January 10, 2005
2005 Distance Learning Course Schedule

Wilmette Institute Focuses on Texts

February, March, and April all will see Wilmette Institute courses on authoritative texts. February 15 marked the beginning of a course on The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, a collection of recently translated tablets by Baha'u'llah to kings and rulers. The works occupy an important stage in the early to middle part of Baha'u'llah's revelation, after the emphasis on mystical topics and scriptural exegesis typical of His earliest works and before His emphasis on personal laws and principles of social reform that dominate much of his later revelations. A small but dedicated group of students has begun to study the tablets; there is still room for more. the course will not be rerun for three years.

March 15 will mark the beginning of a course on The Promised Day is Come, Shoghi Effendi's 1941 letter about the apocalyptic conditions of the world and the divine promise they hold. This is the Wilmette Institute's first course on the work, and it should be popular.

The Wilmette Institute's course on the Qur'an begins April 15. First offered in 2002, the course is a chance to fulfill the Guardian's exhortation that the Baha'is should study the revelation of the Muhammadan dispensation. The course covers the history of the revelation of the Qur'an, the contents of individual surahs (chapters), the compiling of the surahs into a single book, and the history of interpretation of some of the text.

Spiritual Foundations Summer Session Takes Shape

The contents of the 2005 summer session of the Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization Program, to be held in Wilmette July 29-August 7, 2005, has been finalized, and faculty are gradually being recruited.

Dr. Michael Penn has agreed to serve as faculty for the lead unit on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual develoment of the indivifual, probably in collaboration with another experienced Baha'i teacher who is also a psychologist. Dr. Leslie Asplund has agreed to offer the unit on marriage and family life. Together, the two units constitute the primary theme to be covered in the session

The history module's faculty is still being finalized. There will be aunit on baha'u'llah's life and revelation, 1863-92, and `Abdu'l-Baha's life and ministry, 1844-1921. Faculty for both units are still being sought. Robert Stockman will teach a brief unit on the history of the Baha'i community, 1863-1921.

There will be two skills workshops, as in the previous nine summer sessions. Morris Taylor has agreed to cover teaching the Faith. Kim Douglas, an author, English teacher, and professional editor, will offer a unit on expository writing, which will help the students improve their writing skills.

Registration for the program has just opened. A form is available elsewhere on the website. The ten-day program will cost $450, plus lodging at Baker Hall, National-Louis University (probably about $125) and meals (which will average about $15 per day at restaurants.

Year Will See a Record Sixteen Distance-Learning Courses

The Wilmette Institute is poised to launch a record number of distance-learning courses in 2005. “The increase in our offerings has been made possible by two developments,” noted Robert Stockman, the Institute’s director. “First, we have now offered nearly forty courses at least once, and it is easier to rerun a course than create a new one from scratch. Second, we anticipate that new, integrated registration, website, and Forum software will streamline our operation and reduce staff work.”

Of the sixteen courses, seven will be new and nine reruns, though some of the reruns will receive a major overhaul. The courses on the writings of Bahá'u'lláh will focus on Summons of the Lord of Hosts (February) and The Kitáb-i-Aqdas (September), works in the middle of His prophetic career. They will be complemented by a course on The Life of Bahá'u'lláh (June), the only course in the “history and biography” category to be offered in 2005. Two courses on the writings of Shoghi Effendi will be offered: The Promised Day is Come (February) and The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters (October).The latter is being offered for a fifth time to fulfill a mandate from the Universal House of Justice that the friends study three letters from that work. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States has made the letters an educational mandate for the upcoming year.

By far the largest category of courses is on the Bahá'í Teachings. The seven courses in this subject area will be: The National Spiritual Assembly and the Counselors (April); The Bahá'í Faith: A Comprehensive Introduction (June); Bahá'í Theology II: Humanity and Creation (August); Education for Sustainable Development (October); Mining the Gems: Development of the Individual (early November); The Covenant (mid November); and How to Study the Bahá'í Writings (December). The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States has asked the friends to study the institutions of the National Spiritual Assembly and the Continental Counselors in the next year, and the course on them will be designed to pull together study materials than might be useful locally. The course on Education for Sustainable Development is a collaboration with the Office of External Affairs and reflects the fact that 2005 begins the United Nations Decade for Education on Sustainable Development; the Bahá'í writings have much to say about the subject. The course on individual development echoes the theme of the 2005 Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization program, which will focus on the development of the individual and the creation of strong Bahá'í marriages and families. Those unable to come to Wilmette for the nine-day Spiritual Foundations program will be able to taste some of the rich offerings through this distance-learning course.

Three courses will be offered on other religions and their scriptures: Judaism for Deepening and Dialogue (January), The Qur’án (April), and Christianity for Deepening and Dialogue (July). Finally, the Wilmette Institute is pleased to collaborate with the Archives Department to offer the course Introduction to Bahá'í Archives (September). The course is opened to archivists of local spiritual assemblies. Since the course will involve organizing archival materials, one needs access to an archive to complete it. If the course proves successful, the Wilmette Institute may expand into other areas involving the acquisition of skills.

All the courses are three months long and cost $150 for an individual and $300 for a group, with financial aid available to those needing a lower tuition rate. The Institute hopes that its continued growth will provide a rich offering to the Bahá'í community and an important source of knowledge and skills for the development of human resources and the expansion of the Bahá'í community.