Exploration of the purpose of empirical research with a review of the philosophies of empiricism and rationalism in comparison to the biblical worldview. How a biblical worldview is compatible with empirical research in psychology and the exploration of truth is examined.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

The purpose of this course is to introduce how psychological science and a biblical worldview can be used effectively in the pursuit for truth. This course will set a foundation for students’ studies in psychology by exploring our foundations for truth and how we come to believe things to be true, as well as providing a good foundation in biblical worldview and how to apply it to research in psychology.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

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 (5)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. In each Discussion, the student is expected to provide one main thread that answers the question provided and two replies to classmates’ posts. Main threads must be at least 500 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. Each reply must be 250 words. 

Thinking Deeper Assignments (4)

Throughout the course, the student will be asked to think deeper about some concept being presented. These Thinking Deeper assignments are designed to prompt the student to go deeper than the text or presentations have presented. Each of these assignments must be 5-7 pages and be written in APA format. 

Final Paper Assignment

The capstone project of this course is a 20-25 page paper that describes the student’s view of the relationship between psychological science and a biblical worldview. Using the examples that the student has seen in Johnson’s (2010) text, the student will write his/her viewpoint of this relationship and how it will affect how the student does research in the specific research area.