In the land of fog and tech bros, San Francisco’s California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is set to launch America’s first Bachelor of Science degree in psychedelic studies in 2025. Imagine earning a degree that your grandparents might think involves majoring in mushrooms! Designed by psychology professor Nick Walker, this program combines psychology, cultural anthropology, and neuroscience, and dives deep into the trippy history of hallucinogens and colonialism’s buzzkill impact on psychedelic tourism.
Now, before you think this involves class trips to the astral plane, know this is a “bachelor completion program.” It’s for students who’ve already slogged through their general education elsewhere. Like a college sequel, it offers classes akin to CIIS’s existing certification program—but without the hands-on (or should we say “hands-off”?) drug experiences or professional training.
The degree made its debut to a lively crowd of 200 people in person, with 1,100 more tuning in online, likely from very comfortable beanbag chairs. However, not everyone is high on the idea. There’s a cloud of concern, partly because the podcast “Cover Story” spilled the beans in 2021 about some CIIS instructors allegedly getting too friendly with students during psychedelic-assisted therapy. This led CIIS to let go of those instructors and make everyone sign a no-nonsense integrity agreement: no funny business with colleagues.
To boost their credentials, CIIS plans to open a ketamine-assisted therapy training clinic, stressing safety and ethics like a hippie safety patrol. Walker aims for graduates to uphold high ethical standards and cultural humility, ensuring they’re more about public service than psychedelic spectacle.
Reference: https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/06/psychedelic-major-degree-undergraduate-ciis/
Published Date: 2024-11-06