- Content Overview and Flow
- Vocabulary Expansion and Crowding Out
- Attention and Meaning
- Emotions to Values
- Values Cards
- Final Assessments
Content Overview and Flow
Over 5 weeks, we go through a journey of self discovery and articulation. We’ll start by identifying forces that inhibit our ability to live according our values with Crowding Out, we’ll learn to articulate these values in Attention and Meaning, we’ll learn to use our emotions as value detectors with Emotions to Values, and finally learn to make values cards in the last week.
Vocabulary Expansion and Crowding Out
In the first two weeks you will learn a new vocabulary that will help you articulate the variety of motivations you have. This vocabulary will be used to analyze how your environment is crowding out your values. By doing this you will begin to gain clarity on how many opportunities are missed for meaningful living, and you will also develop a finer sense of your values, even when you aren’t living by them.
Attention and Meaning
The middle part of the course focuses on the relationship between attention and meaning. You will learn how to discriminate between different parts of meaningful moments; which parts are important to replicate and which parts are unnecessary? You will also learn to articulate your values in a way that allows for clear communication.
Emotions to Values
In the last part you will learn how to use your emotions in order to identify your values. After some practice you’ll be able to find a clear value underneath every (positive or negative) emotion you have.
Values Cards
Final Assessments
In order to pass the course you will be assessed on your ability to
1) recognize crowding out in your life
2) be able to go from an emotion to a value
3) articulate your values accurately
See the full assessment here: Unit 1 Assessment
This is not an arbitrary goal. If you can recognize when your values are being denied and the dynamics that block them you will be able to address these problems with designs. If you can generate values with ease, you’ll be able to find good design objectives, and also be able to successfully interview other users for their values. And if you can articulate the values clearly, you’ll be able to share your values with other people to inspire them, and to use as an artifact for designing with a team.