CoursesGrit Lab: Fostering Passion and Perseverance
PSYC 005/OIDD 005

Grit Lab: Fostering Passion and Perseverance

Are you interested in the science and practice of passion and perseverance? The aims of Grit Lab are two-fold: (1) to equip you with generalizable knowledge about the science of passion and perseverance, and (2) to help you apply these insights to your own life. Enrollment is now closed.

Fridays, 12 PM – 2:30 PM

At the heart of this course are cutting-edge scientific discoveries about how to foster passion and perseverance for long-term goals. As in any undergraduate course, you will have an opportunity to learn from current research. But unlike most courses, Grit Lab encourages you to apply these ideas to your own life and reflect on your experience. This is a full 1.0 CU class that is mandatory Pass/Fail (so no letter grades) that will take place synchronously.

Professor Angela Duckworth is thrilled to be offering Grit Lab during the spring 2021 semester to both current Penn undergraduates of all schools as well as students in the Penn LPS Young Scholars Program. Enrollment requires an additional and separate application from the Young Scholars Program.

Online Application Due DEC 2

Example Syllabus

Other Courses of Interest

URBS 2110-301

Restorative Justice in the City: History Theory and Practice

Instructor(s)

  • Pablo Miguel Cerdera

Semester

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Restorative Justice (RJ) is a new term to describe ancient ways of dealing with harm and being in community which centers our relationships and obligations to one another, as opposed to punishment and retribution. Increasingly popular as a response to a plethora of urban issues, from mass incarceration to gun violence to education inequality, RJ is also sometimes misunderstood or applied without fidelity.

This course explores the theory, history, and practice of RJ in the urban environment. The course intersperses practical communication and facilitation skills, visits from local practitioners and advocates, and in-depth discussion of texts and media. Through readings, discussions, activities, and projects we will develop a solid theoretical basis from which to understand RJ and its implementation, including a focus on holistic engagement with self, other, and community.

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PPE 4903

Policy Task Force on U.S.-China Relations (New)

Instructor(s)

  • Neysun Mahboubi
  • Neysun Mahboubi

Semester

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More than forty years after the normalization of relations between the United States and China, the relationship faces new and fundamental challenges with global implications. Designed as a policy task force, taught in coordination with a similar course to be taught at Tsinghua University in Beijing, this course will introduce students to the most pressing issues in U.S.-China relations –– including security, trade, climate, tech competition, and human rights. Each student will be required to complete a policy paper on some aspect of U.S.-China relations.

At the end of the course, students will travel to China to meet in-person with their Chinese counterparts at Tsinghua University, and to present their policy papers and recommendations to relevant interested Chinese audiences in Beijing and Shanghai. Travel to China will take place Wednesday, May 14 – Sunday, May 25, 2025.

Learn More