The Evergreen State College, Spring Quarter 2008

Faculty: Sarah Williams, Sem2, A2117 (faculty mailbox), Sem2, C2106 (faculty office), 867 6561 (campus phone and voicemail), williasa@evergreen.edu (email)

Office Hours: Wednesday 9:15-10 and 12-1; group session Tuesday 1-3 in Sem2 C2109

Program Secretary: Sheila Sawyer and Ruth Joynes, Sem2 A2117, ext. 6550

Program Aide: Diana Oliphant, olidia29@evergreen.edu

Program Intern: Jeremy Kraft, shapekraft@gmail.com

Contemplative Studies

Special Expenses: $80.00 for field trips and a yoga equipment fee. Extra costs may vary, depending on student projects.

Class Standing: Third quarter first-year students or above who are prepared to carry out independent study; transfer students welcome

Major Areas of Study and Credits: themes in each student's individual course of study, which may include research, internship, community service, field study, study abroad or travel, as they relate to contemplative studies. 8 to 16 credits.

    Contemplative education...infuses learning with the experience of awareness, insight and compassion for oneself and others through the practice of meditation and contemplative disciplines ...contemplative education experiments with another way of knowing through joining of rigorous liberal arts training and the disciplined training of the heart. -- http://en.wikipedia.org

    The mind should be checked until it meets with destruction in the heart. This is gnosis (jnana); this is meditation (dhyana). The rest is diffuse speculation. – Amrita-Bindu-Upanishad

Contemplative Studies offers opportunities for highly motivated students to create a learning community in support of their own contemplatively oriented course of study and research. Classroom components of Contemplative Studies include: 1) Tuesday peer and faculty independent project sessions, 2) Tuesday guest artist series, 3) Wednesday seminar, 4) Thursday yoga nidra/iRest studio workshop and research group, 5) special events, including guest lectures, workshops, and field trips. In addition to choosing from these program components, all students also have the option to develop 6) an individual study project. Independent work may include research, internships, community service, field study, study abroad or travel options.

This program is especially appropriate for students with interests related to the themes and activities developed fall and winter quarters in the program Made for Contemplation (see program web site for addition details http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricular/madeforcontemplation/). Appropriate areas of inquiry include: contemplative arts and education, creative process, cultural studies, feminist theory, somatic studies and consciousness studies. The development of students' independent work will be guided by the following questions:

1) Do you have a question to be answered?

2) What is your method of inquiry?

3) How will your work connect with others who have asked (or are willing to ask) a similar or related question?

4) Is there an outcome that matters?

Tuesday

1-3 Sem 2, C2109 Peer and Faculty Individual Study Report Session

3:30-5 LH 1 Guest Artist Series and Sem2 C2109 Guest Lecture Series

Wednesday

10-12 Sem2, A2109 Seminar

Thursday

9:30-12:30 CRC 316 Yoga Nidra/iRest Studio Workshop

Special events as listed in Week by week