Introduction to
The Secret of
Divine Civilization
Distance Education Course
The Wilmette
Institute
Wilmette, IL USA
February 2004
Adapted by:
The Association
for Bahá’í Studies in Southern Africa (ABS)
With permission
from the Wilmette Institute
Wilmette
Institute
Studies in the Bahá'í Faith Program
Introduction to The Secret of
Divine Civilization
Distance-Education
Course
Table of Contents
Course Description .......................................................................................... 2
Goal, Objective, Tasks of Course.................................................................. 2
Course Components:..................................................................................... 2
Website ………………………...................................................... 5
Completing the Course................................................................................... 5
Study Schedule 6..........................................................................................
What to Do .......................................................................................... 7
Unit One .......................................................................................... 7
Units Two Through Five................................................................................. 7
Postings on Paragraphs................................................................................ 10
Unit Six: Integration...................................................................................... 11
Learning Projects:
Introduction................................................................................. 12
Learning Projects:
Descriptions of the Types............................................................. 13
Learning Projects: Forms 16
Appendix 1: Paragraph
Numbering........................................................................... 22
Appendix 2: The Secret of
Divine Civilization: A Summary........................................ 24
Appendix 3: The Treatise on
Politics: A Summary .................................................... 26
Appendix 4: Study Questions................................................................................... 27
Wilmette
Institute
Wilmette, IL 60091
2004 Wilmette Institute
all rights
reserved
Wilmette Institute/ABS
Studies in the Bahá'í Faith Program
Introduction to The Secret of
Divine Civilization
Distance-Education Course
GOAL: To raise up a new generation
of knowledgeable and articulate teachers and administrators of the Bahá'í
Faith.
OBJECTIVE: To study The Secret of Divine Civilization in order to understand it better,
understand its role in the Bahá'í Writings more clearly, and explain it to
others better.
TASKS: To read The Secret of Divine Civilization and related reading material;
organize the information in a usable form; and complete a series of learning
projects that facilitate studying the book and explaining it to others.
COURSE COMPLETION LEVELS. The Wilmette Institute has a three-level system for its courses. The introductory level is designed for those
who do not need college credit and want a basic course that will help them
teach the Faith more effectively. The intermediate level is designed for
learners who want to be challenged to go more deeply into study of the
materials of the course. It is designed
to be completed at the level of a third- or fourth-year undergraduate course at
a university. The advanced level is designed to be completed at the level of a
graduate course.
The syllabus below gives the completion
requirements for all three levels. If
no level is specified in a particular sentence, it applies to all three levels.
COURSE COMPONENTS. The course contains four components: the reading component, which is the
principal way to acquire new knowledge in this course; the consultation component, consulting about the course material with
fellow students and faculty to reinforce and clarify your learning; the sharing and service component, where you
present some aspect of what you have learned to at least one other person
through a fireside, deepening, children’s class, youth or adult class, artistic
presentation, or some other effort; and the assessment
component, where you share your assessment of your learning, or a sample of
your learning, with your mentor, so that he or she can determine whether you
have completed the course requirements. Note that a written copy or summary of
one’s presentation might be adequate for the assessment. The assessment
determines what level you have completed the course.
1. Reading. In order to
learn, one must first acquire knowledge, and one principal way is through
reading. The
course includes the following texts:
Required
texts:
•
`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine
Civilization, trans. Marzieh Gail (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1979). (Henceforth referred to as SDC)
•
Materials assembled by the ABS/Wilmette Institute will be available on
the ABS website (www.bahaistudies.org.za,
the forum website, and electronically, including a message by the Universal
House of Justice to the Iranian Bahá'ís and an article by Nader Saiedi.
2.
Consultation. Discussing the material one studies is an
important part of the assimilation process, especially if one can ask questions
to clarify the facts and concepts. The rules of discussion are essentially
those of Bahá'í consultation: active listening, respect for people and ideas,
detachment from one’s own opinions, a recognition that one must be frank but
not be offensive or offended. Discussion can occur three ways:
· The course's forums: All students should make at least six postings to the forums,
one per unit, either through the distance-education website (once students are
registered, details about logging in to the distance education website will be
sent) or through email. The postings can be a brief observation about topic of
the unit or a question about it, a comment about the reading, or portions of
your final projects you might wish to share. Students without web access can
email their observation or question to the course administrator or mentor. The
purpose of the postings is to help keep the forums active and to share ideas
with fellow students. While it is best to focus on the topic of the unit, one
can post on anything relating to the course; the scheduled topic is a
suggestion only. It is our hope that
everyone will participate actively on the forums, thereby helping to create a
sense of learning community.
