PSY 4930 – Special Topics Course
Scientific Inquiry into
Contemporary Consciousness
Studies
How can I reach Dr. Welsch? Can I see the complete and updated syllabus?
I don’t know what to do for my personal practice – any ideas?
I want to explore some consciousness topics online. Any website suggestions, instructor?
Tentative speaker and assignment
schedule [UPDATED 09/16/04]
Coming Up: STUDENT PRESENTATION outline & schedule
Suggested disciplines and subtopics for presentations and papers
I want some more assistance, how can I reach the student assistant? I would like to find out about related campus resources for theory, practice, and research practice ideas, like student organizations, books and journals, researchers I can interview, other websites:
Nelson Abreu
352-262-9181
Nelson’s suggestions:
Check out these institutions’ websites and look for books,
articles, conference
abstracts, journals for
ideas for practice (with Dr. Welsch’s green light) and for writing themes. If you would like to write an argumentative
paper, you can contrast the two main “sides” of the story; you can explore how
what we think or do regarding an area of life would change if we discover the
consciousness is NOT a physical/neurological product. Some writing ideas.
3rd book suggestions:
selected readings of Projectiology
(contact me to order this packet); other book suggestions.
Visit the Science of Self Club / Student Center for Spirituality & Health
reference library (ok, it’s only 1 shelf) at Anderson Hall 117 (get access at
107). It includes most of the issues of the Journal of Conscientiology, a few
IONS publications, a copy of Projectiology, Sheldrake’s “Dogs that know when
their owners are coming home and other unexplained animal phenomena,” and some
other must-reads. You can research issues of the Journal of Consciousness
Studies at the University of Florida library.
Nelson’s practice suggestions/links;
research suggestions
Lucidity Institute (lucid dreaming)
"secret
life of plants" by peter Tompkins (chi, psi and plants)
(more
on the way)
UPDATES
>
8/24 - 7:30 pm
Still searching for a topic?
Some articles
Nelson’s Tucson conference [repaired link 9/16]paper
Consciousness & the Media, Knowledge Center – IONS
Still thinking about a practice or research?
Reminder: You can research the out-of-body experience and its potential implications, but you will not receive credit for doing it as a personal practice.
Basic Mobilization of Energies guidelines
An article from Fortean Times on Hypnagogic State
Flower
Experiment; Journal of Conscientiology No.
11; The
Secret Life of Plants
>
8/24 - 7:50 pm
As Dr. Welsch mentioned, the term consciousness is used in
different ways. But even in
consciousness studies: consciousness can mean the self, the spirit, the soul,
individuality principal for those that defend it survives physical death; or it
can mean “awareness” that is caused by neurological processes. Here are some
introductions to the “problem of consciousness”:
A description from the Center for
Consciousness Studies – University of Arizona
The problem from a multidimensional
point of view
Check out the General Introduction to Dr. Thomas Metzinger’s Conscious Experience
Dr. Robert Jahn and Brenda Dunne’s preface in Margins of
Reality.
Part of the Journal of Consciousness
Studies series: The View from
Within
Introduction of Models of the
Self
> 8/29 – 5:00 pm
08/30 CLASS: Dr. Olsen’s lecture is
confirmed. Remember that you must turn in your assignment preferences, ranked 1
to 3. Available options are:
- Argumentative / defense paper
- Research of some sort (survey; states
of consciousness; vital energies; etc.)
- Topical/thematic paper/lit review
- Cinamatographic critical review &
reaction paper: “What the Bleep?” movie playing in Orlando in September
In case you haven’t made up your mind, I’ve added more topics to the list.
> 8/29 – 5:01 pm
What a &$@! do we know any way?
MESSAGE from ELZA:
Hi everyone!
As you all know, one of the options for
PSY4930 is to see the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?!" in Orlando.
Nelson and I had the idea of going on a trip as a group...carpooling would save
us all some gas money, it would be more fun, and we can go grab something to
eat afterwards and hang out!
You are all invited to join us on the
trip on Sunday, September 12, for the 4:50 show in Orlando. More details about
when we're leaving Gainesville and where we're going to meet are coming soon.
Trailer & Showtimes
It will be a blast!! Hope to see you
there:)
~Elza
> 8/29 – 5:14 pm
Since Margins was published 18 years
ago, you might like to know that: “the study of consciousness is approached
from complementary empirical and philosophical perspectives, and there are some
25 or so articles that can be downloaded from the Publications page: <http://www.princeton.edu/~pear/>”.
- Brenda Dunne
> 09/16 Speaker Change
Monday 09/20, David Lindsay (International Academy of Consciousness - New York) will present his course on the consciential paradigm. The New Zelander is looking forward to an interactive audience, so ask away! If you'd like to interview him after class, though, you'll have to ride with me to Orlando and back, because he will be leaving shortly after class to catch his flight back to NYC.
> 09/16 Publishing your Work
Just a reminder that you have a good chance to get your work published, unless you treat at as "just a homework assignment." For one, the editor of the UK-based Journal of Conscientiology says: "I would be extremely please to receive the work from the students of this class and to analyze them for publication. Best regards and good mentalsomatic gestations!" Bonne chance!
Lucid Dreaming FAQ for the oneironaut in you!
Some cool IONS links:
Online Games to test your intuitive ability
HEALING & Consciousness: Learn more about Spontaneous Remission and Distance Healing research, and the Physical and Psychological effects of Meditation
Some IONS video clips
> 09/16 Science behind What a Bleep movie
So you saw the movie, but wanted to hear more of the science. Well here you go:
Hameroff & Penrose's Quantum Consciousness and the other
scientists (including Physics of the Soul author).
So, which of you is going to test these eyebrow-raiser
Water Crystals
It's Friday night! GUNS, SEX, CAR CRASHES, or.......
Spiritual Cinema?
See this dedicated Shift issue to Consciousness & the Media