page_title: Day of Compassion
section_title: Day of Compassion Student Assignment
hierarchical_section_title: Day of Compassion / Day of Compassion Student Assignment
caption_attribution_description: English: Qian Zhang, winner of the 2014 Day of Compassion Award
context_page_description: Since the 1940s, many different social, educational, and spiritual initiatives have invoked a Day of Compassion. The term "Day of Compassion" first appeared in a call issued in 1942 by the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America to all Christians in the United States.
  It urged all Christians to pray and show compassion for the persecuted Jews in Europe.
  More than a half-century later, the idea of a Day of Compassion was used for several other purposes, including a television program HIV/AIDS-awareness, a university psychology course, a day of observance in India, and an international day of celebration.
context_section_description: In 1997, Scott Plous, a psychology professor at Wesleyan University and Executive Director of Social Psychology Network, developed an action teaching assignment in which students are challenged to behave as compassionately as possible for 24 hours and then analyze the experience. According to the instructions, students are asked to "live each minute of that day in as compassionate a way as possible. In other words, for a full 24-hour period you should do your best to reduce suffering, help other people in need, be considerate and respectful, and avoid causing harm to any living being." Afterward, students submit a paper answering questions such as:
  If your behavior was different than normal, which person did you like more: the "Day of Compassion you" or the "normal you"?
  If you preferred the "Day of Compassion you," what are the psychological factors that prevent this "you" from coming out?
  If you wanted to encourage others to behave as you did during the Day of Compassion, what techniques would you use?
  The purpose of the assignment is to help students understand compassion—and barriers to compassion—in their daily life. As a result of the assignment, students have reportedly resolved conflicts with estranged family members, helped refugees and homeless strangers, rescued animals, volunteered at soup kitchens, donated to food drives, and carried out many other acts of kindness. Students also frequently report positive social reactions to their acts of compassion and a desire to continue carrying out such acts in the future.
  Plous later created a version of the assignment for use in a Social Psychology massive open online course taken through Coursera by more than 750,000 students from 200 countries. In the online course, students voted on the best Day of Compassion assignments submitted, and the grand prize winner was given an expense-paid trip to meet a public figure known for making the world a more compassionate place. In 2013 the winner was Balesh Jindal, a physician from India who addressed sexual violence towards girls in her community and later met the 14th Dalai Lama. In 2014 the winner was Qian Zhang, a Chinese mother who intervened when she heard a boy being beaten in a neighboring apartment and later met anthropologist Jane Goodall. These meetings received press coverage and led the BBC to dub the assignment "the world's most compassionate 24 hours."
caption: Qian Zhang (now Habi Zhang), winner of the 2014 Day of Compassion Award, with Professor Scott Plous and Dr. Jane Goodall
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