mindfulness and meditation in the...part 2 continued week 7 october 8 mindfulness meditation for...

JOUR 177

Fall 2019

Mindfulness and Meditation in the Modern World

Yvonnes Chen, Ph.D. [email protected] Office hours: M/W 10:45-11:45 am @ Watson Library (4th floor general area) or by appointment

Zoom link to office hours: https://kansas.zoom.us/j/819060692

Tu/Th 11:00-12:15 pm @ CDSI (Integrated Science Building) Room 1160

“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.” –Jon Kabat-Zinn

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” –Anna Quindlen

Welcome! Have you ever craved a quiet space to simply breathe and

regroup? Have you felt a constant struggle toward our society’s addiction to faster living? Have you ever wondered what mindfulness and meditation is and how it becomes so popular? This seminar places mindfulness and meditation in the crux of these questions and examines its role in our lives. Mindfulness and meditation, by nature, is a hands-on practice — and we will continue this spirit in our class. Our time together will celebrate every lived experience. Our classroom is a place where you will be treated with respect as a human being — regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, political beliefs, age, or ability. I also appreciate and encourage diversity of thought, provided you can agree to disagree. It is my expectation that ALL students experience this classroom as a safe environment. I am excited to embark on this journey with you and hope you are too!

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“A few simple tips for life: feet on the ground, head to the skies, heart open…quiet mind.”—Rasheed Ogunlaru

What is the course about? Mindfulness has entered into the

American mainstream lexicon with its share of attention in media coverage.

Headlines from “Meditation exercise helps students focus,” “Enjoy a party with

yoga and color” to “Everyone has time to meditate” underscore how much

mindfulness practices have been integrated into our daily lives. Further,

mindfulness-based practices have been touted as a modern-day panacea that

prevents and reduces stress and depression as well as improves social and

emotional wellbeing in children and adults. But what is meditation? Does it

really work? How is ‘mindfulness’ popularized in our society and in the

mainstream media?

In this seminar, we will engage in thoughtfully executed mindfulness activities to

gain a first-hand experience, visit campus museums and libraries to explore

artworks and subjects for learning, and conduct a college survival guide project

for incoming freshmen so that you can benefit the next generation of

Jayhawkers using your newly developed skillsets. Are you ready to breathe

together?

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 fellow

learners, distilling your personal experience practicing mindfulness and meditation, synthesizing resources and scholarly research, and communicating 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 and Spencer Museum of Art as well as welcome guest speakers so you’d be more broadly engaged with the community and the subject.

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“Wherever you are, be there totally.” –Eckhart Tolle

What assignments am I expected to accomplish?

All due dates are included in the schedule. Engagement & Discussion (10%): You have a wonderful opportunity to engage with an intimate group of students to explore mindfulness meditation in the modern world. Come to class each week with something to say or a question to ask. Be curious, be prepared, and be kind. If you miss more than 2 classes, this portion and your team assignments may be adjusted accordingly. Learning goals (5%): You will set learning goals at the beginning of the semester and review them mid-way to check on your own learning progress. Documenting your media diet and experimenting with your new media diet assignments (20%): This is a two-part assignment. You will log your current media consumption, experiment with a new diet, and reflect on the experience. Reflections—6 total (20%): We will be reading articles and watching TED talks as related to mindfulness and meditation. Some may be from scholarly sources and some may be from popular media. Regardless the format, reflecting on what you have read and your current mindfulness & meditation practices is so crucial. Each reflection will combine a week worth of the materials and will be between 350-500 words in length. Final assignment (35%): Your final assignment “College Survival Guide” will be a vehicle for you to communicate your semester-long experience practicing mindfulness and meditation. Your will work with your fellow learners in a team to 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 of your college survival guide, how the users might benefit from your survival guide, and what you have learned from working on the assignment. Your grade will reflect on your collaborative efforts (i.e., adjusted based on team evaluations). More details to follow! Working with writing fellow: This course partners with the KU Writing Fellows program, provided by the KU Writing Center. Writing Fellows (WFs) are undergraduate students who are trained as peer writing consultants and are available to 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 do in this course. You are required to meet with the WF at least 5 times throughout the course 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

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“If we practice mindfulness, we always have a place to be when we are afraid.” –Thich Nhat Hanh

Schedule—unveiled! Here is our tentative class schedule in four

parts. It’s tentative because there may be changes, which will be announced via email, in-person communication and/or on Blackboard (BB). Part 1: The Soaring Popularity of Mindfulness and Meditation in Our World Topic/Reading Assignment Due Week 1 August 27 Getting to know each other

Say hi! Community guidelines Final assignment & media diet assignment, syllabus agreement, and student consent form

Daily practice

Week 1 August 29

Getting to know each other

Reading: Here’s what today’s students want from college Media diet & creating/experimenting your media diet assignment—what does your media consumption say about you and our world? Setting your learning goals

Daily practice Bring your signed forms Submit your learning goals to BB @ 5 pm, 8/30

Week 2 September 3 Digital well-being

Reading: Is social media bad for you?

