Study Center in Prague, Czech Republic Course Title: Third Force Psychology in a Central European Context Course Code: PSYC 3006 PRAG Programs offering course: Central European Studies; Psychology Language of instruction: English Semester Credits: 3 Contact Hours: 45 Term: Summer 2017 Course Description In this course we will seek to discover and understand a fairly broad and diverse stream of psychologies: existential, phenomenological and humanistic psychology. The third force in psychology forms an alternative to the two dominant forces in 20 th century psychology which are behaviorism (dominant in academic and research settings) and psychoanalysis (dominant in clinical settings). This movement succeeded not only in critiquing present day psychology but also in bringing original contributions, concepts, and ideas and, maybe more importantly, in strengthening freedom of thought about human beings and their lives. The third force psychology is influenced by existential philosophy, which was born out of opposition to the dominating philosophy of 19th century - Naturalism. We will pay attention to the dialogue between European and American thinkers and appreciate how they complement each other. Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Husserl, to name just a few, left us with works that poured out of their hearts, but are hard to read and understand. Maybe it is not a coincidence that master interpreters of this intellectual tradition are often Americans who brought existential philosophy down to earth and made it accessible to many. Rollo May, Carl R. Rogers, Abraham Maslow and Irvin D. Yalom made it into a body of knowledge that helps us to deepen our self-understanding and to endure our freedom. In our effort to better understand the theoretical concepts and to bring in local (Central European) content, we will consider the lives and works of several outstanding individuals, for example: Jan Patocka, Viktor Frankl, Pavel Tigrid, Ferdinand Peroutka, Franz Kafka or Vaclav Havel. We will also focus on the effect of the history of the 20 th century in this region on the life and work of these individuals. We will explore the phenomena of totality, the dissident movement and collaboration with an oppressive regime from an existential point of view. Each student will research one individual and present his or her findings to the class in the latter half of the semester. In second part of the semester the students themselves will choose a person who lived in the Czech Republic during the 20 th century and will analyze their life and work. This will result in a presentation every student will give at the end of semester. Learning Objectives By the end of this course the students will be able: Each student should become more aware of his or her philosophical presuppositions that stand outside psychology but influence the way we think about the subjects of study considered in psychology. The students will deepen their own views of human existence, interpersonal relations, ultimate concerns, etc. The students will become familiar with basic concepts and terms of humanistic and 1
existential psychology, its theories and practical applications. Course Prerequisites Open-mindedness. Interest in psychology and philosophy. Methods of Instruction Classes include lectures and presentations provided by the lecturer. Each class is based on reading and includes discussion. There will be several filed trips. The class aims to provide students with new knowledge as well as experience. Course Requirements Active participation in class and in out of class activities. A written assignment and/or class presentation (1 per semester) Written test (1 per semester) Homework Students must read the required reading which is provided in the form of a reader. There will be specific material assigned to each class. Its content will be the subject of discussion at the beginning of the class. Occasionally students will be required to watch a film or an on- line documentary. Recommended movies: The Cremator. (1968) film directed by J. Herz One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. (1975) film by Milos Forman Singles. (2009) Czech comedy about difficulty of finding the meaning of life It is better to be healthy and wealthy then poor and sick. (1992) film by J. Jakubisko Citizen Havel. (2007) film documentary about the unusual life of an unusual man by Koutecký & Janek Exams There will be two written exams that will examine the student s acquisition of ideas and concepts as well as an essay-like section which will ask the student to give his or her views of the studied materials. Assessment and Final Grade Written assignment: 20% Final Exam: 30% Presentation: 40% Participation: 10% 2
