In this article, I offer a brief history of the Contemplative Studies initiative at Texas Christian University, then discuss some of the theoretical underpinning for our program, indicating the value of contemplative pedagogy in academia and Religious Studies in particular. I argue that such pedagogy addresses central concerns of liberal arts education, that is, enhancing insight into and critical reflection about both self and others in their social and historical location. Contemplative learning adds "first person" direct experience to traditional "third person" objective study which gives a more accurate (and "lived") understanding of both one's own and others' worldviews and practices. I will also discuss how and why students themselves want contemplative methods in the classroom. Religion professors in particular should introduce students to the importance of understanding the historical and cultural context of these (and our own) worldviews, enhancing these understandings with appropriate first-hand experience of basic exercises in various traditions (religious and modern secular) that have specialized in "first person" inquiry. I will close by raising questions about how scholars should address the high degree of appropriation, decontextualization, and commodification of most contemplative traditions today.Keywords: Contemplative Studies, Pedagogy, Liberal arts, "First person" inquiry Contemplative Studies (CS) is an emerging field in many disciplines, and it is a particularly natural fit for the comparative, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary study of religion, my area of training. Numerous universities throughout the country, including those in the apparently "traditional" Southwest, are beginning to explore CS and how it can enhance liberal arts education in a wide variety of fields. I will cover this topic in two sections: first I will offer a short history of the development of the CS initiative at my university, Texas Christian University (TCU), and briefly in the wider region. I believe this section could serve as a useful starting point for others interested in creating CS programs at their schools. I then will discuss some of the assumptions and theoretical underpinning for this initiative, indicating the value of contemplative pedagogy in academia and Religious Studies in particular. Few would question the traditional detached "third-person" study of contemplative traditions as part of a curriculum, or more broadly the importance of introducing students to profound and long-standing knowledge present in various cultures and texts. More, however, have reservations about the worth and propriety of "first person" contemplative practice. While I have already addressed this elsewhere, 1 in this paper I again want to argue the value of "first person" study for those in the liberal arts, particularly as it enhances insight into and critical reflection about both self and others in their social and historical location.
2Part I: starting a program in the region and at TCU Two initial workshops...
