Education in Parapsychology: Student and Instructor Perspectives

Abstract

This monograph addresses the provision of educational experiences in the field of parapsychology and is designed to meet needs of both students and instructors. Although there has been a steady improvement in the quality of teaching resources in this field during the past twenty years, there remains a dearth of contemporary literature that offers practical guidance on education in parapsychology to potential students and potential teachers. The monograph is intended as a step toward the redress of this situation. Part 1 of the monograph discusses issues of primary importance to the person who would like to study parapsychology. Topics examined here include people's possible misconceptions of parapsychology and their unrealistic expectations of what the study of parapsychology might achieve; people's motives for wanting to study parapsychology; common impediments to such study and means of circumventing some of these; and potential benefits of parapsychological education. Part 2 of the monograph turns to matters of fundamental concern to the person who would like to teach a course in parapsychology. Among the issues surveyed in this section of the booklet are the need to design a curriculum that achieves a balance between maintaining critical standards and accommodating the wide range of students' interests; the pedagogic and political practicalities of teaching parapsychology; and the importance of professional qualifications and ensuring course standards.