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JOUR 177Fall 2019Yvonnes Chen, Ph.D.y.chen@ku.eduOffice hours: M/W10:45-11:45 am @Watson Library (4thfloor general area) orby appointmentZoom link to h 11:00-12:15 pm@ CDSI (IntegratedScience Building)Room 1160Mindfulness andMeditation in theModern World“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and ourexperience.” –Jon Kabat-Zinn“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving upon being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”–Anna QuindlenWelcome! Have you ever craved a quiet space to simply breathe andregroup? Have you felt a constant struggle toward our society’s addiction tofaster living? Have you ever wondered what mindfulness and meditation is andhow it becomes so popular? This seminar places mindfulness and meditation inthe crux of these questions and examines its role in our lives.Mindfulness and meditation, by nature, is a hands-on practice — and we willcontinue this spirit in our class. Our time together will celebrate every livedexperience. Our classroom is a place where you will be treated with respect as ahuman being — regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religiousaffiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, political beliefs, age, or ability. Ialso appreciate and encourage diversity of thought, provided you can agree todisagree. It is my expectation that ALL students experience this classroom as asafe environment.I am excited to embark on this journey with you and hope you are too!

2“A few simple tipsfor life: feet on theWhat is the course about? Mindfulness has entered into theAmerican mainstream lexicon with its share of attention in media coverage.ground, head toHeadlines from “Meditation exercise helps students focus,” “Enjoy a party withthe skies, heartyoga and color” to “Everyone has time to meditate” underscore how muchopen quietmind.”—RasheedOgunlarumindfulness practices have been integrated into our daily lives. Further,mindfulness-based practices have been touted as a modern-day panacea thatprevents and reduces stress and depression as well as improves social andemotional wellbeing in children and adults. But what is meditation? Does itreally work? How is ‘mindfulness’ popularized in our society and in themainstream media?In this seminar, we will engage in thoughtfully executed mindfulness activities togain a first-hand experience, visit campus museums and libraries to exploreartworks and subjects for learning, and conduct a college survival guide projectfor incoming freshmen so that you can benefit the next generation ofJayhawkers using your newly developed skillsets. Are you ready to breathetogether?What will you learn? By the end of the semester, you should be able: To engage in mindfulness meditation practices under guidance;To produce a college survival guide through collaborating with fellowlearners, distilling your personal experience practicing mindfulness andmeditation, synthesizing resources and scholarly research, andcommunicating your work through written and visual formats.How is this course structured? We will engage in discussions,readings, and active learning activities (including practicing breath counting,lovingkindness meditation, yoga) in class. We also will visit KU libraries andSpencer Museum of Art as well as welcome guest speakers so you’d be morebroadly engaged with the community and the subject.

3“Wherever you are,be there totally.” –Eckhart TolleWhat assignments am I expected to accomplish?All due dates are included in the schedule.Engagement & Discussion (10%): You have a wonderful opportunity toengage with an intimate group of students to explore mindfulness meditationin the modern world. Come to class each week with something to say or aquestion to ask. Be curious, be prepared, and be kind. If you miss more than 2classes, this portion and your team assignments may be adjusted accordingly.Learning goals (5%): You will set learning goals at the beginning of thesemester and review them mid-way to check on your own learning progress.Documenting your media diet and experimenting with your new media dietassignments (20%): This is a two-part assignment. You will log your currentmedia consumption, experiment with a new diet, and reflect on theexperience.Reflections—6 total (20%): We will be reading articles and watching TED talksas related to mindfulness and meditation. Some may be from scholarlysources and some may be from popular media. Regardless the format,reflecting on what you have read and your current mindfulness & meditationpractices is so crucial. Each reflection will combine a week worth of thematerials and will be between 350-500 words in length.Final assignment (35%): Your final assignment “College Survival Guide” will bea vehicle for you to communicate your semester-long experience practicingmindfulness and meditation. Your will work with your fellow learners in a teamto produce a guide. Your grade will reflect on your collaborative efforts (i.e.,adjusted based on team evaluations). More details to follow!Presentation (10%): Your team will present to your fellow learners: the focus ofyour college survival guide, how the users might benefit from your survivalguide, and what you have learned from working on the assignment. Yourgrade will reflect on your collaborative efforts (i.e., adjusted based on teamevaluations). More details to follow!Working with writing fellow: This course partners with the KU Writing Fellowsprogram, provided by the KU Writing Center. Writing Fellows (WFs) areundergraduate students who are trained as peer writing consultants and are availableto you to help you better understand your writing assignments, brainstorm content,and revise your drafts. In short, they’re an important resource for the writing you’ll doin this course. You are required to meet with the WF at least 5 times throughout thecourse of the semester.Grading scale: To calculate your final grade, I will use the following scale:A 93-100%; A- 90-92%; B 87-89%; B 83-86%; B- 80-82%; C 77-79%; C 73-76%; C- 70-72%; D 67-69%; D 63-66%; D- 60-62%; F 59% or below

