Origin and the Meaning of Happiness

This week, your writing Assignment focuses on individual definitions of happiness. For this writing Assignment, you will prepare and conduct interviews with two people about their definition of happiness, how they reached this view, and whether they feel happiness is achievable.

Choose two people who vary in age and experience. Only one of the subjects can be someone you know well. This is an opportunity to learn about acquaintances and strangers as well. These should be face-to-face interviews.

Next, ask a variety of questions to get them to consider not just their definition of happiness, but its origins and development. You can use these sample questions to get you started, but should add more questions or change the interview as it develops: Has your definition of happiness changed over time? What experiences have influenced your definition? Do you expect the definition to change again?

Follow the Unit 4 template for this Assignment in Doc Sharing. It includes submitting a transcript of your interviews, including both the questions asked and the answers received, so take notes or record the discussion.

You will write a compare and contrast essay. Introduce this Assignment by introducing each subject one at a time. Who are they? What is the nature of your relationship?

Finally, you should draw conclusions about the process and the answers that were given. Compare and contrast the results of the interviews. Discuss what was similar or different in the replies, whether the subjects were honest, or if the concept of happiness was difficult to define.

The compare and contrast essay should be at least 750 words and should employ terms from the text. The Assignment should be completed in Microsoft Word and should follow the template provided for the sample transcript, essay, and reference page.

APA formatting and citation style:

Incorporate APA citations throughout the compare and contrast essay analysis as well as a references section at the end of the analysis. (The references section does not count towards the required word count for the Unit 4 Assignment.) Review the APA quick reference guide on the left-hand sidebar under course home for APA formatting and citation guidelines. For additional information on APA guidelines and writing help visit the Kaplan University Writing Center.

Submitting Your Assignment

Save it in a location and with a name that you will remember. When you are ready to submit it, click on the Dropbox and complete the steps below:

• Click the link that says Submit an Assignment.
• In the “Submit to Basket” menu, select Unit 4: Assignment.
• In the “Comments” field, include at least the title of your paper.
• Click the Add Attachments button.
• Follow the steps listed to attach your document.
• To view your graded work, come back to the Dropbox or go to the Gradebook after your instructor has evaluated it. Click the Dropbox to access it.
• Make sure that you save a copy of your submitted Assignment.