PACIFICA g r a d u a t e i s t i t u t e M.A./PH.D. IN MYTHOLOGICAL STUDIES PACIFICA GRADUATE INSTITUTE 249 LAMBERT ROAD, CARPINTERIA, CALIFORNIA 93013 PACIFICA.EDU
M.A./PH.D. IN MYTHOLOGICAL STUDIES As the oly doctoral program i the coutry dedicated to the exploratio of huma experiece through the iterdiscipliary ad multicultural study of myth, ritual, religio, literature, depth psychology, ad art, the Mythological Studies Program cultivates scholarship, self-iquiry, ad imagiatio i those who seek to uderstad ad express the depths of the psyche. The program is richly iformed by the pioeerig works of Sigmud Freud, C.G. Jug, Marie- Louise vo Fraz, James Hillma, ad the reowed mythologist, Joseph Campbell, who taught that myth has the power to touch our deepest creative eergies, ad to geerate symbolic images that cofer sigificace upo the complexity of moder life ad history. It thrives o paradox, ambiguity, ad the shape-shiftig ways that metaphor iforms ad trasforms our lives. Cultivatig the mythic imagiatio leads to self-revelatio ad a profoud ad dyamic uderstadig of cultures both our ow ad others.. The curriculum as a whole is aimated by two basic questios: How is this material meaigful i my life ad work, ad how is it meaigful to the world withi which I live? The sequece of coursework provides a sustaied iquiry ito the diverse mythologies of the world, situatig them i the global cotext of the postmoder world. Throughout the program, studets egage i the close readig of classic works of world literature, icludig Homer s Odyssey, the Greek tragedies, the Hebrew Bible, the Ramayaa ad Mahabharata, medieval grail legeds, ad fairy tales. The rituals ad cotemplative practices of religious traditios are ivestigated alog with mythic ad archetypal aspects of moder literature, cotemporary evets, ad popular culture. Several methods of scholarly iterpretatio are taught with a special emphasis o the hermeeutical approaches of depth psychology. Studets cosolidate their learig through a sequece of special topics courses taught by alumi who utilize their traiig i their professioal careers as well as by distiguished faculty members from other Pacifica programs, icludig Stephe Aizestat, Susa Rowlad, ad Joseph Cambray. A studet literary joural provides opportuities for publicatio. The curriculum is further augmeted by a aual colloquium lecture give by distiguished guest scholars such as Robert Segal (Uiversity of Aberdee), Maria Tatar (Harvard Uiversity), ad Jeffrey Kripal (Rice Uiversity) who address critical issues i the study of myth ad cotemporary culture. Studets are metored by core faculty throughout their matriculatio through course work. Graduates of the program erich their persoal ad professioal lives through the trasformative power of myth. Alumi utilize their degree i a rage of professios such as educatio, psychology, healthcare, the arts, filmmakig, religio, busiess, politics, law, ad commuity ad evirometal affairs. Myth has the power to touch ad exhilarate the deepest creative eergies of the psyche, ad to geerate symbolic images that cofer shape ad sigificace upo what ofte seems the chaotic aarchy of cotemporary life. Egagig those eergies i the experiece of deep readig, writig, ad discussio i the classroom has bee the joy of my career as a teacher ad writer. To trasmit that joy to the ext geeratio, i challegig times of radical chage; to ted the soul that aimates the world; ad to cotiue the ispired quest for myths to live by these are the resposibilities that fuel my passioate egagemet i the missio of Pacifica. ~ EVANS LANSING SMITH, Program Chair
ACADEMIC FORMAT The Master of Arts degree is awarded after the first two years of study ad successful completio of a comprehesive examiatio. Studets seekig the doctorate degree egage i a third year of coursework that icludes a sequece of research courses ad the developmet of a cocept paper for the dissertatio. The fourth ad fifth years of study focus o dissertatio writig ad research. Cotiuig supervisio is provided for the completio of the dissertatio. Mythological Studies classes take place oce each moth durig fall, witer, ad sprig. There is also oe five-day summer sessio each year. CURRICULUM OVERVIEW FIRST YEAR Greek ad Roma Mythology MS 505, 2 Uits Arthuria Romaces of the Holy Grail MS 502, 2 Uits Dreams, Visios, Myths MS 521, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 599a,.5 Uit Witer Hidu Traditios MS 503, 2 Uits Ritual ad the Embodied Imagiatio MS 603, 2 Uits Approaches to the Study of Myth MS 620, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 599b,.5 Uit Sprig Epic Imagiatio MS 604, 2 Uits Myth ad Philosophy MS 511, 2 Uits Ritual ad the Embodied Imagiatio MS 603, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 599c,.5 Uit Colloquium MS 540, 1 Uit Mythic Motifs i Ciema MS 626, 3 Uits SECOND YEAR Folklore & Fairy Tales MS 602, 2 Uits Greek ad Roma Mythology II MS 705, 2 Uits Buddhist Traditios MS 605, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 699a,.5 Uit Witer Alchemy ad the Hermetic Traditios MS 616, 2 Uits Africa ad Africa Diaspora Traditios MS 506, 2 Uits Sex ad Geder MS 609, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 