Why study with us?
As a new and independent initiative (est. 2010), one of the Phoenix Rising Academy’s greatest priorities is to ensure academic excellence, while filling what its directors and faculty perceive to be a major gap in the Humanities in Western higher education.
Following the pioneers in this field such as Antoine Faivre, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke and Wouter Hanegraaff among many others, who have established programmes at the Sorbonne, the EXESESO MA and PhD programmes in Western Esotericism at Exeter University, and in the history of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents at the University of Amsterdam, at Phoenix Rising we seek to continue promoting and disseminating the understanding of the significance of Western Esotericism and related traditions.
A further objective of Phoenix Rising Academy is to play an active role in bridging the obsolete and reductionist divide between the sciences and the humanities, while acting as an educational prototype focusing on the essence of our topics, rather than reducing them to a series of reductionist categories.Contrary to popular belief, the word “academic” does not have to conjure images of endless, dry, dusty tomes.
See the following pages to learn how the study of these topics can lead to a number of immediately applicable advantages that can enrich and develop students’ personal and professional lives.
In our capacity as an independent educational initiative, we are planning to apply for accreditation from the British Accreditation Council and the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (ODL QC), in order to establish our capacity as an accredited independent education provider. Our courses are already designed to the standards demanded by these bodies in terms of academic quality, learning experience, and faculty support.. However, this process is likely to take at least 2-3 years from the present date.
The reason for this time lag is that these bodies require us to provide a portfolio representing at least 2 years of samples of our students’ and our own work, and therefore a few years are needed in order to accumulate the necessary material and for all necessary formalities to be completed.
We are, however, obliged to inform Greek students that due to the nature of Greek education law, our courses are not currently recognised by the Greek state, as is the case with many other private educational institutions. This is due to political and bureaucratic factors beyond our control, which many Greek nationals will be familiar with.
It is our firm hope that in the future, as the study of these topic areas becomes more widely disseminated throughout European institutions of higher learning, eventually Greek state universities will come to recognise the value of incorporating such topic areas into the humanities curriculla, this being one of our long term goals.
Our courses are also suited to professionals already engaged in a range of occupations, who would benefit from further specialisation and a deeper understanding of various aspects of the topic areas we offer.
Such professionals may include:
- Journalists and writers
- Teachers and professors from any area of the humanities seeking further specialisation
- Artists seeking a firm theoretical grounding for their art
- Creative professionals in film or publishing
- Scientists and therapists seeking to understand the history and theory behind their discipline
- Our flexible course structure allows working professionals to study at their own pace, taking as many or as few courses as they wish over as long a period as they wish.
Commonly enough, individuals in their late teens-early twenties are drawn to an exploration of esoteric subject matter and the arts,
only to find themselves obliged to abandon it in favour of more mainstream activities.
Yet their mainstream studies do not necessarily provide them with even the most rudimentary understanding of the role that the true liberal arts have played – and continue to play – on all levels of society, while those more esoterically minded individuals may find abundant information both on the internet and in the popular media – but have no way of critically judging its content.
Our commitment to academic excellence guarantees the provision of accurate and documented material and teaching standards, while our emphasis on holistic experiential learning means that Phoenix Rising courses are nothing like the exam-laden mainstream courses students will be accustomed to.
This is not to say that we do not ask our students to work; we most certainly do and our standards are high.
Yet our emphasis is on motivation and the fostering of a love of learning for its own sake. By taking any of our introductory courses in parallel to their studies, entry-level students can enrich and complement their education, acquire a wider range of options with which to build their future and discover a new approach to learning.
The adaptability of our course structure allows the pursuit of twin educational tracks without additional pressure, while providing abundant material for exploration.
Phoenix Rising Academy seeks to equally support Lifelong Learning initiatives as well as individuals seeking to either supplement their knowledge, specialise in one of our topic areas, or pursue professional development through the knowledge that we offer, and our Course Structure has been specifically designed with this in mind.
A solid understanding and experience of the humanities hones diverse skills which are often neglected in seemingly more lucrative career paths such as business oriented courses.
Some of these skill sets include:
- Interpersonal and intercultural communication
- Ability to research
- Self-motivation and self-discipline
- Effective writing for a range of contexts
- Critical analysis of material
- Critical thinking
- Reading large amounts of material and distilling its significance
- Effectively applying intuition to practical matters
- Giving oral presentations
- Communicating effectively through a range of audiovisual media
- Developing and supporting hypotheses
- Appreciating culture on a practical and ideological level
- Editing skills
- Learning to learn!
All of these skill sets are an essential underpinning for jobs such as marketing, communication, translation and publishing, as well as more obvious career paths in the arts, writing books and articles, as well as academic careers.
They are essential yet neglected skills, overlooked in favour of quick and results-oriented education, yet it is those individuals with a wide range of skills who are more likely to succeed in today’s changing world and uncertain marketplace.
The breadth and richness of our topics together with our unique approach to learning, ensures that people from all walks of life, from novice students to seasoned professionals to the simply curious, come away with a new outlook and valuable perspectives on life itself.
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Our courses are distance learning only - we have no classes in London. All applications must be made by email. Click here to apply.
| Several other websites use a combination of the words "Phoenix Rising" in their name. Phoenix Rising Academy is not affiliated to any other organisation. Any similarity in the name is purely coincidental. |
