Justin McDaniel and I discuss two of his unconventional courses at the University of Pennsylvania: “Existential Despair,” a literature class where students read entire books in single, seven-hour sessions without phones or note-taking to read for experience rather than information; and “Living Deliberately,” where students adopt monastic practices like silence and dietary restrictions to understand voluntary discipline.

McDaniel is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Professor of the Humanities at Penn. Currently serving as chair of the Department of Religious Studies, McDaniel specializes in Buddhism and Southeast Asia.

To learn more about Justin McDaniel and his work, visit his website. The excellent feature by Dave Zeitlin for The Pennsylvania Gazette (May/June 2025) on the two courses we focus on in this episode is linked here.

MUSIC. Point of Learning’s signature intro and outro are special instrumental versions of “Weight of the World” and “Villainous Thing,” respectively, authorized by their creator, Shayfer James, from his 2011 album Counterfeit Arcade. To find the latest tour and new release information for Shayfer James, visit his website. This episode features additional tracks composed and performed by Rinde Eckert.

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