Master of Arts Degree in Spiritual Psychology
Offered through the School of Spiritual
Psychology
and the Prescott College Master of Arts Program
The School of
Spiritual Psychology
The
School of Spiritual Psychology (SSP) is a center of learning and research
designed to benefit society as a whole by fostering care for soul and spirit in
individual life in conjunction with the renewal of culture. This enterprise
focuses on more than technical training, intellectual comprehension, or
individual inner development of a private nature. The programs and activities
of the School serve the formation of capacities for consciously experiencing
qualities of soul and spirit in oneself, in the profession and work one
practices, in home life, in community, and in the larger world. The School has
been in operation since 1992 and serves people from all walks of life. In 2004,
the School moved to a new center in Benson, North Carolina, near Raleigh. The
School operates programs in: Sacred Service; Spirit Healing; Care of the
Invisible Worlds; and the Master of Arts degree in Spiritual Psychology. The
School’s website is www.spiritualschool.org
The School also publishes a semi-annual online journal, www.sophiajournal.org
The
concept of a center of learning and research implies that the School of
Spiritual Psychology is a community of learners, that faculty as well as
students, are participants in learning rather than givers and receivers of
information. Insight, newness, discovery and transformation characterize the
action of a center of learning and research. The faculty are more than teachers
who direct the student’s progress in knowledge; they are themselves
lifelong learners and researchers into the realms of soul and spirit with an
intense interest in the practical applications of working in the world with
such an outlook.
The
particular approach to questions of soul and spirit taken by the School of
Spiritual Psychology derives from the depth psychology of C. G. Jung,
archetypal psychology, and the spiritual science of Rudolf Steiner. However, it
is phenomenological methodology that guides the work of the School. Developing
the capacity to be present to experience and becoming capable of describing not
only experiential states, but also thinking descriptively rather than
theoretically or analytically forms the basis for all the work of the
School.
The Master of Arts
Degree in Spiritual Psychology offered through Prescott College
Spiritual
Psychology concerns the development of capacities of embodied, conscious soul
life that is open and receptive to the spiritual worlds. The Master of Arts
degree in Spiritual Psychology provides a course of studies in the background,
methodology and content areas comprising this discipline. It is a psychology of
the whole human being, useful in whatever walk of life one chooses. More than a
compilation of the information of the field, this degree program shapes the
imagination to become the lens through which one comes to understand the world.
The aim of the degree program is to stir the depths of soul, develop the powers
of imagination, awaken an individual sense of spirit, and bring practical
forces of renewal to the world. The course of study has a wide range of
practical application to such diverse disciplines as counseling, nursing,
education, law, medicine, art, architecture, politics, writing, and
environmental studies.
The Master of Arts degree in Spiritual Psychology is
awarded through the humanities program of Prescott College’s Master of
Arts Program (MAP). Prescott College is accredited by
The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and
Schools. Application to the degree program is made directly to Prescott
College.
Consistent with both Prescott College’s and the
School of Spiritual Psychology’s educational model, the degree program is
designed to meet the specific interests of individuals and is organized in such
a way that the practical and research interests of students are incorporated
from the beginning of studies. The courses are oriented toward providing
development of inner capacities of observation, the ability to be consciously
present to soul and spirit life, and inspiring concern for others and the
world. To this end, the degree program is kept small so that individual
mentoring of students assures the development of depth and mastery of the
field.
The Master of Arts degree in Spiritual Psychology is
completed over a minimum of three terms of fulltime enrollment. Students are
required to attend a four-day orientation and colloquium when they begin the
program, and one three-day weekend
colloquium at Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona during each subsequent semester
of enrollment, and two five-day sessions each semester held at the Spiritual
Psychology Center in Benson, North Carolina. (See Academic Calendar at end
of catalogue)
Under the supervision of the faculty of the School of
Spiritual Psychology and the Prescott College Master of Arts Program, students
carry out their work through a combination of independent study and residential
coursework in Benson at the School of Spiritual Psychology. Emphasis is placed
on the capacity of students to be engaged in creating the design and
implementation of part of each SSP residential course and additional
student-designed, independent-study courses. Students also create and implement
a practicum that is oriented toward developing the practical application of
spiritual psychology. Each student will design and complete a master’s
thesis that incorporates the learning from the coursework and practicum.
