2011 Tehran Congress on Psychology, Religion & Culture

The deadline has been extended for the 2011 International Congress on Psychology, Religion & Culture in Tehran. There is more information at this link. The meeting will be held May 14-16, 2011. I have not had the pleasure of attending, but have heard high compliments from two people who have. If you are considering it, please contact Dr. Shiva Khalili at shivakhalili /at/ yahoo.com
(Substitute the @ symbol in place of /at/)

Neurotheology on NPR

National Public Radio interviewed Andrew Newberg at length about his work on brain imaging when people meditate. Listen to the interview here.

Forgiveness Resource

Ken Pope has this useful resource for people interested in forgiveness. The primary focus is on books, articles and other sources that may be useful for therapeutic and counseling settings.

Psychology, Culture and Brian David Mitchell

Brian David Mitchell kidnapped 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom while she slept in June, 2002. Nine months later Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, were arrested and Smart was recovered. On Friday Mitchell was convicted in federal court on kidnapping and sex charges after the jury heard days of testimony from various experts, and a dramatic, heart-wrenching account from Smart herself about the ordeal.

The crime has many layers to interest psychologists of religion, with claims of mental illness, religious delusions in a highly religious culture interwoven with a horrible crime. Today I participated in KUER Radio's program on the cultural elements in the case. You can listen to the program on RadioWest. It was my first live interview, as you can probably tell. Still, I hope I added some light to the subject.

Evolution in Hiring Decision

Astronomer Martin Gaskell applied for a faculty position at University of Kentucky in 2007, and was apparently a leading candidate for the job. That all changed, however, when the search committee began to question him about evolution. When he didn't get the job, he sued the university; the case is now headed to court. Read more in this story from The Courier-Journal.

Syllabi from Jim Nelson

Jim Nelson has added three course syllabi to the collection posted on my site. He has taught general undergraduate, honors undergraduate, and graduate counseling students at Valparaiso University.

I've added my most recent syllabus, too.