We were pleased to welcome Karolyn Kinane to join us for the Faculty Symposium.
Kinane presented her talk, Pause to notice: The role of contemplation in critical and creative endeavors. In contemporary higher education, “contemplation” can be considered, quite simply, as any act that creates a pause between a stimulus and reaction. Such acts bring awareness to habitual ways of being so that one may choose whether and how to respond to stimuli-- to people, situations, experiences, texts, or ideas. The practice of contemplation can thereby increase a sense of agency and help one live a life in greater alignment with one’s values. In this engaging and interactive workshop, Dr. Karolyn Kinane will suggest how a “contemplative pause” can enhance students’ engagement with course material and with one another in a variety of contexts and disciplines. Participants will learn about activities that build students’ capacities for self-awareness, presence, and connection to others in support of ethical action. Participants will also have time in small groups to brainstorm and reflect upon their own course activities and assignments to bring attention to how students are being, not just what they are producing or creating.
Karolyn Kinane, Ph.D., Associate Director at the University of Virginia Contemplative Sciences Center, has been practicing, publishing on, and teaching contemplative pedagogy since 2013. Prior to joining UVA in 2018, Dr. Kinane had been Professor and Chair of English, founding co-director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Forum, and founder/coordinator of the Contemplative Communities Project at Plymouth State University, NH. She enjoys hiking and dancing and believes that practicing curiosity is an act of love.
