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Landmark Education The term Landmark Education refers to the company Landmark Education LLC and to its commercial operations, which primarily involve the delivery of a series of motivational and self-development courses. Landmark Education refers to the most well-known of its offerings as The Landmark Forum. Landmark Education and its supporters (customers) market the company's courses primarily to individuals, while the subsidiary Landmark Education Business Development provides training and consultancy to organisations. The Landmark organisation and its methods evoke considerable controversy, with passionate opinions held by supporters and detractors. History Landmark Education Corporation acquired certain rights to the form and content of the course previously known as "The Forum" from Werner Erhard and Associates (WEA -- the corporate successor of Erhard Seminars Training - est or EST), when it more closely resembled a training course. The new owners, mainly former staff of WEA, renamed the course "The Landmark Forum" and have developed its content further. Landmark Education comprises an international employee-owned for-profit company with more than half its offices in North America. Landmark Education employees -- and, in some cases, graduates from Landmark Education's courses -- own all the stock, with no single individual holding more than 3%. The company has never distributed dividends, using profits either to expand the operation generally or to expand the operation by subsidising courses in countries such as Kenya, South Africa and India, to render them affordable to the local populations. Landmark Education continues to promote what it calls "the work" and what it calls the "technology" of Werner Erhard, though without stressing his name, his controversial reputation or his ideological forebears. Some observers speculate that some practices and methods of Landmark Education, of WEA and of est have roots in Scientology (whose courses Erhard followed, and which subsequently listed Erhard and est among its enemies), Holiday Magic, Mind Dynamics (which Erhard taught pre-est) and Leadership Dynamics. Some senior est, WEA and Landmark staff had backgrounds in the listed organizations. Operation Regarding philosophical aspects of the course content, supporters have made comparisons with the ideas of Heidegger, Richard Rorty, Sartre, Fernando Flores and Westernized and popularized Zen. Others have suggested that Landmark Education has incorporated ideas from a wide range of philosophers from Socrates to Wittgenstein. Opponents (who may or may not have participated in Landmark courses) have criticised Landmark Education's offerings for lacking intellectual content. Enthusiastic supporters claim (as a virtue) that the courses "are about nothing". An article in the March 2001 edition of the journal Contemporary Philosophy hosted at the University of Colorado at Boulder and co-authored by Professor Steven McCarl and Landmark Education Business Development CEO Steve Zaffron discusses philosophy and the Landmark Forum The Promise of Philosophy and the Landmark Forum. Generally, Landmark Education markets its courses by encouraging participants in its seminars to share with family-members, friends, work-mates and acquaintances what they saw/experienced in their own participation and to invite those people to what Landmark Education calls "guest events" where they can hear about the experiences of others, begin to work inside the Landmark Education so-called "technology" themselves, and determine whether or not to participate in the Landmark Forum. (Devotees strenuously encourage so-called 'guests" to "transform" their " lives" by "registering".) Most people hear about Landmark Education Corporation's courses through word of mouth ("sharing"), which the company encourages consistently and very persistently. Landmark Education offers four principal courses, collectively called "The Curriculum for Living": 1.The Landmark Forum, three days and an evening, focused on "completing"
participants' pasts. Forums have taken place in at least 26 countries : Japan, Israel, India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Romania, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya, Jamaica, United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to its regular courses, Landmark Education also presents free "Special Evening About the Landmark Forum" events. These offer an invitation for prospective customers to learn about the Landmark Forum and to register for it. According to Landmark Education's own website, the company also presents more than forty other for-payment courses, seminars or programmes, covering such topics as vitality, self-expression, sex and intimacy, time-management, Landmark Education course presentation, leadership, wisdom and communication. Most courses include an evening session which supplements the word-of-mouth marketing by taking guests through what Landmark Education refers to as "exercises" from the course itself so they can get a "taste" of what the course allegedly offers. A number of course participants volunteer as "assistants" for Landmark Education for a period of time from 3 hours to several weeks. In France, such 'assistants' have the apparent legal status of volunteer unpaid workers -- (the French Labour Ministry has judged this practice illegal). Assistants work for and with the Landmark Education staff, receiving further training in Landmark Education practices and absorb/learn leadership and team skills (in a Landmark Education Corporation context) that they can then apply (Landmark Education's copyrights permitting) in other areas of their lives. Landmark Education and its subsidiaries hold memberships in the following professional associations and organizations: 1. American Society for Training and Development Some organizations use LE as a provider of continuing education such as the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association, where it qualifies for 43.5 POST continuing training units.
Landmark Education claims that "[a] fundamental principle of its work is that people – and the communities, organizations, and institutions with which they are engaged – have the possibility not only of success, but also of fulfillment and greatness". In addition, Landmark Education Corporation marketing material claims that "[i]n independent research, graduates of Landmark's programs report major positive results in the following areas: 1. The quality of their relationships. Landmark Education states that it intends its courses for mentally healthy people: and discourages people who have unresolved mental health issues which psychotherapy might more appropriately treat. Landmark Education has a screening process to discourage potential participants with histories of psychological distress from taking part. Nothingness and meaninglessness form an important part of Landmark Education's existentialist ideology. This makes course-content difficult to summarize, but does not prevent Landmark Education advocates repeatedly rehearsing the benefits of the "experience", regardless of the actual details (which the company encourages them NOT to reveal). Rebuttal: An article in the Catholic magazine "The Tablet" (reference at the bottom, requires free registration) notes: "The only point where my Christianity tripped up was at a session where we were asked to consider the statement, "Life is empty and meaningless". My faith made me reject the statement, but others found it liberating. I asked Angelo, a Catholic, how he understood it. "I say things dramatically in the Forum to get people to think", he said. "I cannot discover what God truly has planned for me until I let go of all the meaning I have put in place, especially as a child and young adult." Several Catholic priests and religious sisters have endorsed Landmark. Critique Support comes mostly from people who have completed the Landmark Forum. They may or may not have participated in other Landmark Education offerings. They frequently claim to have found the Landmark Education experience beneficial, quoting examples in enhanced relationships, improved earning power, or greater enjoyment of life. Supporters often lace their comments with enthusiasm, wishful thinking, and uncritical-seeming acclaim. Critique comes mostly (according to Landmark-supporters) from those who have not participated in the Landmark Forum or earlier organization programs. But much criticism also comes from ex-attendees, as well as from non-attending family/associates who feel they have experienced negative relationship trends with attendees as a result of participation with Landmark Education. Supporters claim that over 90% of Landmark Forum participants assess it as providing good value and tangible benefits - compare the published studies below. Detractors have associated Landmark with one or more of what they may term: "cult"-like behaviour, brainwashing, mind control, inconsistent mysticism, ruthless opportunism pressuring people into attending very expensive courses which offer poor value for money, amoral nihilism and exploitative hypnotism and psychological multi-level marketing, using excessively long hours of full and demanding participation and techniques designed to humiliate people. Supporters of Landmark Education portray the use of much such terminology as vague and inaccurate, and dispute that it provides an appropriate description of Landmark Education's methodology, characterising the organisation as a straightforward business selling highly effective training courses empowering participants to reach their full potential in their personal life. Detractors tend to disparage such glowing claims, portraying them as subjective, unprovable, and in themselves actual evidence of cult activity and brainwashing. A wealth of personal anecdotal accounts describing detailed and specific results in a subjective manner backs up the claims on all sides of the various schools of thought on these issues. Some commentators have described the Landmark Forum as a large group awareness training (LGAT), a view also espoused in a University of Denver Ph.D. dissertation by Charles Wayne Denison: "The Children of est: A study of the Experience and Perceived Effects of a Large Group Awareness Training (The Forum)". Debates have raged for several years over whether Landmark Education and its predecessors have any merit or redeeming features -- or whether the organization has discovered "breakthrough" ideas and practices ahead of its time. Yet every year tens of thousands of people, many apparently unaware of any controversy, participate around the world. As with most other companies, court cases involving Landmark Education and dissatisfied customers, or involving Landmark Education and the media, have generally ended in out-of-court settlements with details placed outside the public domain. Many media organizations have written about Landmark Education, including Time Magazine ("The Best of Est") article, and ELLE. (Landmark Education sued Elle for libel, then dropped the case without receiving the apology it sought. Elle has sections on Astrology and Numerology, so their intent is more in the domain of entertainment rather than journalistic accuracy as shown in this hyperlink ) In September 2004, Landmark Education filed a one million USD suit against the Rick A. Ross Institute, claiming that the Institute's online archives did damage to its (Landmark Education's) product (legal term: product disparagement). In 2005, Landmark Education filed to dismiss its own lawsuit with prejudice, possibly because of A) the high burden of proof or B) on-line archives could easily move to a country without American libel/defamation laws or C), the rate of registrations into Landmark Education's courses has allegedly not decreased (now at 80,000 per year for the Landmark Forum). Specific areas of controversy Rebuttal: Landmark Education stresses that "enrolling" others into one's own ideals forms an essential part of self-"transformation" and that graduates will want to follow its suggestions and tell others of their experiences. - Note that Landmark Education often takes commonly-used words and attaches an entirely new meaning to them. The English word enrollment furnishes one example. Enrolling, in Landmark's lexicon, means sharing the possibility one has created for oneself, and making that possibility "touch, move and inspire" another person. In layman's terms, it means sharing what you've learned, and sharing the new-found knowledge with someone in a way that the other person truly understands and accepts your new-found knowledge. Some see the comparison to multi-level marketing as a red herring, since the "graduates" who participate in registering do not receive any financial compensation. Treatment of volunteers Rebuttal: Assistants working for Landmark Education assist voluntarily, and most do so -- according to Landmark Education -- for a single weekend or a few hours at a time: some assist more than once or over a longer period. Landmark Education also claims that fewer than 1% of graduates will participate in a formal assisting program at any one time, most for three hours a week. Assistants range from Silicon Valley engineers to Catholic nuns, such as Sister Iris Clarke . Alleged "cult-like" practices Comment: Landmark Education programs do not, according to Landmark Education itself, comprise therapy. Former President of the American Psychiatric Association Raymond D. Fowler, PhD, who observed sessions of the Landmark Forum, wrote in a report commissioned by Landmark Education: "In my opinion, the Landmark Forum is not a cult or anything like a cult, and I do not see how any reasonable, responsible person could say that it is." Furthermore, Landmark Education successfully sued Margaret Singer, a UC Berkeley professor and author of Cults in Our Midst for defamation, using legal means to cause to her to cease her characterization of Landmark Education as a cult. (Most legal jurisdictions specifically recognise libel and defamation as legal torts. When any company believes someone is lying about them, this is the standard remedy.) Therapy Language Rebuttal: Landmark Education courses use specialized language, as do many fields or disciplines, such as engineering, science or the military. This special terminology can cause those without experience in Landmark Education's programs to view it as confusing. Landmark Education's web site has a course syllabus with definitions in passing of a few of the more frequent terms, including "racket" and "already always listening". Rationality Rebuttal: Supporters explain that although Landmark Education's instructors do not see the utility of pre-judging "cynicism" in the Landmark Education environment, they welcome skepticism (as opposed to cynicism) and critical thinking because they view critical analysis and searching as the only access to producing the so-called "breakthrough" results allegedly made possible by the "work" of Landmark Education. Indeed, they see some of the important results of Landmark Education's "work" as "being authentic", "being truthful", and "being honest" about what "is" really "so". In fact, many of those who utilize the word "superficial" to describe the work that Landmark does have allegedly not studied it, or have allegedly not participated in "the work" . In such cases they get accused of just "making things up". Religion Rebuttal: Supporters deny that Landmark Education has any religious basis (as oppopsed to aspects) and portray the courses as compatible with existing other beliefs. They explain that Landmark Education courses empower people in their beliefs but claim that Landmark Education's courses do not concern themselves with belief - just as a mathematics course does not concern itself with belief. Many people from various religious backgrounds particpate and do state that they get a lot of value from participating in Landmark Education, such as Father Eamonn O'Conner in Ireland , Sister Iris Clarke and Father Gregg Banaga, PhD, President of 18,000 student Adamson University, a Catholic university in Manila, Father Basil Pennington, OCSO, (author of over 50 books) and others listed on Landmark Education's web site who have ACTUALLY done the Landmark Forum. As noted in their articles, both Father O'Conner and Father Banaga actually lead introductions to the Landmark Forum. As an expression of her love for the Phillipines, Sister Iris Clarke is proud to take part in the assisting program in Manila, the Phllipines. Brainwashing Rebuttal: Supporters explain that the Landmark Forum (most people start their Landmark career with this course) merely demonstrates great effectiveness in impacting on people, and that it gives people "access" to those barriers that had allegedly slowed them down and this makes them somehow more satisfied, more fulfilled and more effective. Thus