

Parapsychology Research and Education -- ParaMOOC2016
Learn about the scientific study of psychic phenomena from those who are doing the research!
Course Start Date: 6 Jan 2016
tutorials
live classes
assignment
If you're interested in the scientific study of psychic phenomena and want to hear some of the best and brightest international researchers in the field talk about their own research, and have access to discussions with a wide group of participants from students to new researchers to experiencers, then this is the course for you.
Following on the extraordinary success of last year's WizIQ MOOC Parapsychology and Anomalistic Psychology: Research and Education (also known as ParaMOOC2015), this year's MOOC will include over 15 guest lecturers, 4 presentations from the organizers, 4 to 5 discussion forums while the live classes are being given, monthly discussion forums on topics of the students' choice for six months after the live portion of the course is finished, at least 16 downloadable PowerPoint presentations, additional materials such as YouTube tutorials, recommended videos, a recommended book list, and certificates of completion.
Anyone who has an interest in the scientific and academic side of parapsychology and psychical research is invited to attend. No prerequisites or qualifications are required for the course, just your interest and enthusiasm for the topic.
The ParaMOOC series is a completely unique introduction to international scientists and academic researchers who work on a variety of phenomena including extrasensory perception, telepathy, near-death experiences, reincarnation, distant mental influence on living systems (the part of the field that addresses psychic healing), clairvoyance, mediumship, survival research and more.
The only way to have access to this kind of expertise and to these knowledgeable individuals outside of this course is to pay to attend the annual conferences of the Parapsychological Association, the Society for Psychical Research, the Society for Scientific Exploration, and the International Association for Near Death Studies, among other such organizations.
In this free WizIQ-based MOOC, not only will students have an opportunity to hear similar accomplished researchers talk about their own work, for live attendees there also will be plenty of time for questions after every talk. Those who can't join us in the live sessions will have access to the recordings of the presentations within hours of the live talk, as well as access to PowerPoint presentations, additional materials, as well as the course discussion page and each other on a 24/7 basis.
Here are the people who have confirmed their participation as guest lecturers as of January 5th, 2016 (more will be added later):
- Professor Emeritus Dr. Antonia Mills of the University of British Columbia in Canada will discuss both her own research and Dr. Ian Stevenson's work with children who remember previous lives.
- Dr. William Everist of Pima County College in Tucson, Arizona, USA will talk about his mediumship research and mediumship in general.
- Dr. David Luke of the University of Greenwich in England will speak about psychedelics and ESP (extrasensory perception).
- Professor Dr. Bernard Carr of Queen Mary College, University of London will discuss hyperdimensional ideas that might explain or at least accommodate psychic phenomena.
- Dr. Ginette Nachman will talk about mind-body medicine and non-local influences in healing.
- Professor Emeritus Erlendur Haraldsson of the University of Iceland will review his work studying apparitions of the dead.
- Dr. Stephan Schmidt of the University of Freiburg will cover research on distant intentions.
- Dr. Jan Holden of the University of North Texas will speak about near-death experiences with an overview of past research and some recent studies.
- Dr. Renaud Evrard of the University of Lorraine in France will discuss clinical aspects of exceptional experiences.
- Dr. Arnaud DeLorme who has appointments at both the Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France and at the University of California in San Diego, will talk about the psychophysiology and neuroscience of mediumship.
- Dr. Serena Roney-Dougal of the Psi Research Centre in Glastonbury, Somerset, England will speak about meditation and psi.
- Dr. Patrizio Tressoldi of the University of Padova in Italy will cover ESP and generalized quantum theory.
- Dr. Carlos S. Alvarado will discuss recent trends in historical writings about parapsychology and,
- Dr. Nancy L. Zingrone will introduce students to scientific and academic research with a geographical overview of university units, private research centers, and individuals who are currently working on some aspect of psychic phenomena and belief.
Students who attend or view all the lectures and take part in discussions will come away from the course with a good understanding of the various people, topics, research methodologies and findings that are at the core of scientific and academic parapsychology. They will have a better understanding of the importance of psychic phenomena, who experiences them, and what they have to say about our nature as human beings. Students will also come to know about the connections of the field of parapsychology to other more mainstream sciences in a wide group of countries and cultures. And finally, if ParaMOOC2016 is as successful as last year's course on WizIQ (which has over 1000 enrollees at the moment), students will also have the opportunity to meet, get to know, and share their interests and experiences with a wide group of people from all over the world.
