Honors

Home Praxis Lab Opening the Mind’s Eye: Contemplative Practice and Higher Education
Health & Society 2016-2017

Opening the Mind’s Eye: Contemplative Practice and Higher Education

This Praxis Lab explored the transformative potential of contemplative practices—such as meditation and traditional yoga—in university education and beyond. Students engaged with a diverse range of contemplative traditions, both secular and spiritual, while examining the latest neuroscientific research on their effects on memory, attention, and empathy. As society grapples with deep divisions and growing mental health challenges, this course sought to integrate contemplative approaches into higher education to foster well-being, mindfulness, and a more compassionate academic environment.

Throughout the year, students experienced hands-on contemplative practices, engaged with research on their cognitive and emotional benefits, and studied how universities nationwide are incorporating these methods. Their final project focused on applying contemplative practices to the University of Utah, with potential impacts on classroom learning, mental health, campus wellness, and program development.

Instructors:

Phillip Bimstein

Joseph Metz, PhD

More Praxis Labs

Infectious Disease on the Run
Health & Society

Infectious Disease on the Run

Margaret P. Battin, PhD
Wendy Hobson-Rohrer, MD

This Praxis Lab examined the history, science, and ethical implications of pandemics, from the Black Plague to COVID-19. Students analyzed how diseases spread, the social and political responses to outbreaks, and the ethical considerations of public health interventions.

More Info2021-2022
How We Die
Health & Society

How We Die

Margaret P. Battin, PhD

This Praxis Lab explored the evolving landscape of death and dying in the modern world, examining the shift from infectious disease mortality to prolonged battles with degenerative illnesses like cancer, heart failure, and dementia.

More Info2016-2017
Education, Incarceration & Justice: Punishment and Opportunity in an Era of Mass Imprisonment
Policy & Social Justice

Education, Incarceration & Justice: Punishment and Opportunity in an Era of Mass Imprisonment

Erin Castro
Roberto Garcia

This Praxis Lab examined the deep connections between education, incarceration, and justice in the United States, a country with the highest incarceration rate in the world. Students explored the historical and systemic forces that have expanded the carceral state, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and communities of color.

More Info2016-2017