advancing the study of unidentified aerospace phenomena through interdisciplinary dialogue
our website is available in all major languages
Course Description
This online overview course will follow the history of the interaction between science, culture, and religion during the modern UFO period from 1947 to date. Because the extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) is the most widely accepted putative explanation, the UAP question will be connected to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) among astrobiologists at NASA and SETI.
Special attention will be given to the divergence and convergence between established science, on the one hand, and broad cultural fascination with the prospect of ETI, on the other. We will attempt to connect the dots between anomalous aerospace sightings along with contactee claims, abduction claims, ancient aliens, UFO cults, disclosure, the paranormal, and the interdimensional hypothesis (ID).
Scientific methods of research will be combined with extra-scientific disciplines as found in the humanities and phenomenology of religion. Attention will also be given to UAP Studies as an academic discipline, coordinating the sciences, the humanities, and theology.
No no matter what your time zone, or your schedule, we encourage you to enroll! For the benefit of any student who can't attend live, the Society will record the sessions and make them available to students (once video processing is complete - generally, two to three days).
Weekly Topics
Week 1: Are we alone in the universe?
Week 2: Are we being visited?
Week 3: Ufology, Science, and the Humanities.
Week 4: The Ancient Alien Hypothesis and Religious Sensibilities.
Week 5: Abduction and The Ariel School Incident of 1994.
Week 6: The Celestial Savior Model.
Week 7: Disclosure.
Week 8: Student Led Topics.
Ted Peters is Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Theology and Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and currently serving on the doctoral faculty at the Graduate Theological Union. He co-edits the journal, Theology and Science, on behalf of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. Throughout his academic career he has invested scholarly interest in the astronomer’s question about extraterrestrial life as well as the enigma of UFO sightings and their cultural importance.
Professor Peters formerly served as Louisiana State Director of investigations for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). He is author of UFOs—God’s Chariots? Spirituality, Ancient Aliens, and Religious Yearning s in the Age of Extraterrestrials (New Page 2014). Dr. Peters is a distinguished member of the Society's Board of Advisors.