On Pursing a Nontraditional Doctorate.... Doctorate of Philosophy in Comparative Religion

With the many things that I already have on my plate, I have decided pursue an additional doctorate degree.  Why?  I feel led by God to do so.  The difference here is that this will be a nontraditional approach to my education.  I will be attending the University of Sedona, and I plan to major in Comparative Religion.  Those who know me well, already know how much I love politics and discussions about religion.  I decided to pursue this alternative option as a means of educating myself and to whatever extent God plans to use me.

While I will not be able to teach at a university with this degree, I will continue to speak, write, and share knowledge wherever I am led to do so. As a Professor, typically, I would frown on such an approach to education, but I am pretty well established at this point with the credentials that I already have.  

The University of Sedona is not regionally accredited, but they do have the ability to award degrees as a seminary.  The organization is well established, and many of the graduates have gone on to have great careers.  The program requires that I complete 66 modules of education related to metaphysics, an exam, a thesis, and a dissertation.  In addition to what the minimum requirements are, I am also going to hold myself to a certain level of academic accountability by supplementing my education.

University of Sedona:  https://universityofsedona.com/

Also, in addition to the general articles that I post on here, this blog will also serve as a transcript of sorts of my educational experiences throughout the process.  I have chosen to supplement my education by reviewing lectures from the “The Great Courses” series, taking classes at my church’s on-site seminary through the adult education program, and Coursera.  Since “The Great Courses” will provide the foundation for my education, below are a list of the courses that I plan to review in the process in no particular order.  As a part of the challenge, I will be writing a 500 word article on a topic of choice for every 15 hours of lecture that I review, unless it is a short course.  I will produce at least one 500 word article for courses less than 10 hours.  I will do another posting on this topic later.  Utilizing “The Great Courses” database allows me to listen to some of the best experts and most renowned professors in the world on these topics.  This is going to be a great addition to my background in history and health education.

The Great Courses: 

• The Meaning of Life:  Perspectives from the World’s Great Intellectual Traditions
• Quest for Meaning:  Values, Ethics, and the Modern Experience
• Peoples and Cultures of the World
• The Spiritual Brain:  Science and the Religious Experience
• Mind-Body Medicine:  The New Science of Optimal Health
• The African Experience:  From Lucy to Mandela
• God and Mankind:  Comparative Religions
• Cultural Literacy for Religion:  Everything a Well Educated Person Should Know
• Philosophy of Mind:  Brains, Consciousness, and Thinking Machines
• American Religious History
• Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad
• Exploring the Roots of the Religion
• Great World Religions:  Christianity
• Philosophy of Religion
• Skeptics and Believers:  Religious Debate in Western Intellectual Tradition
• Introduction to the Study of Religion
• The Great ideas of Philosophy
• Comparative Religion
• Religions of the Axial Age:  An Approach to the World's Religions
• Mystical Tradition:  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• Philosophy as a Guide to Living
• Philosophy, Religion, and the Meaning of Life

The Great Courses:  http://www.thegreatcourses.com/

I use audible.com to access "The Great Courses" lectures as an affordable alternative.  I have been an audible subscriber for about 4 years.  www.audible.com

The plan is to listen to the lectures while driving, around the house, or any idle time that I have. I also plan to take a few courses through Coursera, but since I am completing this at my own pace, I am not going to be a big fan of have a structured time table.  I will add courses as I find interesting.  Currently, I am enrolled in the following course through Rutgers University:

Souls Beliefs, Causes and Consequences:

Course Description:  Throughout history, the vast majority of people around the globe have believed they have, however defined, a “soul.” While the question of whether the soul exists cannot be answered by science, what we can study are the causes and consequences of various beliefs about the soul and its prospects of surviving the death of the body. Why are soul and afterlife beliefs so common in human history? Are there adaptive advantages to assuming souls exist? Are there brain structures that have been shaped by environmental pressures that provide the foundation of body/mind dualism that is such a prominent feature of many religions? How do these beliefs shape the worldviews of different cultures and our collective lives? What is the role of competing afterlife beliefs in religion, science, politics, and war? This course explores several facets of this relatively unexplored but profoundly important aspect of human thought and behavior.  Link:  https://www.coursera.org/learn/soulbeliefs

Finally, and most importantly, I am taking classes at my church, through the Johnnie Coleman Theological Seminary.  This was not intended to be part of the educational curriculum per say, because it is part of my personal development, but these classes that I am taking as part of the master certificate program have thus far been very enlightening.  I am sure that they will have great influence over me in the coming years as I work through the program.  I am more likely to be done with the PhD before finishing my courses at the JCTS.  The classes include:

To obtain a Master Certificate, students are REQUIRED to take the following classes:

• Basic Truth Principles I
• Basic Truth Principles II
• Bible 1: Introduction to the Bible
• Bible 2: Old Testament I (Metaphysical I)
• Bible 3: Old Testament II (Metaphysical II)
• Bible 4: New Testament I (Metaphysical I)
• Bible 5: New Testament II (Metaphysical II
• Discover the Power Within You
• Principles of Prayer
• Principles of Healing
• Self-Discovery
• Advanced Metaphysical Class

Students are also REQUIRED to take three (3) Elective Classes 

JCTS Link:  http://www.jctseminary.org/

I will not write much about my experiences with JCTS, because this is a part of my personal develop, but these classes have been eye opening of for me.  I come to class eager and excited to learn.  I will add short reflective pieces to the blog in order to document my experiences.  My primary goal with the blog entries I make is to discuss my journey with this alternative route to education that I have chosen to pursue.  It is not necessarily to discuss or debate religious issues.

For each course that I review with regards to “The Great Courses” and Coursera, I will provide a course description, a list of the professors, and the topics that are being covered in the lectures. I also plan to use a textbook on world religion to review and quiz myself on the basics.  I was able to purchase Experiencing the World's Religions 4th ed. by Micheal Molley.  It is an older textbook, but the quizzes and interactive material can still be found online.  The awesome thing about this experience is that I can personalize my learning experience.  I plan to enjoy the journey.  My goal is to attend the 2017 graduation ceremony.