Course Description

Instructor: Charles Emmons

An exploration of the significance of ghosts in traditional Chinese culture, especially ancestor worship, from the perspectives of sociology, anthropology and parapsychology; based on fieldwork and survey analysis in Hong Kong in 1979-80, with recent updates and comparisons to ghost experiences in the Western world.  Discussion encouraged.

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).