Content provided in partnership with
Educating Parapsychologists
Journal of Parapsychology, The, Sept, 1999 by Matthew D. Smith
Finally, in order to ensure that prospective students are fully aware of the potential educational benefits of studying parapsychology as well as being aware of the educational opportunities available to them, we need to do what we can to promote what research is being done and the educational opportunities on offer. In general, parapsychology as a field has been actively involved in doing this. Most notably, in the past few years, parapsychologists have been quick to recognize the value of the internet in providing resources for individuals with a blossoming interest in parapsychology. The majority of active research establishments now have well-developed (and much visited) web-sites. Indeed, some have internet-based experiments and, as I mentioned above, it is now possible to study a course via the internet. In addition, the main parapsychology-related organizations such as the Society for Psychical Research, the American Society for Psychical Research, the Parapsychology Foundation and the Parapsychologic al Association all have web-sites. Finally, the guidance provided by the Parapsychology Frequently Asked Questions pages (which can be reached through the PA web-site) are a valuable resource for any would-be student wherever in the world they may be. The internet also plays host to global bookstores from which one can order some of the highly recommended texts that give an intelligent overview of the field (e.g., Broughton, 1992; Irwin, 1999; Radin, 1997). No more need for those frustrating visits to your local bookstore in the vain attempt of obtaining the book of your choice. Students can even order via the internet an interactive CD-ROM, Mario Varvoglis' Psi Explorer which will allow them to explore a multimedia encyclopaedia of parapsychological knowledge, as well as participate in controlled ESP and PK trials.
- Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »
All in all, we should applaud the efforts of those who have been instrumental in making sure that parapsychological research activities are well-represented in a forum that allows the widest access to such information. Indeed, we should welcome and support all efforts to raise the profile of parapsychology education among both our colleagues and the public.
It is with this in mind that I am, therefore, grateful to the Parapsychological Association (and the editor of the Journal of Parapsychology) for allowing me this opportunity to highlight what I believe to be important issues in the continuing development of parapsychology. I appreciate that, by and large, I am probably preaching to the converted, in that I guess many readers of this journal will agree with me that the inclusion of parapsychology (taught in a balanced and responsible way) in a program of studies can be a valuable and rewarding experience for both teacher and student alike. Indeed, to quote John Beloff (Beloff, 1975): "There is no other discipline that I know which engages at the same time a person's critical faculties and his [or her] imagination and then stretches them both to a comparable extent" (p. 11).
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: Home & Garden
Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »