CLASS DESCRIPTION

Meditation, which comes in many forms, can help us to develop qualities such as patience, concentration, insight, and compassion. Ultimately, it can support us in living more fulfilling lives and bringing greater benefit to those around us. Modern scientific research has demonstrated that meditation can increase life satisfaction, slow cellular aging, bolster the immune system, strengthen attentional ability, improve symptoms of depression and anxiety, increase kindness and helping behaviors, combat chronic pain, and encourage healthy patterns of sleep.

In this course, we will bring together scholarly inquiry with applied practice—dealing both with the scientific study of brain and mind, and with the direct observation of subjective mental experience. We will build community through shared practice and exploration.

Prerequisites: No courses or previous experience required—only an open mind. This class will maintain a secular perspective, and people of all religious affiliations (or lack thereof) are completely welcome.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

This class will meet for 1.5 hours each session, twice per week. As it is an interactive and participatory course, attendance is required! Additionally, we ask that you maintain a daily practice of the mind-training techniques and other exercises for roughly a half hour each day.

Grades will be based on attendance, class participation, and the completion of weekly practice, reading, and reflection assignments. There are no exams.

Attendance is central to this course—more than three absences will result in a non-pass. For late assignments, 10% of the total grade will be deducted for each day late. The line between pass & no-pass will be at an overall grade of 70%.