Center for Inquiry Institute launches three-year academic program

A program of intensive education in skepticism and rationalism has been successfully launched by the Center for Inquiry Institute, an educational institution co-sponsored by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), publisher of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, and the Council for Secular Humanism, publisher of Free Inquiry magazine. In addition to increasing public awareness of the need for critical thinking across the spectrum of human concerns, and providing specific courses in that regard, the goal of the Institute's new program is to prepare leaders and spokespersons for science and reason in the future.

The Institute was founded in 1987 by philosopher Paul Kurtz and is operated by the two organizations also founded by him, CSICOP and the Council for Secular Humanism. The Institute began as the sponsor of an informal series of seminars and workshops. Although these were popular and fulfilled their purpose, they presented only a first step toward a more ambitious goal: a permanent program that confers on its graduates a certificate of proficiency, ensuring that the bearer has undergone rigorous training and examination over a broad range of studies.

This new goal has involved building a permanent home for the Institute - the new Center for Inquiry - International building in Amherst, New York - along with outreach centers across the United States (currently in Los Angeles, California; Boulder, Colorado; and Kansas City, Missouri). There is also a Centre for Inquiry-Oxford at Oxford University, England, and a Center for Inquiry - Moscow is forthcoming in Russia. Each center will have a research library, the one at the international headquarters already approaching some 20,000 volumes, in addition to periodicals. The international headquarters also has a nearby residence for visiting scholars.

In addition, an international faculty has been appointed, its members being chosen for their diverse interests and distinguished professional training, as well as the level of respect their scholarship has earned over the years. In addition to Kurtz, a professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and Vern Bullough, the Institute's dean and a professor of history at California State University at Northridge, faculty members include: Ray Hyman, professor of psychology, University of Oregon; Mario Bunge, professor of philosophy, McGill University, Canada; Jean-Claude Pecker, professor of astronomy, College de France; Eugenie Scott, physical anthropologist and executive director of the National Center for Science Education; and many more.

The Institute offers certificates in two program areas: (1) Science and the Paranormal, which examines alleged paranormal phenomena and other fringe-science claims, and (2) Humanistic Studies, which examines the nature of social and ethical conduct while critically exploring and contrasting the roles of reason, freethought, and religion. Both programs offer core courses in critical thinking and communication skills, while the Science and the Paranormal program offers additional seminars such as Introduction to Paranormal Phenomena, Psychology and Belief, and the History and Philosophy of Skepticism; and the Humanistic Studies program offers Humanistic Ethics, the Scientific Examination of Religion, and the History and Philosophy of Humanism.

The two programs also conduct periodic workshops. Among the shared workshops are Evolution vs. Creationism and Leadership Training. In addition, the Science and the Paranormal track features the ever-popular Skeptic's Toolbox; Astrology: A Scientific Appraisal; Evaluating UFO Claims; Investigating Hypnosis and Related Phenomena; Magic for Skeptics; Investigative Tactics and Techniques; Critical Examination of Parapsychology; Alternative Health; and others. Workshops offered for the Humanist Studies program include Biblical Criticism; Sexual Ethics; Separation of Church and State; Social and Political Philosophy; Humanist Ceremonies; History, Theory, and Practice of Organized Humanism; and many more.

To complete either program, students must pass five courses (at three credit units each) and four workshops (at two units each), followed by a research paper or thesis (an additional seven units) for a total of thirty credit units for each program. Once one certificate has been earned, the other may be obtained with less effort due to the overlapping of some courses and workshops.

Currently, these are three-year programs. At least one dual session will be held annually at the Amherst headquarters, while additional sessions will be held around the United States - frequently at one of the outreach centers. A few courses and workshops may also be offered by correspondence, and some credit may be given - at the discretion of the Institute - for equivalent prior training or experience. Also, some scholarships may be available. The Centre at Oxford, an accredited research institute of Oxford's Westminster College, offers a special certificate in the Study of Humanism/Critical Studies in Religion.