people see impactful results and seek to label them somehow. "Brainwashing" serves as one of the labels people come up with for want of a better description. An article in the London Observer ("I Thought I Would Be Brainwashed, How Wrong Could I Be") discusses this. [10] Corporate history While Landmark Education does not advertise its well known connections with Werner Erhard, whom many see as a controversial and polarizing figure, the company does freely acknowledge that its work originates in methodology and material originally developed by Werner Erhard. The Landmark Education corporate fact sheet does claim that "[b]ased on a methodology and material originally developed by Werner Erhard, Landmark has evolved its unique educational methodology through years of continuous research, development, and redesign". Landmark Education's programs have their basis in (unpublished) research and in what Landmark Education's customers refer to as the "technology" attributed to Werner Erhard, who has, despite his family ties, royalty payments, great personal respect, history and ongoing contracting associations with Landmark Education, no ownership, governance or management position in the organization. Landmark Education Corporation claims no responsibility for est or for WEA, its direct corporate predecessors; a US court has confirmed this absence of successor liability. At the beginning of the Landmark Forum and of other programs, a course leader invites participants' questions about the Landmark Education Corporation, its origins, programs, policies etc., as well as giving the participants the opportunity to leave the program with a full refund. These Q&A sessions handle -- from a Landmark Education point of view -- questions about Werner Erhard, WEA, est and other matters anyone wants to discuss. Those wishing to obtain "official" answers from Landmark Education's Corporate headquarters can telephone 1-415-981-8850. Psychological consequences Rebuttal Supporters of Landmark Education maintain that while over 790,000 people worldwide (according to a 2004 report by Landmark Education) have participated in the Landmark Forum, those who voice criticism account for a very tiny (but never specified) percentage of Forum graduates. Governmental Classification (Without Definition) The Berlin State Senate report on Sects - their risks and consequences discusses problems of definition of sects and cults, especially in the light of the neutrality expected of a government body. The Berlin senate retracted its allegation of "religious or world view" of Landmark Education and Landmark Education declared the discussion complete after the Senate noted Landmark was a "provider of life assistance" (Anbieter von Lebenshilfe). Rebuttal Certain supporters of Landmark Education claim that the French governmental classification exemplifies the poor analysis and incorrect labeling by MILS. Such supporters consider almost all of MILS's findings suspect. Hypnotism Rebuttal Landmark Education supporters may see this kind of thinking as stemming from a lack of understanding of Landmark's pedagogy and "technology." The paragraph reports on a set of observed phenomena and then makes a dramatically tentative conclusion about "hypnotism" and "triggers". One could make a similar argument: that a good Harvard professor functions as a hypnotist because: he lectures in a bland, undecorated lecture hall; the audience focuses on just the professor; he repeats his or her points (as any good instructor will do) and uses key phrases (such as "you will fail if you do not..." ; "listen up", and "pop quiz"). Some of Landmark's courses (particularly the Landmark Forum, the Landmark Advanced Course, and the Landmark Communication programs) do indeed feature long hours, but most last for three hours. Studies of the effects of Landmark Education 1. More than 90% of "participants" report "practical value
for many aspects" of life It remains unclear over what time duration Yankelovich conducted this study. A survey (the date and methodology of which Landmark Education has not reported in detail) carried out by Harris Interactive for Landmark Education Corporation concluded that: 1. One-third experienced a significant increase (of 25% or more) in their
incomes after completing The Landmark Forum. Of that group, 94% said The
Landmark Forum directly contributed to the increase. It remains unclear over what time duration Harris Interactive conducted this study. The University of Southern California Marshall Business School carried out a case study into the work of Landmark Education Business Development (LEBD) at BHP New Zealand Steel. Landmark Education summarized: "The set of interventions in the organization produced impressive measurable results: 1. Safety performance improved 50% An academic study commissioned by Werner Erhard and Associates concluded that attending a (pre-Landmark) Forum had minimal lasting effects, positive or negative, on participants' self-perception. (J.D. Fisher, R. C. Silver, J. M. Chinsky, B. Goff and Y. Klar Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training: A Longitudinal Study of Psychosocial Effects Springer-Verlag, 1990, ISBN 0387973206). (This study won a 1989 American Psychological Association award.) Charles Wayne Denison's Ph.D. research involved interviewing Landmark Forum participants and reported predominantly positive outcomes. Awards
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