1 Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary PCC 840 Psychology of Religion Spring 2018 Wednesday 9:00a-12:00p Room TBD Instructor: Jaeyeon Lucy Chung, PhD Office hours: W 1:00-4:00p (Email to schedule an appointment) jaeyeon.chung@garrett.edu; 847-866-3877 (office); 224-392-6798 (cell) for emergency Course Description The main purpose of this course is to introduce psychology of religion and its focus on understanding a variety of religious experiences from psychological, particularly psychoanalytic, perspectives. The nature of interdisciplinary relationship between psychology and religion will be explored with a review of classical and contemporary theories on psychology of religion. Such important topics as psychology of God-images, mysticism, conversion, violence and terror, evangelical and fundamental religions, and religious biography will be surveyed. Special attention will also be given to gender, race, and culture in religious experience emerging from recent research. This material will be applied to the student s own experience for the purpose of deepening an awareness of how individual psychological experiences contribute to one s religious identity formation and faith, as well as to vocational choices and the practice of ministry. Course Objectives At the end of the course students should be able to: Knowing Learn how to think critically on the inter-dynamics between psychology and religion Trace back the historical change of psychoanalytic perspectives on religion through studying various theorists Develop facility in the application of psychological theories to living human documents Understand the psychological significance and origin of God-images Evaluate how differences in gender, race, and culture shape and change the formation of faith or religious identity Doing Engage in critical reflection on the psychological dynamics operating in the religious experiences and phenomena at personal and collective levels. Utilize critical analysis and cultural sensitivity skills as well as psychological insights for the practice of ministry. Being Be aware of the complexity of the human nature and condition Appreciate how an individual s faith or religious experience is psychologically and socio-culturally constructed and changes over time due to a variety of factors Readings Books are available in Amazon and on library reserve.
2 The prices are from Amazon as of October 11, 2017. Books can be purchased new, used, or rented from any bookstore. Your netid may be required to access ebooks. Required Texts: Akbar, Na im. Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery. Mind Productions & Associates, 1996. ISBN: 978-0935257052 [Paperback: from $9.95] Freud, Sigmund. Totem and Taboo. W.W. Norton & Company, [1913] 1989. ISBN: 978-0393001433 [Paperback: $9.97] [ebook: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41214]. The Future of an Illusion. W.W. Norton & Company, [1927] 1961/1989. ISBN: 978-0393008319 [Paperback: $9.91] [ebook: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/northwestern/detail.action?docid=690005] James, William. The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature. Penguin Classics, 1902/1982. ISBN: 978-0140390346 (*Any edition is acceptable) [Paperback: $16.98] [ebook: http://www.psychwww.com/psyrelig/james/toc.htm] Jones, James W. Blood That Cries Out From the Earth: The Psychology of Religious Terrorism. Oxford University Press: 2008. ISBN: 978-0199933648 [Paperback: $21.62] [ebook:http://www.oxfordscholarship.com.turing.library.northwestern.edu/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780 195335972.001.0001/acprof-9780195335972] Jung, Carl. Psychology and Religion. Yale University Press, 1938/1966. ISBN: 978-0300001372 [Paperback: $14.06] [ebook: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/northwestern/detail.action?docid=3420942] Luhrmann, Tanya. When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God. Vintage, 2012. ISBN: 978-0307277275 [Paperback: $9.09] Rizzuto, Ana-Maria. The Birth of the Living God: A Psychoanalytic Study. University of Chicago Press, 1979/1981. ISBN: 978-0226721026 [Paperback: $27.98] Winnicott, D. W. Playing and Reality. Routledge, [1971] 1982/1996. ISBN: 978-0415036894 [Paperback: from $14.46] *Religious Autobiography Texts: [You will be assigned only one book to read] Merton, Thomas. The Seven Storey Mountain: An Autobiography of Faith. Mariner Books, 1999. ISBN: 978-0156010863 [Paperback: $9.57] Mother Teresa. Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta. Image, 2009. ISBN: 978-0307589231 [Paperback: $9.86] Thurman, Howard. With Head and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard Thurman. Mariner Books, 1981. ISBN: 978-0156976480 [Paperback: $17.95] Sheng Yen. Footprints in the Snow: The Autobiography of a Chinese Buddhist Monk. Doubleday, 2008. ISBN: 978-0385513302 [Hardcover: from $32.46]
