The Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Kitáb-i-Íqán
(see also the Complete
Catalogue for more description)
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Overview of both courses
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
The Kitáb-i-Íqán
The Wilmette Institute offers distance-education ("correspondence") courses on various aspects
of the Bahá'í Faith and its relation to the world, open to
Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'ís alike. These course are taught at the undergraduate level of difficulty. Therefore, they are open to those with a high school degree or equivalent.
- Overview of both courses
The Bahá'í Faith is the best example of a "religion of the
book." Because its Manifestations lived in the modern world, when there
was widespread literacy, printing presses, cheaply available paper, and
relatively rapid transportation and communication,
Bahá'u'lláh (1817-92) relied extensively on writing to
disseminate His teachings. He wrote in Arabic, Persian, and a unique
mixture of both. A century after Bahá'u'lláh's passing only a
small fraction of His writings has been translated into English.
These courses each study one of Bahá'u'lláh's major books, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Kitáb-i-Íqán, as well as some related texts. These courses are not connected: one does not need to sign up for both or take them in any particular order, and there are no prerequisites. The course on the Íqán looks not only at its historical context and its content, but at related texts such as Some Answered Questions. The course on the Aqdas involves reading the Most Holy Book and related texts both chronologically and topically. See sections below for details.
WORK SCHEDULE:
The courses will take about six hours of work each week
and will involve:
- Creation of a study notebook. Every 2-3 weeks the student completes a learning project, such as giving a deepening or fireside; doing an artistic project; or finishing a writing assignment.
- Assistance by a mentor/advisor, who reviews and comments on all completed homework and answers questions.
- For those who are part of local study groups, discussion assignments are provided. We encourage our students to form local study
groups; they provide the face-to-face contact and personal interaction
that enriches and deepens one's learning experience.
- Participation in the course's e-mail discussion group. Because of the speed and efficiency that e-mail provides, all students are urged to acquire e-mail for the course. One can find cheap or even free email providers; other options include using public library terminals or finding a friend whose e-mail one can use. Some
assignments will be given that can only be accomplished by e-mail, and a part of the student's research may involve using online materials, provided for free at a private section of this site. E-mail discussion will be printed and mailed every two weeks to those who do not have e-mail.
- Access to the course's password-protected web site, which includes additional study material and completed sample homework assignments.
- Completion of a final project that involves review of the material studied, evaluation of what one has learned, and systematic application of it to teaching and deepening.
THE THREE-TIERED SYSTEM:
All of our distance-education courses can be taken at three difficulty levels: introductory (roughly equivalent to a late high-school or early college level), intermediate (roughly equivalent to a standard undergraduate college course), and advanced (graduate level). Students in all three levels are assigned the same reading, but prepare different types of homework. Introductory students prepare an informal self-evaluation at the end of each unit, discussing what they learned and their reactions to or thoughts about it. Intermediate students prepare a more formal learning project for each unit, such as an essay, presentation, fireside, or artistic project. Advanced students, who will be mentored only by a professor with a doctorate, will work with their advisor one-on-one to prepare an individually-tailored course of study. Students at all levels will participate in the same listserver and conference calls, and receive the same course materials.
GRADING OPTIONS:
Advisor/mentors will review homework and give students suggestions and advise about improving it as well as an "evaluatory adjective" (outstanding; very good; satisfactory). The courses are normally are taken as pass/fail, but may be taken for a grade (A, B, C, D, F).
REFUNDS:
Because there is an initial investment of office time to register a student for a course, add him or her to the listserver, assign him or her a faculty mentor, and set up the student’s grading records, the Wilmette Institute does not offer a full refund. The Institute usually offers a 75 percent initial refund, a 50 percent refund after three weeks, and after six weeks, none. Exceptions may be made in cases of emergency or hardship.
- The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
TOPIC:
Shoghi Effendi refers to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas as "the principal repository of that Law which the Prophet Isaiah had anticipated, and which the writer of the Apocalypse had described as the `new heaven' and the `new earth,' as `the Tabernacle of God,' as the `Holy City,' as the `Bride,' the `New Jerusalem coming down from God,' this `Most Holy Book,' whose provisions must remain inviolate for no less than a thousand years." He adds that it "may well be regarded as the brightest emanation of the mind of Bahá'u'lláh, as the Mother Book of His Dispensation, and the Charter of His New World Order" (God Passes By, p. 213).
