In this eight-week academic course, students will examine two of the most carefully studied phenomena connected to the question of survival after death: Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and Cases of the Reincarnation Type (CORT). The first four weeks focus on NDEs—their characteristic features, the methods researchers use to investigate them, the range of physiological, psychological, and survival-oriented explanations, and what the strongest evidence currently reveals about consciousness near the point of death. The second four weeks turn to Cases of the Reincarnation Type, exploring the classic research approaches developed in this field, the hallmarks of the most evidential cases, possible explanations, and the implications these reports hold for personal identity and the possibility of life after death.
The course emphasizes what science can—and cannot—currently tell us about the afterlife while remaining grounded in the evidence. For both phenomena, students will learn the factual findings from decades of systematic investigation, how to evaluate competing interpretations with clarity and balance, and how these spontaneous experiences are studied outside the laboratory.
- Teacher: Jimmy Akin