Wilmette Institute

Introduction to Bahá’í History

This course will emphasize the development of the Bahá'í Faith over the last century and a half. We will be reading from Peter Smith's The Bahá'í Faith: A Short History as the principal text.

Bahá’í History & Texts

Duration

8 weeks

Weekly Study

6-8 HOURS

Dates

Sep 15-Nov 9

September 20, 2022

GTU Course ID: HRHS-8380
Download 2022 Syllabus

Introduction to Bahá'í History will explore the major themes of Bahá'í history from the 1850s to the second decade of the twenty-first century, emphasizing the development of the Bahá'í Faith over the last century and a half. We will cover the period from the exile of Baha’u’llah (1817-1892), the founder of the Baha'i Faith to Baghdad in 1853 to the end of Baha’u’llah’s life in 1892; the ministry of Baha’u’llah’s successors, ‘Abdu’l-Baha (1892-1921) and Shoghi Effendi (1921-57); the period from 1957 to 1996, which saw the election of the Universal House of Justice; and the period marking a new direction in community life and outreach to the public (1996-2017).

We will be reading from Peter Smith's The Bahá'í Faith: A Short History as the principal text, Used copies of the book are available on Amazon.

Note: this course includes 3 weeks of extra (optional for non-credit students) materials and discussion forums which extension students may opt to participate in.

Topics

Iran and the Ottoman Empire in the Nineteenth Century
Shi'ism and the Shaykhi Movement
The Bab'i Faith
The Ministry of Baha'u'llah: 1853-92
The Ministry of `Abdu'l-Baha: 1892-1921
The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi and the Custodianship of the Hands of the Cause: 1921-63
The Era of the Universal House of Justice, 1963-2021
OPTIONAL--Geo-social Expansion and Cultural Breakthroughs
OPTIONAL--Religious Motifs, the Routinization of Charisma, and Resource Mobilization: Some Sociological Approaches to Bábí-Bahá'í History
OPTIONAL--Persecution and Its Impact on the Bahá’í Community

What will you learn?

You will learn

To be able to summarize the cultural and religious background of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths and relate it to their origin and development

To be able to describe the basic developments of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths through their five major periods of development (the eras of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice)

To be able to trace the development of major aspects of the Baha’i Faith’s teachings and institutions throughout its history

To develop skills in reading, summarizing, and explaining historical texts

Meet Your Faculty

Robert Stockman, ThD

WI Dean, Bahá’í History, Texts and Tenets

I have had a passion for researching and teaching about the Bahá’í Faith for more than half of my life. My fascination with American Bahá’í history and with the first American Bahá’í, Thornton Chase, caused me, in 1980, to switch my academic field from planetary science to history of religion... See Faculty Bio

Browse All Faculty