MA in Western Esotericism  MA in Western Esotericism University of Exeter ../webroot/files/Institutions/cover_photo/1566283381University-of-Exeter-1.jpg

This part-time distance learning MA is the only one of its kind in the UK and is based in the Centre for the Study of Esotericism. It is designed for graduates wishing to develop their expertise in the study of Western Esotericism, introducing you to this new and expanding field of academic study by providing a grounding in its historical, theological, and philosophical aspects. The MA is designed to enable you to investigate the Western esoteric tradition from the Hellenistic period in late antiquity through the Renaissance and early modern period to the present. There are three main objectives. Firstly, to develop an understanding of the fundamental characteristics which define esoteric spirituality (correspondences, living nature, intermediaries and hierarchies, transmutation of the soul). This spirituality often manifests as a form of religious experience, while offering a perspective upon the individual soul in the context of nature and the universe. Secondly, to gain insight into the social, religious and philosophical changes which are conducive to esotericism. Thirdly, to study a number of primary sources, showing the changing content, concerns and purposes of esotericism over the centuries. You can study this degree from anywhere in the world: assessment modules are taken as distance packages, which may be supplemented by non-mandatory attendance at study-days involving seminars and workshops at Exeter. These take place once a term. Students who accumulate 60 credits through the assessment modules qualify for the Postgraduate Certificate students who accumulate 120 credits, either through the assessment modules only, or through a combination of assessment modules and the dissertation qualify for the Postgraduate Diploma. The full MA is awarded to those students with 180 credits. Programme structure Total credits required: 180 Compulsory modules * The Western Esoteric Traditions: Historical Survey and Research Methods (45) * Dissertation (60) Optional Modules 75 credits from: * Alexandrian Hermetism, Neo-Platonism and Astrology (15) * The Hermetic Art of Alchemy (15) * Renaissance Kabbalah and Its Influence (15) * Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry (15) * Theosophy and the Globalisation of Esotericism (30) * Esoteric Traditions in English Literature and Society 1550 - 1670 (15) * Sufism and Islamic Devotional Life (15) * Gnosticism Old and New: The Discovery of the Divine Self (30) * Witchcraft in History (30) * The Disenchantment of the World? Society and the Supernatural in Early Modern Europe (30) Assessment By extended essays, completion of a bibliographic diary and a 20,000-word dissertation.