The concentration in Contemplative Studies investigates the underlying philosophical, psychological, and scientific bases of human contemplative experience. Students pursue a "third person" academic approach drawn from the humanities and sciences to analyze the cultural, historical, and scientific underpinnings of contemplative experiences in religion, art, music, and literature. This is developed in combination with a "critical first-person" approach based in practical experience of contemplative techniques and methods to provide an integrated understanding of the role of contemplative thought and experience in societies and on the individuals who constitute them.
Concentration Core (6 courses including the Senior Concentration Seminar)
| COST 0100 | Introduction to Contemplative Studies | 1 |
| Two introductory science courses addressing the biological, psychological, and neurological functionsing of the human body/mind complex with health implications, and how contemplative practices affect it. | ||
| Select one from the following list: | 1 | |
| The Foundation of Living Systems | ||
| Human Cognition | ||
| Perception and Mind | ||
| The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience | ||
Others with approval | ||
| Select one from following list: | 1 | |
| Meditation and the Brain | ||
| Cognitive Neuroscience of Meditation | ||
| Meditation, Mindfulness and Health (PHP 1880) | ||
| Two humanities courses that present important themes that can emerge from bringing a Contemplative Studies perspective to the study of contemplative religious traditions and to the philosophical analysis of the key questions of human existence. | 2 | |
| Religion and Culture | ||
| Karma and Free Will: The Self in Indian Philosophy | ||
| The Idea of Self | ||
| Great Contemplative Traditions of Asia | ||
or RELS 0040 | Great Contemplative Traditions of Asia | |
| Karma, Rebirth and Liberation: Life and Death in South Asian Religions | ||
or RELS 0145 | Karma, Rebirth and Liberation: Life and Death in South Asian Religions | |
COST 0410 | Engaged Buddhism | |
COST 0420 | The Theory and Practice of Buddhist Meditation | |
| Stages of the Contemplative Path | ||
| The Place of Persons | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Consciousness | ||
| Spiritual But Not Religious: Making Spirituality in America | ||
| On Being Human: Religious and Philosophical Conceptions of Self | ||
| Philosophy of Mysticism | ||
Others with approval | ||
| COST 1950 | Senior Concentrators' Seminar | 1 |
Track Requirements (6 additional courses Including a Capstone Course)
Students must complete either a Science or Humanities track in addition to the concentration core.
Science Track
The Science track in Contemplative Studies gives concentrators a foundational understanding of the scientific methods used to investigate the biological, psychological, and neurological effects of contemplative practice and their potential implications on physical and mental health both for individuals and for the general public. Students will be taught how to critique current research as well as how to develop, operationalize, and test hypotheses related to contemplative practice. Students will become well-versed in how to study first-person reports related to the phenomenology of contemplative experience as a foundation for formulating third-person tests of the effects of practice on brain function and behavior. The Contemplative Studies Science Track trains students to investigate these types of questions not only for academic scholarship, but also to provide a method of self-inquiry that can be used to augment any area of life.
