CCT Offers Courses at ICAR
Initiated in January 2009, the Center for Consciousness and Transformation (CCT) is an interdisciplinary research and teaching center at George Mason University, whose mission is to understand the nature and effects of individual and group consciousness and their role in transformative learning and social change. Housed at New Century College on the Fairfax campus of Mason, the Center will be a resource for all of the University’s academic units. CCT was established through a generous gift from the de Laski Family Foundation. The $10 million contribution is intended to support the first decade of development. At a formal event held March 31st, Mason President Alan Merten expressed appreciation for Don and Nancy de Laski’s vision and generosity, noting that the Center would be in the business of both creative thinking and doing. For Nancy de Laski, CCT is “the culmination of all the study and dreams of a lifetime. We feel the timing is perfect. The world is changing so rapidly and old ways of operating are unraveling. Hopefully, by studying consciousness, students will attain more purpose-driven lives and ultimately affect the world’s future in many fields.”
The Center’s activities will include research conducted by ICAR faculty, as well as academic courses for ICAR students. CCT is staffed by Dr. Lois Tetrick, Director; Dr. Mark Thurston, Senior Fellow; and Stacey Guenther, Program Manager. A seven-member faculty advisory committee includes Dr. Wallace Warfield from ICAR, who describes the potential interdisciplinary reach of the Center as "breathtaking."
A central premise of the Center is that human consciousness is a key variable in the process of transformative learning for individuals and can lead to transformational change on individual, organizational, and societal levels. CCT's approach incorporates tradition and practice with modern scientific methods in its exploration of the vast worlds of consciousness and transformation.
Two CCT one-credit courses were offered at ICAR this spring. Conf 795, “Conflict Transformation from the Inside Out,” dealt with transforming internal aspects of consciousness in order to become more effective practitioners, and will likely be offered again next spring. Conf 795, “Conflict Transformation: Leading from Your Spiritual Center,” co-taught with Jamil Mahuad, former president of Ecuador, dealt with a multi-level approach to peacebuilding, including analytical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, and issues relating to ethics, values, and intentionality. A new course entitled, “Practices for Re-Consternating Conflict, Inner and Outer,” is being developed for Fall 2009.
Dr. Sara Cobb, a key part of conversations leading to the founding of the Center, feels it will be a "wonderful resource for Mason, and for the world, providing a space for both research and practice that addresses the important relationship between consciousness and conflict transformation.”
The Center’s web site is http://cct.gmu.edu.