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Course Objectives & Texts
Overview. One distinctive feature of Houghton College is that it attempts to provide a Christian perspective on the arts and sciences. The purpose of this course is to make explicit some fundamental assumptions and perspectives which underlie the psychology curriculum. We will examine key issues surrounding integration, the move to some history of the faith and science issues, philosophy of science issues, world view and epistemology, Biblical anthropology, review in depth four views of integration, and complete the course examining where we go from here. Although this course does not claim to be fully comprehensive, it should enable students to identify the issues more clearly and provide them with a better response to others who seek answers to these questions.
Although I have identified a "flow" to the semester using the categories above, you should know that there are continuing themes which transcend these categories. That is, readings within one category frequently address issues in other categories. They are not pure and discrete topics. Books are not usually limited to narrow issues. Reading a whole book at once poses practical problems of introducing material which I would not normally care to do at that time because of a flow of ideas I want to maintain, but it is sometimes better than hop-scotching around and reading a book in a chopped up fashion. But I have had to compromise: we will read most of Johnson and Jones at one time, but VanLeeuwen's few chapters (a book on lone to you) in pieces and even out of order as presented in her book. We will read David Entwistle's book chapter by chapter throughout the course, using it as the backbone of the course structure. Therefore, be alert for the broad themes in this course and try to fit them together into a Gestalt by the end so you have a reasonable understanding of the contemporary issues in integration.
Objectives. My objectives are to
1. challenge students to consider what it means to think Christianly as a general practice and, specifically, in the discipline of psychology.
2. introduce students to the Zeitgeist of evangelical thinking regarding psychology and Christian faith.
3. introduce students to concepts in relating faith and learning.
4. aid students in critical understanding, verbal articulation, and written communication of basic issues, problems, and complexities in personal faith/psychology integration.
5. encourage students to form a beginning perspective of integration, both theoretically and personally.
Texts and other readings:
Entwistle, D. N. (2003). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity. Manuscript duplicated by permission. [ENT]
Johnson, E.L., & Jones, S.L. (eds). (2000). Psychology and Christianity: Four views. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity. [J&J]
Van Leeuwen, M. S. (1985). The person in psychology: A contemporary Christian appraisal. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. [MSV] (on loan to you for the semester)
There are articles in the syllabus (or given as handouts) linked to the topics we will discuss.