Students completing the Master of Arts degree in
Spiritual Psychology will be responsible for all graduation requirements of
Prescott College’s Master of Arts Program, which will be furnished to
students upon acceptance into MAP.
Curriculum Overview
Semester I
Prescott
Colloquium
Spiritual Psychology as a Grail Psychology (SSP residency)
Methodology
for developing and researching embodied Soul and Spirit Consciousness (SSP
residency)
Introduction to Phenomenology, Depth Psychology, and Spiritual Science
(SSP residency)
Student-Designed Thesis Seminar I: Developing the Theme
Student-Designed Independent Study Course
Semester II
Prescott
Colloquium
Individual Spiritual Imagination I (SSP residency)
Imagination and the Soul of the World (SSP residency)
Intermediate Phenomenology, Depth Psychology, and Spiritual Science (SSP
residency)
Student-Designed Thesis Seminar II: Doing the Research
Student-Designed Independent Study Course
Semester III
Prescott
Colloquium
Individual Spiritual Imagination II (SSP residency)
Imagination and the Soul of the World: Practical Applications
(SSP residency)
Advanced
Phenomenology, Depth Psychology, and Spiritual Science (SSP residency)
Student-Designed Thesis Seminar III: Integration
Student-Designed Independent Study Course
Course Descriptions
Semester I
Spiritual
Psychology as a Grail Psychology
This
course develops the foundations of Spiritual Psychology. Themes include an
exploration of the Grail Legend as a guiding myth of Spiritual Psychology as
the coming together of soul and spirit for the sake of the world; the central
importance of the myths of Sophia, The Soul of the World; a description of the
evolution of love in the world and the new capacities of love now developing;
the turn-around of soul life from its inner concerns to including concern for
others and the world; exercises for finding the right relationship to the past,
to desire, and to future possibilities; moving from fate to destiny; how to be
of help in the world. This course will also include a student-designed aspect
that meets the student’s learning needs, and which is determined by the
student and the graduate advisor.
Methodology
for Developing and Researching Embodied Soul and Spirit Consciousness
Themes include an exploration of and exercises for the development
of concentration on inner images; development of mobility of imagination;
learning to pay attention to images in their activity; development of
contemplation as the threshold between soul and spirit experiences; an
orientation toward image-based meditation; exercises for observing the world;
working with dreams in a non-interpretive manner; conversations on healthy
inner development; utilizing image-observation as research methodology. This course will also include a student-designed study
of research methods that meets the student’s learning needs, and which is
determined by the student and the graduate advisor.
Introduction
to Phenomenology, Depth Psychology, and Spiritual Science
Among the numerous approaches to phenomenology, the one most
applicable to psychology is existential-phenomenology. This course explores the
main themes and practices of this descriptive methodology as applicable to
spiritual psychology. A second aspect of the course is to introduce
contemporary archetypal psychology as created by James Hillman, showing its
importance for working with the Soul of the World. A third dimension of the
course is introducing the spiritual science of Rudolf Steiner in its
application to spiritual psychology. This
course will also include a student-designed aspect that meets the
student’s learning needs, and which is determined by the student and the
graduate advisor.
Student-Designed
Thesis Seminar I: Developing the Theme
Students
begin work on a thesis from the moment they enter the program. This initial
thesis course helps students circumscribe a workable thesis theme, begin to do
descriptive work with this theme, develop inner practices that attune the
imagination and the soul to properly observe the important aspects of the theme
of interest, and become oriented toward the literature relating to the theme
chosen. Emphasis is placed on student design of topic, research methodology,
and implementation.
