In Spring 2019, we offered two sections of a new team-taught course called “Contemplation: Understanding the Self as Learner”. The course introduces students to basic mindfulness and contemplative practices within the framework of understanding attentional, cognitive, and emotional regulation. Course goals are to illuminate how mindfulness skills and practices can shape habits of mind, perspective-taking, learning, and conceptualization of significant social issues. In addition to other reflective writing assignments, students complete a final assignment articulating a possible application of contemplative practice to a significant personal and/or social issue. The quality of these assignments suggests that students in the course have an increased awareness of the ways in which mindfulness practices can impact attention, cognition and emotional regulation.
