Course Description

Spirit Mediumship: Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Demonstration

Explore the phenomenon of spirit mediumship across world cultures, with particular attention to traditions in China and the United States. Mediumship, a specialized form of channeling that claims communication with disincarnate intelligences—from divine beings to departed loved ones—serves diverse social and personal purposes. This course examines differing perspectives on mediumship, ranging from skeptical to Spiritualist viewpoints, and introduces both subjective and objective methods for studying these experiences. Drawing primarily from sociological, anthropological, and parapsychological research in Hong Kong and the U.S., the session concludes with a live demonstration in which volunteers may receive purported spiritual or psychic messages from a professional medium.

Bio: Charles Emmons is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Gettysburg College, retired 2020.  M.A. Anthropology, U. of Illinois; PhD Sociology, U. of Illinois, Chicago.  His main interests are in the sociology of science, religion, medicine, and mass media and popular culture.  His books include "Guided by Spirit" (on spirit mediumship, with Penelope Emmons, 2003), "Chinese Ghosts Revisited" (2017), "At the Threshold" (on UFO researchers, 1997), "Hong Kong Prepares for 1997" (on Hong Kong politics, 1987), and "Back in Our Day" (nostalgic autobiography, 2016).