Stanford Adds Seminar on Well-Being Inspired by BTS's RM

Stanford University has introduced a new introductory seminar for freshmen called 'Namjooning, and other well-being inspiration from BTS'. The course takes its name from a fan term for the way RM, leader of the South Korean group BTS, recharges through museums, bike rides, parks and books. Rather than simply endorsing wellness habits, the seminar will test them with a quantitative approach, asking how much a practice helps, for whom, and what the research shows. Topics range from sleep, anxiety and creative block to diet, exercise, supplements and psychotherapy. Students will read fiction alongside peer-reviewed scientific papers, and class time includes viewing art and online videos. The workload is light on volume and heavy on analysis, with short presentations, brief writing tasks and some quantitative reasoning. The final project is inspired by Indigo, RM's 2022 solo album. The course listing says applicants need a desire to flourish, an interest in data and a healthy respect for BTS.