4“If we practicemindfulness, wealways have a placeto be when we areafraid.” –Thich NhatHanhSchedule—unveiled! Here is our tentative class schedule in fourparts. It’s tentative because there may be changes, which will be announcedvia email, in-person communication and/or on Blackboard (BB).Part 1: The Soaring Popularity of Mindfulness and Meditation in OurWorldWeek 1August 27Getting to know eachotherWeek 1August 29Getting to know eachotherWeek 2September 3Topic/ReadingSay hi!Community guidelinesFinal assignment & media dietassignment, syllabus agreement,and student consent formReading:Here’s what today’s students wantfrom collegeMedia diet &creating/experimenting yourmedia diet assignment—what doesyour media consumption say aboutyou and our world?Setting your learning goalsReading:Is social media bad for you?Digital well-beingTeam organization valuestatementWeek 2September 5Reading:Read Part I—the bloom of thepresent moment in MindfulnessMeditation for Everyday Life byJon Kabat-Zinn (pdf pages 21-26)Week 3September 10How to meditateWeek 3September 12Assignment DueDaily practiceTED Talk: Debunking the 5 mostcommon mediation myths by LightWatkinsReading:A sitting meditation by JackKornfieldTED Talk: All it takes is 10 mindfulminutesWorkshop— Your teamwork styleand college survival guide—WHO concept mapDaily practiceBring yoursigned formsSubmit yourlearning goals toBB @ 5 pm, 8/30Daily practiceWeek 2reflections dueon BB @ 5 pm,9/2Daily practiceMedia diet dueon BB @ 5 pmon 9/6Daily practiceWeek 3reflections dueon BB @ 5 pm,9/9Bring yourlaptop to class

5“Happiness is notfound throughchanging ourexternal world, butPart 1 (continued)Week 4September 17Popular meditationprograms and appsthrough changing ourinternal landscape”—Shauna ShapiroWeek 4September 19Topic/ReadingPick a free mindfulness app and tryit out before our class onSeptember 17.Workshop— college survivalguide—WHO concept mapWhat topic(s) should we include inthe college survival guide?What can we learn from ouraudience and how? Whatinformation do we need? Howshould we collect it? How shouldwe write it in a way that’sappealing to the readers?Workshop— college survivalguide—WHOCollecting relevant research inpreparation for our workshop on9/26Assignment DueDaily practiceBring yourlaptop to classCreating andexperimentingyour media dietdue on BB @ 5pm on 9/17Daily practiceBring yourlaptop to classPart 2: Who needs to be mindful?Week 5September 24Using KU library resourcesWeek 5September 26Week 6October 1Mindfulness meditationfor college studentsWeek 6October 3A visit to KU Library—we will learnhow to locate scholarly sources inpreparation for our final project.Room: Clark Instruction Center (3rdfloor, Watson Library)Workshop— college survivalguide—WHOWe will focus on your researchfindings and how to write themout.We will review these readings inclass: Oman, D. et al. (2008) &Ramsburg & Youmans (2014).Workshop— college survivalguide—WHYDaily practiceDaily practiceDaily practiceDaily practiceBring yourlaptop to classTeam evaluationand collegesurvival guide—WHO due on BB@ 5 pm on 10/4

6“If you hear thewhispers, you won’thave to hear thescreams”—CherokeePart 2 continuedWeek 7October 8Mindfulness meditationfor college studentsproverbWeek 7October 10Reading:Simard, A., & Henry, M. (2009).Impact of a short yoga interventionon medical students’ health: Apilot study. Medical Teacher, 31,950-952.TV news: ‘Superhero yoga’ helpingstudents at KC schoolReading:Top 10 reasons to meditateTED talk: The art of stillnessTED Talk: How to make stress yourfriendWeek 8October 15Week 8October 17Fall break—enjoy the rest!Workshop— college survivalguide—WHYWeek 9October 22Workshop— college survivalguide—WHENWeek 9October 24Empathy mapWorkshop— college survivalguide—WHENJourney mapDaily practiceWeek 7reflections dueon BB @ 5 pm,10/7Daily practiceAssess yourlearning goalsdue on BB @ 5pm, 10/11Daily practiceDaily practiceBring laptop toclassTeam evaluationand collegesurvival guide—WHY due on BB@ 5 pm on 10/18Daily practiceCollege survivalguide—WHENdue on BB @ 5pm on 10/25(No teamevaluation here)

7“You must not losefaith in humanity.Humanity is like anPart 3: Seeing meditation through art, music, & media coverageWeek 10October 29Tour to the Spencer Museum ofArtArtDiscussion:How might we incorporate the ArtMuseum into the college survivalguide?ocean; If a few dropsof the ocean aredirty, the ocean doesnot become dirty.” –Mahatma GandhiWeek 10October 31Media coverageWhat experience might benefithonors students?A visit to KU Library—we will learnhow to locate media reports usingNexis-Uni concept map CClicenseDaily practiceWeek 10reflections dueon BB @ 5 pm,9/5Daily practiceRoom: Clark Instruction Center (3rdfloor, Watson Library)Week 11November 5How does media coverage reflectmindfulness and meditation?Tour to the Spencer Museum ofArtWeek 11November 7Reading:Neuroscience shows listening tomusic has kind of the same effectas meditationWorkshop—college survivalguide—WHATDaily practiceWeek 11reflections dueon BB @ 5 pm,11/4Daily practiceBring laptop toclassPart 4: Finishing up!Week 12November 12Week 12November 14Reading:Colleges Teach Students How toThink. Should they also teach howto thrive?Daily practiceHow to meditateWeek 12reflections dueon BB @ 5 pm,11/11TED talk: How to tame yourwandering mind & How to staycalm when you know you’ll bestressedTED talk: How to break a habitDaily practiceTeam evaluationand collegesurvival guide—WHAT due onBB @ 5 pm on11/15