Course Syllabus

Religion and PsychologySyllabus

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Contact Dr. Edelmann

Jonathan Edelmann

Jonathan Edelmann, PhD

Teacher

jonathanedelmann@ufl.edu

352.273.2932

Department of Religion, Anderson Hall, Room 106

Office Hours M,W 9:00-11:30 am

My research is on Asian religion and philosophy, and on the intersection of Religion and Science. My interest began with undergraduate with courses on Buddhism, Hinduism and the philosophy and the history of science, and with graduate courses on evolution and religion, the Sanskrit language and Indian philosophy. Since then I have been fascinated by the relationships between science, religion and philosophy. This course examines authors and issues on topics related to psychology.

Please contact me if you have any concerns, questions, or suggestions for improvement. I am here to support your progress as best I can.

TAs

n/a

Course Description and Objectives

Religion and Psychology: Covers history of philosophy and religion on psychological theories of consciousness, intelligence, cognition, as well as the mind’s role in the construction of knowledge, ignorance and morality, and it facilitates students in articulating their psychological models to explain human experience, belief, and well-being.

Humanities (H) courses provide instruction in the history, key themes, principles, terminology, and theory or methodologies used within a humanities discipline or the humanities in general. Students will learn to identify and to analyze the key elements, biases and influences that shape thought. These courses emphasize clear and effective analysis and approach issues and problems from multiple perspectives.

Class Meetings

M,W,F 11:45-12:35 PM, Matherly Hall Room 4

Required and Recommended Texts

All required texts are provided within the course website.

Recommended:

  • Elements of Style, W Strunk and E.B. White, 1999
  • Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives, John H Brooke, 1991
  • Hindu Theology and Biology, Jonathan B Edelmann, 2012

Materials and Supplies Fees: n/a.

All students will need access to a computer, the internet, and the university network to complete this course. Basic knowledge of word processing is also required.

Course Requirements

All required course material is within the Modules. See Your Assignments for a description of all required assignments, and see Assignments the due dates and submission guidelines.

General Education Writing Assessment Rubric

Information on University of Florida’s Writing Studio is here: https://writing.ufl.edu/

 

SATISFACTORY (Y)

UNSATISFACTORY (N)

CONTENT

Papers exhibit at least some evidence of ideas that respond to the topic with complexity, critically evaluating and synthesizing sources, and provide at least an adequate discussion with basic understanding of sources.

Papers either include a central idea(s) that is unclear or off-topic or provide only minimal or inadequate discussion of ideas. Papers may also lack sufficient or appropriate sources.

ORGANIZATION AND COHERENCE

Documents and paragraphs exhibit at least some identifiable structure for topics, including a clear thesis statement but may require readers to work to follow progression of ideas.

Documents and paragraphs lack clearly identifiable organization, may lack any coherent sense of logic in associating and organizing ideas, and may also lack transitions and coherence to guide the reader.

ARGUMENT AND SUPPORT

Documents use persuasive and confident presentation of ideas, strongly supported with evidence. At the weak end of the Satisfactory range, documents may provide only generalized discussion of ideas or may provide adequate discussion but rely on weak support for arguments.

Documents make only weak generalizations, providing little or no support, as in summaries or narratives that fail to provide critical analysis.

STYLE

Documents use a writing style with word choice appropriate to the context, genre, and discipline. Sentences should display complexity and logical sentence structure. At a minimum, documents will display a less precise use of vocabulary and an uneven use of sentence structure or a writing style that occasionally veers away from word choice or tone appropriate to the context, genre, and discipline.

Documents rely on word usage that is inappropriate for the context, genre, or discipline. Sentences may be overly long or short with awkward construction. Documents may also use words incorrectly.

MECHANICS

Papers will feature correct or error-free presentation of ideas. At the weak end of the Satisfactory range, papers may contain some spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors that remain unobtrusive so they do not muddy the paper’s argument or points.

Papers contain so many mechanical or grammatical errors that they impede the reader’s understanding or severely undermine the writer’s credibility.
  • The Writing Requirement (WR) ensures students both maintain their fluency in writing and use writing as a tool to facilitate learning.
  • The instructor will evaluate and provide feedback, on all of the student's written assignments with respect to grammar, punctuation, clarity, coherence, and organization.
  • WR Course grades have two components. To receive writing requirement credit, a student must receive a grade of C or higher and a satisfactory completion of the writing component of the course."

