Lawrence University, a private school in Appleton, Wisconsin, offered a course called “Doing Nothing” during the fall semester which invited students to focus on relaxation and tools on how to de-stress, according to its website.
Constance Kassor, an associate professor of religious studies, introduced the one-unit course which was held once a week, according to the university website. Students were not allowed to have their phones in class and, instead, were encouraged to practice mindfulness activities including meditation, tai chi and learning about sleep.
Students also read poetry and knitted, Fox6 Milwaukee reported. (RELATED: University System Weighs Gutting Math Standards After Students Keep Failing Algebra)
The course is graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory scale and was the most in-demand class during the fall semester with 52 students enrolled, according to the website. Kassor said she hopes the class will be offered regularly.
“One of the key ideas behind this class is to encourage students to be fully present with their whole selves: mentally, physically, and emotionally,” Kassor said, according to the website. “The course isn’t structured with an end goal or final product or project in mind. It’s about being intentional about how and why we choose to do the things that we do. Our aim is to really build a culture of belonging and inclusion at LU.”
Kassor announced the course earlier in the semester on Twitter and stated that the popularity of the course “should tell us something about the current state of college students.”
I developed a 1-credit class called “Doing Nothing” this fall. It currently has the highest enrollment of any course at my university. This should tell us something about the current state of college students.
— Dr. Connie Kassor (@constancekassor) September 30, 2022
A variety of instructors were brought in to teach students different practices, and Kassor said that the only requirements were to “show up, participate, and put your phone away.”
The course meets for an hour once per week, and is graded S/U. The requirements: show up, participate, and put your phone away. Different faculty and staff teach a different skill in each class meeting: mindful walking, deep listening, tai chi, meditation, etc.
— Dr. Connie Kassor (@constancekassor) September 30, 2022
“This is a real course, designed to give stressed students strategies to relax and disconnect,” Kassor tweeted. “It’s 1/6 of a ‘standard’ course at my uni & it’s team taught by 12 people. So students don’t pay more, and instructors aren’t paid more for it.”
Kassor and Lawrence University did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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