Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Emotional Resilience and Well-Being (Online)

FLHD 2200-30I

Course: FLHD 2200-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: FLHD
CRN: 33955

Course Description

Human well-being is a multi-faceted, life-long journey and requires individual persistence and responsibility.  The result of being committed to well-being is improving the manageability of stress, richer interpersonal relationships, and improved happiness overall.  This course is intended to provide students with scientifically-proven strategies for developing and maintaining emotional resilience and well-being.

The course includes hands-on application of current topics related to human growth, development, and psychological flexibility. Students will gain both intellectual and experiential learning that can be applied to a wide range of life’s challenges. Finally, students will use the concepts and experiences presented and practiced to more fully engage with life and our shared human potential. 

Required Texts



While there is no required text, there are assigned and required readings each week throughout the semester.  All required reading is assigned.  Some of it will be provided for you.  Due to copyright laws, I cannot provide journal articles for you.  You will be responsible for finding and securing access to the articles that are not provided for you.  Because you may have to request some of the articles through interlibrary loan, it is advisable for you to look and plan ahead for the semester’s reading assignments.

There will be weekly quizzes based on the assigned readings which can be found in both Canvas and the syllabus.


Learning Outcomes

Critical thinking, which requires a degree of self-awareness, is a component of all GE skills.  While this course counts as a social sciences GE course (R470 2.5), because of the focus on self-awareness, skills for interacting with others, and the ability to expand one’s comfort zone, all of which combined will inevitably increase one’s ability to practice flexible thinking, this course’s objectives are foundational for all core general education areas.

1. Students will gain the ability to support and care for oneself emotionally and 
psychologically which will increase one’s ability to participate in the learning 
process.  
2. Students will develop the ability to build and maintain healthy interpersonal 
relationships. 
3. Students will develop the ability to tolerate and negotiate unpleasant, 
uncomfortable, and/or distressing feelings and behaviors which will increase their 
ability to observe and understand social patterns. 
4. Students will develop the skills and abilities necessary to be able to adapt to new 
environments.  

Social and Behavioral Sciences General Education (GE) Essential Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes are outlined by the Utah System of Higher Education as the essential learning outcomes for social and behavioral sciences GE courses, for which this course grants credit for.  It is essential for one to be able to practice self-awareness and flexible thinking and to be able to safely and effectively interact with others in order to master these objectives; this course heavily emphasizes these skills.  GE Learning Outcomes: 

  1. Examine: Examine institutions and human behavior through social and behavioral concepts, methods, or theories;
  2. Analyze: Identify diverse perspectives to explore and examine social and behavioral phenomena; and
  3. Apply: Apply discipline-relevant and scientific theories and methods to make inferences about or applications to social and behavioral phenomena at personal, institutional, or cultural levels

Course Requirements

Grading Scale
A 93% - 100% B- 80% - 82% D+ 67% - 69%
A- 90% - 92% C+ 77% - 79% D 63% - 66%
B+ 87% - 89% C 73% - 76% D- 60% - 62%
B 83% - 86% C- 70% - 72% F 59% and below

DISCLAIMER: Please know I want to be a support to you and because I am operating 
within a system, I am limited in what I can and can’t do to support you.  If you are in need of accommodations, please reach out to the Disability Resource Center on campus who can help you access short-term and long-term accommodations.  If you have a complaint about any professor or course on campus, please take the following steps:
  1. Talk to the professor
  2. If you feel like you can’t talk to the professor, please go to the chair of the department, contact information for this person can be found on the department’s website.
  3. Other resources include:
    1. Dean of the college where the course is housed
    2. Provost’s office 
    3. Dean of Students
  4. Regardless of the steps you take, leaving feedback in your end of semester course evaluations is important.  These are anonymous; instructors do not have access to them until after grades are posted.


2. Please pay attention to Canvas Announcements as this instructor uses Canvas 
Announcements to communicate with students about important information.  You 
will be accountable for information provided through announcements.  

3. Emotional Safety - There will be multiple lessons, activities and assignments 
throughout this course that you may find uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.  If you have experienced psychiatric issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma, bipolar disorder, or PTSD in the past or begin to feel emotionally overwhelmed during the course, you are encouraged to share this with the instructor so they can best assist your learning process, safety, and/or well-being throughout the course.  

Due to the emotionally and psychologically vulnerable content that will be discussed throughout this course, it is essential that all participants contribute to an environment of emotional safety.  In the event of a student participating in emotionally unsafe comments/behavior, the instructor will provide feedback which will serve as a warning. At that time, the student will be invited to converse with the instructor about what made their comments/behavior emotionally unsafe. If the behavior is repeated, students will be referred to campus services.  

