The Contemplative Studies Initiative is a group of Brown faculty who are working toward a goal of creating a multidisciplinary center for research and teaching about contemplative states of experience, across cultures and across time.
Our first step towards this was establishing in 2007 a "Scholarly Concentration in Contemplative Studies" in the Warren Alpert Medical School of Medicine at Brown University (at the graduate level).
Our second major step was accomplished in May 2014, when we established a formal undergraduate concentration in Contemplative Studies on the Arts and Sciences campus.
Our new Contemplative Studies concentration builds upon our rigorous approach to making intellectually sound and experience-driven connections between disciplines in the breadth of a liberal education, while also cultivating in our students the wisdom that comess from developing mindfulness and discernment as both a personal and an academic focus.
CONTEMPLATIVE STUDIES CONCENTRATION SUMMARY
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 comination 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 experince in societies and on the individuals who constitute them. Students may also pursue a Contemplative Studies Engaged Scholars Concentration in which they examine the relationship between individual complative practice and activities that engage major social issues in new and creative ways. We also support independent and dual concentratons in the Contemplative Creative Arts.
CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS (13 courses)
Concentration Core (6 courses)
- COST 0100: An Introduction to Contemplative Studies
- Two introductory science courses that focus on the cognitive neurological functioning of the human brain and how contemplative practices affect it.
- Two humanities courses that introduce students to contemplative religious traditions and the philosophical analysis of the key questions of human existence.
- COST 1950 (Senior Concentrator's Seminar) which enables concentrators to synthesize their knowledge of the field of Contemplative Studies and its current principal issues, and learn how to most effectively conduct research and writing on their Capstone Projects.
Students choose to complete either a Science or a Humanities Track consisting of 6 courses including the Capstone course.
Science: The Science Track in Contemplative Studies gives concentrators in-depth understanding of the scientific methods used to investigate the cognitive neuroscience of contemplative practice and also provides a method of self-inquiry that can be used to augment any area of life. Concentrators must complete:
- Five thematic science courses drawn primarily from BIOL, COST, NEUR, CLPS and PHP, at least one of which must include laboratory work,
- two of which must be 1000-level,
- and one of which must be a Statistics course.
Humanities: 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 scientifc study of contemplative practice. Intermediate and Advance Courses should be taken in these areas:
- Philosophy of Mind
- Contemplative Religious Traditions
In special cases, concentrations in the Contemplative Creative Arts may be possible within the Humanities Track.
Senior Capstone: Course that includes a Capstone Project or
Honors: Students wishing to be considered for Honors in Contemplative Studies must have a 3.5 grade point average in Concentration Courses, and their Capstone Project must be a two-semester Honors Thesis in the Senior Year.
Contemplative Studies Faculty
SCIENCES
Judson Brewer, Contemplative Studies, School of Public Health, Mindfulness Center at Brown
Willoughby Britton, Psychiatry, Alpert Medical School, Mindfulness Center at Brown
Ellen Flynn, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Women’s Health Collaborative
Stephanie Jones, Carney Institute for Brain Science
Lynn Koerbel, Mindfulness Center at Brown
Sara Lazar, Contemplative Studies, Harvard-Mass General
Eric Loucks, School of Public Health, Mindfulness Center at Brown
Brad Marston, Physics
Jeffrey Proulx, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Mindfulness Center at Brown
HUMANITIES
Larson DiFiori*, DUS Contemplative Studies, Religious Studies
Christopher Hill, Philosophy
Michael Kennedy*, Sociology, Interim Director of Contemplative Studies (Fall 2022)
Jared Lindahl, Contemplative Studies, Religious Studies
Rose McDermott, Political Science
Finnian Moore-Gerety, Religious Studies, Contemplative Studies
Srinivas Reddy, Contemplative Studies, Religious Studies
Harold Roth*, Religious Studies, East Asian Studies, Director of Contemplative Studies (On Sabbatical Fall 2022)
CREATIVE ARTS
Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, Theatre Arts and Performance Studies
Carol DeBoer-Langworthy, English (Nonfiction Writing)
Program and Financial Coordinator: Anne Heyrman-Hart For all inquiries or to schedule an appointment with Professors Roth or DiFiori please email [email protected].
*Indicates Concentration Advisor
Concentration Core (6 Courses)
COST 0100: An Introduction to Contemplative Studies
Two introductory science courses that focus on the cognitive neurological functioning of the human brain and how contemplative practices affect it.
One course chosen from List A:
BIOL 0800: Principles of Physiology (Hai, Sobieraj)
NEUR 0010: The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience (Stein, Paradiso)
CLPS 0010: Elementary Psychology: An Introduction to Mind and Behavior
CLPS 0040: Mind and Brain: Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience (Domini)
CLPS 0200: Human Cognition (Austerweil)
CLPS 0500: Perception and Mind (Song)
One course chosen from List B:
COST 0200: Meditation and the Brain (Kerr, Britton)
COST 1020: Cognitive Neuroscience of Meditation (Kerr)
Two Humanities courses that introduce students to contemplative religious traditions and to the philosophical analysis of key questions of human existence.
COST 0040 (RELS 0040): Great Contemplative Traditions of Asia (Roth)
COST 0333: Contemplative Approaches to Living and Dying (Lindahl)
COST 0410 (RELS 0290E): Engaged Buddhism (Roth)
COST 0420 (RELS 0500): Theory and Practice of Buddhist Meditation (Davis)
COST 0450: Stages of the Contemplative Path (Lindahl)
COST 0480 (RELS 0520): Buddhist Ethical Theory (Davis)
PHIL 0010: The Place of Persons (Christensen)
PHIL 0220: Mind and Matter (Staff)
PHIL 0250: The Meaning of Life (Larmore)
PHIL 0350: Ancient Philosophy (Gill)
RELS 0065: On Being Human: Religious and Philosophical Conceptions of Self (Lewis)
RELS 0120: The Classical Chinese Foundations of Life (Roth)
RELS 0150: Religions of Classical India (Staff)
RELS: 0145: Karma, Rebirth and Liberation: Life and Death South Asian Religions (Gerrety)
RELS 0190: Japanese Religious Traditions (Sawada)
(and others, with approval)
COST 1950 (Senior Concentrator's Seminar) which enables concentrators to synthesize their knowledge of the field of Contemplative Studies and its current principal issues, and learn how to most effectively conduct research and writing on their Capstone Projects.
