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Paranormal courses at universities

SherryA

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I've recently had speaking engagements where my skeptical view of ghosts, (as a fiction writer) were not looked upon kindly. One recent one was for a continuing education program which featured the topics: Ghosts and Hauntings (the participants expected confirmation, not skepticism from me, and I was not asked back); Tarot; Crystals; Past Lives; and UFOs. It's important to note how many universities are supporting this kind of thing, though I'm at a loss for what to do about it. I found the description of the course below from the "Humanist Network News":


University offers UFOs course

Santiago University is offering a degree in UFOs

Director of the course, Ricardo Bermudez told Las Ultimas Noticias: "There is something happening out there and we don't know what it is."

"The graduates will learn how to use scientific tools to investigate phenomena and specific methods of investigation."

The course, called Unexplainable Air Phenomena is available to all local residents.

---- Sherry Austin
 
My local communit college has a few courses like that but they are non-credit courses and not really part of the cirriculum. They are called "community development" courses and basically boil down tot he college letting anyone who feels that they have something they can teach others use the colleges facilities at night. So you have a mix of useful courses (i.e. Italian Cooking) and junk (i.e. Contacting your Angels). I don't have a problem with it as long as it is clear that this isn't really a college course it is just taught on the college campus.

Is that the case with the courses you have seen?
 
Yes, Nyar, that's generally the kind of courses I'm talking about, but I do believe they were partly subsidized by Elderhostel. I was mortified at how seriously these things were taken. I made sure the "course" facilitator knew I wasn't a true believer, but they were quite disappointed to learn I wasn't when I arrived. This is something I've been up against in book tours, as I told Randi in my email to him. When I arrived at the first class the facilitator handed me a card given to him by a woman who claimed to have been abducted by an alien. She wanted me to tell my publisher about it. I'm still amazed at the assumptions people have made about me because of my little interest in the ghost story as a literary genre. --- Sherry Austin.
 
SherryA said:
Yes, Nyar, that's generally the kind of courses I'm talking about, but I do believe they were partly subsidized by Elderhostel. I was mortified at how seriously these things were taken. I made sure the "course" facilitator knew I wasn't a true believer, but they were quite disappointed to learn I wasn't when I arrived. This is something I've been up against in book tours, as I told Randi in my email to him. When I arrived at the first class the facilitator handed me a card given to him by a woman who claimed to have been abducted by an alien. She wanted me to tell my publisher about it. I'm still amazed at the assumptions people have made about me because of my little interest in the ghost story as a literary genre. --- Sherry Austin.
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Yeah, there are definately people in the world that have trouble in the 'separating fact from fiction' department and many of them assume other people have the same difficulty.
 
SherryA said:
I've recently had speaking engagements where my skeptical view of ghosts, (as a fiction writer) were not looked upon kindly. One recent one was for a continuing education program which featured the topics: Ghosts and Hauntings (the participants expected confirmation, not skepticism from me, and I was not asked back); Tarot; Crystals; Past Lives; and UFOs. It's important to note how many universities are supporting this kind of thing, though I'm at a loss for what to do about it. I found the description of the course below from the "Humanist Network News":


University offers UFOs course

Santiago University is offering a degree in UFOs

Director of the course, Ricardo Bermudez told Las Ultimas Noticias: "There is something happening out there and we don't know what it is."

"The graduates will learn how to use scientific tools to investigate phenomena and specific methods of investigation."

The course, called Unexplainable Air Phenomena is available to all local residents.

---- Sherry Austin
Click to expand...

Yes, Sherry, this has always been a source of extreme irritation to me also. Higher education? Pullleeeze.
 
c4ts said:
Randi's limericks come to mind.
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???How have I missed limericks? Which are these you speak of? Am I just forgetting something?
 
Thank you for asking about the limericks, Mercutio. I'd like to know, as well. I'm fairly new to the forum, though. -- Sherry Austin.
 
Our local City College had a course in aura reading in the Adult Education department. Nonetheless, I protested and found out, among other things, that the course had to be approved by three layers of beurar (screw it, red tape). The first was by the department chair, the second was the academic senate, the third was by the College Board of Trustees. Now, no matter at what level it is given, to me this gives it the seal of approval of an institution of higher (?) education.

My protests died.
 
Mercutio said:
???How have I missed limericks? Which are these you speak of? Am I just forgetting something?
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Well I wanted to know too, so in a moment of fiendishly devious cleverness, I went to google and typed 'randi limerick'.

Here are the fruits of my strenuous labour, from here.
1995-09-05 Limerickianism and a Noted Skeptic

This month's new limerick sub-collection was written by magician,
author and skeptic James Randi (aka "The Amazing Randi).

"Of the need to believe I've no doubt,"
Said the sage as he looked all about
At the annual fete
Of the psychics who met
In convention, their claptrap to tout.

A scientist, showing no mirth,
Said, "If I owned all of the Earth,
I'd give all I've got
For a single good shot
At the goof who gave cold fusion birth."

The physicist made an intrusion,
On a conclave that dealt with illusion.
"This meeting, by far,
Would be better to tar
And feather the ghost of cold fusion."

The Shroud of Turin, is to me, a
Patent fake like a Chinese sangria.
In Italy it
Would simply not fit
The wardrobe of the Pope. Mamma mia!

The psychic friends are so handy.
I asked them for advice about Mandy.
They replied "Yes do go
with her in the UFO,
just don't tell the amazing randi"
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Some might advise our good host to stick to the day job; I, on the other hand, couldn't possibly comment :p
 
Nucular, you're a nut! You've just demonstrated why I'm not a poet! --- Sherry A.:p
 
Nucular said:
Well I wanted to know too, so in a moment of fiendishly devious cleverness, I went to google and typed 'randi limerick'.

Here are the fruits of my strenuous labour, from here.Some might advise our good host to stick to the day job; I, on the other hand, couldn't possibly comment :p
Click to expand...
Wow... from 1995? Strange...now I shall go and pout that he has not contributed to the forum limerick thread...
 
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