Spring 2019: Mindfulness and Compassion: Living Fully, Personally and Professionally — NUIP 3030

In this course, sponsored by the Compassionate Care Initiative, you will become a scientist of your own experience and explore how mindfulness and prosocial practices can change your inner attitude and, as a result, your experience in college and beyond. Specifically, you will consider contemplative practices both through scientific means and through personal investigation. You will learn basic forms of meditation with the goal of establishing a regular personal practice and dive into the emerging discipline of contemplative science, developing informed opinions in the face of “mindfulness hype.”

You will explore practices that foster self-awareness, emotional regulation, mental stability, and prosocial attitudes such as empathy, compassion, generosity and gratitude (see schedule). You’ll also be surveying current scientific research on how meditation can change our brains and bodies, as well as the ways we relate to others. In preparation for each class, you will engage in meditation practices, read relevant scholarly material, and reflect on your experiences in a class blog. Class sessions will integrate practice and lecture with small and large group discussions. The daylong retreat will give us an opportunity to deepen our practice together.

This course fosters an inclusive and active learning atmosphere—students without a formal science and/or meditation background are welcome and encouraged to enroll! A mix of perspectives creates a richer dialogue for learning. Together, we will explore how what you think can change your brain and body, and what this could mean for humanity.

* 3 Credits (Combined with PSYC 3559-001)

More information on this course can be found here.