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BerkeleyX: GG101x The Science of Happiness

Important links for Team leaders

Important links for Team members 

FAQs for Team members 

What is a Happiness Team? Happiness Teams are groups of students who meet regularly in-person or virtually to review and discuss the course, and try happiness practices together. Although students are encouraged to participate in discussions within the edX forums, joining a Happiness Team allows for deeper and more personal engagement with the course and with other students. 

What happens at Happiness Team meetings is up to the Happiness Team leader, but it will typically be inspired by the weekly course content. During the midterm and final weeks, you might review the material and help each other study. If the timing is convenient, you may also meet up to watch the Live Video Q&As together or watch some of the suggested “Happiness Cinema” movies.

What are some examples of Happiness Teams? Happiness Teams can be organized around a location, an interest, or an organization. For example: 

  • Place-based Happiness Teams. Happiness Teams in your neighborhood, your city, or your state. 
  • Interest-based Happiness Teams. Happiness Teams of students interested in sports, technology, life coaching, art, writing, parenting, or teaching, for example. These Happiness Teams could spend some meeting time discussing how the course material applies to their interest of choice. 
  • Organization-based Happiness Teams. Happiness Teams at your office, your church, or your community center. 

Does every Happiness Team have to do a project? In addition to working with course material, we also encourage Happiness Team members to collaborate on a project during the course. For example, you might volunteer to clean up your neighborhood or help a local charity, start a meditation group, teach gratitude to children, stage a happiness flash mob, or anything else you can imagine. 

Projects are not mandatory, but they can be a fun and creative way to get engaged and make an impact. We believe these ideas can change the world, and your Happiness Team is a great opportunity to do that. (The science of) happiness is meant to be shared! 

What’s the difference between a Team and a Cohort? When you join this course, you are assigned automatically to one of 10 Cohorts. When you start a discussion thread in the Courseware section of the course, only students in your Cohort can see it. This helps make the discussion forums more interactive and less overwhelming. (Certain threads, such as those in the General category of the Discussion tab and instructor-created threads that begin with DISCUSSION, are visible to all Cohorts.) 

Teams, on the other hand, are voluntary (and optional) and meet outside of edX. Not all your Team members will be in the same Cohort as you, but that isn't a problem. 

I signed up for a Team, but my Team leader hasn’t been in touch with me. What happened? We don’t have the resources to vet Team leaders, so we take students at their word when they volunteer to organize a Team. If your leader doesn’t seem to be doing the job, you might try joining another Team. If you’d like us to get in touch with your Team leader, just email happinesscourse@berkeley.edu.  

Is there a deadline for joining Teams? No, but we encourage you to join a Team as soon as possible--meetings started in Week 1. If you signed up late and you don’t hear from your Happiness Team leader, email us at happinesscourse@berkeley.edu. 

Do I have to join a Team? No, Teams are completely optional. 

Can I join more than one Team? Sure! Teams meet weekly, so that might be a big commitment--but if you’re up for it, go right ahead.