Socially engaged spirituality in its contemporary and traditional forms represents a different approach in which spiritual qualities are developed in the context of involvement in family, work, community, society, and politics. This course develops the psychology of race and racism in a consistently psychosocial frame of reference. There are many ongoing controversies over the ways of conceptualizing and dealing with race and racism, and the course readings are designed to keep the student abreast of current debates. The course examines the identity of knowledge and power as expressed in the media, psychotherapy, medicine, education, prisons and language. Readings will include both theoretical and empirical research from the work of Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, Linda Alcoff, Donna Harraway, bell hooks and many others.
Students get to work in a field setting appropriate to their professional learning.
Students obtain supervised experience in indirect service tasks such as system planning, organizational consultation, community and human service program development, conflict mediation, health education, grassroots organizing, or social policy planning.