Posted by Robert Stockman on March 10, 2000 at 22:24:44:
Dear friends,
The Wilmette Institute would like to invite potential students of the
Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization program to begin applying
for the 2000 session. Spiritual Foundations is a four year program of
systematic study of the Baha'i Faith. Annually it involves two weeks of
intensive classes and seminars in Wilmette and four and a half months of
reading and learning projects at home. Each year covers a different aspect
of the Faith; in 2000 the program will stress world religions, philosophical
issues, and Baha'i theology. Baha'i history and scripture are partially
covered each year; in 2000 the Bab, the Babi community, and the life of
Baha'u'llah to 1863 will be the focus of the historical section, and
Selections from the Writings of the Bab, the Kitab-i-Iqan, and Some Answered
Questions will be the focus of the scriptural study. In addition, there will
workshops on public speaking and seminars on how to teach the Faith
successfully, led by the program's graduates.
Here are the dates of the program:
Home study begins May 1, 2000
Summer program begins Saturday, July 29, 2000
Summer program ends Saturday, August 12, 2000
Home study resumes August 15, 2000
Home study ends September 30, 2000
(Spiritual Foundations students will have until May 1, 2001 to take
as many distance-learning courses as they please for free, and to complete
projects involving teaching the Faith and deepening.)
For $700 of annual tuition students get all this, plus free access to the
Wilmette Institute's distance-learning courses. The House of Worship is
within walking distance of Kendall College (where the program is held) and
students go to the Temple often to pray and serve as guides. Kendall's
dormitory costs about $300 for two weeks and gourmet meals at Kendall's
cafeteria (which is run by their cooking school!) cost about $5 each. Some
financial aid is available. The program is open to anyone with a high school
degree or equivalent. Students range in age from 17 to 75 and make lifetime
friends with other students.
If you would like more information, please write Robert Stockman at
rstockman@usbnc.org or Pamela Mondschein (the program's registrar) at
pmondschein@usbnc.org. Telephone and fax queries should be directed to our
new toll free number, 1-877-WILMETTE. Information and application forms are
available at http://wilmetteinstitute.org. The deadline for applying is
April 15. Please pass this information on to others.
THIS YEAR'S COURSE DETAILS:
The Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization Program: General
Information
A four-year program of systematic study of all aspects of the Bahá'í Faith,
including:
Annual two-week residential sessions in Wilmette, where students
attend classes, participate in service projects, and build a Bahá'í
community with other participants.
Five months per year of home study, where students complete learning
projects of their choosing, including firesides, deepenings, and other
efforts to apply their learning.
An opportunity to take the distance-learning courses of the Studies
in the Bahá'í Faith program for free, thereby specializing the student's
education.
The program includes eight study modules:
World Religions and Philosophies and Bahá'í Theology (summer 2000)
(described in detail below)
The Development of the Individual and the Creation of Strong
Marriages and Bahá'í Families (summer 2001)
The Formation and Governance of Bahá'í Communities (summer 2002)
The Bahá'í Perspective on Global Issues: Carrying Forward an
Ever-Advancing Civilization (summer 2003)
Bahá'í History (partially covered every year)
The Bahá'í Writings (treated thematically each year)
Research and Communications Skills (one or two skills are covered
each year)
Teaching the Bahá'í Faith (yearly workshops)
The program is open to anyone 18 years or older with a high school diploma
or equivalent. Tuition is $700/year excluding meals, lodging, and
textbooks.
The Spiritual Foundations program provides well-organized, formal,
systematic classes that help students gain "spiritual insights, the
knowledge, and the skills needed to carry out the many tasks of accelerated
expansion and consolidation." (Universal House of Justice, letter of
December 26, 1995)
2000 Academic Year: Contents and Faculty
Note: Faculty assignments below are unconfirmed and subject to change.
Topic Classroom hrs FacultyThe Study of Religion:
Introduction 1.5 hours Robert Stockman
Hinduism 4.5 Dann May
Buddhism 4.5 Dann May
Judaism 4.5 Maureen Stein/Yael Wurmfeld
Christianity 5 Robert Stockman
Islam 5 Todd Lawson
Subtotal, Religion 25 hoursPhilosophy 5 Dann May
Theology 6 Farhad Sabetan
-------------------------------------------
Total 36 hours
Bahá'í History
Life and Ministry of the Báb 3 Todd Lawson
The Bábí Community 3 Todd LawsonBahá'u'lláh: Station and Early Life 3 Muhammad Hosseini
---------------------------------------------------
Total 9 hours
Bahá'í Scripture
Writings of the Báb 1.5 hours Todd Lawson
Kitáb-i-êqán 3.5 Ghasem Bayat
Some Answered Questions 1 Ghasem Bayat
---------------------------------------------------
Total 6.5 hours
Skills Development: Public Speaking 6 hours Roya AymanTeaching the Faith 5 hours 4th/5th year students
GRAND TOTAL: 62 hours
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