699b,.5 Uit Sprig Persoal Myth ad Creative Writig MS 613, 2 Uits Archetypal Psychology MS 611, 2 Uits Psyche ad Nature MS 615, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 699c,.5 Uit THIRD YEAR Methods ad Cotemporary Issues i Religious Studies MS 720, 2 Uits Hebrew ad Jewish Mythology MS 702, 2 Uits Christia Traditios MS 703, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 799a,.5 Uit Witer Egyptia Mythology MS 717, 2 Uits Cultural Mythologies I MS 514, 2 Uits Islamic Traditios MS 608, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 799b,.5 Uit Sprig Evolvig God-Images ad Postmoderity MS 711, 2 Uits Research Strategies for Dissertatio Writig MS 730, 2 Uits Dissertatio Formulatio MS 733, 2 Uits Special Topics i Mythological Studies MS 799c,.5 Uit Colloquium MS 740, 1 Uit Myths of the Self: Memoir ad Autobiography MS 726, 3 Uits CONTINUING Dissertatio Writig* MS 900, 15 Uits Self-Directed Studies MS 750, 3.5 Uits *Writig projects for this course take place away from campus. This curriculum may vary depedig upo evolvig academic eeds. The required fourth ad fifth years of study focus o readig, research, ad dissertatio writig. This degree program is accredited by the Wester Associatio of Schools ad Colleges (WASC). Visit pacifica.edu/gaifulemploymet for gaiful employmet iformatio. Colloquium MS 640, 1 Uit Myth ad the Uderworld MS 619, 3 Uits Itegrative Studies MS 630, 1 Uit
M.A./PH.D. IN MYTHOLOGICAL STUDIES At the cusp of a paradigm shift i which outmoded mechaistic, reductive modes of thikig are beig replaced by a more complex, reaimated worldview, the study of myth, story, ad fable has a excitig ew relevace. The study of myth ca help guide us with its storehouse of arratives ad images, facilitatig our persoal ad collective trasitio ito a more vibrat reality. Myth reveals the ucoscious arratives of past ad preset, makig the study of myth vitally importat to our times. Issues of faith ad violece, sexuality ad geder, the sacred ad the secular, all co-migle i the history of world religios ad literature to comprise the iterdiscipliary tapestry that is mythological studies. Pacifica s Degree Program i Mythological Studies ivites studets to uderstad the mythological, folkloric, ad archetypal structures of the stories that play out i may differet areas all aroud us culture ad the arts, the eviromet, educatio, ad religio. The Program explores ew ways to detect ad study the mythic ad folkloric motifs revealed i curret evets, tell stories, ad metor others i the use of storytellig as a tool of cultural trasformatio ad reewal. Drawig ispiratio from the works of Joseph Campbell, Sigmud Freud, ad C. G. Jug, ad guided by iteratioally recogized scholars, authors, ad educators, studets craft research projects specific to their iterest ad cocers.
I did ot kow that I was livig a myth, ad eve if I had kow it, I would ot have kow what sort of myth was orderig my life without my kowledge. So, i the most atural way, I took it upo myself to get to kow my myth, ad I regarded this as the task of tasks. ~C.G. JUNG INQUIRY IN THE CURRICULUM IS SUSTAINED THROUGH COURSEWORK THAT INVESTIGATES: Similarities ad differeces that may be discered withi ad betwee Hidu ad Buddhist traditios i the East, ad Abrahamic traditios of Judaism, Christiaity, ad Islam i the West. The relatioship betwee ritual, oral traditios, ad What drew me here was the Joseph Campbell Library ad the real focus o comparative mythology. What kept me here was the quality of the teachig ad the icredible studet commuity. I ve worked i biotechology for 30 years. The people I work with tell me I became a better scietist after goig through the myth program at Pacifica. CHRIS CLOGSTON, PH.D. Mythological Studies Graduate idigeous cultures. Literature courses focusig o the Arthuria romaces, alchemy, epics, mythologies of the uderworld, ad folklore that begi with the classics of the cao ad progress towards cotemporary ad postmoder revisioigs i literature, film, music, ad art history. Persoal developmet courses o dreams, visios, ad myths; persoal mythology ad creative writig; evolvig God-images i the cotext of postmoderity; ad memoir ad autobiography. Depth psychological courses devoted to perspectives of C.G. Jug, Joseph Campbell, ad James Hillma. Research courses o theoretical approaches to the study of myth, myth ad philosophy, methods, ad cotemporary issues i religious studies ad dissertatio writig. I could have goe to a MFA program to develop my writig; istead I came to Pacifica to lear the eteral laguages of story ad pysche, archetype ad symbol. WILL LINN, PH.D. Mythological Studies Graduate MYTHOLOGICAL STUDIES CAREER APPLICATIONS HAVE INCLUDED: Story was our acestors most sacred possessio. They kew what we do ot: that without a foudig story, you have t got a atio, a culture, or a civilizatio. Ad without a story of your ow, you have t got a life of your ow. TOM BLUE WOLF CREE ELDER AND STORYTELLER Educator Therapist Screewriter Playwright Novelist Life Coach Cosultat Orgaizatioal Storyteller Literary ad Film Critic Performace Artist Graphic Artist Video Game Producer Evirometalist Social Activist