Team organization + value statement

Daily practice Week 2 reflections due on BB @ 5 pm, 9/2

Week 2 September 5

Reading: Read Part I—the bloom of the present moment in Mindfulness Meditation for Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn (pdf pages 21-26) TED Talk: Debunking the 5 most common mediation myths by Light Watkins

Daily practice Media diet due on BB @ 5 pm on 9/6

Week 3 September 10 How to meditate

Reading: A sitting meditation by Jack Kornfield TED Talk: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes


Week 3 September 12

Workshop— Your teamwork style and college survival guide—WHO + concept map

Bring your laptop to class

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“Happiness is not found through changing our external world, but through changing our internal landscape”—Shauna Shapiro

Part 1 (continued) Topic/Reading Assignment Due Week 4 September 17 Popular meditation programs and apps

Pick a free mindfulness app and try it out before our class on September 17. Workshop— college survival guide—WHO + concept map What topic(s) should we include in the college survival guide? What can we learn from our audience and how? What information do we need? How should we collect it? How should we write it in a way that’s appealing to the readers?

Daily practice Bring your laptop to class Creating and experimenting your media diet due on BB @ 5 pm on 9/17

Week 4 September 19

Workshop— college survival guide—WHO Collecting relevant research in preparation for our workshop on 9/26

Daily practice Bring your laptop to class

Part 2: Who needs to be mindful? Week 5 September 24 Using KU library resources

A visit to KU Library—we will learn how to locate scholarly sources in preparation for our final project. Room: Clark Instruction Center (3rd floor, Watson Library)

Daily practice

Week 5 September 26

Workshop— college survival guide—WHO We will focus on your research findings and how to write them out.

Daily practice

Week 6 October 1 Mindfulness meditation for college students

We will review these readings in class: Oman, D. et al. (2008) & Ramsburg & Youmans (2014).

Daily practice

Week 6 October 3

Workshop— college survival guide—WHY

Daily practice Bring your laptop to class Team evaluation and college survival guide—WHO due on BB @ 5 pm on 10/4

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“If you hear the whispers, you won’t have to hear the screams”—Cherokee proverb

Part 2 continued Week 7 October 8 Mindfulness meditation for college students

Reading: Simard, A., & Henry, M. (2009). Impact of a short yoga intervention on medical students’ health: A pilot study. Medical Teacher, 31, 950-952. TV news: ‘Superhero yoga’ helping students at KC school


Week 7 October 10

Reading: Top 10 reasons to meditate TED talk: The art of stillness TED Talk: How to make stress your friend

Daily practice Assess your learning goals due on BB @ 5 pm, 10/11

Week 8 October 15

Fall break—enjoy the rest! Daily practice

Week 8 October 17

Workshop— college survival guide—WHY

Daily practice Bring laptop to class Team evaluation and college survival guide—WHY due on BB @ 5 pm on 10/18

Week 9 October 22

Workshop— college survival guide—WHEN Empathy map

Daily practice

Week 9 October 24

Workshop— college survival guide—WHEN Journey map

College survival guide—WHEN due on BB @ 5 pm on 10/25 (No team evaluation here)

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“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; If a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” –Mahatma Gandhi

Part 3: Seeing meditation through art, music, & media coverage Week 10 October 29 Art

Tour to the Spencer Museum of Art Discussion: How might we incorporate the Art Museum into the college survival guide? What experience might benefit honors students?


Week 10 October 31 Media coverage

A visit to KU Library—we will learn how to locate media reports using Nexis-Uni + concept map + CC license Room: Clark Instruction Center (3rd floor, Watson Library) How does media coverage reflect mindfulness and meditation?

Daily practice

Week 11 November 5

Tour to the Spencer Museum of Art Reading: Neuroscience shows listening to music has kind of the same effect as meditation


Week 11 November 7

Workshop—college survival guide—WHAT

Daily practice Bring laptop to class

Part 4: Finishing up!