3 Sojourner Truth. Narrative of Sojourner Truth. Penguin Classics, [1884] 1998. ISBN: 978-0140436785 [Paperback: $9.21] [ebook: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/truth/1850/1850.html] Supplementary Texts: Butler, Lee. Liberating Our Dignity, Saving Our Souls: A New Theory of African American Identity Formation. Chalice Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0827221369 Forsyth, James. Psychological Theories of Religion. Prentice Hall, 2003. ISBN: 978-0130480682 Jacobs, Janet Liebman, and Donald Capps, eds. Religion, Society, and Psychoanalysis: Readings in Contemporary Theory. Westview Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0813326481 Jones, James. Religion and Psychology in Transition. Yale University Press, 1996. ISBN: 978-0300067699 Jonte-Pace, Diane, and William B. Parsons, eds. Religion and Psychology: Mapping the Terrain. Routledge, 2001. ISBN: 978-0415206174 Sheppard, Phillis. Self, Culture, and Others in Womanist Practical Theology. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. ISBN: 978-0230102880 Taylor, Charles. Varieties of Religion Today: William James Revisited. Harvard University Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0674007604 Wulff, David. Psychology of Religion: Classic and Contemporary, 2 nd edition. John Wiley & Sons, 1997. ISBN: 978-0471037064 Additional readings for the course will be posted on Moodle Online Resources Moodle (http://moodle.garrett.edu) Citing Sources (http://guides.garrett.edu/citingsources) Citation Managers (http://guides.garrett.edu/c.php?g=533575&p=3650828) Course Requirements Note: PhD students might have additional responsibilities negotiated with the instructor. Attendance & Participation (10%) DUE Each Class Attendance, reading, and in-class participation are all extremely important. Preparation for each class session includes completion of and critical engagement with the reading and assignments before class sessions. Everyone in class is a learner and a teacher. Your presence and thoughtful engagement will help foster an enriching and interactive community of learning. Reflection Papers (50%) DUE Noon on Tuesdays Students will submit a two-page double-spaced reflection paper (RP) on Moodle by noon on given Tuesdays (2/6, 2/20, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, and 5/1). They are expected to write 10 RPs in total. Page one of an RP should present a succinct, well-organized summary of the key ideas in the
4 assigned reading(s). Excellent summaries often answer such questions as, What is the author s fundamental question? What answers does s/he provide or wish to avoid? What is his or her own basic thesis? Page two should present your own evaluation, critique, or application of some of the author s ideas. Excellent analyses often integrate or make connections between psychological or religious/theological concepts; ask and wrestle with an important question creatively; or discuss implications for ministry in your own context. It is better to raise one critical question and grapple with it creatively than to list a half-dozen questions with little or no analysis. One or two students will be called on to share their written reflection with the group. Group Presentation (10%) DUE April 4 Each student will be paired with one or more partners for collaboration on group project. Each group will choose one of five religious autobiography books Mother Theresa, Thomas Merton, Sheng Yen, Howard Thurman, and Sojourner Truth and present about it in a creative way. The final product of your group project will be a PowerPoint presentation. The representative of each group is expected to submit the PowerPoint slides on Moodle by April 3, noon. How to organize the presentation and what to include in the presentation are solely your group s agreed choice. Each group will be given 20 minutes for a presentation, followed by a 10-min. Q&A session. Since this is a group project, you will receive a group grade, not an individual grade. Final Research Paper (30%) DUE May 7 Each student must submit a final paper (10-12 pages), which is based on the research on religious experience or phenomenon, such as mysticism, conversion, prayer, God-images, fundamentalism, violence and terror, cults, etc. The paper is to be drawn from the issues, themes, and insights which are discussed during classes. The paper should include psychological, socio-cultural, and theological implications. In addition, each student is expected to present a brief outline of the paper on March 21 during class. * PhD students will submit a 15-page paper and present an overview of their research projects in the last class. Class Policies Attendance Policy: It is expected that students will attend all classes. Each absence will affect your total score negatively. If absence is unavoidable due to illness or emergency, please notify the instructor via email in advance of that week s class. Chronic tardiness will also result in a negative impact on a final course grade. Students who miss more than 20% of the class sessions should not expect to pass the class. Other Policies Assignments & Submissions: Reflection papers should be submitted on Moodle by Tuesday noon each week. Late reflection papers will be accepted by the class next day with a penalty of 5 points. Mid- and final-term papers should be submitted on Moodle before the beginning of class on the respective due dates. Late papers will be accepted for one week following the due date with a penalty of 5 points for each day the paper is late. Papers must be typed, double spaced, with a 12 point font size. Times New Roman Style is preferred. Please proofread papers and follow the standard format for citations found in Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers, 8 th edition (Library call number: Ref. LB 2369.T8 2013).
