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Core Coursework
Psychology and Spirituality
Courses in this area explore the intersection between the field of psychology and emerging spiritual perspectives. Factors such as culture, worldview and personal style shape the many ways in which this interaction is understood and experienced. Courses address such essential questions as: What is the relationship between spirituality and religion? What is the self/Self? How are body, soul and spirit related? What are the differences between depth (soul-oriented) and transpersonal psychologies? How are psychological and spiritual development related? How can spiritual approaches contribute to psychotherapeutic healing and how can psychological understanding and work enhance spiritual growth? Sample classes that would meet this core requirement include:
- Introduction to Psychology and Spirituality
- Psycho-spiritual Development and Transformation
Depth Psychology
Depth psychology is a rich field of inquiry grounded in the study of literature, religion, art and mythology. Courses in this area serve to define the historical, cultural and conceptual traditions that shape its identity. Topics include ancient approaches to healing, encounters with the unconscious, the connection between the individual soul and the soul of the world, and soul-making through literature and mythology. Overviews of Jungian, Archetypal and Spiritual Psychology are provided, as well as ideas regarding depth psychology’s future in the new millennium. Sample classes that would meet this core requirement include:
- Introduction to Jungian Psychology
- Depth Psychology: History of the Unconscious
- Seminar in Archetypal Psychology
- Inquiry into the Historical Jung
Transpersonal Psychology
These courses provide an introduction to the field of transpersonal psychology by tracing its spiritual, intellectual and cultural origins into the present. Drawing on the work of Wilber, Grof, Tart, Walsh, Vaughen and others, participants consider the major theories, areas of research and approaches to transpersonal therapy. The implications of transpersonal psychology for personal and cultural transformation also are discussed. These courses have four major themes: transpersonal development and the evolution of consciousness, meditation and spiritual practices, altered states of consciousness and spiritual emergencies. Students also are encouraged to engage in direct exploration of the transpersonal through some form of spiritual practice and creative expression. A sample class that meets this core requirement is Transpersonal Psychology.
Religious Studies: Myth, Symbol and the Sacred
Myth and symbol are the language through which the sacred speaks. Courses in this area provide the necessary background to understand how myth and symbol serve this function. As such, it is an inquiry into the epistemology of religion. The interdisciplinary study of belief systems, rituals, sacred images and symbolic and mytho-poetic meanings illuminate the dynamics that inform and shape the contours of culture. Students work through the patterns of myth to discern similarities across cultures that link the collective unconscious of humankind, as well as the many unique and diverse ways in which human beings interpret their experience through religious mythologies. Sample classes that meet this core requirement include:
- Religious Studies: Myth, Symbol and the Sacred
- The Legacy of Joseph Campbell
Comparative Religion
Classes in this area are designed to allow students to come to a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between faith systems. Students also develop more insight into their own beliefs. An important learning goal is to increase each student’s capacity to engage in thoughtful dialogue across religious traditions. Students may fulfill this requirement by taking a course in world religions, or by taking at least two courses in specific religious traditions. Students are expected to compare and contrast an Eastern religion with a Western religion. Sample classes include:
- World Religions
- Buddhism
- Islam
- Taoism
- Christianity
- Judaism
- Hinduism
- Esoteric Christian Traditions
- Indigenous Traditions
- Ideas of Heaven: Introduction to Religious Studies
Spiritual Practices
Spiritual practices are the means by which students “link back” to the transpersonal forces that shape the contours of the contemporary world and their place in it. Courses in this area emphasize the need for discipline in a variety of practices that engage sensation, imagination and intuition. The development of these "soul capacities" is essential for maintaining a healthy body, an open heart and a disciplined mind. Possibilities include:
- Dreams and the Earth
- Aikido
- Pilgrimage: Walking With Intention
- Ritual Practice and Ceremonial Design
- Open Heart, Clear Mind: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
- Imagination and the Creative Arts
Sample Electives
- Inquiry Into Love, Soul and Spirit
- The DaVinci Code: A Contemporary Grail Quest
- Theories of Personality
- Consciousness, Intuition and Healing
- Developmental Perspectives
- The Spiritual Psychology of the Human Heart
- Spirit in Action
- Spirit in the Workplace
- Philosophy of Religion
- Alchemy and Science: Towards the Re-Imagination of Nature
- An Inquiry Into the Myth of the Holy Grail
- Art, Imagination and the Creative Impulse
Sample Community/Field-based Learning Experiences
- Internship with a youth rites-of-passage program
- Set up a martial arts dojo
- Produce a video with Tent City participants
- Apprentice in a hospice care program or nursing home
Sample Synthesis Projects
- Write an essay on the spiritual foundations of addiction
- Present a series of icons and give a talk on icon, image and transcendence
- Present a workshop on spirituality and social change
- Write a memoir of a recovery from illness and use it to illustrate the relationship between healing and the mind
- Facilitate meditation sessions and write an essay on "Mindfulness East and West"
- Analyze world events from an archetypal perspective
- Exhibit a series of paintings based on dreams
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