Read Nicola McEvoy’s account of her time doing a short course (Arcane Worlds: New Frontiers in the Study of Esotericism) at the University of Amsterdam over the summer.
For three weeks, I was studying in Amsterdam — in the only department in the world that specialises in esoteric studies. It is an intensive course that introduces the academic field of esotericism: the current approaches, where it is going and how it can be improved. We had lectures on different topics including chaos magic, alchemy, Sufiism, and Jewish mysticism, with many guest lecturers. The close-knittedness of the very small community made the experience invaluable, and the camaraderie of the course made my time there enjoyable.
I attended the preliminary programme last year with help from the Go Abroad scheme, so when I received an email from the University of Amsterdam Summer School department that there would be a more advanced programme, I could not pass up the opportunity to attend in person.