RM’s daily life becomes a Stanford University lecture: “Namjooning, and other well-being inspiration from BTS” course launched [K-EYES]

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Nam-joon’s love of nature, cycling, art, literature, sleep, anxiety, creative blocks… A seminar lecture on practicing mental health

The daily life of RM, the leader of the group BTS, has become an official course at Stanford University in the United States.

According to multiple overseas media outlets, Stanford University has launched a course titled “Namjooning, and other well-being inspiration from BTS” as part of “IntroSem,” a small-scale, hands-on seminar for freshmen. According to the professor’s profile page on Stanford’s website, the course number is “PSYC 65N,” it will be offered in the fall semester of the 2026-2027 academic year, and it carries three credits. The course is taught by Professor James R. Jacobs, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford’s vice provost for health and well-being, and director of the university’s Health Center.

In its course description, Stanford University introduced RM as “the leader of BTS, which has become a global cultural phenomenon.” It further described him as “a figure frequently cited not only for his work as a musician, composer, and performer, but also for his approach to mental health and well-being,” adding that he is “also an avid art collector.”

“Namjooning” is a neologism coined by fans by attaching the English suffix “-ing,” meaning “to do,” to RM’s real name, Kim Nam-joon. It refers to RM’s signature leisurely lifestyle of visiting art museums and exhibitions, riding bicycles, strolling through parks and forests, and reading books.

As its name suggests, the course takes as its starting point nature, cycling, art, and literature—things RM cherishes. It also covers mental health topics such as sleep, anxiety, creative blocks, self-love and self-awareness, medication, diet and exercise, supplements, psychotherapy, and coaching. According to the course description, this class is “fundamentally about practices that help with mental health and well-being.”

However, it is not merely a collection of “good words.” The course description includes the statement that “simply praising extremely common-sense advice like ‘get enough sleep!’ is not enough.” Students must evaluate, based on research findings and data, how effective well-being advice is and for whom. They will read academic papers alongside novels, and view artworks and YouTube videos.

The enrollment requirements have also become a topic of discussion. The course description lists “a desire to bloom at Stanford and in life,” “an appetite for data,” and “a healthy respect for BTS.” The final project is inspired by RM’s first solo studio album, “Indigo,” released in 2022. “Indigo” is an album in which RM documented his twenties.

Upon hearing the news, overseas fans reacted wittily on X (formerly Twitter), with comments such as, “So Nam-joon gets a grade just for thinking all day? I’m enrolling immediately,” and “I’m going to get my PhD in Namjooning.” One fan marveled, “How influential must one’s way of life be to become an undergraduate course at Stanford?”

RM’s connection to the American West has been particularly deep this year. In May, BTS held a concert for their world tour “Arirang” at Stanford Stadium, located on Stanford University’s campus. Stanford also mentioned this performance in its course description. The exhibition “RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me,” in which RM participated as a curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), has been generating buzz after setting a record for the highest level of advance ticket sales in the museum’s history since it opened last month.

BTS is currently completing the Asian leg of their world tour “Arirang,” which includes stops in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original