"Religion and
Psychology:
'Does Gender Matter?'"
This course will use gender as a critical lens to explore the
intersection of psychology and religion both of which use memory,
meaning, and hope in the construction and understanding of the human
person. We will ask whether and how gender matters particularly in
questions relating to God, freedom, love (sexuality), personal and social
responsibility. We begin with classic texts that set the terms of the
conversation between religion and psychology (William James, Sigmund
Freud, and Carl Jung); we will study feminist critiques and constructive
contributions (including Naomi Goldenberg, Luce Irigaray,
Mary Daly, Audre Lorde, Gloria Anzaldua, and others). We will explore 2
or 3 current
issues to be determined by the class (e.g., addiction, anorexia,
political and liberation movements, new age spirituality). We will
conclude by examining how the experiences of women and men still often
considered as "other" continue to transform our understanding of
conversion and the commitments of psychology and religion. The course
requires active class participation, discussion
and presentation of readings, three (3) short papers, the issues
project, and a final paper.
