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click here for the 2001 Distance-Learning Course catalogue or
click here for the 2001 Spiritual Foundations catalogue

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THE SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS FOR A GLOBAL
CIVILIZATION PROGRAM

Overview of the Four-Year Program

1. Mission Statement.

The purpose of the Spiritual Foundation for a Global Civilization program is to help advance the process of entry by troops by raising up a new generation of diverse, knowledgeable, articulate teachers and administrators of the Bahá'í Faith by imparting knowledge; developing various skills, particularly teaching skills; fostering Bahá'í identity; inculcating a spirit of service; and creating a model Bahá’í community life. A major requirement of the program is the students' commitment to practical service and teaching activities.

2. Curriculum.

Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization is a four-year university-level program of systematic study. The program has four thematic clusters that can be studied in any order:

1. religion, philosophy, and theology (the nature of religion, the various world religions, ancient and modern philosophy, and Bahá'í concepts of God, revelation, humanity, creation, afterlife, and Covenant);
   
2. the development of human beings and the creation of strong Bahá'í marriages and families;
   
3. the nature and purpose of human communities and their governance, with a particular focus on Bahá'í communities and the administrative order; and
   
4. carrying forward an ever-advancing civilization, examining such issues as establishing world peace and global prosperity, advancing racial and sexual equality, protecting the environment, and the proper use of science.

In addition, each year the following are included:

1. the study of Bahá'í history,
   
2. thematic examination of Bahá'í scripture,
   
3. the acquisition of skills in teaching the Faith, and
   
4. the development of other skills such as writing, public speaking, community building, and conflict resolution.

These eight areas constitute the eight modules addressed by the Spiritual Foundations program.

Parts of the Spiritual Foundations program are accreditable at the university level. The program is open to Bahá'ís aged eighteen or older with a high school degree or equivalent.

The program has two components:

•      An annual intensive residential session consisting of classes, service projects, training in teaching the Faith, and hands-on experience in building a community among the students and faculty. The university-accreditable portion of the residential session is the equivalent of at least one-semester course each year. The residential session, which is held in Wilmette, is three weeks in length.

•      Ten months of self-study assignments and teaching and service activities undertaken by students in their home locales. This part of the program is roughly equivalent to the homework of at least a one-semester course of study each year. Much of the homework is set up as "learning projects," such as giving firesides and deepenings about the material studied. Students choose which learning projects to do, thereby shaping their learning experience.

3. Policies about Incomplete Work.

The Wilmette Institute exists to assist students to become better teachers and administrators of the Bahá'í Faith through systematic and formal study of the Faith. If students are taking a course for university credit, academic standards of quality are essential to the Institute's expectations. But if a student does not need or want university credit, the Institute gives a student the freedom to complete the home study as he or she wishes, at the pace he or she prefers. The suggested deadlines for completing work impose a useful discipline to learning and enable students to enjoy the benefits that result when many people are studying the same material at the same time and thus can discuss the work together.

Students who do not complete the home study of a particular year by the ending date of that year are given an incomplete. The Spiritual Foundations program will give a student an additional year to complete the home study for a particular year. Additional extensions may be considered, depending on availability of the faculty. After that, the student can always repeat the year's courses. Since courses are independent of each other, failure to complete one year's home study does not prevent a student from taking the next year.

4. Fees for the Spiritual Foundations Program, 1999-2000.

Application:   $ 25 Tuition: $700 Lodging: $330 Meals: $224 (approx.) Books: $100 (approx.) ____________________ Total: $1,379 (approx.)

The application, tuition, and lodging fees are paid directly to the Wilmette Institute. The Wilmette Institute turns the lodging fee over to the dormitory where the students reside. The cost of meals assumes $16 per day for breakfast, lunch, and supper (which is the cost of the Kendall College meal plan, for those who take it). The meal plan is not available from Saturday noon through Sunday. A hospital cafeteria and many restaurants are available near Kendall College. The Institute may also collect a small fee for snacks and any communal meals it plans.

The Institute asks that students pay the fees in three installments. The following table gives the amount of each installment and when it is due:

	Tuition	Lodging	Meals	Total
April 1	$150	$150	--	$300
July 29	$250	$180	$224	$654
September 1	$300	--	--	$300
Total	$700	$330	$224	$1254

Materials required for the course that are not readily available through the Bahá'í Distribution Service—or that students do not already own—are purchased from the Wilmette Institute; students are charged at the time of purchase.

5. Schedule for the Spiritual Foundations Program, 2000.

Application Period Opens	—	Jan. 1, 2000
Application Period Closes	—	Apr. 30, 2000
Home Study I Begins	—	May 1, 2000
Home Study I Ends	—	July 28, 2000
Summer Session Begins	—	July 29, 2000
Summer Session Ends	—	Aug. 13, 2000
Home Study II Begins	—	Aug. 15, 2000
Home Study II Ends	—	Oct. 31, 2000

Home study I is primarily to do readings to prepare for the summer residency; home study II is primarily to complete a learning project to wrap up the course. Students give firesides, deepenings, and classes on the material they studied all year. Students can also take as many distance-learning courses as they wish for free. If the schedule of a distance-learning course conflicts with home study I or II, adjustments in expectations can be made.