Research Methods in Esoteric Studies

📚 Research Methods in Esoteric Studies

• Course Code: RES 6001
• Florida Course Numbering System: HUM 6931
• Credits: 3
• Level: Graduate
• Program: Master of Theosophy (Core Academic Course)

📘 Course Description

This course equips students with the academic tools, critical frameworks, and methodological approaches needed for rigorous, interdisciplinary research in esoteric and spiritual traditions. Blending conventional humanities methodologies with reflective and symbolic inquiry, students will learn how to interpret sacred texts, explore symbolic systems, trace historical influences, and develop original research within fields such as Theosophy, Western Esotericism, Mysticism, and Comparative Religion. Emphasis is placed on academic writing, hermeneutics, qualitative research, and source evaluation.

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand and apply core research methodologies in the study of esotericism.
• Conduct symbolic and philosophical analysis of primary esoteric texts.
• Evaluate historical, literary, and spiritual sources with academic rigor.
• Develop annotated bibliographies and structured literature reviews.
• Formulate clear, original research questions and thesis statements.
• Produce a scholarly research proposal suitable for a Master’s thesis or publication.

🗂️ Weekly Topics Breakdown

Week	Topic	Activities & Readings
1	Introduction to Esoteric Studies as a Field	Hanegraaff: Esotericism and the Academy (Ch. 1)
2	What is “Esoteric”? Definitions and Disciplinary Boundaries	Faivre's characteristics of esotericism
3	Hermeneutics: Interpreting Sacred and Symbolic Texts	Gadamer, Blavatsky excerpts, method discussion
4	Comparative Method: Bridging Traditions	Eliade, Schuon, perennialist frameworks
5	Historical-Critical Method: Documenting Movements and Lineages	Academic tools, citation, source hierarchy
6	Symbolic & Archetypal Analysis: Myths, Mandalas, Tarot	Jung, Campbell, Hall – symbolic literacy exercises
7	Qualitative Research: Interviews, Autoethnography, and Journals	Reflexivity and inner inquiry methods
8	Ethics in Esoteric Research: Respect, Secrecy, Appropriation	Case studies, discussion forums
9	Literature Review: Organizing the Scholarly Landscape	MLA/APA/Chicago formats, Zotero, critical reading skills
10	Building a Research Question and Thesis Statement	Peer workshops, topic development
11	Structuring the Research Paper or Thesis	Academic argument, outlines, transitions
12	Style, Voice, and Tone in Scholarly Esotericism	Writing clarity and symbolic depth
13	Presenting and Publishing Esoteric Research	Journals, symposia, writing for interdisciplinary fields
14	Final Project Presentations: Proposal or Chapter Draft	Instructor + peer feedback

🧾 Assessments

• Article Review (15%) – Critical analysis of a peer-reviewed esotericism paper
• Annotated Bibliography (15%) – 10 scholarly sources with comments
• Short Essay (20%) – Hermeneutic or comparative analysis of a symbolic text
• Final Research Proposal or Chapter Draft (40%) – 10–15 pages with references
• Participation (10%) – Forum posts, peer feedback, discussion

📚 Required Texts

• Esotericism and the Academy – Wouter Hanegraaff
• Access to Western Esotericism – Antoine Faivre
• The Sacred and the Profane – Mircea Eliade (excerpts)
• The Secret Doctrine – H.P. Blavatsky (as source material)
• Supplementary: The Red Book – Carl Jung (visual-textual methodology); The Elements of Academic Style – Eric Hayot