While the course does not prepare individuals for any formal certifications or exams specifically, students can work toward a certificate of completion or a certificate of completion with distinction issued by the Parapsychology Foundation.
Language of instruction: English
- One of a Kind Free Online Course with Active Researchers as Speakers
- Sponsored by the Parapsychology Foundation and The AZIRE
- Organized by Dr. Nancy L. Zingrone and Dr. Carlos S. Alvarado
- Live Lectures and Discussions on WizIQ, Certificates of Completion
- Extended Discussion Forums Scheduled Monthly from March through August
ParaMOOC course organizers Dr. Nancy L. Zingrone and her husband, teaching, writing and research partner, Dr. Carlos S. Alvarado both have PhDs in psychology from the University of Edinburgh. They are Research Fellows of the Parapsychology Foundation and co-directors of The Alvarado Zingrone Institute for Research and Education which is an online teaching project of their consulting firm Alvarado, Zingrone & Associates that includes The AZIRE Online Academy on WizIQ, the Parapsychology Online blog, the Parapsychology: History, News and Research blog, and the Parapsychology Online YouTube Channel. Zingrone and Alvarado are also co-designers of The AZIRE Library and Learning Center in the virtual world, Second Life.
Both have been two-time past Presidents of the Parapsychological Association, the international society for academics and scientists who research parapsychology as well as for supporting and student members with a serious interest in the field. Alvarado has published over 400 articles, about half of which appear in peer-reviewed journals and the rest in other types of publications, and Zingrone has contributed about 30 to similar literatures. They have published in such mainstream journals as Imagination, Cognition and Personality and History of Psychiatry. Their publications have also appeared in the International Journal of Parapsychology, the Journal of Parapsychology, the Journal of Scientific Exploration and the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, among others.
Early in their careers Zingrone worked as a Research Fellow at the Institute for Parapsychology in Durham, North Carolina (now known as the Rhine Research Center) while Alvarado worked as a Research Assistant to Dr. Ian Stevenson at the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia. Prior to moving to Edinburgh, they were both Visiting Scholars at the Institute of Parapsychology.
After completing their PhDs they ran a small research center in San Juan, Puerto Rico dedicated to psychology and parapsychology, and then in 2000 took on-site jobs in New York City at the Parapsychology Foundation (Alvarado as the Director of Programs and Zingrone as the Director of Publications). In 2003 they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where they ran a virtual office for the Parapsychology Foundation until 2008, as well as worked as Assistant Professors of Research at the Division of Perceptual Studies until early 2011. Both were also attached to Atlantic University in Virginia Beach, Virginia from May of 2010 through January of 2013 (Alvarado as the Scholar in Residence and Zingrone as the Director of Academic and Administrative Affairs).
They are both dedicated to making the academic and scientific research in the field more visible to the global community of researchers, theorists and experiencers as well as to the general public. Their efforts in developing last year's ParaMOOC on WizIQ was recognized by the Parapsychological Association who bestowed the 2015 Outstanding Contribution Award on Zingrone.
While Zingrone and Alvarado worked hard on the course, the credit for its success also goes to the core of active students who seldom missed a lecture or a discussion, the financial supporters of the organizational work such as the Parapsychology Foundation, Natasha and Jonathan Chides of Chizfilm, and Dr. Phil Morse of Compelling Evidence for the Afterlife, as well as to the organizational team, Natasha Chisdes (Marketing Manager of Chizfilm, Core Associate of Alvarado, Zingrone & Associates, and Outreach Coordinator and Garrett Librarian, Parapsychology Foundation), Bryan Williams (Psychical Research Foundation), Tom Hodgers (University Jose Antonio Paez in Valencia, Venezuela), Nives Torresi (Pegasus One Business Training, Ancona, Italy) and Halina Ostankowizc-Bazan (Wroclaw University of Technology in Poland). This year's members of the organizational team are: Natasha Chisdes, Bryan Williams, Tom Hodgers, Goncalo Veiga (Research Associate, Parapsychology Foundation) and Dr. Kathy Dalton (Research Fellow, Parapsychology Foundation).
Schedule & Syllabus