CIEE Prague Attendance Policy Regular class attendance is required throughout the program, and all absences are treated equally regardless of reason. Students may miss a maximum of 10% of the total course hours without penalization, which constitutes one day of classes of 3 hours in the Summer Program. Missing more than 10% of the total class hours will result in a reduction of the final grade. When missing two days of classes, the final grade will be reduced by 10%. Missing more than 20% of the total class hours (more than 2 days of classes) will lead to a course failure, and potential program dismissal. This is a CIEE rule that applies to all CIEE courses and is in line with the Participant Contract that each CIEE student signs before arriving on-site. Late arrival to class will be considered a partial (up to 15 minutes late) or full (15 or more minutes late) absence. Three partial absences due to late arrivals will be regarded as one full class absence. Students must notify their professor and the Short Programs Coordinator (SPC) beforehand if they are going to miss class for any reason and are responsible for any material covered in class in their absence. If missing a class during which a test, exam, the student s presentation or other graded class assignments are administered, make-up assignment will only be allowed in approved circumstances, such as serious medical issues. In this case, the student must submit a local doctor s note within one week of his/her absence to the SPC, who will decide whether the student qualifies for a make-up assignment. Notes issued after the student s recovery from the illness will not be considered. Should a truly extraordinary situation arise, the student must contact the SPC immediately concerning permission for a make-up assignment. Make-up assignments are not granted automatically! The SPC decides the course of action for all absence cases that are not straightforward. Always contact the SPC with any inquiry about potential absence(s) and the nature thereof. Personal travel, flight delays, interviews, volunteering and other similar situations are not considered justifiable reasons for missing class or getting permission for make-up assignments. CIEE Prague staff keeps track of absences on a weekly basis and regularly updates attendance for each course in Moodle. Each of your CIEE courses has a Moodle site to record attendance; students need to check all of them separately. Students are responsible for checking their attendance on the Moodle course sites on a daily basis to make sure it is correct. If there is an attendance discrepancy in Moodle, the student should contact the SPC within three days of the discrepancy date to have it corrected. Later claims will not be considered. CIEE Academic Honesty Statement Presenting work of another person as one s own, failure to acknowledge all sources used, using unauthorized assistance on exams, submitting the same paper in two classes, or submitting work one has already received credit for at another institution in order to fulfill CIEE course requirements is not tolerated. The penalty ranges from failure on the assignment to dismissal from the program. The Academic Director should be consulted and involved in decision making in every case of a possible violation of academic honesty. 3
Weekly Schedule Day 1 Theme: What are Humanistic, Existential and Phenomenological Psychologies? (1: Chaos Theory and Humanistic Psychology; The Third Revolution and the Third Day 2 Theme: Where do Humanistic, Existential and Phenomenological Psychologies come from? Philosophical, literary and historical roots (2: Kierkegaard and Nietzsche in Palmer, D.: Looking at Philosophy.) Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Theme: Phenomenology and Phenomenological Psychology, understanding and acceptance of subjectivity, inter-subjectivity, power of empathy (3: Phenomenology in Palmer, D.: Looking at Philosophy.) Theme: Modern Existentialism (4: J-P. Sartre in Palmer, D.: Looking at Philosophy.) Theme: Existential Psychology, Ontology, Dasein, consciousness as awareness of self and the world Required readings: (5: Boeree, G.: Existential psychology, protagonists and theories) Theme: Humanistic Psychology (6: Boeree, G.: Humanistic psychology, protagonists and theories) Outclass: visit to Memorial to heroes of Heydrich terror. Theme: revision and preparation for mid-term test Midterm test (7: Gordon, K.: The Impermanence Of Being: Toward A Psychology of Uncertainty) Theme: Ultimate concerns or limit-situations, Fear of Death (8: Yalom, I.D: Existential Psychotherapy, Life, Death and Anxiety) Outclass: contemplative walk Theme: Ultimate concerns; Fear of Having to Choose and Bearing Responsibility (Freedom) Required readings: (9: Yalom, I.D.: Existential Psychotherapy, Freedom and Responsibility) (10: Kafka, F. The Penal Colony) Day 10 Theme: Ultimate concerns; Fear of Being Alone (Isolation, I-You Relationship) (11: Yalom, I.D.: Existential Psychotherapy, Existential Isolation) Outclass: in the steps of F. Kafka Day 11 Theme: Ultimate concerns; Fear of Meaninglessness of One s Existence (12: Yalom, I.D.: Existential Psychotherapy) Day 12 Theme: Ultimate concerns; Integration. Required reading: (13: Frankl, V.: Man's Search for Meaning) Students presentations, preparation for final exam Students presentations and Final exam 4
Bibliography Required Readings: All required reading will be available to the students through Canvas site or in a form of paper reader. Particular articles are taken from the following list. Readings in psychology: Boeree, G.: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/ Frankl, E.V.: Man's Search for Meaning. Beacon Press, 2006 Gordon, K.: The Impermanence Of Being: Toward A Psychology Of Uncertainty Journal of Humanistic Psychology 2003 43: 96) Krippner, St.: Chaos Theory and Humanistic Psychology; The Third Revolution and The Third Force. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Summer 1994 vol. 34 no. 3 48-61 May, R.: The Discovery of Being: Writings in Existential Psychology. W.W. Norton, 1983 Schneider, J.K., May, R.: The Psychology of Existence: An Integrative, Clinical Perspective: An Integrative, Clinical Approach. McGraw-Hill, 1995 Yalom, I.D.: Existential Psychotherapy. The Basic Books, NY 1980 Yalom, I.D.: The Yalom Reader. The Basic Books, NY 1998. 5