Note that
web-based forums involve a different etiquette of expression than conversations
in that one cannot see body language or hear the tone of voice. One can include
“smilies” in one’s message and they help, but they are still not quite the same
as body language. This makes it very difficult to judge the emotional content
of the text and can lead to misunderstandings.
· A local study group (for those who are members of such
a group). It may be possible to form a study group if several people in the
same area are taking the course.
· Conversations
with one's mentor. Mentors will be assigned by the beginning of
the course. Conversations are primarily by email because of the cost of
telephone calls.
3. Service and
Sharing with Others. One of the best ways to learn something is to
teach it to others. Furthermore, every opportunity to learn should become a
means of serving others. Therefore service to others through sharing something
you have learned in the course is a requirement of the course. There are many
ways to share the contents of the course with others:
A.
A presentation on some aspect of the course. The presentation can even be to members of one's family; it need
not be a large gathering. For Bahá'ís, the presentation can be a fireside,
deepening, children’s class, or some other kind of class. A form to report the
presentation is provided. An extensive written account of the contents of your
presentation can fulfill the written requirement at the introductory or
intermediate levels (described below) as well.
B. Artistic or other projects about the course,
such as poetry, collage, music, or painting.
Report forms are included. A detailed and lengthy write-up can serve as
the written project as well.
4. Assessment. Assessment is
the process of determining how much you learned. You can assess your own
learning or your learning can be assessed by your mentor. Assessment involves
writing something; either filling out a learning self-assessment or writing
some sort of paper about a topic related to the course. The more you write, and
the more rigorous your assessment effort is, the higher the completion level.
There are three levels to choose among:
A. Introductory Level: A 1-7 Page Project. For students wishing to complete the course
at the introductory level, a short (1-7 page) project must be completed. The
simplest is completion of a learning self-assessment. The learning
self-assessment form (enclosed) gives you room to summarize the information you
have learned, new understandings and insights gained, skills acquired or
improved, new feelings or attitudes one has experienced, changes in beliefs and
values that have resulted, and ways of applying or using the course materials
you have considered. In short, it gives
an opportunity for you to review in detail what you have gained from the
course, for your own benefit and your mentor's information.
B. Intermediate (Undergraduate University)
Level: A 10-14 Page Project.
At the undergraduate level, completion of a 10-14 page project is
required. The project can be a short
research paper, a curriculum of similar length for one or more presentations on
topics related to the course (firesides, deepenings, youth classes, or
whatever), or an artistic project of equivalent work on an aspect of the
course. Students may modify the outline any way they find useful, especially by
adding questions. In some courses, the option of completing a take-home exam
may be available.
C. Advanced
(Graduate) Level: A 15-25 Page Research Paper. At the graduate level, a 15-25 page research
paper on some aspect of the course is required. You should discuss the topic
and your research strategy with your mentor first. The paper should include
footnotes and a bibliography and should be in dialogue with relevant scholarly
literature.
Note: The objective of
the course is to acquire an understanding of the course materials so that you
can explain it to others. This is more important than the specific tasks listed
above. If you would like to design a
different set of tasks to accomplish the objective, speak to your mentor. The Wilmette Institute is happy to consider
other plans to fulfill the course objective.
WEBSITE: Web access will be through the
www.bahaistudies.org.za
site; which will contain all documention, and through a distance education site
which will allow for Forum discussions and chat room – OLS.ukzn.ac.za. We will
notify you of how to access the OLS site.
COMPLETION OF
COURSE. All courses have deadlines, and
students should follow them as closely as possible. It is especially important that students keep up with the reading
assignments so that they may discuss them the same time as everyone else. But the Wilmette Institute/ABS recognizes
that its students have busy lives and cannot always keep the deadlines. If students cannot meet a deadline, they
should discuss it with their mentor and arrange for an extension.
UNIVERSITY CREDIT. The intermediate level of the course has
been designed to meet the standards of undergraduate university courses and the
advanced level is designed to meet the standards of graduate courses. The Wilmette Institute/ABS is not accredited
to give such credit. However, it is
often possible for students to obtain credit through a local university of
their choice. Please enquire further for assistance in this regard.