DATES:
Sept. 1, 2001 to Dec. 31, 2001
TEXTS:
Students should purchase a copy of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas for their own use (or it may also be downloaded from the Internet for free). The Wilmette Institute will provide The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: A Compilation of Descriptions and Commentaries, which consists of writings about the Most Holy Book by Shoghi Effendi, H. M. Balyuzi, and Adib Taherzadeh, and some essays about the Aqdas and related subjects. The Institute has also prepared extensive study material.
FACULTY (tentative):
Dr. Iraj Ayman
Dr. Susan Maneck
Dr. Fiona Missaghian
Dr. Robert Stockman
Mr. Peter Terry
Mr. Jonah Winters
COST:
$200 for an individual, or $160 for each member of a study group. There is no registration or application fee.
A twenty percent discount ($200 * 80% = $160) is available when registering as part of a local group of three or more (who pledge to meet together semimonthly to study the texts). Larger discounts are available for even larger groups who plan to study the course together.
There are no residential requirements, for the course is conducted by correspondence and over the internet. The course is not part of the Spiritual Foundations program, which has a residential component.
College credit and scholarships may be available. Contact the registrar.
STUDY LEVELS:
The course may be taken at the introductory level (a basic course that will help students teach the Faith more effectively), the intermediate level (for more in-depth study) or the advanced level (equivalent to graduate-level study).
WORK EXPECTATIONS:
The course will take five to ten hours of work each week and will involve:
- Reading and using the knowledge you acquire. The course is divided into a series of units, each of which involves reading part of the Aqdas, related texts, and texts about the Aqdas. The course offers a series of learning projects on the Aqdas, including giving a deepening or fireside; doing an artistic project; or finishing a writing project about the Most Holy Book.
- Assistance by a mentor/advisor, who reviews and comments on all homework you do, and answers your questions.
- For those who are part of local study groups, discussion assignments are provided.
- Participation in "AYAT," the course's e-mail discussion group. Because of the speed and efficiency that e-mail provides, all students are urged to acquire e-mail for the course.
Students without e-mail will receive postings by regular mail every few weeks.
- Access to the course's password-protected web site, which includes additional study material and completed sample homework assignments.
- Voluntary participation in conference calls with up to five other students and a faculty member.
- Completion of a final project that involves review of the material studied, evaluation of what one has learned, and systematic application of it to teaching and deepening.
GRADING OPTIONS:
The courses is usually taken pass/fail with review and comments about assignments by the instructor. It may be taken for a grade (A, B, C, D, F).
RELATED COURSES IN 2001:
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Jan. 15-Apr.15)
The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh (Apr. 1-Jun 30)
Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (May 15-Aug 15)
Secret of Divine Civilization (July 1-Sept. 30)
- Course GS149: The Kitáb-i-Íqán
Course Dates
September 1 - December 31 2000
TOPIC
Extolled by Shoghi Effendi as "foremost among the priceless treasures cast forth from the billowing ocean of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation," the Kitáb-Íqán is unequaled by any work of Bahá'u'lláh's except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. It is an indispensable manual of Bahá'í teachings, as it proclaims the existence and oneness of God, asserts the relativity of religious truth, affirms the unity of the Prophets, elucidates cryptic passages from the Qur'án and Bible, enumerates the essential prerequisites for the attainment of every true seeker, demonstrates the validity of the revelation of the Báb, and explains the symbolic meaning of many Christian and Muslim terms. The course will study the entire Book of Certitude and will explore supplemental texts by Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá that elucidate and amplify the book's meaning.
TEXTS
COST
$200
Course must be paid in full upon registration. There is a twenty percent discount
per student when signing up as part of a local
study group of three or more. (NOTE: All the members of the study group
must pledge to work together regularly to get the
discount).
$200 for an individual, or $160 for each member of a group. There is no registration or application fee.
