"Namjooning" at Stanford: BTS' RM Inspires a Course on Well-Being
Stanford University is offering a course inspired by Kim Namjoon, better known as RM, the leader of K-pop group BTS.
Titled "Namjooning: And Other Well-Being Inspiration from BTS," the course explores mental health and well-being through activities and practices inspired by RM. "Namjooning" refers to activities associated with RM, such as enjoying nature, biking, appreciating art, and reading books.
According to Stanford, Namjoon is the leader of BTS, "the groundbreaking South Korean music group that has become a global cultural phenomenon (and which performed at Stanford in May 2026)." He is also an avid art collector and will co-curate an exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art starting October 2026. Although renowned as a musician, songwriter, and performer, Namjoon is "also frequently quoted for his approaches to mental health and well-being."
The course description says it is "fundamentally about practices to support mental health and well-being," with topics including nature, biking, art, and literature, as well as sleep, anxiety, and creative block; self-love and self-awareness; medications and substances; diet and exercise; nutritional supplements; and psychotherapy and coaching.
The class also promises to go beyond generic advice. In the course's words, "it will not suffice to simply extol the entirely sensical advice, for example, to 'get plenty of sleep!'" Instead, students will "use quantitative approaches to understand what is 'plenty'" and examine what the research says and what remains controversial.
Coursework will include reading fiction, analyzing scientific papers, and viewing art and YouTube videos. Assignments include brief in-class presentations, brief writings, some quantitative reasoning, and a final project inspired by RM's Indigo.
As for prerequisites, the description lists "a desire to flourish at Stanford and in life, an appetite for data, and a healthy respect for BTS."
The instructor is James Jacobs.