Psychology of Exceptional Human Experiences

[Muse]

How's this for another silly higher ed subject...Coventry University has announced that it's setting up a master's degree in the psychology of exceptional human experiences.

Heaven help us - apparently students can become real-life "slime-fighters" tracking reports of ghastly ghouls, haunted spirits and spooky apparitions. The course has been set up by Dr. Tony Lawrence who claims to have been heavily influenced by the film Ghostbusters as a child. :D

Study topics include parapsychology including mediums, ghosts and extra sensory perception, transpersonal psychology looking at spiritual experiences such as prayer and meditation. And they will learn about how drugs contribute to spiritual experiences. :o

"There's always a fascination with the unknown and we will be exploring the paranormal and trying to explain why things happen - but sometimes there won't be answers."

Especially if they're all on the whacky baccy. ;)

[Admin]

This is another idea for something we can do - name and shame universities that are offering degrees in stupid subjects.

As we've seen with vbloke's homeopathy course the standard of teaching in these subjects is abysmal. I've been wondering how they can teach degrees in subjects like Chiroptactic or Homeopathy. These things are pure bullshit yet they manage to offer degrees in them!

What next? A degree in ghosthunting or yeti chasing? :-\

[Dr B]

I totally agree.

However, I would make a few exceptions. I use to offer an optional course to undergrads called "The cognitive neuroscience of hallucination". it got a usual but moderate following of dedicated budding brain scientists of the future.

One year i shifted the titled to "The Paranormal Brain" - bloody hell if it was not over subscribed every time then I'm a spoon-bender!!!!!

The course was the same - looking at what hallucination and anomalous experience tells us about brain function and cognition. I think we can explore this subject matter in a rational manner and we can learn from it. So I would adovcate a serious course on this

However - it has nothing to do with spirits!!!! ;D

[Admin]

Good point Dr B.

I too think that the study of anomalous experience (a term I prefer to 'the paranormal') is well worth doing as it can teach us so much about how and why we have such experiences. I like explanations, not mysteries.

I guess the course should be judged on its content rather than its title.

But... the paranormal sells, and if universities are in the market for students then christ knows what sort of courses they'll be offering in the future.

How long before we see the first Doctor of Ear Candling or a PhD reflexologist? ::)

[Dr B]

Excellent point John,

My course was just a kind of 5-week elective - not anything in the prospectus or anything like that - just an option the students could sign up for in their 2nd / 3rd years.

You are quite right though - some universities are milking it - especially those which are not - shall we say - top international research universities. They need the cash.

Ideally an Msc or Mres in Anomalous cognition or cognition and consciousness (both taught from the perspective of neuroscience) would be worthwhile.

The problem with many parapsychologists in this country is that they have little experience of mainstream psychology and neuroscience (I am generalising but it is kind of true) and do not publish in the best journals or engage with the community full on. This means we often get third-rate scientists calling themselves parapsychologists working in isolation on ideas that were buried years ago ;D

[Nucular]

This is another idea for something we can do - name and shame universities that are offering degrees in stupid subjects.

As we've seen with vbloke's homeopathy course the standard of teaching in these subjects is abysmal. I've been wondering how they can teach degrees in subjects like Chiroptactic or Homeopathy. These things are pure bullshit yet they manage to offer degrees in them!

What next? A degree in ghosthunting or yeti chasing? :-\


I'd love to do the degree mentioned in the OP - though I'm a bit weird like that. These things aren't necessarily woo - that aspect all depends on how they're taught.

Re: dumb degree courses at uni, I know someone rather well who did the BSc (Hons) Homeopathy course. Quite interesting actually. The course sounds in equal measure a proper taught course biomedical degree (sort of a pick 'n' mix of various external modules such as physiology, which allows the uni to label it a BSc), and an exercise in indoctrination.

What irks me most about it is that students who fall for the marketing, or who like many of us tumble into a degree course and then decide what they think about the world and what they're going to do with their lives, will end up on what is really quite a challenging course, work hard for three years, and then come out with a piece of paper that can only serve them ill. And with a head full of confusion from being pumped full of real science one day, and then being told that doctors and scientists are part of a collossal conspiracy, and 'allopathy' only 'won' because of politics. >:(

[median]

Dr B wrote:

The problem with many parapsychologists in this country is that they have little experience of mainstream psychology and neuroscience (I am generalising but it is kind of true) and do not publish in the best journals or engage with the community full on. This means we often get third-rate scientists calling themselves parapsychologists working in isolation on ideas that were buried years ago


Apart from Peter Venkman are there any reputable parapsychologists out there? ???I only know Wiseman and French ::)

phaedra wrote:

Study topics include parapsychology including mediums, ghosts and extra sensory perception, transpersonal psychology looking at spiritual experiences such as prayer and meditation. And they will learn about how drugs contribute to spiritual experiences.

"There's always a fascination with the unknown and we will be exploring the paranormal and trying to explain why things happen - but sometimes there won't be answers."

Especially if they're all on the whacky baccy.



Nice to see that there is a practical component within the course ;D

What was the old saying?
Oh yes…

Reality is for people who can’t handle drugs ;)