Barry is proud to share that Dr. Christopher Jones, an assistant professor in the Department of Theology and Philosophy, was awarded a generous subaward of $115,090.82 by Villanova University through a grant by the prestigious John Templeton Foundation. Villanova received a three-year, $3.9 million grant from Templeton. With this support, Dr. Jones will further pursue his research on the topic of human flourishing -- or happiness.
As a theological ethicist, Dr. Jones’ project, “Human Flourishing and the Problems of Sloth,” combines Christian ethics, psychology, and sociology to uncover what it is to live well, be happy, and the structures that promote happiness.
This three-year grant allows junior and mid-career scholars like Dr. Jones the opportunity to spend a year of leave researching this topic and funding for three summers of researching and writing. Scholars participating in the grant will gather twice a year to share their work and attend workshops. He currently explores the topic of happiness in his course “Freedom and Virtue” at Barry, which offers him a great opportunity to get feedback from undergraduates and to collaborate with graduate students on his work.
After Dr. Jones returns from his research leave -- during which time he will work on writing a book -- he may present a public discussion or lecture for Barry and the public on his findings.