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Psychology S3625Q
The Psychology
of Religion
Summer Session II, 2001
TuTh 5:30-8:40
I. Course description
Prerequisites: An introductory psychology
course or the instructor's permission.
Introduction to the major issues, theories and
empirical approaches to the psychology of religion through critical analysis
of both classic and modern texts. The course illuminates the role of religion
as a powerful meaning system that can affect the lives of individuals
in terms of their beliefs, motivations, emotions and behaviors, and can
influence their interactions on both interpersonal and intergroup levels.
II. The rationale
for giving the course.
This advanced undergraduate seminar will meet the
Group III (Social, Personality, and Abnormal) distribution requirement
for the major, minor, or concentration in psychology. Currently the psychology
department offers only few advanced courses in Group III at the 3000 levels
(specifically for undergraduates).
Religion has been a vital and pervasive feature
of human life throughout history (Smart, 1984) and in current societies,
where most people regard themselves as followers of a religious tradition
(Beit-Hallachmie et. al., 1997). Predictions for the future made by lay
Americans suggest that the 21st century could be the most religious and
spiritual century in 500 years (Gallup, 2000).
Considering the prevalence of religious beliefs
and the importance of religion as a meaning system that can shape every
aspect of people's lives, the relative neglect of the study of religion
in academia and particularly in psychology is surprising (see Emmons,
1999 for a review). We need to follow the steps of major psychologists
from the beginning of the twentieth century, like William James (1902),
and continue to investigate the complicated and fascinating phenomenon
of religion -- its positive as well as negative impact on individuals
and on societies at large -- and to utilize the results of these investigations
to increase individual and societal well being. This course is presented
as a step in this direction. The course may be of particular interest
to students of psychology, religion and sociology.
III. Course
Objectives.
The purpose of the course is to introduce the students
to the psychology of religion through critical analyses of both classic
and modern texts. The course approaches religion as a powerful meaning
system that can affect the lives of individuals in terms of their beliefs,
motivations, emotions and behaviors and influence their interactions on
both interpersonal and intergroup levels. It illuminates the processes
through which religion as a meaning system impacts individuals and societies,
the positive and negative ways in which religion has influenced individual
and societal well-being and the resiliency of religion despite globalization
and modernization. In its discussion of these issues, the course highlights
the role of religion in a variety of important social issues such as social
change, coping, forgiveness, human rights, women rights, prejudice versus
tolerance and pluralism, as well as conflicts and their resolutions.
The lectures and discussions, which are based on
the assigned readings, will highlight the practical difficulties and challenges,
as well as the excitement, of doing research in the area of the psychology
of religion. It is important to stress that this is NOT a course in theology
and that it does NOT attempt to prove or disprove the claims of any religious
approach. Rather, the focus is on what we can learn about religion when
we examine it from one particular perspective, the psychological.
IV. Course Requirements
(tentative)
In depth religious coping
interviews
This assignment requires each student to interview
a person of her/his own faith tradition
and a person of a different faith tradition about the role religion
plays in their coping with adversity. These interviews, which can be
both challenging and rewarding, need to be summarized in a 10-15 page
paper.
Midterm
In the take home midterm exam, the students will
be given an essay topic or will be asked to choose from among several
essay topics. The essay, which will typically be about 5 pages long,
will require students to compare and integrate the materials of the
first 6 classes and the relevant readings (whether or not they are discussed
in class).
Team project
1) Team paper:
Working in small assigned teams, the students
will write a comprehensive paper on thought provoking issues such as
"The impact of religion on individual and societal well being", "How
can the resiliency of religion be explained?" or "Religious related
policy implications for the new millennium". The students will be encouraged
to integrate relevant information from the class presentations and readings,
as well as additional sources of information.
2) Team presentation:
Each team will give a presentation of its' paper.
Class participation
1) Weekly participation:
Active participation during class helps the individual
students and the class at large.
Good participation includes but is not limited
to concise and clear contributions to class discussion, and regular
attendance (10%).
2) Expert participation:
In each class, a "discussion leader" will be
responsible to presenting one of the readings for that class and lead
the discussion regarding that reading (10%).
V. Course outline:
Reading list and weekly syllabus (Tentative).
PART 1:
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Overview
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Class
1:
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Overview
of the Course
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Class
2:
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Religion
as a Meaning System: Introduction
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Pargament,
K. I. (1997). The psychology of religion and coping. New
York: Guilford Press. Ch. 1,2. Pp. 34-42.
McIntosh,
D.N. (1995). Religion-as-schema, with implications for the relations
between religion and coping. The International Journal for the
Psychology of Religion, 5 (1), 1-16.
Also
Recommended
Ellis,
A. (1986). The case against religion: A psychotherapist's view
and the case against religiosity. Austin: American Atheist Press.
Freud,
S. (1927/1961). The future of an illusion. New York: London.
Geertz,
C. (1973). The interpretation of culture. New York: Basic
Books, Inc., Publishers. Pp. 87-125.
