Mindfulness and Meditation: The Art and Science of Self-transformation

Programme details

This course begins on the 14 Jan 2027 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 21 Jan 2027, 3:30-4:30pm (UK time).

Week 1: Introduction to the study of meditation

Week 2: Varieties of meditation techniques

Week 3: Meditation as a tool for self-transformation

Week 4: Therapeutic meditation for the homeless self

Week 5: The science of meditation: From modern Yoga to Transcendental Meditation

Week 6:  The effects of mindfulness on the mind, body, and prosocial behaviour

Week 7: Ethics of meditation: Controversies and adverse effects

Week 8: Stages of consciousness in meditation

Week 9: Matters of the heart: Meditations focused on love and compassion

Week 10: Course Summary and Poetry as Meditation

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Course aims

• To study the varieties of mindfulness/meditation practices in the East and West, including its various aims in changing the self, the multiplicity of techniques, and scientific studies on its effects. 
• To study the major types of mindfulness/meditation practices across the world.
• To explore the aims of these practices within religious traditions and within a secular context.
• To discuss the potential effects of these practices in transforming, healing, or enhancing the self.
• To understand key developments in the scientific study of meditation.
• To try out forms of mindfulness/meditation practices within the course.

IT requirements

Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.

Programme details

This course begins on the 14 Jan 2027 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 21 Jan 2027, 3:30-4:30pm (UK time).

Week 1: Introduction to the study of meditation

Week 2: Varieties of meditation techniques

Week 3: Meditation as a tool for self-transformation

Week 4: Therapeutic meditation for the homeless self

Week 5: The science of meditation: From modern Yoga to Transcendental Meditation

Week 6:  The effects of mindfulness on the mind, body, and prosocial behaviour

Week 7: Ethics of meditation: Controversies and adverse effects

Week 8: Stages of consciousness in meditation

Week 9: Matters of the heart: Meditations focused on love and compassion

Week 10: Course Summary and Poetry as Meditation

Teaching methods

This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Any standard web browser can be used to access these materials, but we recommend Google Chrome. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

• understand and describe some of the major techniques of mindfulness/meditation practices;
• understand and discuss the varieties of intended outcomes of these practices;
• discuss the key elements in the scientific study of meditation and the more controversial findings;
• articulate the differences between religious-based and secular therapeutic techniques, including the effects sought for transforming or enhancing the self;
• have experienced various techniques from across Eastern and Western traditions. 

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Dr Miguel Farias

Miguel Farias is an experimental psychologist, former Lecturer at Oxford University, founding director of the Brain, Belief, & Behaviour Lab, co-author of ‘The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You?’, and lead editor of the Oxford Handbook of Meditation.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Fees

Module code: O26P797THZ

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