Science of the Paranormal a Selected Bibliography of Materials in the University of Oregon Libraries Also At

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Science of the Paranormal A Selected Bibliography of Materials in the University of Oregon Libraries Also at: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/reference/reading.html

Magazines Skeptic . Electronic full text from 1995 – present on the Library’s web site. Published by the Skeptics Society. See http://skeptic.com for more information about the organization.

Skeptical Inquirer. Location: Knight Library BF 1001 .Z4. Library has 1978 to present. Published by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. See http://csicop.org for more information about the organization.

Books The gold leaf lady and other parapsychological investigations by Stephen E. Braude. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2007. Location: Knight Library BF 1031.B736 2007. A very readable overview of the appearance of psychi c and paranormal events in everyday life. The author presents cases such as the “gold leaf lady” who spontaneously breaks out in gold foil, paranormal photography, and paranormal super stars and frauds.

Paranormal claims : a critical analysis edited by Bryan Farha. Lanham, Md. : University Press of America, 2007. Location: Knight Library BF 1031.B37 2007. Essays investigating claims of the paranormal through critical thinking. Includes an essay by Carl Sagan called “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection”.

The power of belief [DVD]. ABC News. Princeton, NJ : Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2003. Location: Knight Library Video DVD 01176. “A look at a wide range of phenomena that exist beyond the ken of modern science, including astrology, faith healing, voodoo, channeling, and clairvoyance.”

Real-life X-files : investigating the paranormal by Joe Nickell. Lexington, Ky. : University Press of Kentucky, 2001. Location: Knight Library BF 1031.N52 2001. An easy to read investigation of some of the well-known paranormal cases. The author presents an overview of the mystery and the documentary evidence without much scientific detail. Substantial references for further reading. Chapters include: spontaneous human combustion, communication with the dead, clairvoyance, etc.

Varieties of anomalous experience : examining the scientific evidence edited by Etzel Cardeña et al. Washington, DC : American Psychological Association, 2000. Location: Knight Library BF 1031.V37 2000. Published by the APA and written by a number of scholars, this book discusses the different types of paranormal experiences. It provides well-documented histories of the phenomena. Full of statistics and details regarding scientific methods of investigation. Substantial references for further reading. Why people believe weird things : pseudoscience, superstition, and other confusions of our time by Michael Shermer. New York : W.H. Freeman, 1997. Location: Knight Library BF 773.S56 1997. The premise of this book is that skeptical inquiry is a vital part of science. Chapters include: pseudoscience and superstition, evolution and creationism, history and pseudohistory, etc.

The elusive quarry: a scientific appraisal of psychical research by Ray Hyman. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1989. Location: Knight Library BF 1042.H96 1989. Presents parapsychology as a laboratory science and critiques the paranormal using the scientific method. Hyman is Professor Emeritus, Psychology Department, University of Oregon.