June 16th - July 28th
Course FacultyPeggy Rubin, Melissa Schwartz, Meggan Hartman
Joy is often misconstrued as a pleasant byproduct of favorable circumstances rather than as a generative capacity cultivated through developmental practice. This course approaches joy as a fundamental human capability that can be deepened, refined, and embodied across the sensory, emotional, cognitive, and relational dimensions of experience. Rather than treating joy as the absence of suffering or as a transient affective state, the course explores joy as a steady ground of vitality, presence, and meaning-making that supports resilience, creativity, and mature action in the face of complexity. The cultivation of joy is considered both as an individual developmental line and as a collective condition shaped by culture, relationship, and institutional life.
Drawing on developmental psychology, contemplative traditions, somatic practices, and inquiry into positive affect, this course engages joy in its many nuances: aesthetic joy, relational joy, vocational joy, and the quieter joy that accompanies authentic presence. Topics include the cultivation of delight as a daily practice, the relationship between joy and grief, the role of joy in individuation, the social and cultural conditions that enable or constrain joyful experience, and the place of joy in professional life and community making. Students will engage embodied practices that support the emergence of joy as a reliable developmental resource, while examining how joy functions as both a personal capacity and a collective force in the transformation of relationships, organizations, and cultures.
Curriculum
Course Modules
Module One
Reclaiming Joy: From Circumstance to Capacity
- The Capacity Model: Joy as a Developmental Line
- Distinguishing Pleasure, Happiness, Contentment, and Joy
- Contemplative Traditions on Joy: Mudita, Simcha, Beatitude, and Wajd
- Joy Across the Sensory, Emotional, Cognitive, and Relational Dimensions
- The Generative Function of Joy: Resilience, Creativity, and Mature Action
- Joy as Ground: From Affect to Way of Being
Module Two
Somatic Roots: The Body as the First Site of Joy
- The Neurobiology of Positive Affect: Vagal Tone and Polyvagal Foundations
- Breath, Posture, and the Somatic Markers of Joy
- Play as the Developmental Origin of Joy
- Pleasure, Savoring, and Sensory Aliveness
- Rest, Replenishment, and the Conditions for Joyful Embodiment
- Embodied Practices: Cultivating Joy through Movement, Touch, and Breath
Module Three
The Practice of Delight: Aesthetic Joy in Everyday Life
- Wonder and Awe as Gateways
- Beauty, Perception, and the Aesthetic Imagination
- Savoring as a Contemplative Practice
- Daily Delight: The Discipline of Noticing
- The Quieter Joys of Attention and Presence
- The Re-Enchantment of Ordinary Life
Module Four
Joy and Its Companions: Grief, Longing, and the Full Spectrum
- The Interweaving of Joy and Grief
- Joy Amidst Suffering: Wisdom from Contemplative Traditions
- Distinguishing Joy from Mania, Performative Positivity, and Spiritual Bypassing
- Eros and Longing: The Yearning Dimension of Joy
- Joy in the Healing of Trauma
- Equanimity as the Floor of Joy
Module Five
Joy in Individuation: Self, Other, and the Relational Field
- The Joy of Being Seen: Recognition and Mature Selfhood
- Mudita and Sympathetic Joy: Rejoicing in the Flourishing of Others
- Joy in Mature Love and Intimacy
- Vocational Joy: The Aliveness of Work that Matters
- Dyadic Joy: Attunement, Co-Regulation, and Shared Vitality
- The Quiet Joy of Authentic Presence
Module Six
The Social Architecture of Joy: Cultural and Institutional Conditions
- Modernity, Busyness, and the Eclipse of Joy
- The Political Economy of Joylessness
- Cultural Narratives that Constrain Delight
- Communal Joy: Celebration, Festival, and Ritual
- Joy as Resistance: Joy Under Oppression and Crisis
- The Commons of Delight: Reclaiming Shared Spaces of Aliveness
Module Seven
Generative Joy: Joy in Professional Life and Community Making
- The Practitioner as Steward of Collective Joy
- Joy in Professional Practice: From Burnout to Vitality
- Transformative Communities of Practice as Vessels of Shared Joy
- Joy as an Evolutionary Force in Organizations and Cultures
- Cultivating Joy in the Face of Civilizational Crisis
- The Generative Imperative: Joy and the Possible Future
*Course modules are illustrative. Faculty build dynamic course content and class structure aligned with and beyond the listed modules.
Faculty
Faculty
Peggy Rubin
Melissa Schwartz
Meggan Hartman
Format
Course Structure
- Six-week online course from June 16th, 2026 through July 28th, 2026.
- Six, live, 75 to 90-minute sessions with faculty and recorded for participants who cannot join every session live.
- Reading resources, networking, and emergent community outcomes.
- Content and collaboration via Meridian's social learning platform.
Schedule
Course Schedule
June 16
10 AMFirst Live Course Session
June 2310 AMSecond Live Course Session
July 710 AMThird Live Course Session
July 1410 AMFourth Live Course Session
July 2110 AMFifth Live Course Session
July 2810 AMSixth Live Course Session
Course Fees
$250
- Live video classes
- Access to recordings on course platform
- Course platform community and written resources
- Participant launch of ongoing Community of Practice after the course
Accreditation
Meridian University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) - a higher education accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education. WASC is also the accreditor for Stanford University, UCLA, and the University of California at Berkeley.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Online Course?
Meridian's online courses are conducted via the University's own learning platform. Our online courses promote community learning, through strong interactive engagement with fellow students and faculty as well as live video sessions with faculty.
What technology do I need to take an online course?
You will need an email account, a high-speed internet connection, and access to a computer, iOS or Android device. If you are planning to attend the course video calls live, you will need a webcam and microphone for your device. (Course video calls are conducted with participants video-enabled.)
Do I need to be online at certain times for class?
Live 75 to 90-min video sessions with faculty and fellow students will be conducted throughout the course. Each week's live video call will be recorded and posted on the course platform. Video presentations, readings, discussions and learning activities will be accessible asynchronously and may be completed on participants' own schedule. Course resources and recordings will remain available up to 30 days after the close of the course.
What is Meridian's refund policy?
Full refunds are available until two (2) days before the course begins, by request via email.
Do I need to apply to Meridian graduate program to take this online course?
You do not need to apply to a Meridian graduate degree program to take this online course. This course is one of Meridian's open-enrollment courses.
How can I reach course support?
The course support team will be available to assist from start to finish. Please send your questions/requests/issues to ctl@meridianuniversity.edu
Who will teach each session?
Convening faculty generally lead each live session. Contributing faculty typically contribute in one of the live course sessions. Course resources address the work of both convening and contributing faculty.
Is financial aid available for this public online course?
Meridian has institutional and federal financial aid options for our graduate degree programs. This open enrollment course does not have financial aid or payment plans available.