| Five thematic science courses, including a Capstone Course, drawn primarily from BIOL,COST, NEUR, CLPS, and PHP, at least one of which must include laboratory work and two of which must be 1000-level; and one Statistics course for a total of six courses. | 5 | |
| The Capstone Course is intended to be a culmination of the students' concentration in which they will bring to bear what their interests have been in developing their focused work in the program. The Capstone course can be either: | ||
b. A special project done within an existing Contemplative Studies core or related course at the 1000-level in which the student brings to bear the larger concerns of her concentration on a problem or issue within the course. It is expected that such Capstone research papers will be more substantial than a term paper. | ||
| Biochemistry (lab) | ||
| Genetics (lab) | ||
| Principles of Immunology | ||
| Principles of Physiology (lab) | ||
| Comparative Biology of the Vertebrates | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| The Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness | ||
| Laboratory in Genes and Behavior | ||
| Sleep and Chronobiology Research | ||
| Computational Methods for Mind, Brain and Behavior | ||
| The Neural Bases of Cognition | ||
| Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Theory and Practice | ||
| Computational Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Perceptual Learning | ||
| Visualizing Vision | ||
| Laboratory in Social Cognition | ||
| Meditation and the Brain | ||
| Cognitive Neuroscience of Meditation | ||
| Meditation, Mindfulness and Health (PHP 1880) | ||
| Principles of Neurobiology | ||
| Neural Systems | ||
| Neurobiology of Learning and Memory | ||
| Experimental Neurobiology | ||
| Neural Correlates of Consciousness | ||
| Obesity in the 21st Century: Causes, Consequences and Countermeasures | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
Others with approval | ||
| One statistics course (others with approval) | 1 | |
| Essential Statistics | ||
| Statistical Inference I | ||
| Statistical Analysis of Biological Data | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Essentials of Data Analysis | ||
Humanities Track
The Humanities track explores the origin and development of contemplative practices within specific religious, cultural, and historical contexts and gives students a foundation in the Philosophy of Mind relevant to the scientific study of contemplative practice. Students will choose a concentration program that includes three intermediate and three advanced seminars drawn from the two areas below. While it is recommended that students focus primarily on one of these two areas, the precise balance of the individual concentration program for each student will be established with the concentration advisor when the student applies to enter the concentration, normally in their fourth semester of study.
| Six courses, including a Capstone Course, from across the two areas below: | 6 | |
| The Capstone Course is intended to be a culmination of the students' concentration in which they will bring to bear what their interests have been in developing their focused work in the program. The Capstone course can be either: | ||
b. A special project done within an existing Contemplative Studies core or related course at the 1000-level in which the student brings to bear the larger concerns of her concentration on a problem or issue within the course. It is expected that such Capstone research papers will be more substantial than a term paper. | ||
| Contemplative Religious Traditions | ||
| The Philosophy of Classical Indian Yoga | ||
| Epics of India | ||
| Mythology of India | ||
| Karma and Free Will: The Self in Indian Philosophy | ||
| India’s Classical Performing Arts | ||
| Classical Philosophy of India | ||
| Love and Devotion, Power and Poverty: India's Literary Classics | ||
| Karma, Rebirth and Liberation: Life and Death in South Asian Religions | ||
COST 0420 | The Theory and Practice of Buddhist Meditation | |
COST 0530 | Laozi and the Daodejing | |
| Self Transformation and Transcendence in Later Daoist Contemplative Traditions | ||
| Tibetan Buddhism and the West | ||
| The Bhagavad Gītā (CLAS 0855) | ||
| The Contemplative Foundations of Classical Daoism | ||
| The Confucian Mind | ||
| Buddhism and Death | ||
| Buddhist Thought, Practice, and Society | ||
| The Classical Chinese Philosophy of Life | ||
| Zen Meditation in China, Korea, and Japan | ||
| Science, Religion, and the Search for Happiness in Traditional Asian Thought | ||
| Experiencing the Sacred: Embodiment and Aesthetics in South Asian Religions | ||
| Philosophy of Mysticism | ||
| Buddhist Poetry | ||
| The History, Philosophy, and Practice of Rinzai Zen Buddhism | ||
| The Pholosophy of Mind | ||
| Consciousness (PHIL 1520) | ||
| Ancient Greek Philosophy | ||
| Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness | ||
| Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason | ||
| Kant's Moral Philosophy | ||
| Moral Theories | ||
| Epistemology | ||
| Metaphysics | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| The Shaping of World Views | ||
Others with approval | ||
Honors Requirement
Students with a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the concentration may apply for entrance into the Honors program in the middle of their sixth semester. To apply, students submit a proposal for a senior thesis project describing the work to be undertaken and its relevance to the field of Contemplative Studies, along with a copy of their academic transcript. Students accepted into Honors must complete the required Capstone seminar, UNIV 1010, and enroll in an additional semester of independent study in their advisor’s department. Students must complete an Honors Thesis to the satisfaction of their advisor and present the results of their studies in formal talks or poster sessions open to all interested faculty and students.