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Emotions are a big part of what makes us human. Emotions not only help us understand ourselves and our social relationships with others, they help us respond to stimuli in our environment, and to change our behavior accordingly. In this course, you will investigate the function of emotions in daily life, as well as how to differentiate them from similar, but different "feeling states." You will also explore the history of the study of emotions, including initial perspectives from Western philosophy, as well as how it transformed into a science whereby researchers developed more empirical, systematic methods to study the human emotional experience. Finally, you will compare the evolutionary perspective with other important sources of emotion, such as culture, biological response, and appraisals.
Building your emotional vocabulary is a critical step in recognizing emotions. Naming emotions helps you understand and articulate what you are feeling, and recognize what others are feeling. In this course, you will explore the benefits of broad emotional lexicon. You will also examine strategies for using facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice to identify emotions, and consider how the expression of certain emotions are the same all over the world. You'll practice recognizing emotion in others and, you will consider the limitations of people in being able to recognize and properly identify emotions.

In this course, you will examine the relationship between emotion and cognition, and explore the ways emotion can affect your judgment and decision-making. You will consider how emotion can shape what you are perceiving and paying attention to, and how it impacts your memory. You will examine how emotion can influence creativity and practice measuring your own creativity. Next, you will explore how emotions impact morality and how that can impact behavior. Finally, you will explore how emotions can affect your interpersonal relationships, and consider emotional conflict in both romantic and workplace relationships. Throughout the course, you will use a journal to reflect how the interplay between emotions and cognition affects your life.

NOTE: This course relies heavily on visual cues as the majority of cited research is based on visually identifying and recognizing emotions.

You are not a passive recipient of your emotions. In this course, you will explore emotion regulation as a strategy for taking control of your emotions to help you achieve important life goals. You will examine what emotions are automatic, what ones you can control. You will then discuss how emotion regulation affects your day-to-day life, and then consider five major strategies for improving your awareness and regulation of those emotions. You'll identify which strategy you use most frequently, and then practice using a strategy. Finally, you'll explore tactics for influencing the emotions of others, and you'll develop a strategy for regulating your own emotions to achieve important life goals, and how you can influence the emotions of others.

Symposium sessions feature three days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The Leadership Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium in which we’ll discuss the ways that leaders across industries have continued engaging their teams over the past two years while pivoting in strategic ways. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to relevant topics for leaders. Throughout this Symposium, you will examine different areas of leadership, including innovation, strategy, and engagement. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from various industries.

Upcoming Symposium: June 4-6, 2024 from 11am – 1pm ET

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.

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