Week 12 November 12

Reading: Colleges Teach Students How to Think. Should they also teach how to thrive? How to meditate TED talk: How to tame your wandering mind & How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed


Week 12 November 14

TED talk: How to break a habit

Daily practice Team evaluation and college survival guide—WHAT due on BB @ 5 pm on 11/15

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“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.”—Pema Chodron

Part 4 continued Week 13 November 19

Workshop—college survival guide—HOW


Week 13 November 21

Workshop—college survival guide—HOW

Daily meditation practice Bring laptop to class Team evaluation and college survival guide—HOW due on BB @ 5 pm on 11/22

Week 14 November 26

No Class Daily practice

Week 14 November 28

Thanksgiving Daily practice

Week 15 December 3

Workshop Revise and format


Week 15 December 5

Workshop Revise and format


Week 16 December 10

Review our semester-long progress Daily practice

Week 16 December 12

Presentation: Showcase your college survival guide

Daily practice Final team evaluation due on BB @ 5 pm on 12/13

FINAL college survival guide due on BB @ 5 pm, 12/16

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But hold on! I still have pressing questions. If you have questions about our course polices on note taking, absences, campus resources, etc., here are the answers you’re looking for. Read on! What if I need help? I am committed to your success. I encourage you to attend office hours or meet with me by appointment to discuss any questions pertaining to the course, the readings, exams and assignments, or career prospects and opportunities. Do not hesitate to seek continuing assistance throughout the semester. What is your take on diversity? As a first-generation, female minority faculty, fostering an inclusive learning environment is very important to me. We will demonstrate civility and respect for the dignity of others. Expressions or actions that disparage a person’s or group’s race, ethnicity, nationality, culture, gender, gender identity / expression, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability will not be tolerated. Could I submit assignments late? You can always submit your assignments early! Late assignments, unless barring significant intervening circumstances, will be deducted 10% of your grade each day the assignments are late. Could I use laptop and cellphone in class? Let’s admit it: Technology is helpful and disruptive at the same time. To enhance your learning experience, I warmly invite you to put away your laptop and cellphone in class, unless it’s requested for learning purposes. How could I take my notes then? Simple solution: Take notes in longhand. Handwriting allows you to read more quickly and to remain better at retaining information and generating new ideas. What is the grade change policy? Let’s talk! Better yet, ask questions to receive feedback before any assignments are due. If there is a change in grade, it is solely authorized by me and only under unusual circumstances. Here is a list of resources to help you succeed. If you are confused about which one to contact, always try Jayhawk Student One Stop (SOS) https://sos.ku.edu/.

• Need someone to review your writing before submission? KU writing center is here to help: http//writing.ku.edu • If you have a disability for which you may request accommodation in classes, please contact the Office of

Disability Resources, 22 Strong Hall, 785-864-2620 (V/TTY), https://disability.ku.edu/. Please also contact me. • Need tips for learning? Or if you think you need course-specific academic assistance, please contact Academic

Access and Achievement Center (AAAC): https://achievement.ku.edu • Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) offers help to underrepresented students and offer inclusive learning

environment for all: https://oma.ku.edu/about • If you need information about how to protect you from becoming a victim of a crime and recognize and report

suspicious activity, contact Public Safety: https://publicsafety.ku.edu/ • Need help with issues related to adjusting to college and other psychological, interpersonal, and family

problems? KU Counseling and Psychology Services (CAPS) is here to help: https://caps.ku.edu/ • Are you in need of some food to help you get through the week? Campus Cupboard is here to help:

https://www.cco.ku.edu/food/ • Want to learn more about gender equity? Need a private service to discuss gender related issues? Want to

advocate and support campus community of all genders? Please visit Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity: https://emilytaylorcenter.ku.edu/

• Looking to meet people who share your interests? Consider joining a club organized by Student Involvement & Leadership Center (SILC).https://silc.ku.edu/ You can also easily search for clubs on rockchalkcentral.ku.edu

• Consider getting involved in the Lawrence community by volunteering with the Center for Community Outreach (CCO) http://www.cco.ku.edu/

• University Career Center (UCC). It offers resume help, mock interviews, career assessments, help with internships, and more: https://career.ku.edu/

Please review our supplemental file on the School of Journalism and Mass Communications’ policies on classroom attendance, financial aid policy, misconduct, plagiarism, fabrication/falsification, and copy or recording.

mindfulness and meditation in the...part 2 continued week 7 october 8 mindfulness meditation for...

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