February 24, 2004
Upcoming Courses Diverse, Exciting

Registration continues for the 2004 Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization program, which will focus on world religions and Bahá'í theology. Classes will cover all the major world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as consider Bahá'í theological teachings on such subjects as the concepts of God, revelation, Manifestation, humanity, creation, afterlife, and Covenant. Confirmed faculty include Dr. Ann Pearson, an expert on Hinduism, and Dr. Ghasem Bayat, and expert on the writings of Bahá'u'lláh.

Home study runs from May 1 through July 30, 2004. It is followed by nine days of intensive classroom study and discussion in Wilmette starting Saturday afternoon, July 31 through Sunday noon, August 8. Students also have the chance to pray daily at the House of Worship and serve as guides there between classes. The program costs $450, plus lodging (probably about $100) and meals at restaurants. Some financial assistance is available. Students can register at https://regmain.usbnc.org/foundations.asp. It is anticipated the topic will be popular, so register early.

DISTANCE LEARNING COURSES

It is still possible to register for the Wilmette Institute’s web and internet-based distance-learning course on `Abdu'l-Bahá’s classic, The Secret of Divine Civilization. The work was recently described by the Universal House of Justice as an “open letter” to the people of Iran about “the challenge of modernity” and what Iran must do to reclaim its former role “as the heart of the world.” They note that Secret illuminates “the situation the Iranian people currently find themselves”; in many ways it illuminates the dilemmas America faces as well. The course will study the book and will include the November 26, 2003 letter of the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'ís of Iran.

Registration is underway for the Wilmette Institute’s distance-learning course on The Bahá'í Community, 1921-63: Administrative Consolidation and Worldwide Expansion. The course will cover a period of great dynamism and energy: the ministry of Shoghi Effendi, which saw the establishment of the Administrative Order and the promulgation of the first teaching plans. The approach it takes to Bahá'í history emphasizes community development, which will illumine many aspects of the current Bahá'í community as well. The three-month course begins March 15.

Registration has begun for a three-month distance-learning course on Health and Nutrition that starts April 15. The course will be based on the Bahá'í writings and will include a range of faculty in the healing professions.

May 1 marks the beginning of a three-month distance-learning course on The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters. The course was offered in the fall of 2003 and will be repeated in August and November 2004. The Universal House of Justice’s Ridván 2003 message stressed the importance of studying three letters in World Order of Bahá'u'lláh and in consequence they constitute the annual educational theme to be pursued by the American Bahá'í community.

On May 15, the Wilmette Institute begins a three-month distance-learning course on The Right of God: Huqúqu’llah. Anyone who has wanted to study the purpose of the law and the principles behind it, as well as the practical issues of calculating the amount of huqúqu’lláh one should pay, will benefit greatly from it. The faculty include Dr. Amin Banani, a Trustee of the Huqúqu’lláh for North America, as well as two representatives, Nabil Fares, and Gisu Mohadjer.

For more information about upcoming Wilmette Institiute courses, go to:

http://www.wilmetteinstitute.org/development/movabletype/calendar/

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All Wilmette Institute courses include web-based discussion forums and an internet-based listserver for students and faculty, regular conference calls, systematic lesson plans, and a wide variety of learning projects to apply your learning in your local community. All courses are available at the “introductory” level for those unsure they can commit to taking a college-level course, the “intermediate” level for those wishing to go into more depth, and the “advanced” (graduate) level.

Tuition is $150 for individuals and $300 for local study groups. The groups can have as many members as the group wishes. Each group meets twice a month to discuss the course work and may interact with the group’s mentor by telephone. Financial aid is available for those in need. Registration is open throughout the first month of the course.

The Wilmette Institute is a national training institute of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States. For further information, contact the Wilmette Institute, 536 Sheridan Rd., Wilmette, IL 60091; 877-WILMETTE (877-945-6388, toll-free voice and fax); info@wilmetteinstitute.org; or visit our Website at http://www.wilmetteinstitute.org. The Website is secure for accepting credit card information for payment of courses.

Wilmette Institute Distance-Learning Course Schedule, 2004

Mar. 15-June 15: The Bahá'í Community, 1921-57: Administrative Consolidation and Worldwide Expansion
Apr. 15-July 15: Health and Nutrition
May 1-July 31: The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters
May 15-Aug. 15: The Right of God: Huqúqu’lláh
June 1-Sept. 30 [four months]: Bahá'u'lláh’s Revelation: A Systematic Survey [Basics Course]
July 1-Sept. 30: The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh
Aug. 1-Oct. 31: The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters
Sept. 1-Nov. 30: The Kitáb-i-Íqán
Oct. 1-Dec. 31: TBA
Nov. 1-Jan. 31: Rediscovering the Dawnbreakers: Bahá'í History, 1844-53
Nov. 15-Feb. 15: The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters
Dec. 1-Feb. 28: Bahá'í Theology: Concepts of God, Revelation, Manifestation, Humanity, Creation, Afterlife, and Covenant [Basics Course]