Special Topics in Social Psychology: Psychology and Religion

The seminar seeks a balanced perspective between religion considered “from the inside out” and “from the outside in.” Several key distinctions will be studied, including religion/spirituality and belief/faith. Other topics include religious morality, obedience, prayer, and ritual. We will attend to Asian as well as Abrahamic traditions; we don’t presume there is a unitary psychology of religion. Underlying the course, however, are two strong presumptions: that consciousness is embodied and that the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens has shaped our consciousness and sense of self.