Contemplative Literature as College Curriculum
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THE CHALLENGE
Universities nationwide grapple with unprecedented levels of student anxiety, depression, and social isolation, while students are increasingly searching for academic experiences that speak to their lived realities.
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THE SOLUTION
Students grow through academic courses that build resilience, communication and social skills, emotional intelligence, and peer connections. Contemplative literature courses facilitate this meaningful growth.
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STUDENT OUTCOMES
Support
Students discover that they are not alone—peer support and practical tools exist.
Students build campus connections and form meaningful relationships.
Students gain confidence to support others and lead positive change.
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STUDENT OUTCOMES
Personal Growth
Students engage in their own journey of self-discovery as they explore universal themes of growth and transformation in contemporary literature.
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THE IMPACT
Ripple Effects
Students develop critical thinking skills, resilience, and emotional intelligence, creating ripple effects that extend far beyond the classroom.
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THE IMPACT
Change Happens
LOOKING beyond external circumstances that trigger rejection, fear, anxiety, and doubt, students develop internal resources for resilience, self-efficacy, and authentic self-worth.
From there, change happens.
Let go of the past, connect with
the present, expand the future
Book:
Lighter:
by Yung Pueblo
A journey to LIGHTER Mondays
“Pick the path that lights you up.”
Book:
The Four Agreements
by Don Miguel Ruiz
Break free from the stories
you’re telling yourself.
A journey to living and
thinking differently
Book:
Cassandra Speaks:
by Elizabeth Lesser
When Women Are the Storytellers,
The Human Story Changes
Book:
The Artist Way
by Julia Cameron
“With ‘The Artist’s Way,’
Julia Cameron invented
the way people renovate
the creative soul.”
-NY Times
Book:
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse
by Charlie Mackesy
“This book is about nothing in particular, instead deciding to be about everything.
It addresses universal truths of human nature that speak to adults as well as to children.”
- The Cor Chronicle
The University of Dallas’ Student-run Newspaper
We are not alone.
"I think relationships are the point.
They’re not just important,
they’re the point.
The point, the joy,
the thing that we’re here for is
each other, to connect.”
-Pippa Grange
“Inspiration is best when it’s shared.
So share the stories that speak
to you the most with your community.”
-Light Watkins
COMMUNITY
“Through literature and stories, we recognize common themes in all of our lives. This leads to a shared acceptance of one another.”
-Mary Pat
“We see others and know that their story is not too far from our own.”
-yung pueblo
A Hero’s Journey
When students embrace and actively use the contemplative tools from the literature, they embark on their own hero's journey. They confront personal anxieties, fears, and self-doubt, develop resilience and self-acceptance, and build capacity for meaningful relationships. Through this process of transformation, students gain both analytical skills for understanding literature and practical tools for supporting themselves and others in their communities.
A hero's journey—the classic narrative pattern where
individuals leave familiar territory, face challenges, gain wisdom,
and return transformed—provides a framework for understanding personal growth.
