In this all-level interdisciplinary program we will explore human development, primarily the theories of adolescence and aging. We will also look at present day development, including the physiology of stress, basic neurobiology, and current research on adolescence and aging. Some guiding questions will be: What is the hero’s journey? What archetypes does the current journey invoke? How do we act as being on the way to being?

We will consider concepts from addiction studies, family therapy, interpersonal neuropsychology, psychodrama, as well as ideas from humanistic and existential psychology, and philosophy. Program activities will include reading and discussing theorists such as Daniel Siegel, Joseph Campbell, Carl Rogers, Carl Jung, and Victor Frankl, engaging in small group activities and lectures, and participating in writing, performance, and movement workshops.

To support our study of human development we will also engage in the weekly practice of yoga, and the study of yoga philosophy and other mindfulness disciplines. One major project will be to engage in a self-study that includes using media, studying the Enneagram, reading from “The Artists Way,” and conducting qualitative research. A second major project will be to select, research, and practice a specific mindfulness discipline and teach this discipline in a final presentation. Students will write a literature review of a developmental theorist of their choice.