The Individual is the Unit of World Peace (MVS/GOV 380)

We examine the results of practice of the Transcendental Meditation and the TM-Sidhi programs on one’s mind, body, emotions, relationships, and activities.

Collective Consciousness and World Peace (MVS 206 / GOV 290)

We examine mechanics, principles, research and results of the Maharishi Effect, development of coherence and success in all areas of society from family to global. Each student can then become familiar, through choice of three or more further courses, with approaches that address specific issues from the angle of different disciplines. The list of offered courses which meet the criteria for this minor includes:

The Sustainable Global Environment: Elevating World Consciousness to Perpetuate Abundance and World Peace — Ideal, Natural Law-Based Solutions to Global Pollution, Natural Resource Depletion, Non-Sustainable Energy Use, Overpopulation, and Loss of Biodiversity (BIO 405, 4 units)

Structuring a living environment that can be maintained on a global scale for all future generations calls for substantial changes in our current way of life. This course provides a broad perspective for transforming the way we think about such issues as population growth, global ecology, land and wildlife resources, renewable energy sources, and sustainable agriculture.

Global Environmental Politics and Policy (MGT 402)

This course analyzes the politics of global environmental protection with an emphasis on the study of policy options to solve and prevent environmental problems throughout the world. Among the issues to be discussed are genetic engineering of food products, pesticide and other chemical contamination in agriculture, global warming, transboundary shipment of toxic waste, air and water pollution, and deforestation. Students will analyze several in-depth case studies and write policy papers. (4 units) (Offered jointly with the Department of Life Sciences)

Bio-Cultural Ethics: Preserving Cultural Integrity by Awakening the Field of Pure Consciousness as the Foundation of All Right Action (SL 330, 4 units)

This course discusses the biological aspects of treating all people fairly regardless of economics, geography, or lifestyle. Is it ethical to genetically engineer a tomato and then sell it without informing the public? Is it appropriate to learn about medicinal herbs from native healers and then patent the active ingredients? Is it fair for the United States, with five percent of the world’s population, to use 25 percent of the world’s raw materials? Often questions of fairness extend to other life forms, and some issues are particularly difficult and nuanced: Damming waterways, for instance, generates clean, renewable energy, but it can also flood villages, upset ecosystems, and destroy fisheries. This class will teach students to think deeply and consider all sides of bio-cultural dilemmas, arriving at equitable, workable solutions.

Vedic Architecture and Green Architecture: Promoting health and harmony through buildings designed in accord with Natural Law — incorporating intelligent use of the environment, energy efficiency, and non-toxic building materials (SL 346)

This course will examine the relationship of human beings to the buildings they create. We will look at the key principles of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda design, as revived by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, including orientation, proportion, and spatial arrangement. The goal of this ancient science, to bring human life into accord with Nature’s intelligence, will be the focus of this course. At the same time, we will look at green buildings whose design allows them to draw on flows of renewable energy in their immediate environment. We will consider their beauty, functionality, and affordability, examining the materials used to accomplish these goals. The physics of energy and light flow will be reviewed, along with state-of-the-art methods for designing energy-efficient buildings and “tunneling through the cost barrier.” Laboratory sessions will center on methods and software for modeling building performance.

The Bhagavad-Gita as Literature: The Song of Life (LIT 301)

This course will look at the Bhagavad-Gita not only for its insight and inspiration but also for the beauty of its form and language. The primary text of this course will be Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita: A New Translation and Commentary Chapters 1-6. We will also read the Gita’s last 12 chapters in another translation, a condensed Mahabharata, and The Legend of Bagger Vance, a novel based on the Bhagavad-Gita. We will also look briefly at works by other writers such as Emerson, Thoreau, and T.S. Eliot who have been inspired by the Gita. (4 units)

Literature and the Environment (LIT 370)

This course uses the Norton Book of Nature Writing, an anthology of short selections about nature from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, to study the philosophical, historical, and cultural approaches to the environment we have inherited in American culture. Students read a nature novel of their choice and report to the class. Students write their own nature journals to find what Mitchell Thomashow calls “ecological identity.” The connection between language and nature is investigated, leading to a final project using language skills to help the environment. (4 units)

The Peace Film: Permanent World Peace (LIT 366)

The Peace Film course explores the many forms of peace contemplated throughout history and depicted in the modern film. Its foundation and inspiration is Maharishi’s vision of world peace that has led to the Peace Government and the establishment of Peace Palaces. In this course we will watch 11 films, including such classics as Yellow Submarine, Grand Illusion, and The Magic Flute as well as more recent efforts. Students will analyze films to see how peace is perceived and visualized in the international cinema community. Besides the films themselves, the primary text for the course is Robert Oates’s Permanent Peace which examines how peace can be achieved individually and globally. (4 units)

International Relations and Peace (GOV 280)

This course examines contemporary international relations with an emphasis on the search for effective means to reduce and prevent armed conflict, enhance international cooperation, and promote world peace. Student will analyze in-depth case studies and write policy papers on key issues in international relations. (4 units)

International Law and Human Rights (GOV 340)

This course is a study of the law among nations, including sources of international law, the authority and jurisdiction of international law, international legal institutions (such as the World Court), and current issues in international law. Among the topics to be discussed are the protection of human rights, global environmental law, protection of endangered species, rights of self-determination, and how international law reflects the development of coherence in global consciousness. (4 units)

Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation (GOV 307)

A systematic approach to decision making and policy analysis is presented, including defining issues; formulating and evaluating options; monitoring and evaluating results; refining policies; and communicating policy proposals to decision makers and the public. Formulating policies to bring about quick transitions in the solution and prevention of pressing societal problems is emphasized. (4 units)

Cross-Cultural Communication: Being at Home Everywhere and in Every Situation — “The World Is My Family” (MGT 405)

Expansion of consciousness gives rise to an appreciation of the finest qualities of those around us, and we develop a natural graciousness. But in order to feel confident that we are not inadvertently making someone uncomfortable, we need to master the basic rules of etiquette. In this global age students need to understand the differences in etiquette they may encounter as their professional lives bring them into contact with other cultures. This course will explore the laws of nature underlying courteous behavior revealed by Maharishi Vedic Science. It will also cover rules of etiquette that apply in everyday interactions, special occasions, the workplace, entertaining and traveling in the United States and in other countries. Students will have an opportunity to practice what they learn not only in role-play, but also by actually preparing for and hosting a formal meal for their classmates.

Bhagavad-Gita — Chapters 1–6: The Principles of Dharma, the Eternal Nature of Life; Effortlessness of Transcending as the Basis of Right Action; The Roles of Action and Silence, Knowledge and Experience, in Rising to Higher States of Consciousness (MVS 302)

This course studies Maharishi’s translation and commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita, a work that sequentially unfolds profound principles of human behavior. The Bhagavad-Gita, as a textbook for Maharishi Vedic Science, contains the essence of the detailed knowledge of consciousness contained in the Vedic Literature. Course topics include the scope, structure, and dynamics of human behavior; the seven states of consciousness; collective consciousness; and the solution to the fundamental dilemma at the basis of human suffering. (4 units)