PC 898 - Religious and Psychological Research

(3.00 cr.)

An overview and summary of the empirical science of people's transcendence-seeking through religious and spiritual experience. Two goals include becoming familiar with the methods and topics that comprise the field known as the psychology of religion and spirituality, and reflecting on the conceptual underpinnings that a faith perspective brings to these topics while exploring the assumptive worlds and implications of these perspectives. Typical topics in the pastoral counseling domain include measuring religious experience; religious coping; forgiveness; hope; prosocial behavior; images of God and attachment; gratitude; meaning-making; and positive and negative aspects of religiosity. Students complete a limited review of the literature on a related topic to aid their integrative reflection.

Sessions Typically Offered: Fall/Spring/Summer
Years Typically Offered: Annually