Participants will engage in three integrated courses, each addressing a different dimension of the Existence and Meaning journey:

1.     RNK-PHIL 540: Scientific Methodology and Meaning

Instructor: Prof. Alparslan Açıkgenç, President of Institute of Integrated Knowledge, USA

Description of the course- This graduate-level course explores advanced topics in “Scientific Theories, Methodology and Meaning”. We shall try to investigate the fundamentals of theories and methods in the social sciences and the humanities. It offers a comprehensive exploration of the foundations and applications of scientific inquiry. This course delves into the conceptual underpinnings of scientific theories, examining their development, validation, and evolution over time. Students will gain a deep understanding of scientific methodology, including the processes of observation, hypothesis formulation, experimentation, and theory construction. Through critical analysis and discussion, participants will explore the significance of scientific theories in shaping our understanding of the natural world and their implications for society. By examining the intersection of empirical evidence, logic, and interpretation, this course provides students with the tools to evaluate and engage with scientific knowledge meaningfully and rigorously.

2.     RNK-PHIL 554: Divine Names: The Source and Meaning of Existence

Instructors: Dr. Colin Turner and Dr. Mahshid Turner

Description of the course- This graduate-level course explores at considerable depth the nature, meaning, significance and practical implications of the ‘beautiful names of God’ for human life, in the general context of the search for meaning. The course draws heavily on the work of the late Ottoman thinker, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Using as our guide his magnum opus, the six-thousand page Quranic commentary known as the Risale-i Nur, our aim is to develop a comprehensive conspectus of Nursi’s “theology of the Names”, placing it in its historical, socio-cultural context, and interrogating the text in order to understand its significance for our own times and psycho-spiritual needs. Students will engage critically with both primary texts and the discussions and arguments which emerge from a study of those texts. Nursi’s thought and scholarly output frame him as a both an outstanding scholar of the Quran and an exacting proponent of sacred theology the likes of which have arguably not been seen since the time of Imam Ghazali, and thus study and critical analysis of the Nursian approach should be seen as an imperative for our age. This course should be seen as a collaborative effort to engage with Nursian thought not only as an academic exercise, but potentially as a means to personal, psychospiritual development. The course comprises fourteen units in all.

3.     RNK-PHIL 545: Integration of Knowledge Through 5D Thinking Model

Instructors: Dr. Necati Aydin (Founder of 5D Thinking) and Dr.Mustafa Tuna from Duke University, USA

Description of the course- This comprehensive course provides an explorative study of Said Nursi’s views on reality, science, the problems posed by secularization in knowledge domains, and the potential for resolution offered by the Tawhidi worldview and the 5D Thinking Model. The course aims to unravel the contrasting narratives of secular and Tawhidi worldviews, probing their unique phenomenological, ontological, epistemological, teleological, anthropological, and axiological implications. It provides a critical examination of key Nursian concepts, including “mana-i harfi,” “mana-i ismi,” “nazar,” and “niyyah,” and their role in diagnosing and offering solutions to modern secularity. The course also delves into Nursi’s concept of “ana” (self), and how the language of beings and life, as understood through secular and Tawhidi lenses, lead to different worldviews and aspirations. This course will use a multi-dimensional thinking approach known as five-dimensions of thinking (5D) as a socio-epistemological perspective to teach a scientific reading of the universe. Each dimension is designed to give the student a new insight first into an understanding of the scientific approach to the cosmos, which will help develop positive attitudes towards both scientific knowledge and its object that is our universe. The model assumes that God speaks through His words in various revelations and through His works in His creative acts in the universe. It aims to derive divinely inspired character lessons embedded in scientific studies of the universe, and will link Divine acts manifested in the universe to various Divine names and attributes. Furthermore, the course investigates the self-determination theory in secular and Tawhidi worldviews, and the Comprehensive Human Nature Theory from an Islamic perspective. Students will be guided to understand the practical aspects of integrating knowledge at the curricular level using the 5D Thinking Model. They will also be provided with hands-on practices on writing scientific topics utilizing the model. Throughout the course, students will interact with various chapters from “Said Nursi and Science in Islam by Necati Aydın,” ” Knowing God in the Secular Age by Mustafa Tuna,” and other relevant resources to gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter.