California Institute of Integral Studies was voted by the members and visitors of Universe Spirit as our December Organization of the month.
California Institute of Integral Studies is an accredited institution of higher education that strives to embody spirit, intellect, and wisdom in service to individuals, communities and the Earth. The Institute expands the boundaries of traditional degree programs with interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and applied studies in psychology, philosophy, religion, cultural anthropology, transformative learning and leadership, integrative health, and the arts. Offering a personal learning environment and supportive community, CIIS provides an extraordinary education for people committed to transforming themselves and the world.
California Institute of Integral Studies was founded in 1968 by Dr. Haridas Chaudhuri, a philosopher, educator, and humanist from Bengal. In 1951, Dr. Chaudhuri was invited by Frederic Spiegelberg of Stanford University to join the staff of the newly formed American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco. He accepted the invitation, eager to implement in a Western educational institution the integral approach to education that he had developed as a student of Sri Aurobindo, the renowned Indian philosopher and yogi. Soon after his arrival in San Francisco, Dr. Chaudhuri and his wife Bina established the Cultural Integration Fellowship, from which emerged an educational branch later to become California Institute of Integral Studies. Over the past 30 years, the Institute's original emphasis on Asian religions and cultures evolved to include comparative and cross-cultural studies in philosophy, religion, psychology, counseling, cultural anthropology, organizational studies, health studies, and the arts. As the Institute continues to grow and expand, it remains steadfast in its commitment to small classes, a personal learning environment, and to nurturing a strong sense of community among its students, faculty, alumni, and staff.
The Institute's Seven Ideals
1. Practices an integral approach to learning and research
The Institute facilitates the integration of body-mind-spirit. It values the emotional, spiritual, intellectual, creative, somatic, and social dimensions of human potentiality. Students are encouraged to take an interdisciplinary approach to learning by complementing their specialized program of study with courses in other departments.
2. Affirms spirituality
The Institute is committed to the study and practice of multiple spiritual traditions and to their expression and embodiment throughout all areas and activities of the Institute community.
3. Commits to cultural diversity
Promoting a dialogue of difference, the curriculum reflects a commitment to the diversity of the world's cultures and spiritual traditions while seeking their holistic integration.
4. Fosters multiple ways of learning and teaching
The Institute honors many learning modalities and ways of knowing–intuition, body-knowledge, creative expression, intellect, and spiritual insight.
5. Advocates feminism and sustainability
The Institute embraces intellectual, cultural, and spiritual traditions which further the effectiveness of emancipatory movements such as feminism, social and political liberation, cultural self-expression, and ecological activism.
6. Supports community
Community at the Institute is understood to be founded upon an underlying core of values which affirm shared understandings and differences, scholarly efforts, and humane concerns. Such community is a vital part of the Institute's effort to provide an effective, visionary, and nurturing environment for study and training.
7. Strives for an integral and innovative governance
The Institute recognizes the importance of a mode of governance which would eliminate, or at least reduce, the polarities and fragmentation which typically plague institutions. As with other ideals, integral governance is difficult both to formulate and to practice. This ideal stands among the seven as a constant challenge and encouragement to try new forms, procedures, criteria, and language as aids to a more shared and collaborative decision making process.
For more information on CIIS and its academic and cultural offerings please see: http://www.ciis.edu