Contemplative Studies Initiative and Concentration

The Science Track

The Sciences Track in Contemplative Studies gives concentrators a foundational understanding of the scientific methods used to investigate the biological, psychological and neurological effects of contemplative practices and their potential implications on physical and mental health both for individuals and the general public.

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.

  • BIOL 0280:  Introductory Biochemistry (Lab)
  • BIOL 0470:  Genetics (Lab)
  • BIOL 0530: Principles of Immunology
  • BIOL 0800: Principles of Physiology (lab)
  • BIOL 1170: Mammalian Physiology
  • BIOL 1880: Comparative Biology of the Vertebrates
  • COST 0200:  Meditation and the Brain #
  • COST 1020:  Cognitive Neuroscience of Meditation #
  • COST 1080/PHP 1880:  Meditation, Mindfulness, and Health #
  • CLPS 0700: Social Psychology
  • CLPS 0710:  The Psychology & Philosophy of Happiness
  • CLPS 1091: Research Design and Methods
  • CLPS 1490 fMRI: Theory and Practice
  • CLPS 1193: Laboratory in Genes and Behavior
  • CLPS 1194: Sleep and Chronobiology Research
  • CLPS 1291: Computational Methods for Mind, Brain and Behavior
  • CLPS 1400:  The Neural Bases of Cognition
  • CLPS 1492: Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
  • CLPS 1570:  Visual Consciousness 
  • CLPS 1590: Visualizing Vision
  • CLPS 1791: Laboratory in Social Cognition
  • NEUR 1020:  Principles of Neurobiology
  • NEUR 1030:  Neural Systems 
  • NEUR 1540: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 
  • NEUR 1600: Experimental Neurobiology
  • NEUR 1940I: The Neural Correlates of Consciousness
  • PHP 1600: Introduction to Conducting Clinical Research
  • PHP 1740: Health Behavior and Health Promotion Interventions
  • PHP 1920:  Social Determinants of Health 
  • (and others, with approval)

#Course that can be taken as Track Requirements if Not Used as Core Course

One Statistics Course

  • APMA 0650:  Essential Statistics
  • APMA 1650:  Statistical Inference
  • BIOL 0495:  Statistical Analysis of Biological Data
  • CLPS 0900:  Quantitative Methods in Psychology
  • EDUC 1110:  Introductory Statistics for Education Research and Policy Analysis
  • PHP 1501:  Essentials of Data Analysis
  • (and others, with approval)