Spilka,
B., Hood, R.W.Jr., & Gorsuch, R.L., (1985). The psychology of
religion: An empirical approach. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,
Inc. (Ch. 1, Pp. 1-29)
James,
W. (1902). The varieties of religious experience. New York:
Longman.
Wulff,
D.M. (1991). Psychology of religion: Classic and contemporary views.
New York: John Wiley and Sons.
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PART 2:
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Religion as a Meaning System in a Person's
Life
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Class
3:
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Religion
and Coping
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Pargament,
K.I. (1997). Th psychology of religion and coping. New York:
Guilford Press. Ch. 6, 7, 8 &10.
Pargament,
K.I., Poloma, M.M., & Tarakeshwar, N. Methods of coping from
the religions of the world: Spiritual healing, Karma, and the Bar
Mitzvah. In C.R. Snyder (Ed.). Coping and copers: Adaptive Processes
and People. Oxford University Press.
Kushner,
H.S. (1989). When bad things happen to good people. New York:
Avon Books.
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Class
4:
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Religion
and other Aspects of Well-being
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Emmons,
R. A., Cheung, C., & Tehrani, K. (1998). Assessing spirituality
through personal goals: Implications for research on religion and
subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 45, 391-422.
Ventis,
W. L. (1995). The relationship between religion and mental health.
Journal of Social Issues, 51(2). 33-48.
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Class
5:
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Religion
and Value Systems
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Roccas,
S., & Schwartz, S. (1997). Church-state relations and the associations
of religiosity with values: A study of Catholics in six countries.
Cross-cultural research, 31, 356-375.
Schwartz,
S.H., & Huismans, S. (1995). Value priorities and religiosity
in four Western Religions. Social Psychology Quarterly, 58,
88-107.
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Class
6:
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Religion
as a Call for Change
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Pargament,
K. I. & Park, C. L. (1995). Merely a defense? The variety of
religious means and ends. Journal of Social Issues, 51(2), 13-32.
Silberman,
I., Higgins, E. T., & Dweck, C. S. (2000). The relation between
Religiosity and openness to change. Paper presented at the 108th
Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Washington,
DC.
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PART 3:
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Religion and Interpersonal Relations: Vision
versus Actuality
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Class
7:
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Religion
and Forgiveness
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McCullough,
M. E., & Worthington, E.L., Jr. (1999). Religion and the forgiving
personality. Journal of Personality, 67, 1141-1164.
Rye,
M. S., Pargament, K. I., Ali, M. A., Beck. G.L., Dorff, E.N., Hallisey,
C., Narayanan, V., & Williams, J.G. (2000). Religious perspectives
on forgiveness. In M.E. McCullough, K.I. Pargament, and C. E. Thoresen
(Eds.), Forgiveness (pp. 17-40). New York: Guilford Press.
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Class
8:
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Religion,
Prejudice, & Human Rights
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Allport,
G.W. (1966). Religious context of prejudice. Journal for the Scientific
Study of Religion, 5, 447-457.
Batson,
C.D., & Burris, C.T. (1994). Personal religion: Depressant or
stimulant of prejudice and discrimination. In M.P. Zanna & J.M.
Olson (Eds.), The psychology of prejudice: The Ontario Symposium,
Vol. 7 (pp. 149-169). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Griffin,
G.A., Gorsuch, .L., & Davis, A.L. (1987). A cross cultural investigation
of religious orientation, social norms, and prejudice. Journal
for the Scientific Study of Religion, 26, 358-365.
Hunsburger,
B. (1995). Religion and prejudice: The tole of religious fundamentalism,
quest, and right-wing authoritarianism. Journal of Social Issues,
51(2), 113-129.
Also
Recommended
Carrol,
J. (2001). Constantine's sword: The Church and the Jews- a history.
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Class
9:
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Religion
as a Factor in Conflicts and their Resolution I
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Mahoney,
A., Pargament, K.I., Jewell, T., Swank, A., Scott, E., Emery, E.,
& Rte, M. (1999). Marriage and the spiritual realm: The role
of proximal and distal religious constructs in marital functioning.
Journal of Family Psychology, 13(3), 321-338.
Swank,
A.B., Mahoney, A. & Pargament, K.I. (2000). A sacred trust:
Parenting and the spiritual realm. Paper presented at the 108th
Annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington
D.C.
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Class
10:
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Religion
as a Factor in Conflicts and their Resolution II |
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Gopin,
M. (2000). Between Eden and Armageddon: The future of religion,
violence and peacemaking. New York and London: Oxford University
Press.
Struch,
N. & Schwartz, S.H. (1989). Intergroup aggression: Predictors
and distinctiveness from ingroup bias, Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 56, 364-373.
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Class
11
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Presentations
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Class
12
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Presentations
and course conclusions.
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This
page was created by Lois Putnam. It was last updated by Tamar Kornblum
on Nov.29, 2001.
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