5th Annual Summer Session on
Contemplative Curriculum Development
August 9 - 14, 2009
Smith College, Northampton, MA
Registration opens January 2009
Summer Session Participants will devote the week to rigorous investigation, reflection, writing, and discussion, guided by distinguished scholars and contemplative teachers who have already developed such courses.
There will be sessions on pedagogical issues, including the relation between course content and contemplative practice and the benefits of stabilized attention and other qualities of mind fostered by meditation, as well as on practical issues such as evaluation, grading, instructional techniques, and use of off-site facilities. We will also consider issues such as communicating course intent with colleagues and college administrators. There will be discussions on how contemplative practices in the curriculum are affecting teaching and learning nationwide. Local scholars and contemplative teachers not listed as faculty will visit and engage in the discussions. Each day will also include substantial contemplative practice time, which will introduce participants to practices from a variety of traditions as well as practices that have been adapted successfully for secular classroom settings. The summer session aims to prepare participants to return to their classrooms with a deeper understanding of the practice of contemplative teaching and a fully developed course.
The summer session builds on the work of the Contemplative Practice Fellowship Program. These fellowships seek to restore and renew the critical contribution that contemplative practices can make to the life of teaching and scholarship. At the heart of the program is the belief that pedagogical and intellectual benefits will be discovered by bringing contemplative practice into the academy. While contemplative practices are part of all major religious and spiritual traditions, they have also had a place in intellectual and ethical inquiry, including secular educational environments. Contemplative practices are defined in a variety of ways, but they can be broadly understood as methods to develop concentration, deepen understanding and insight, and cultivate awareness and compassion.
We invite participants from the full range of disciplinary and inter-disciplinary perspectives in the arts, humanities, sciences, humanities-related sciences, and social sciences. We are especially interested in the development of courses in which classroom contemplative practices are related clearly to the content of the course itself. Such content-related contemplative practices can lead to genuine insights and deeper appreciation of the material under study.
Further information on the content of the session can be inferred from the Academic Program's lectures, reports, and publications. You may also find our selection of course syllabi to be a helpful reference.
2009 Faculty & Staff
to be announced
How to Apply for the Summer Session
Applications will be accepted in January 2009.
If you have any questions, please contact Beth Wadham, Academic Program Associate, by email or at 413-582-0071.