and Human Flourishing: Toward More Inclusive Theory and Practice in Higher Education, Eun Ae Chung and Sachi Edwards. Learning to Thrive in Political Spaces: Student Affairs Educator Preparation and Practice for Human Flourishing, Jonathan J. O’Brien. About the Authors.