During
the intervening time between the first meeting and the second meeting, students
are required to write an extensive paper outlining the theme of the thesis, and
write critical summaries of at least one book a week that relate to the theme
of the thesis. Such books are carefully chosen by the student to include
writings of theory, method, and practice relating to the theme. In addition to
the critical summary of the writings, students are required to re-imagine the
main points of each book read in terms of spiritual psychology. Written papers
will be submitted to faculty two times between sessions with responses given to
the student by the faculty.
Student-Designed
Independent Study Course
Each
semester allows room for elective coursework that is designed by the student in
consultation with the graduate advisor. These independent study components must
include the 6 semester credit minimum practicum required by Prescott
College’s Master of Arts Program as well as the elective theoretical work
chosen by the student in consultation with her or his graduate advisor.
To meet
the required 6 credits of practicum, students design and carry out a practicum
in their area of interest in consultation with the graduate advisor. This
practicum is community-based, and consists of some sort of service, done from
the viewpoint of spiritual psychology. The practicum is expected to consist of
five hours a week of service and two hours a week writing reflective
phenomenological descriptions of the work of service in relation to the
discipline of spiritual psychology.
Semester
II
Individual
Spiritual Imagination I
This
is a practical course for developing the capacities of imagination as a way of
presence to the life of the soul. True imagination has nothing to do with the
imaginary, the unreal. Nor is imagination mere subjectivity. It is the
illuminated holy innerness of all things, the mid-place between earth and
spiritual cosmos. Coming awake to imagination requires going through a process
of inner development. Each section of this course accumulatively strengthens
the soul in such a manner that we can be alert and open to the spiritual worlds
as a content of imagination.
We begin by introducing a spiritual cosmology of
imagination and its practices. We draw on the work of Henry Corbin, whom James
Hillman acknowledges as critical to his work with soul images, and develop the
capacity to experience the autonomy of the imaginal world perceptible only
through the organ of the heart. Here we establish spiritual imagination as a
longing and desire for the spiritual world, giving presence to the imaginal
world of many dimensions. How spiritual imagination then functions as a way of
imagining the world is described. This course will also include a
student-designed aspect that meets the student’s learning needs, and
which is determined by the student and the graduate advisor.
Imagination
and the Soul of the World
This
course works with the imagination of Sophia, who in the depth psychology of
C.G. Jung and the spiritual science of Rudolf Steiner is described as the Soul
of the World, the Anima Mundi. We trace the tradition of the Soul of the World
in the Gnostic tradition and in the Alchemical tradition and then work with
numerous ways an imagination of the Soul of the World changes the way we
approach the practical affairs of life. Practices are developed for working
with the imagination of the Soul of the World in relation to the themes
students have chosen for thesis research. This course will also include a student-designed
aspect that meets the student’s learning needs, and which is determined
by the student and the graduate advisor.
Intermediate
Phenomenology, Depth Psychology and Spiritual Science
In
this seminar we work with representative texts and research articles in each of
these fields to show how the three fields converge to point to the development
of spiritual psychology. A specific theme is selected and texts exemplifying
the theme are the center of concern. With each of the three fields and themes,
students practice descriptive
writing to come to familiarity with how to develop a mode of thinking and
language appropriate to spiritual psychology. We develop the meaning of a
creative synthesis of disciplines, showing how something new comes about by
holding the tension between differing views. This course will also include a
student-designed aspect that meets the student’s learning needs, and
which is determined by the student and the graduate advisor.
Student-Designed
Thesis Seminar II: Doing the Research
Students
will work with the development of the theme of thesis research. This course
focuses particularly on how to sustain and develop a theme, developing the
capacities of looking at a research theme from multiple perspectives,
discovering how inner meditative work converges with available writing and how
to develop inner work in relation to outer, world concerns. Students will
practice doing research writing and presenting to each other.
