Spiritual and Existential Studies 101
Spring 2011
What does it MEAN??? (image via Mr. Nightshade on Flickr)
Course Description: This course is intended to give the student time to contemplate life’s perennial questions, such as the nature of mortality and suffering, living according to one’s values, experiencing life to the fullest, and understanding one’s place in society and the universe.
Course Goals: Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability meditate on a regular basis
- To feel a more consistent sense of living mindfully in the present moment
- To explore different methods for staying in touch with life’s perennial questions
Textbooks:
Life with Full Attention: A Practical Course in Mindfulness
by Maitreyabendhu
Beyond the Self: Teachings on the Middle Way
Pale Blue Dot
by Carl Sagan
Video Resources:
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
By Carl Sagan
Audio Resources:
Don’t Bite The Hook
Audiobook by Pema Chodron
The Pema Chodron Audio Collection
Mindfulness Meditation: Cultivating the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind
By John Kabat-Zinn
Grading: The course grade will be based on the following (100 total pts):
ASSIGNMENTS (30 points):
There are 15 possible assignments in the class, worth 2 points each for completion of the described task. See “class schedule” below for a description of these assignments.
PARTICIPATION (50 points):
There are 2 types of participation required by this course:
1) Meditating with Zen sitting group 5 times over four months ( 20 points possible; 4 points for each session))
2) Personal reflection and contemplation
Spend at least 10 minutes, 5 days a doing either a mindfulness exercise, meditating, or journaling
(30 possible points; 2 points for each week of 4-5 days of reflection in that week)
EXAMS (20 points): There will be one exam worth 20 points (20 points for completion, 0 for no completion)
Final Exam: Write a 7 page essay on the most important spiritual and existential lessons from this course using any reading, audio/visual materials, or personal experiences.
The date of the exam is listed on the class schedule.
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
| Points (of 100 max) | Letter Grade |
| 90 – 100 | A |
| 80– 89 | B |
| 70 – 79 | C |
| 60 – 69 | D |
| 59 or below | F |
Class Schedule:
| MONTH | ASSIGNMENT | FINAL DUE DATE |
| January | Finish the first half of Life with Full Attention | January 31 |
| Do a volunteer activity | January 31 | |
| Watch parts 1-3 of Cosmos | January 31 | |
| Listen to Mindfulness Meditation | January 31 | |
| February | Finish the second half of Life with Full Attention | February 15 |
| Attend a service of the Unitarian Church | February 28 | |
| Watch parts 4-6 of Cosmos | February 28 | |
| Listen to Don’t Bite the Hook | February 28 | |
| March | Read: Pale Blue Dot | March 15 |
| Do a volunteer activity | March 31 | |
| Watch parts 7-9 of Cosmos | March 31 | |
| Listen to first half of Pema Chodron audio | March 31 | |
| April | Read Beyond the Self | April 15 |
| Do a volunteer activity | April 30 | |
| Listen to second half of Pema Chodron audio | April 30 | |
| FINAL EXAM: ESSAY | April 30 |
Wow…this sounds like my life! LOL Been there, read that. And I meditate, too. Had no idea I could get college credit for it. I hope you enjoy the course. Are you excited about it?
Ha! We have a lot in common
. Since you’ve read a lot of these books, let me know if there are any you’d recommend instead or didn’t like as much. I’m super-excited about these classes! I meditated a lot in college and sporadically since, and I know it helped me be more focused and less scattered, so hoping for that again. Glad to hear from you– have a great New Year!
Oh, man. All of the Pema Chodron stuff is incredible. I’ll be following along, as I am pursuing something similar.
LOVE Pema Chodron–I first read “When things fall apart” years ago and it is on of the single most meaningful things I’ve ever read. I’m really looking forward to her audiobooks– I repeatedly hear they’re great. I’d love to hear more about what you are up to.