GRADING. Mentors will assess homework and give students
suggestions and advice about improving it as well as an "evaluative
adjective" (outstanding; very good; satisfactory). Students may take the course for a grade (A,
B, C, D, E), but normally take it pass/fail.
COLLABORATION WITH
FELLOW STUDENTS. Collaboration
on the completion of homework exercises is encouraged. Individual projects, however, should be
submitted, so that a record of each student's learning can be made. For example, two students could conduct a
fireside or deepening together, but each should turn in a form about the event.
CERTIFICATE OF
COMPLETION. Four to six weeks after the
course ends students who complete it will receive a certificate of completion,
which will specify the course's name, the level it was completed at (introductory
or intermediate), any rating given (outstanding, very good, satisfactory) or
grade (A, B, C, D, E), and the year.
STUDY SCHEDULE
Unit 1
(6-12 Sep):
Introductions, etc. (see Unit 1: What to do, below)
Read Appendix 2 (attached to
syllabus) and Roger Coe’s Expanded Outline of The Secret of Divine Civilization
Read Universal House of Justice, Message to the Iranian believers dated
November 26, 2003. Discussion question: what role
does Secret of Divine Civilization
play in the letter? What does the letter tell us about Secret of Divine Civilization?
You may wish to read Nader
Saiedi’s Introduction and Barbara Casterline’s review (website). We will
discuss them in the last unit. They will provide you with context for reading
the book. However, some may prefer to read the book without the interpretations
and explanations of others first, hence we are postponing the discussion until
later.
Unit 2 (13 Sep-3 Oct):
The Secret of
Divine Civilization, paragraphs 1-53 (pages 1-31)
Paragraph
numberings are found in Appendix 1. After reading paragraphs, review the study
questions in Appendix 4 and use them to make a posting to the Forums, or post a
question.
Begin
to plan your final project and presentation.
Unit 3
(4-17 Oct):
The Secret of
Divine Civilization, paragraphs 54-94 (pages 31-52)
Review
the study questions and make a posting. Discuss your plans for your final
project and presentation with your mentor.
Unit 4
(18-31 Oct):
The Secret of
Divine Civilization, paragraphs 95-154 (pages 52-91)
Review
the study questions and make a posting. Continue planning your final project
and presentation with your mentor.
Unit 5
(1-14 Nov):
The Secret of
Divine Civilization, paragraphs 155-199 (pages 91-116)
Review
the study questions and make a posting. Discuss your plans for your final
project and presentation with your mentor.
Unit 6 (15 28 Nov):
Integration and Summary
Read these works about the Secret of Divine Civilization:
Barbara Casterline, "The
Education of Nations: A book review"
Nader Saeidi, An
Introduction to 'Abdul-Baha's The Secret
of Divine Civilization
Post comments about Secret of Divine Civilization or the
readings on the Forum.
See Unit Six: Integration
(below). Complete your project and send it to your advisor; give your
presentation or schedule it for a later date.
WHAT TO DO
UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION (1 week)
·
Introduce
yourself to your fellow students through email/Forums. Offer a few sentences
about why you are taking the course, what you'd like to learn about SDC, what
your personal interests are, and anything else you'd like to share.
·
Familiarize
yourself with the course materials, such as the course syllabus, the schedule,
and the website. See if anything is confusing, and, if so, post your questions
through email/Forums. Start thinking about what projects you would like to do.
DETAILS REGARDING TASKS FOR
UNITS TWO THROUGH FIVE
1. Read the assignment for each unit in the schedule. Remember: Time plus energy
equals learning. Learning to use one's time well is critical for students and
professionals alike. Note that the units consist of reading about 25 pages each
week. Depending on how fast you read and can do your assignments, it should not
take longer than about one-half hour a day (studying a little more than 4 pages
a day) or three hours a week (studying 25 pages). Reading the assignments
should receive priority over the Forums if you can’t read both.
Successful learners are responsible for and regulate their own learning. You
should find the best way to use your time, whether it is to set aside a time
each day, each week or some other pattern of study, so that you will progress
systematically. Below are listed various study strategies that have been found
effective. You are not expected to use them all. Though basic principles of
learning apply to everyone, individuals are born with and develop unique
capabilities, talents and preferences for learning. Select potentially
appropriate methods to see which work well for you, then use those learning
tools that seem to be most helpful to you. If you need assistance with
anything, please contact you mentor or your classmates.