The use of derogatory language/terms when referring to people (individuals and groups) is an emotionally unsafe behavior - even if there is nobody the term references represented in the room.  I will follow the same procedures for use of derogatory language as I will for any other emotionally unsafe behavior.   If you are unsure about whether or not a term is derogatory, avoiding slang terms and practicing the use of professional and politically correct language is a safe way to avoid inadvertent use of derogatory language.

If you find you are emotionally overwhelmed by content in this or any other course, the University Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS) is a resource available to you.  The phone number for CAPS is: 435.865.8621.

4. As a student in this course, you are responsible for the content presented in this 
course and for your own learning.  If you need help, please ask. If you have 
questions about the material that you are interested in or curious about that is not addressed in the course, please ask.  If you do not understand a concept being taught/discussed, please ask. The instructor is a resource to you; however, if you do not communicate that you need help, the instructor cannot help you.  Waiting until the last week of the semester to communicate about issues happening throughout the semester does not count as communicating with the instructor.

5. This is an action-based course.  You will not likely pass if you are not actively involved 
in applying the concepts we are learning.  Every single assignment for this course is focused on application of what we are learning and building habits to support emotional resilience and well-being. 

6. It is expected that all work you turn in is created and developed by you.  If you use AI, 
the expectation for this course is that you use it as a resource and not a robot.  You must properly cite it if you use it.  If it is discovered that you are using AI without properly citing it or you use AI to generate work that you turn in as your own, SUU Policy 6.33 for Academic Integrity will be followed.

7. All assignments are due at midnight on the due date unless otherwise noted.  

8. Assignments may be turned in early. You may turn in up to 3 assignments up to 3 days 
late without questions or penalty.  Any late work beyond this will only be accepted if you have formal accommodations in place through the Disability Resource Center or support through the Office of Student Outreach and Support.  This applies to all assignments that will receive a grade.  Please do not rely on Canvas to remind you of when assignments are due; please be proactive and know when assignments are due.  All assignments for the semester are already entered into Canvas.

9. All papers must be typed in either Arial or Times New Roman with a 12 point font, 1 
inch margins and double-spaced.  

10. Following instructions matters!  Your grade will be affected if you do not!   

11. Grading: Because the purpose of this class is to practice and learn emotional resilience 
and well-being, most assignments are not worth points. Your participation, effort, and learning process is more important than your skill at earning a specific grade.  Instead of points, you will earn a “complete” or “incomplete” on most assignments.  The exception to this is the quizzes and only because of the way the grading of quizzes vs assignments works in Canvas.  

Because a letter grade must be submitted for you at the end of the semester, the number of complete assignments for each category of assignments that you earn will be averaged; that number will be averaged for your final grade.  The assignment categories are as follows:  quizzes, getting outside of your comfort zone, journals, labs, PLEASE Master, and general assignments.  An example of how grading works: if you complete all general assignments assignments, 90% of the labs, 80% of journaling assignments, 70% of the getting outside of Your Comfort Zone assignments, all PLEASE Master assignments, and average 93% on your quizzes, your grade will be determined as follows: 100 + 90 + 80 + 70 + 100 + 93/6 = 89 for a “B+” grade.  If you complete 100% of all assignments and average 94% on your quizzes, your grade will be determined as follows: 100 + 94/5 = 98.8 for an ”A” grade.   

If you receive an “Incomplete” on an assignment, you will have 7 days from the time it was graded to revise and resubmit it for a Complete”.  Any assignments due the last week of the semester will not have this flexibility; whatever grade you earn at the time they are graded will be the final grade on them.  

Some assignments such as the Balanced Living Log and Mindfulness Log require you to practice skills several times in the week during or following when we learn about them in class.  If you earn an “Incomplete” on these assignments because you did not practice the skills as required, you will not be able to make them up, and the “Incomplete” will be final.  The weekly lab falls into this category as well; you will be unable to redo/revise if you earn an “Incomplete” unless specifically noted by the instructor when the assignment is graded.

12. Quizzes: There will be 11 quizzes throughout the semester that will cover the syllabus, 
instructor’s introduction, and each module.  Module quizzes for modules that span 2 weeks (as outlined in the course schedule) are worth 50 points; all other quizzes (except the instructor’s introduction quiz) are worth 25 points.  Quizzes will cover the reading, module content and course participation.  All quizzes are open-note and open-book.   You will have limited time for each quiz, except the syllabus quiz.  You will not do well if you are reviewing the reading during the quiz.  You will have 2 attempts on each quiz; beyond those 2 attempts, you may not redo quizzes more than once.  Please do not start your second attempt until your first attempt has been graded.  See Canvas for due dates.

