Ten lecturers, one class, all mindfulness

Imagine taking a course with a different speaker each week.

That’s what “From Miracles to Mindfulness,” which will run during the spring semester, promises to offer. 

“It is an unusual course because it’s anchored around a series of guest presentations by different kinds of scholars, some scientists, some scholars of religion, psychologists trying to share new cutting edge research on what we understand about religious experience,” said Steven Weitzman, the course coordinator and Abraham M. Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures. “Each speaker is sharing a recent approach to what we can understand about religious experience.”

Notable speakers will include Religious Studies professor Justin McDaniel, who is giving his presentation on “The Reality of the Unseen.”

“I am giving a lecture on ghosts, spirit beliefs and worship in southeast Asia and Buddhism in general. I will be talking about miracles and contact with the afterlife, mostly Theravada Buddhism in southeast Asia, but also in Buddhism more broadly,” McDaniel said.

Another guest presenter, Andrew Newberg, who is the Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, is hosting a lecture on “The Principles of Neurotheology.”

“Some of the things I will talk about are principles related to scientific investigation of these religious experiences and phenomena, how we interpret the data we obtain from these studies and how we define terms like spirituality, religion, God,” Newberg said. “How do we use this information to make sense about reality and how do we use this information on a scientific and philosophical level to really understand the world around us and how our brain interprets that world around us?”

There is a discussion component of the course that supplements the topics mentioned by the guest speakers. The purpose is to apply methods discussed in class to learn about religious experiences other students may have had.

“We want students to understand that these religious experiences are mysterious and other-worldly, but can be thought about, Weitzman said. “The secondary goal is to get people in the sciences to get into conversation with people in the humanities.”

“From Miracles to Mindfulness” will only be offered in the impending spring semester. Students who want to come hear the lectures without taking the course are allowed to do so.

“If you want to get credit and take the class, you have to enroll in the class. But if you just want to show up for a single lecture, you can do so. You don’t have to show up for every lecture,” Weitzman said.

Lectures will be held every Tuesday at 5 p.m., and everyone is welcome.

Correction: A previous version of this article indicated that the course did not have a single professor. In fact, the course is being led by religious studies professor Steven Weitzman and graduate student Phillip Webster. The DP regrets the error.

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