MCS 115: Oral and Interpersonal Communication

The Art of Gratitude explores how the emotional experience of gratitude has been enlisted in neoliberal governance through the language of debt. Jeremy David Engels sketches a genealogy of gratitude from the ancient Greeks to the contemporary self-help movement. One of the most striking things about gratitude, Engels finds, is how consistently it is described using the language of indebtedness. A chief purpose of this, he contends, is to make us more comfortable living lives in debt.

Embracing Our Finitude proposes that we, as human beings, actively embrace our finiteness, recognize our dependency, and respond with gratitude for what has been given to us. The chapters are located on the threshold between philosophy and theology. While the argumentation itself is intended to be philosophical, the subject matters presuppose some very basic truths of revelation.

In Choosing Gratitude: Learning to Love the Life You Have, renowned author James A. Autry reminds us that gratitude is a choice. In a society consumed by fears of not having enough, Autry suggests that if we cultivate gratitude as a way of being, we may not change the world and its ills, but we can change our response to the world.

Integrating the findings of modern psychology and traditional Christian spirituality, this book presents a spirituality of gratitude that can guide contemporary Christians in living with an expanded awareness of how grace abounds everywhere, as well as the personal and cultural hurdles that stand in the way of being grateful.

The Gratitude Factor explores the significance of gratitude for one's personal and spiritual life, offering a unique blend of the latest research and practical strategies and exercises to foster a grateful heart. The first author to offer a critique of gratitude through an explanation of various types of gratitude, Charles Shelton uses his skills as a clinical psychologist to present insights into the human experience of gratitude based on his own research.

Deborah Norville's groundbreaking and persuasive book argues that gratitude is the secret key to unlocking one's full life potential. Rooted in science, presented from a spiritual perspective, Thank You Power details the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. In this eye-opening book, Deborah Norville brings together for the first time the behavioral and psychological research that prove what people of faith have long known: giving thanks brings life blessings.