Course Provider
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private research university in Dallas, Texas, offering the course "Plants of the Gods: Religion and Psychedelics" through its Religious Studies department, taught by University Distinguished Teaching Professor Dr. G. William Barnard. The course examines the historical and cultural significance of entheogenic plants — including peyote, ayahuasca, and psilocybin mushrooms — across diverse religious traditions.
SMU is a well-established private research university with a serious academic home for psychedelic study rather than a standalone training institute. Its strongest fit is for curious undergraduates and adult learners who want a rigorous, religion-and-culture framing of psychedelics, especially under the guidance of G. William Barnard, a long-serving Religious Studies professor with deep expertise in mysticism, consciousness studies, and comparative spirituality. It sits more as an academically grounded elective in a broader university than as a professional certification pathway.
Best for students and intellectually curious adults who want an academic, humanities-led exploration of psychedelics in religious and cultural history. It is less suited to people seeking clinical, facilitation, or therapist training.
No specific prerequisites, licensure, or entry conditions are published for the course listing. It is presented as a regular university course within Religious Studies.
SMU is an accredited university, but this course is an academic class rather than a dedicated psychedelic credential. The course is listed as RELI 3379 and counts within SMU’s Philosophical, Religious & Ethical Inquiry curriculum area.
SMU does not publish a single programme price for this course on the course-search page. As a university course, cost is generally tied to SMU tuition and fees by credit hour, and additional course or university fees may apply.
Learners gain a university-level understanding of the religious use of entheogens, the historical response to psychedelics in Western culture, and the scientific study of these substances across the 20th and 21st centuries. The practical outcome is academic understanding, not a separate professional credential.
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