Exploration of the relationship between psychological science and Christian faith. Topics include philosophical foundations and models of conceptualizing the relationship between the disciplines. (Crosslisted with MSPS 521)

One’s view of the relationship between psychology and the Christian faith will guide one’s practice of psychology, both professionally and personally. For the student to be an informed Christian practitioner of psychology in its varied forms, he or she should be able to articulate a coherent view of the relationship between psychology and Christianity. This course will help the student to develop and articulate a model of the relationship between his or her faith and the discipline of psychology.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview. 

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 3 Discussions in this course. The student will post one thread of at least 500 words and post 1 reply of at least 300 words. For each thread and reply, students must support their assertions with scholarly citations in current APA format. Acceptable sources include the textbooks, the Bible, scholarly journal articles, etc.

Reflection Assignment

The student will write a double-spaced reflection paper of at least 2 pages on how he or she currently understands the relationship between Christianity and psychological science and what they want to learn from this course.

Research Paper: Annotated Bibliography Assignment

The student will research a topic of their choice related to integration and complete an annotated bibliography with at least 10 scholarly journal articles listed. This assignment will form the basis of the final research paper.  

Research Paper: Final Paper Assignment

The student will write an Research Paper including at least 8 pages of text (plus title page, abstract, and reference page) in current APA format that focuses on his or her previously selected topic used for the annotated bibliography. The student should write a paper that synthesizes the information found on the topic of their choice and describe how it ties into the integration of Psychology and Christianity. Style and formatting guidelines must follow APA guidelines for a scholarly paper (professional standards).

Integration Presentation Assignment

The student will create a PowerPoint (or Prezi) presentation that could be used to educate professionals both in academia and in the Church with a comprehensive review of views and approaches to the integration of Christianity and Psychology. The presentation should include a title slide, at least 15 slides of “body” along with a title slide and a slide(s) for references. Citations and references in current APA format are required. These presentations will be submitted to the instructor for grading purposes, as well as posted as a discussion thread for peer-review purposes.

Quizzes (2)

Each quiz will cover assigned readings regarding only the Entwistle and Johnson texts and is open-book/open-notes, containing short answer and essay questions. Each quiz will have a 3-hour time limit.