TRACK REQUIREMENTS (6 COURSES)
Students choose either a Sciences Track or a Humanities Track
Science Track:
Five thematic science courses drawn primarily from BIOL, COST, NEUR, CLPS and PHP, at least one of which must include laboratory work, two of which must be 1000-level, and one of which much be a Statistics course.
COST 1080 (PHP 1880): Meditation, Mindfulness, and Health (Loucks)
COST 1120: Neurophenomenology (Kerr; To Be Proposed)
NEUR 1020: Principles of Neurobiology (Aizenmen)
NEUR 1030: Neural Systems (Linden)
NEUR 1520: Exploring Neural Data (Linden)
CLPS 0400: Brain Damage and the Mind (Festa)
CLPS 0700: Social Psychology (Hall)
CLPS 1291: Computational Cognitive Science (Serre)
CLPS 1400: The Neural Bases of Cognition (Burwell)
CLPS 1492: Computational Cognitive Neuroscience (Frank)
CLPS 1570: Visual Consciousness (Wantanabe)
CLPS 1620: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (Amso)
CLPS 1700: Abnormal Psychology (Hayden)
EDUC 1270: Adolescent Psychology (Zena)
PHP 1920: Social Determinants of Health (Loucks)
(and others, with approval)
One Statistics Course
APMA 0650: Essential Statistics (Harrison)
APMA 1650: Statistical Inference (Kunsberg)
BIOL 0495: Statistical Analysis of Biological Data (Ramachandran)
CLPS 0900: Quantitative Methods in Psychology (Spoehr)
EDUC 1110: Introductory Statistics for Education Research and Policy Analysis (Kraft)
PHP 1501: Essentials of Data Analysis (Gutman)
(and others, with approval)
Humanities Track
Contemplative Religious Traditions
ANTH 1240: Religion and Culture (in India) (Singh)
CLAS 0820: The Epics of India (Fitzgerald)
CLAS 0850/RELS 0925): The Mythology of India (Fitzgerald)
COST 0530 (RELS 0530): Laozi and the Daodejing (Roth)
COST 0550 (RELS 0550): Tibetan Buddhism and the West (Lindahl)
COST 0855 (CLAS 0855): The Bhagavad Gita (Fitzgerald)
COST 0990 (CLAS 0990): Concepts of Self in Classical Indian Literature (Buchta)
COST 1440 (RELS 1441): Zen Meditation in China, Korea and Japan (Roth)
COST 1442 (RELS 1442): History, Philosophy, and Practice of Rinzai Zen Buddhism (Roth)
CLAS 0995: The Performing Arts in Classical South Asia (Buchta)
CLAS 1120G: Idea of Self (Pucci)
CLAS 1140: The Classical Philosophy of India (Buchta)
EAST 0180/RELS 0195: Japan: Nature, Ritual and the Arts (Sawada)
EAST 1420: The Confucian Mind (Sawada)
EAST 1950/RELS 0950: The Floating World (Sawada)
EAST 1880D: Early Daoist Syncretism (Roth)
RELS 0056: Spiritual But Not Religious: American Spirituality Past + Present (Vaca)
RELS 0911: Indian Buddhism (Staff)
RELS 1370B: Philosophy of Mysticism (Bush)
RELS 1440: Themes in Japanese Buddhism (Sawada)
SO 1871S: Knowedge Networks and Global Transformation (Kennedy)
SOC 1871Z: Martial Arts, Culture and Society (Kennedy)
(and others, with approval)
The Philosophy of Mind
COST 0650 (PHIL 0650): The Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness (Reginster)
COST 1520 (PHIL 1520): Consciousness (Hill)
COST 1550 (SCSO 1550E): Science and Religion (Poland)
COST 1770 (PHIL 1770) Philosophy of Mind (Hill)
COST 1870 (SCSO 1700Y): Neuroethics (Poland)
PHIL 0990L: Moral Psychology (Arpaly)
PHIL 0990M: Descartes' Meditations (Larmore)
PHIL 0991: Plato, Mind, and Moral Psychology (Broakes)
PHIL 1290: Kant's Moral Philosophy (Guyer)
PHIL 1590: Philosophy of Science (Christensen)
PHIL 1650: Moral Theories (Arpaly)
PHIL 1660: Metaphysics (Broakes)
PHIL 1750: Epistemology (Hill)
PHIL 1720: Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (Guyer)
PHIL 2020O: Puzzles of Consciousness (Pautz)
PHIL 2150G: Aristotle's Metaphysics (Gill)
PHIL 1720: Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (Guyer)
PHIL 1770: Philosophy of Mind (Hill)
UNIV 1520: The Shaping of World Views (Almeida)
(and others, with approval)
The Capstone course can be either:
- A one semester Independent Reading and Research course, either COST 1910 or 1920 OR BIOL 1950 or 1960, depending on the semester; OR
- A special project done within and 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.
Honors
Students wishing to be considered for Honors in Contemplative Studies must have a 3.5 grade point average in concentration courses, and their Capstone Project must be a two-semester Honors Thesis in the senior year (COST 1910, 1920). For the sciences track, this would typically involve two semesters of research in an approved, established lab.