During
the time between the second and third session, students will write a draft of
up to one half of their thesis. Focus will be on how to properly develop a
theme, combine inner, meditative research with reviews of the literature and do
the phenomenological presentation of the theme. An outline of the second half
of the thesis will also be submitted.
Student-Designed
Independent Study Course
Each
semester allows room for elective coursework that is designed by the student in
consultation with the graduate advisor. These independent study components must
include the 6 semester credit minimum practicum required by Prescott
College’s Master of Arts Program as well as the elective theoretical work
chosen by the student in consultation with her or his graduate advisor.
Details
are included in the Master of Arts Program Student Handbook.
Semester
III
Individual
Spiritual Imagination II
We
work with the subtle body and imagination, developing practices of "ardent
desire," through which we are able to feel the activity of imagination as
real. We develop practices for the creation of images and their simultaneous
perception, drawing on the tradition of what Jung developed as active
imagination, which has deep roots in every spiritual tradition. There are three
phases to this form of active imagination: remembrance, reverent dialogue, and
the contemplation of the heart. The practices relevant to each of these phases
are developed. How to enter into spiritual imagination safely is described and
the use of spiritual imagination as a method of research is presented. This course
will also include a student-designed aspect that meets the student’s
learning needs, and which is determined by the student and the graduate
advisor.
Imagination
and the Soul of the World: Practical Applications
In
this course we work with developing the capacity to bring the life of soul and
spirit to bear on the practical affairs of the world. Each time the course is
taught, a particular theme will be chosen to work with as a demonstration.
Themes include: Soul Economy, Soul Activism, Re-imagining the Political Realm,
the Spiritual Psychology of Service, the Spiritual Psychology of Work, and the
Spiritual Psychology of the Natural World. This course will also include a
student-designed aspect that meets the student’s learning needs, and
which is determined by the student and the graduate advisor.
Advanced
Phenomenology, Depth Psychology, and Spiritual Science
This
course takes these three fields to their outer edges and looks at some of the
writing and research that give indications and hints of how these fields will
be developing in the future. Given the manner in which these fields are never
finished, but ongoing, spiritual psychology establishes itself as a unique
discipline – one that is always on the way to becoming. In particular, we
will look at how the field of spiritual psychology requires a kind of knowing
that never reaches mastery but is always concerned with developing an intimate
connection with whatever phenomenon is researched and whatever discipline
practiced. This course will also include a student-designed aspect that meets
the student’s learning needs, and which is determined by the student and
the graduate advisor.
Student-Designed
Thesis Seminar III: Integration
The
intentions of this seminar are to bring together into a coherent whole, the
theme of the thesis research, the methodology employed in the research, the
survey of the literature, and the content of the phenomenon that is the object
of the thesis research. An integration paper is presented by students that
serves as the basis for the final writing of the thesis and this paper is
presented in the seminar in conversation with other students and faculty.
From
the time of the end of the third residency session to the end of the semester,
students write the final version of their Master’s thesis and submit it
to the School of Spiritual Psychology and to Prescott College for evaluation
and approval.
Student-Designed
Independent Study Course
Each
semester allows room for elective coursework that is designed by the student in
consultation with the graduate advisor. These independent study components must
include the 6 semester credit minimum practicum required by Prescott
College’s Master of Arts Program as well as the elective theoretical work
chosen by the student in consultation with her or his graduate advisor.
Details
are included in the Master of Arts Program Student Handbook.
Faculty
Robert
Sardello, Ph.D.
Co-Director
of the School of Spiritual Psychology since 1992. Founding Fellow and faculty
member of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. Former chairman of
the Department of Psychology, University of Dallas. A practicing
psychotherapist for over twenty years, working in Jungian and Archetypal
Psychology. Developed a Spiritual Psychology based in phenomenology, depth
psychology, and spiritual science. Author of Facing the World with Soul,
Love and the Soul, Freeing the Soul from Fear, The Power of Soul: Living the
Twelve Virtues. Author of over 100
articles in journals.
