Exploring the Ministry, Writings, and Talks of `Abdu'l-Bahá
The Secret of Divine Civilization
TOPIC:
The Secret of Divine Civilization was the first extensive description of the Bahá'í social teachings. It outlines the Bahá'í "social gospel," the blueprint for social and economic devel-opment. The work was composed by `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1875, while He was still Bahá'u'lláh's secretary. It was published anonymously and with no mention of the Bahá'í Faith so that its ideas could spread and be considered without prejudice in the Islamic Middle East. It was one of the first Bahá'í books to be published in Persian and was translated into English quite early. The book remains highly relevant to this day in designing development projects and in explaining the Bahá'í Faith's concept of true civilization to others.
DATES:
July 1 - September 30 2001
TEXTS:
The Secret of Divine Civilization itself, which can either be purchased or downloaded from the Internet for free. We will also be providing a compilation of descriptions and commentaries on `Abdu'l-Bahá's writings and talks assembled by the Wilmette Institute.
FACULTY (tentative):
Dr. Iraj Ayman
Ms. Sheila Banani
Dr. Kurt Hein
Dr. Susan Manech
Dr. Robert H. Stockman
Mr. Peter Terry
others yet to be determined
COST:
$150
A twenty percent discount is available when registering as part of a local
group of three or more (who pledge to meet together semimonthly to study the
texts) or to senior citizens (65 and older) or to those whose service to the
Faith engenders financial hardship. Larger discounts are available for even
larger groups who plan to study the course together. Financial aid is also
available.
There are no residential
requirements, for the course is conducted by correspondence and over the
internet. College credit and scholarships may be available. Contact the registrar for more information.
REQUIREMENTS:
The course is taught at the undergraduate level of difficulty. Therefore, it
is open to those with a high school degree or equivalent.
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.
WORK EXPECTATIONS:
The course will take five to
ten hours of work each week and will involve:
Reading and discussion. The course is divided into a series of units, each of which involves reading part of the textbooks assigned and discussing them with fellow students, either by e-mail (the course will have an e-mail listserver called "civ") or by voluntary participation in conference calls. Because of the speed and efficiency of e-mail, students are urged to get it before taking the course.
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 may be provided.
Access to the course's password-protected web site, which includes additional study material and completed sample homework assignments.
Assistance with planning a presentation on the book (fireside, deepening, or local study class) and with a final written project.
GRADING OPTIONS:
The course 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).
