And it begins...

This is a blog to help track my research process and progress throughout the constructivist learning project. The topic I've decided to research is the role of meditation in different eastern religions, as well as a bit on the neuroscience aspect of learning. I got this idea when I stumbled across an article about Dr. Richard Davidson, a psychologist who studied the structure of the brain of buddhist monks compared to regular brain structure. He found that the brains of people who practice extensive meditation actually look different from the brains of people who do not. I found this to be very interesting, because it indicates not only that meditation not only has an actual, quantifiable effect on those who practice it, but also can be improved with practice.
Right now, I am in the research phase of this project. I plan to read the transcripts of some On Being podcasts (one which is an interview with Dr. Davidson, the other is an interview with a monk who participated in a simliar study and was later dubbed 'the happiest man alive'), watch a BBC documentary about meditation, read some scientific articles about Dr. Davidson's work, and browse some encyclopedias/databases/books that discuss the role of meditation in religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
Because we have already studied Buddhism in Comparative Religion, I already know quite a bit about the role of meditation in Buddhism, and have a vague idea of how it plays a role in Buddhism's predecessor, Hinduism, as well. However, I know next to nothing about Taoism, so that will be a big area of research for me.
I am also hoping to visit the Minnesota Zen Center before the project is complete to experience meditation first hand. In addition, I'm going to browse the U of M directories to see if there are any psych profs that have experience with these studies on meditation to see if I could maybe get an interview with them to find out their perspective on the issue.
For my final product, I'd like to produce a short claymation about both the neuroscience and the religious aspect of meditation.