The New Species, the Integral Way and our Contemporary Condition

Online Courses: ICIS Vision & Goals Curriculum, Methodology & Assessment Courses 2008 Admissions Team & Faculty Photo Gallery Courses 2008

Paradigms of Psychological Knowledge: A Historical & Cross-Cultural Perspective (CoS, 550, 3 credits)
Suneet Varma, PhD
Prerequisites: Undergraduate course in Psychology or Instructor’s consent
Lectures 1. Three aspects of knowledge paradigms: Ontology, Epistemology, and Methodology 2. Historical emergence of Psychology as a science: Four paths of scientific Psychology 3. An alternative history of Psychology. Perspectives from non Euro-American backgrounds 4. Logical Positivism and its impact on the development of academic Psychology. Post-positivism and Psychology 5. The Critical perspective in Psychology 6. The Social Constructionist movement in Psychology 7. Participative Research/Co-operative Enquiry in Psychology 8. Existential-Phenomenology and Psychology 9. The Indian conception of knowledge: The empirical and the spiritual praxis 10. The Integral way of knowledge: Sri Aurobindo's contribution

Introduction to Indian Culture(CuS, InS, 500, 3 credits)
Kavita A Sharma, PhD
Prerequisites: Undergraduate course in Culture Studies or Instructor’s consent Lectures 1. India: The Land and Its People 2. Rationalistic Critique of Indian Culture and Civilization & Sri Aurobindo’s Rejoinder 3. Orientalism and Beyond 4. Some Key Concepts in Indian Thought 5. The Development of Indian Philosophy: An Overview 6. Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha: The relationship between the Material & the Spiritual (1) 7. Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha: The relationship between the Material & the Spiritual (2) 8. Varna Ashram Dharma 9. Secularism in India10. Cultural Unity of Indians

Vedic Studies in the Light of Sri Aurobindo (InS, SAS, 550, 3 credits)
Vladimir Yatsenko
Prerequisites: Undergraduate course in Archetype Studies or Instructor’s consent
Brief
This course is an introduction to the Vedic Mythology, Metaphysics and Psychology in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. It maps all major concepts of the Vedic paradigm and their interpretation in the Aurobindonian perspective. Besides the commentaries of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother the traditional commentaries of Yaska, Panini, Patanjali, Bhartrihari, Shankara, Sayana and other modern scholars such as B.G.Tilak, Kapali Sastri and others are widely used.
Lectures 1. The Structure and the general content of the Veda. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on the Vedas and Vedic Rishis 2. The Vedic Vision in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother 3. The Myth of Dawn 4. The Myth of Angirasa Rishis 5. Agni and the concept of the Sacrifice 6. The Myths of Creation. Nasadiya sukta. Purusha sukta 7. Hiranya Garbha. Heaven and Earth. Vishvakarman 8. The conception of Speech in the Vedas. The Hymn to Speech. The Svadhyaya, Jnana-yajna, Brahma-yajna 9. The four levels of the Word. The Sphota theory in the post-vedic literature: Patanjali and Bhartrihari. The etymological transparency of Sanskrit, its semantic clarity and precision (with many examples) 10. The five Myths of Immortality. The profound symbolism of the story of Savitri in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

The Integral Way of Sri Aurobindo (Ph, CoS, SAS, 511, 3 credits)
Debashish Banerji, PhD
Prerequisites: Undergraduate course in Philosophy/Psychology or Instructor’s consent
Brief
An aspiration for a perfect knowledge, a perfect will and a perfect love and happiness are intrinsic to the evolving manifestation, since it is an absolute and self-conscious Being which has involved itself in this Becoming. These aspirations co-exist in the human being, seeking for their separate fulfillments. It is Sri Aurobindo’s teaching that the destiny of the human species is to achieve an integral consciousness, in which these aspirations find their natural goal and to transform human nature and society through the power of this consciousness. The Integral Way of Sri Aurobindo explores how this can be achieved, some of the experiential consequences of the process and the significance of our contemporary conditions towards this goal.
Lectures 1. All Life is Yoga 2. Integral Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo 3. The Need to Know 4. The Need to Will 5. The Need to Love 6. The Psychic Being and the Integral Way 7. The Guru, The Mother and the Triple Transformation 8. The Transformation of Society 9. The New Species 10. The Integral Way and our Contemporary Condition
The details about the admission procedure, fee, curriculum etc. will be put up by February 2008 on this site. You can also contact ICIS at integralstudies@icis.org.in .