5 Extensions: Extensions are not automatic and must be justified. Please discuss with the instructor as soon as possible any need you foresee for an extension for a particular assignment. Requests for extensions will be considered up to two days prior to an assignment due date or in emergency situations. Academic Integrity: G-ETS has a clear policy concerning plagiarism (See the plagiarism policy in the G- ETS Academic Handbook). Students are responsible for understanding and observing this policy. Plagiarism will result in a grade of zero on the assignment and reported to the Academic Dean. Language: In all writing and class discussions, use inclusive language and think critically about your use of language, particularly in relation to gender, race, ethnicities, cultures, differently-abled bodies, and theological differences. Special Needs: Students with special learning needs should contact the Office of the Dean of Students at the beginning of the course. Please speak with the instructor regarding any needs you might have after speaking with the Dean of Students. Proviso The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time should it be warranted by the demands of sound pedagogy. Changes to the syllabus will be announced in class. Course Schedule Week Date Topic Readings & Assignments 1 Jan. 31 Introduction to the course: What is Psychology of Religion? Review of syllabus A brief written statement (your background in religion & psychology studies; your ministerial context; interest in and expectations for the class) Signup sheets group presentation, RP sharing 2 Feb. 7 William James I: Psychology of Religious Experience The Varieties of Religious Experience Lecture 3. The Reality of the Unseen Lectures 4 & 5. Healthy Mindedness Lectures 6 & 7. The Sick Soul Lecture 8. The Divided Self and the Process of Its Unification Due: 1 st RP (2/6, noon) No Class on Feb. 14 [Ash Wednesday] 3 Feb. 21 William James II: Psychology of Religious Experience The Varieties of Religious Experience Lectures 9 & 10. Conversion Lectures 16 & 17. Mysticism Due: 2 nd RP (2/20, noon)
6 4 Feb. 28 Sigmund Freud I: Religion as Longing for the Father Library Instruction on Subject/Keyword Search 5 Mar. 7 Sigmund Freud II: Religion as Illusion Library Instruction on Endnote Totem and Taboo (with a focus on Ch. 4 The Return of Totemism in Childhood ) Due: 3 rd RP (2/27, noon) The Future of an Illusion Due: 4 th RP (3/6, noon) 6 Mar. 14 Carl Jung: God as Primordial Archetype Psychology and Religion (with a focus on Ch. 1 and Ch. 2 ) Due: 5 th RP (3/13, noon) 7 Mar. 21 Donald Winnicott: Religion as Transitional Phenomenon Final Paper Outline Presentation Playing and Reality Ch. 1. Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena Ch. 4. Playing: Creative Activity and the Search for the Self Ch. 6. The Use of an Object and Relating through Identifications Ch. 7. The Location of Cultural Experience Ch. 8. The Place Where We Live Due: 6 th RP (3/20, noon) No Class on Mar. 28 [Spring Break] 8 Apr. 4 Group Presentation Religious Autobiography Thurman. With Head and Heart Mother Theresa. Come Be My Light Yen. Footprints in the Snow Merton. The Seven Storey Mountain Truth. Narrative of Sojourner Truth Due: Group PowerPoint Slides (4/3, noon) 9 Apr. 11 Ana-Maria Rizzuto: Psychology of God-Images Film: Agnes of God The Birth of the Living God: pp. 87-173 Ch. 5. Introduction to the Clinical Research Ch. 6. A God without Whiskers Ch. 7. A God in the Mirror Ch. 8. God, the Enigma Ch. 9. God, My Enemy Due: 7 th RP (4/10, noon) 10 Apr. 18 Race, Gender, and Religious Experience Guest Speaker: TBD Akbar. Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery Butler. The Psychodynamics of African American Religiosity (Moodle)
7 Sheppard. Black Women and Self Psychology ; Black Embodiment and Religious Experience after Trauma (Moodle) Due: 8 th RP (4/17, noon) 11 Apr. 25 Evangelical Religion Luhrmann. When God Talks Back Due: 9 th RP (4/24, noon) 12 May 2 Religion and Terror Jones. Blood That Cries Out from the Earth Due: 10 th RP (5/1, noon) 13 May 7 (Mon.) Psychology of Religion and the Ministry: Integrative Discussion Course Evaluations Research Paper Presentations by PhD Students Self-evaluation Due: Final Paper (5/7, 9 am)