Cheryl
Sanders, Ph.D.
Co-Director
of the School of Spiritual Psychology since 1992. Worked as an addiction
counselor, teacher, working in public agencies and private practice for 28
years. Co-founded program in Perinatal Intervention in Dallas, and conducted
workshops on forming community coalitions for women and minority groups for
health and human services. Published children’s stories as guides for
teaching about AIDS and substance abuse. Conducts workshops for faculties and
parents dealing with teaching about abuse, violence, AIDS and addictive
behavior. Published in areas of sensory awareness for children and for adults.
Additional
Adjunct Faculty as Needed
Application
and Admissions
Prospective
students must apply for admission to the Master of Arts Program at Prescott College.
This application is submitted directly to Prescott College and must include a
scholarly writing sample as recommended on the application. For information on
their admission requirements and procedures, see their web site: www.prescott.edu Prospective students must
also have a telephone interview with the School of Spiritual Psychology. As
part of the application, send an email to: Spiritualpsyche@mindspring.com
when the application for admission has been sent to Prescott College. In the
email, say who you are and where you live and when the application was sent to
Prescott College. Indicate that you would like to make an appointment for a
phone interview.
Send
the application for the Master of Arts in Spiritual Psychology to:
Prescott College
220 Grove Avenue
Prescott AZ 86301
The
Master of Arts degree in Spiritual Psychology follows the calendar of Prescott
College, which may be viewed online at their website.
Tuition
A
master’s degree is one of the best investments you can make in your life.
In addition to personal fulfillment, a master’s degree from Prescott
College can help you increase earnings in your current profession, ease your
transition into a new job field, and provide a basis for your pursuit of an
advanced degree. One of the major benefits of the Prescott College Master of
Arts Program is that you can continue working full-time and earning full wages
while you pursue your degree.
Prescott
College makes every attempt to ensure that all qualified students can attend
and will assist them in finding financial aid, given individual eligibility.
The financial aid process begins with filling out the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is a free application and is available
online, in addition to various other public locations. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.
Tuition and Fees
|
Tuition per term (12-16 semester credits) |
|
8,126 |
|
(Tuition includes a $100 tuition deposit) |
|
|
|
Transcript Fee (one-time) |
|
$50 |
|
Total Tuition and Fees per term |
|
8,176 |
|
|
|
|
Additional academic costs that may be incurred are the
responsibility of the student. Students pay for their own travel, food, and
accommodations for the weekend colloquia at Prescott College. Students assume
all costs for mailing study packets to their graduate advisors, as well as
providing postage-paid, return envelopes for the advisors’ use. Students
will incur a cost of approximately $25 for binding their master’s theses
for the Prescott College Library.
Room and board costs for the residential component of the
Master of Arts degree program held at the School of Spiritual Psychology Center
in Benson, North Carolina are included in the tuition cost. Six sessions, five days each, are held at the School.
All
tuition and fees are paid directly to Prescott College.
Academic
Calendar
Students
are required to enroll in the Master’s Degree Program in Spiritual
Psychology following the Prescott College Academic Calendar. The Prescott
College terms run as follows:
Fall
Term 2005 (August 12, 2005 - January 2, 2006)
Spring
Term 2006 (February 3, 2006 - June 19, 2006)
Fall
Term 2006 – (August 11, 2006
- January 1, 2007)
The
Prescott Colloquia are scheduled for the following dates;
Fall
Term 2005 (August 11-14 - includes new student orientation)
Spring
Term 2006 (February 3-5)
Fall
Term 2006 (August 11-13)
Residencies
for the courses held at the School of Spiritual Psychology Center in Benson,
North Carolina are as follows:
Fall
Term 2005 Residency (September 8-13, 2005 and December 1-6 , 2005)
Spring
Term 2006 Residency (January 19-24, 2006 and April 6-11, 2006)
Fall
Term 2006 Residency (September 7-12, 2006 and November 2-7, 2006)