Weekly Schedule

Week 1 - Introduction to Course

Week 2 - Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

Week 3 - William James (1842-1910)

Week 4 - Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Week 5 - Karl Jung (1875-1961)

Week 6 - Ninian Smart (1927-2001)

Week 7 - Midterm Examination, Experiential Learning

Week 8 - Paper One

Week 9 - Psychology in Religious Studies

Week 10 - Evolutionary Psychology

Week 11 - Religious Experience

Week 12 - Intelligence and Cognition

Week 13 - Gender and Sexuality

Week 14 - Final Examination, Experiential Learning

Week 15 - Paper Two

 

Grade Scale

Each is worth 25% of the grade:

1. Topic: a clearly defined issue or question
2. Thesis: an argument about the topic, consisting in one or both of (i) analytic description of
what the text says, and (ii) connection of your own opinion in the form of an argument to
the text
3. Citation: references in which your topic and your thesis are engaged, generally provided
by the teacher or obtained via university libraries
4. Structure: an organized written presentation of your topic and your thesis examined by the references in a logical manner

 

For information on how UF assigns grade points, visit: https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/grades-grading-policies/ (Links to an external site.)

A

94 – 100% of possible points

 

C

74 – 76%

A-

90 – 93%

 

C-

70 – 73%

B+

87 – 89%

 

D+

67 – 69%

B

84 – 86%

 

D

64 – 66%

B-

80 – 83%

 

D-

60 – 63%

C+

77 – 79%

 

E

<60

Course Policies

REL4400, PSY4930, Religion and Psychology, Intermediate, 

Course Textbook(s) and/or Other Assigned Reading

1. Course Textbook: The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach (Fifth Edition) by Ralph W. Hood, Jr., Peter C. Hill, and Bernard Spilka, Guildford Press, 2018. Required.

2. Other Assigned Readings: Readings, videos, and handouts provided by instructor on Canvas. Required.

The official source of rules and regulations for UF students is the Undergraduate Catalog (Links to an external site.) and Graduate Catalog (Links to an external site.). Quick links to other information have also been provided below.

Additionally,

  • Academic honesty is important to the learning process.
  • Please learn about citing your written work at a website like this (Links to an external site.) or feel free to ask me about any questions  you have.
  • Try to learn about the process of academic writing from the assigned Readings and take time to reflect in an open manner with the views of your peers.

Please Note:

Our class sessions may be audio-visually recorded for students in the class to refer back and for enrolled students who are unable to attend live. Students who participate with their camera engaged or utilize a profile image are agreeing to have their video or image recorded.  If you are unwilling to consent to have your profile or video image recorded, be sure to keep your camera off and do not use a profile image. Likewise, students who un-mute during class and participate orally are agreeing to have their voice recorded.  If you are not willing to consent to have your voice recorded during class, you will need to keep your mute button activated and communicate exclusively using the "chat" feature, which allows students to type questions and comments live. The chat will not be recorded or shared. As in all courses, unauthorized recording and unauthorized sharing of recorded materials by students or any other party is prohibited.

Students  are  allowed  to  record  video  or  audio  of  class  lectures.  However,  the  purposes for  which  these  recordings  may  be  used  are  strictly  controlled.   The  only  allowable purposes  are  (1)  for  personal  educational  use,  (2)  in  connection  with  a  complaint  to  the university,  or  (3)  as  evidence  in,  or  in  preparation  for,  a  criminal  or  civil  proceeding.   All other  purposes  are  prohibited.   Specifically,  students  may  not  publish  recorded  lectures without  the  written  consent  of  the  instructor.

Contact and Feedback

The humanistic study engages an open, civil, safe, and brave space wherein ideas are exchanged freely among students and faculty. I encourage this kind of discussion and we can learn from one another about this as the course progresses. I have talked to students about civil discourse here.

  • I expect students to be on-time for stated meetings and to submit work on time.
  • I look forward to learning about your intellectual interests and goals!

You can provide feedback on this course through the following channels:

  • UF Faculty Evaluations that will be available near the conclusion of the semester
  • Informal feedback
  • Talk to your advisor

Counseling Resources

Students experiencing either health or personal problems that interfere with their general well-being are encouraged to seek assistance through the university’s health care and counseling centers. Resources are also available on campus for students who wish to explore their career options.

You can also check out the UF Resources page for the many university resources, services, and support that are available to you.

 Image Credit

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