13. Getting Outside of Your Comfort Zone.  Each week you will be expected to do something 
to get outside of your comfort zone. In the correlating assignment shells, please tell me about what you did and how it contributed to your personal growth within the context of emotional resilience and well-being.  There is no page minimum; please keep it under the equivalent of ½ page.  While you can repeat activities throughout the semester, you can’t do the same thing every week, and your activities should be progressively more challenging. Photos of your activity are not required but are welcome; I appreciate being able to celebrate your hard work with you! Due each week by Friday.

14. PLEASE Master Skills - Each week, you will be expected to intentionally practice one 
aspect of PLEASE Master skills.  This skill set will be taught the first week of class. For this assignment each week, please tell me about what you did to practice PLEASE Master skills. Some things you do will be obvious.  If it is not obvious, please tell me how it relates to PLEASE Master skills. This will make more sense to you once we have learned the skills in class.  Due each week by Friday at midnight.

15. Lab  - There will be lab assignments within each module beginning the second week of  
class in which you will be working with a small group of your classmates to discuss and practice applying concepts learned in class each week.  Some modules will have 2 lab assignments,  Specific instructions will be provided in Canvas. Please see Canvas for due dates.

16. Journaling  - Please keep a weekly journal in which you are writing about and reflecting 
upon what you are learning in class and applying it to you and your life.  There is no right or wrong way to do this as long as you do it.  In order for meaningful reflection to happen,  please plan on writing a minimum of 1 page per week. If you do not have at least 1 full page, I will mark it as Incomplete.  If this happens, you may add to your journal for a Complete grade.  It will be up to you to get it marked off if this happens.  Please keep in mind that this assignment can be an important part of your learning experience in this class or busy work - the difference is up to you and how you complete the assignment. The instructor will not read your journal but will check to make sure you have completed this assignment.  Please see Canvas for additional instructions and due dates.

17. Mindfulness Log. During the Mindfulness module, you will be expected to intentionally 
practice mindfulness at least 3 times.  At the end of the week, please submit a log of what you did, when you did it, and any observations you make about the process as you are completing it. Please see Canvas for the due date.

18. Values Exercise - Please complete the values exercise that can be found in both the 
assigned reading module and Values Exercise assignment shell in Canvas.  Once you have completed the assignment, upload the completed assignment to Canvas along with a 1 - 2 page summary of your experience in completing the assignment.  Please see Canvas for the due date.

19.  Balanced Living Log.  During the Balanced Living Module, you will be expected to 
intentionally practice balanced living at least 5 times.  At the end of the module, please submit a log of what you did, when you did it, and any observations you make about the process as you are completing it.  Because balanced living is very subjective to the individual practicing it, the way you practice it will be very individual.  Be prepared to justify your examples of intentional balanced living to the instructor. Please see Canvas for the due date.

20. Coping Strategies Plan.  Everyone experiences times of being emotionally 
and/or psychologically overwhelmed at times.  For this assignment, you will complete a detailed plan for what you are willing to do both preemptively and during times of feeling overwhelmed to safely and effectively manage your emotions and/or emotional distress.  Because this should be something that is useful to you, you can format it however will be useful to you - there are many, many, many possibilities.  Please see Canvas for the due date.

21. Gratitude Letter.  The expression of gratitude may be particularly effective 
when done directly face-to-face with another person.  Choose someone you would like to express gratitude to.  Perhaps it’s your mom, favorite uncle, or an old friend; perhaps it's an old coach, teacher, or supervisor.  Write them a letter now, and visit (most effective) or call and read the letter out loud.  For the purpose of this assignment, please choose someone whom you can read the letter to either in person or over the phone.  Describe in detail what they did for you and exactly how it affected your life; mention how you often remember their efforts.  Then, write a one-page reflection of how the experience went for you and attach your gratitude letter.  You’ll need to upload 2 things to get full points on this assignment: 1. The letter you wrote and 2. Your one page reflection. Please see Canvas for the due date.

22. Reflection Paper.  Think about the version of you that began this semester.  You might 
use your assignments and notes from throughout the semester to refresh your memory.  Please write a 3 - 5 page paper reflecting on what you have learned, how you have grown, and your understanding and ability to practice emotional resilience and well-being throughout your life.  Please specifically address the learning objectives outlined in the syllabus.  Due by Tuesday December 9.  Because of the timing in the semester, this  assignment cannot be revised and resubmitted if you earn an “Incomplete”.

Course Outline


Course Schedule:


Course Schedule Disclaimer: While content scheduled to be covered that is outlined in this course schedule will not likely change, the timing of which week it is presented may change based on factors
unavailable to address at the time this syllabus was written.

