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Well of the Holy Women, Isle of Eigg, Scotland |
Welcome to this page which is an introduction and index to the accredited Masters level module that I have developed, initially within the Open University and, since 2006, in the University of Strathclyde's Department of Geography and Sociology where I am the Visiting Professor of Human Ecology.
I use the expression Spiritual Activism to mean the spiritual underpinning of action for social and ecological justice.
It is an underpinning because it is not sufficient to think of spirituality - that which gives life - as being a mere optional "dimension" or "element". If activism is not grounded in spirituality it cannot be sustained in the long run: we either burn out or sell out as the oil of life runs low. We need replenishment from the wellheads of life itself, and no matter what religious tradition we may or may not be coming from, this re-sourcing is ultimately a question of spirituality.
Spiritual activism is a core rubric of my work. I have run workshops on it since 2002 at Iona Abbey, at the Woodbrooke Quaker Centre and at Schumacher College. In 2004 the Masters level module accredited by the Open University was run at the Centre for Human Ecology during both spring and autumn, and since autumn 2006 it has been a module accredited for the Masters Degree in Human Ecology and also available as a stand-alone "continued professional development" module at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. This has master's level accreditation (for those seeking it) from the University of Plymouth, further details from the College. A further course is expected in the spring of 2009 at Strathclyde University - click link 2 below. Provisional dates for the 2 teaching workshops for this are 20-21 January and 17-18 March 2009.
A full handbook and course reader (as originally prepared under our CLA license) is available by private arrangement.
The remainder of this page comprises links within this website and that of my wife, Vérčne.
MSc Module Descriptor for Spiritual Activism, Centre for Human Ecology
Centre for Human Ecology MSc & Short Course details 2009 (Strathclyde Uni) - PDF
"Training for Transformation" - courses/writing on Verene Nicolas's website
Third Way and Tikkun article on the theology of spiritual activism
Last Updated: 23 July 2008
