The Kitab-i-Aqdas
(Sept. 15 - Dec. 15, 2005)

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: September 15 to December 15, 2005

TEXTS: Students should purchase a copy of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas for their own use. The Wilmette Institute will provide The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: A Compilation of Descriptions and Commentaries on the course web page. The work 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: Necati Alkan, Ted Brownstein, and Ismael Velasco.

COST: $150 (individual); $300 (group)
Financial aid is available.

STUDY GROUP: Any individual can plan a local study group (of two or more) in consultation with the Wilmette Institute or with a Bahá’í institution. The group must have an official correspondent, who will copy course materials and distribute them to the group. Members must commit to attending two meetings per month. Every member will have full course privileges (copies of materials, access to the course’s web site, help from a mentor, and so on).

HOW IS THE COURSE TAUGHT?
It is conducted over the worldwide web. There are no residential requirements.

WORK EXPECTATIONS: Each course has five to ten study units. In each unit, one reads assigned texts and discusses them with fellow students on web-based discussion boards or by voluntary participation in conference calls. Local study groups should plan two meetings per month. The course typically takes three to five hours per week.

At the end of the course students are expected to do two things: submit something in writing to their mentor and complete some sort of presentation to one or more people.

SUPPORT PROVIDED: Each student is assigned a mentor who reviews your final work and answers your questions. All members of a study group will have the same mentor, who can telephone the group when it meets.

All students have access to the course’s password-protected web site, which includes supplemental study material.

LEVEL OF STUDY:
The course may be taken at the introductory level (an overview to help you teach the Faith more effectively), the intermediate level (equivalent to a first-year university course), or the advanced level (equivalent to graduate school work). The Wilmette Institute may be able to help you obtain college credit for the intermediate level from your local university.

GRADING OPTIONS: The course is usually taken for pass/fail with review and comments by your mentor but may be taken for a grade (A, B, C, D, F).

WHAT LEARNING PROGRAMS DOES THE WILMETTE INSTITUTE OFFER?
Basic Sequence Distance-Learning Program: Four distance-learning courses covering basic aspects of the Bahá’í Faith. One course is offered every six months; the entire sequence can be covered in a two-year period.

Studies in the Bahá’í Faith Distance-Learning Program: Specialized distance-learning courses (such as this one) on a variety of topics (including the Bahá’í writings, history, teachings, and world religions). Some forty courses are rotated on a four-year cycle.

Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization Program: A four-year program including two weeks of intensive study each summer in Wilmette and ten months of home study.

Wilmette Institute
536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, IL 60091-2849
877-Wilmette (945-6388) (toll-free voice)
info@wilmetteinstitute.org (e-mail)
http://www.wilmetteinstitute.org (web site)