NOTE: You do not have to
follow all the suggestions below. Use only those that are most helpful to you.
°
Successful
learners are goal directed. Each time you read or study, begin by reviewing or
identifying your specific purpose and a personally relevant goal (see Goals,
Objectives, and Tasks above for some ideas). State or write these, then see if
you met them after your reading or study.
°
As
you read, try to determine the purposes for which you think `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote
what He did. What is the Master trying to communicate and why? Put this in your
own words.
°
Read
to identify verities, principles, directives, cause and effect relationships,
and/or truths. Mark these for easy referral. You may want to make a separate
running list of each as you are reading.
°
Identify
the main idea and give a title to each paragraph as you might if you were
outlining it or trying to summarize the key points for someone else. Horace
Holley did this with some subsections of the letters in The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh.
°
Identify
metaphors, images, symbols, allusions, and stories as you read. Think about
their implications and purposes. How do they help you better understand what
the text is trying to convey?
°
As
you are reading, if there is something you have a question about, write a small
question mark next to the place it occurs in the text or write it down on a
separate sheet of paper. Continue your reading, looking for an answer. If you
do not find a satisfactory answer, share the questions with someone else, your
mentor, or the class. Someone will have an answer and everyone can learn from
your question. Note the paragraph number in the text (it is wise to number
them, when possible) so others can easily find the section you are referring
to.
°
As
you read, note passages or sections that inspire you to great emotion: joy, a
leaping heart, awe, concern, trepidation, etc. Mark these for future reference.
°
As
you read, link new ideas with existing ones in meaningful ways. What thoughts
do you have about what you are reading? How does it link to your previous
knowledge and understanding? How can this new knowledge be used in new tasks?
How can it be transferred to new situations? How does it add to, modify, or
reorganize existing attitudes, knowledge and skills?
°
Reflect
on the following as you read: What is SDC’s importance to the development of
your national Bahá'í community? Of your local community? Has its wisdom
withstood the tests of time? What lessons does it bring us in the twenty-first
century?
°
Integrate
your learning with such strategies as concept mapping, thematic organization,
categorization or outlining.
°
See
how what you read can help you to meet the goals and objectives of this course
to: 1. Foster and facilitate the process of entry by troops; 2. Foster the
systematic acquisition of knowledge, qualities and skills of service; 3.
Understand and teach the fundamental verities of the Faith; 4. Serve the Faith;
and 5. Assist in personal, community and institutional development.
The
techniques listed below may also be useful in facilitating your learning:
°
Highlight
text - color code or underline
°
Make
notes in margins (the pocket edition does not allow much opportunity for this
approach)
°
Underline
or code key passages
°
Develop
and use symbols to indicate such things as directives, cause and effect, and
other information.
The
book Reading Bahá'u'lláh's Word by
Smith and Diehl (Palabra Publications, 1997) and many other books on learning
and study skills that can be found in most libraries may be a helpful resource
to develop your ability to learn.
2. You are required to make one posting
for each unit on the Email/Forums. Please share what you think might be helpful
to the rest of the class on the Forums. Sharing your ideas, actively
participating in the learning process, and creating a supportive learning
community are keys to making the course a successful learning experience for
you and others. Remember: Students learn better when they talk
about what they are learning, write reflectively about it, relate it to past
experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. Please include the paragraph
numbers in the text if appropriate for easy reference by others.
3. Read what others have put on the
Forums and participate in an online discussion of other postings. You may
respond either individually or to the class. Remember: Sharing one's
ideas and responding to others' improves thinking and deepens understanding. The Bahá'í principles of consultation
and compassion apply to this process. Remember:
Many roads lead to learning. Different students bring different talents and
styles to the course.
If you are new to participating in discussions online or would like to read
about Electronic Netiquette in the Bahá'í world then we give you in this
course, please send an email to get-faq3@bcca.org.
You do not need to put anything in the subject or text lines. You will be sent
the document.
4. Reflect on what others have written,
try to refine your understanding based on theirs and set goals for further
learning. Remember: Expect more
and you will get it.
5. Begin preparing a fireside,
deepening, institute class, children's class, youth class, or some other
presentation based on SDC. This
is to be completed by the end of class so you need to set it up and begin
preparing for it now, as the class will go by quickly.