Week | Tasks | Assignments Due
18/27 - 8/29 | Module 1: Introduction to CourseAssigned Readings: Beyond the hedonic treadmill;                    American Psychologist 4,                    305-314. | 8/28: Syllabus Quiz due 8/29: Introductions due8/29: Optional Pre-Assessment              due 8/29: Comfort Zone due8/29: PLEASE Master due8/29: Lab due8/29: Module Quiz due
29/1 - 9/5 | Module 2: MindfulnessAssigned Reading:Mindfulness: Present Moment Awareness
 | 9/5: Journaling due9/5: Module Quiz due9/4: Lab due 9/4: PLEASE Master due9/4: Comfort Zone due
39/8 - 9/12 | Module 3: ValuesAssigned Readings; Think Like a Monk: Chapter 1Complete Values Exercise found in Reading Module | 9/9: Mindfulness Log due9/12: Journaling due9/12: Module Quiz due9/12: Lab due9/12: PLEASE Master due9/12: Comfort Zone
49/15 - 9/19 | Module 4: SystemsAssigned Readings:About the Systems ReadingUnpacking the Invisible Backpack, Ambiguity of Privilege and Oppression | 9/16:  Values assignment due9/19: Journaling due9/19: Module Quiz due9/19: Lab due9/19: PLEASE Master due9/19: Comfort Zone
59/22 - 9/26 | Module 5; Balanced Living (Work, Play, Love, Spirituality, etc…)Assigned Readings: Life balance for young adultsMaintaining balance in your lifestyle | 9/26: Journaling due 9/26: Module Quiz due9/26: Lab due9/26: PLEASE Master due9/26: Comfort Zone due
6 - 79/29 - 10/3 &
10/8 - 10/12
 | Module 6: Understanding EmotionsAssigned Reading:Assigned Reading: Emotion and theory research: Highlights, unanswered questions, and emerging issues Unlocking Us Podcast Episodes - linked in Canvas | 9/30: Balanced Living Log due10/3: Journaling due10/3: Lab due10/3: PLEASE Master due10/3: Comfort Zone due
10/12: Module Quiz due10/12: Journaling due10/12: Lab due10/12: PLEASE Master due10/12: Comfort Zone due
8 - 910/15 - 10/17
&
10/20 - 10/24
 | Coping Strategies and Distress ToleranceAssigned Readings: A global measure of  perceived stressOverparenting and emerging adults’ mental  health Negative urgency, distress tolerance, and SA among college studentsThe relationship of low distress tolerance to excessive worrying and cognitive avoidanceDistress tolerance links sleep problems with stress and health in homelessConcurrent and prospective relations between distress tolerance, life stressors, and anger | 10/13 - 14: No Class; Fall Break
10/17  Journaling due10/17: Lab due 10/17: Comfort Zone due 10/17: PLEASE Master due
10/24: Module quiz due10/24  Journaling due10/24: Lab due 10/24: Comfort Zone due 10/24: PLEASE Master due
1010/27 - 10/31 | Interpersonal RelationshipsAssigned Readings: The quest for true belongingHow is happiness related to network of social relationships? | 10/28: Coping Strategies Plan due10/31:  Journaling due10/31:  Module Quiz due10/31:  Lab due 10/31: Comfort Zone due10/31: PLEASE Master due
11 - 12
11/3 - 11/7
&
11/10 - 11/14 | Positive Psychology: ​​Self-regulation, self-control, and goalsAssigned Reading: Self-Regulation and Depletion of Limited Resources: Does Self-Control Resemble a Muscle
Positive Psychology GratitudeAssigned Reading: What is Gratitude? | 11/7: Journaling due11/7  Lab due11/7:  Comfort Zone due 11/7: PLEASE Master due
11/14: Journaling due11/14  Lab due11/14:  Comfort Zone due 11/14: PLEASE Master due11/14: Module Quiz due
13 - 1411/17 - 11/21
&
12/1 - 12/5 | Psychological Honesty, Ambiguity, and Decision      MakingAssigned Reading:Schwartz (2004) The Tyranny of Choice | 11/18: Gratitude Letter due11/21: Journaling due11/21  Lab due11/21: Comfort Zone due 11/21: PLEASE Master due
12/5: Journaling due12/5:  Lab due12/5: Comfort Zone due 12/5: PLEASE Master due12/5: Module Quiz due
Thanksgiving Break - No Classes 11/24 - 11/28
15 | Finals Week | Reflection Paper due 12/9 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Assignments may be turned in early. You may turn in up to 3 assignments up to 3 days 
late without questions or penalty.  Any late work beyond this will only be accepted if you have formal accommodations in place through the Disability Resource Center or support through the Office of Student Outreach and Support.  This applies to all assignments that will receive a grade.  Please do not rely on Canvas to remind you of when assignments are due; please be proactive and know when assignments are due.  All assignments for the semester are already entered into Canvas.

Attendance Policy

This is an asynchronous course.  Your participation in and engagement with the course and assignments is your attendance.

Course Fees

TBD

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.