Psychedelic Science
CRN
Course Number
Credits
Course Description
NOTICES, WARNINGS, AND CAUTIONS “Psychedelic Warning Label”
Because this course considers some illegal substances it’s prudent to consider:
Not “privileged” communication. Unlike private, confidential communication with a lawyer, doctor, or clergy, communications in this class are not legally given a status of “privileged,” so if you have something to say about your own psychedelic experiences or those of people you know, you may want to protect the identity of the person you are talking about. I may speak openly about my psychedelic experiences, I am likely to talk openly, but this may not be right for you.
From my own experiences and through readings, I have become increasingly respectful of the power of Entheogens. Like any powerful thing, they can be destructive or constructive depending on how skillfully they are used. Among other things, they can concentrate your attention on the most vulnerable, most unpleasant parts of your mind/body. Therefore, Entheogens should be explored only under the guidance of a qualified therapist, one who has extensive psychedelic training. If you need assistance, most mental health professionals are available to discuss these issues
Materials Fee
Required Texts
Texts required: “Plants of the Gods” by Richard Evans-Schultes, “How to Change Your
Mind.” By Micheal Pollen, & assorted collection of journal articles posted on Canvas.
Credit/Evaluation
Agreements for Credit and Evaluation: More the 3 classes missed will result in an Unsatisfactory grade.
READING: There will be a lot of reading, internet research, videos to watch, and random invitations. Please stay up with the assignments.
Journal: Because we will be touching this subject’s many complex issues, I’d like for each student to keep a journal. This journal needs each assignment, the date, and the name of the assignment in legible at the top of your reflection. I invite you to use this space for all of it, art, scribble, random thoughts, etc. I will glance at these periodically. Please stay on top of the assignments for this course.
PAPERS ( 5 total)
Psychedellic History paper: If you choose you can write about your personal experiences with Entheogens, or other you know, or some other way to talk about this that is more resonant for you.
Reflection/Presentation papers: will be due about every three weeks. These days will be each of us sharing our thoughts, reflections, and inspirations from the last run of readings, in-class experientials, personal art, curious questions, insights, etc and a 3-5 page paper turned in at the end of the day. There will be a total of 3 of these.
Small invitations: Each of you are invited once a week to explore an entheogenic wormhole and post this on the forum and have discussions and to add to the psychedellic inspired Art page in
Pages via canvas. I expect each of you to participate in these processes at least a dozen times, in the form of posting, replying, or discussing.
Final Paper/researchProject: This is a final integration paper that is a synthesis of your reflections on this class, the readings, etc, and one special topic chosen by each student. In a non formal class setting you will utilize your journal, your papers, your research, the reading, and present some of what you learned through this class to the rest of the class. We will take several weeks for this and I will have a signup sheet half way through the quarter.