UNITS TWO THROUGH
FIVE: POSTINGS ON PARAGRAPHS
Depending
on the size of the class, there is a good chance we will draw up a schedule of
all the paragraphs and ask everyone to make a posting about one or more
paragraphs. Such an exercise will provide everyone with a degree of commentary
on the entire text and encourage everyone’s involvement. If you decide to make
a posting on a paragraph, we suggest you consider including one or more of the
following elements:
(1) PEOPLE
(2) PLACES
(3) THINGS
(4) MOST IMPORTANT QUOTATION
(5) MOST BEAUTIFUL QUOTATION
(6) PERSONAL FAVORITE QUOTATION
(7) THREE MOST DIFFICULT WORDS
(8) PERSONAL COMMENTS
(9) UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS
The
first triad of elements answer to the ‘Who’, ‘Where’ and ‘What’ questions that
help elucidate a drama-the dramatis
personae; the shifting settings for the scenes; and the stage properties
that figure in the development of the story. The aim of these questions is to
focus attention on concrete elements found in the Text.
(The
category of ‘Events’ describing actions has been avoided, both because of the
complexity it can entail, and because of the ready existence of ‘plot
summaries’ in other study materials.)
The
second triad of elements focus attention on complete thoughts expressed in the
Text. Depth of processing is the cognitive goal here, and it is approached from
three different angles: the rational, the aesthetic, and the affective. The
application of these criteria to each constituent sentence or clause in the
paragraph, and their ordering in an ascending (or descending) sequence, demand
a depth of processing which might not be otherwise achieved. These three
elements also progressively prepare the way for the expression of the more
subjective (and probably more personally meaningful) dimensions of engaging and
experiencing the Text.
The last ‘triad’ of elements actually is not one, for whereas the last
two elements can be said to have an affinity in that they provide an arena for
miscellaneous remarks, the seventh element is placed after the second triad
purely for pragmatic reasons. Inasmuch as the close scrutiny of sentences
necessarily involves closer examination of individual words, it was felt that
this would be the best place to list ‘The Three Most Difficult Words’ in the
paragraph and their respective definitions. (Recommended dictionaries available
on the web will be enumerated elsewhere.)
We
hope the sections ‘Personal Comments’ and ‘Unresolved Questions’ will allow
each participant the desirable latitude in interpretation and the opportunity
to raise further questions, so often enlightening and energizing to the whole
group.
UNIT SIX: INTEGRATION
Review the readings and reflect about SDC. What
thoughts do you have about it? What is its importance to the development of the
Faith and the New World Order? What are the fundamental teachings it offers? A posting
to the listserver is required.
°
ALL STUDENTS: Give a fireside, deepening,
Institute class, children’s class, youth class, artistic presentation, or some
other presentation based on SDC.
°
INTRODUCTORY-LEVEL STUDENTS: Submit a Learning
Self-Evaluation Form to your mentor. It should address your experience in the
course as a whole.
°
INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL STUDENTS: Complete a learning project
on SDC of your choosing (see the following projects). It should involve writing
10-14 pages or, if it is an artistic project, a similar amount of work.
°
ADVANCED-LEVEL STUDENTS: Complete a 15-25 page
research paper or course curriculum on some aspect of SDC.
Learning
Projects: Introduction
The Wilmette Institute/ABS wants its distance-learning
courses to be as interesting and useful to its students as possible,
challenging them to stretch their abilities and experiences and develop new
habits of regular study of the Bahá'í writings. To accommodate a wide range of
learning styles of its students, the Institute has identified ten types of learning projects, classified
in four categories:
I. Artistic Projects
1.
Poetry and Short Stories
2.
Songs, Paintings, Sculpture, Dance
3.
Dramatic Presentations
II. Literary Projects
4.
Tablet Study Outline
5.
Learning Self-Assessment
6.
Essays
III. Presentational Projects
7.
Firesides
8.
Deepenings/Classes
IV. Other Projects
9.
Combinations of the Learning Projects
10. Inventing Your Own Learning Projects
Descriptions of each of the ten follow. Following the
descriptions are generic forms for each learning project. They are also available from the website (in text, word
processed, and PDF formats), so you don't have to retype them. The forms need not be followed rigidly; you may
retype them, change the spacing between items, add your own items to them, and
in some cases you may wish to drop items that are not relevant to your
particular project. The important thing is to be creative and do something that
will result in learning something new, for reading alone rarely results in deep
or permanent learning. It is also important to aim your learning project to
capture a central or significant aspect of the reading, not to explore an
obscure or minor aspect.