Basic Essay Help

Students may find help with essays at essay-on-psychology.com. It helps guide students through basic writing steps, including planning, research, writing and proof-reading. It also includes a list of good sites for material. Your high school and college students may find it useful.

Educating Students

Heather Wilson writes an excellent opinion piece about the spotty education undergraduates receive in the U.S. Too much specialization, and too little reflection on the big picture implications of undergraduates' studies, are contributing to graduates who are "less able to grapple with issues that require them to think across disciplines or reflect on difficult questions about what matters and why". Very worthwhile reading.

Spirituality in Journal of College and Character

The current issue of Journal of College and Character is a special issue on spirituality in college. If you are interested in religion and education, or in religious or spiritual development, check out this issue (Vol. 11, No. 3).

US Supreme Court Ruling on Religion on Campus

The US Supreme Court ruled today on a case regarding religious expression in universities and colleges. The ruling confirms that religious groups may be expected to uphold anti-bias rules, and that it is not an infringement on their religious speech. Read more in Inside Higher Ed.

Religious Differences in Education

The Journal of College and Character may be of interest to people studying psychology and religion. In the current issue are articles such as Addressing Religious Difference in Social Justice Education, which discusses ways that religion might be addressed in your classes.

Pre-Tenure Stress Low at Christian Colleges

Research reported at the American Educational Research Association found that faculty working toward tenure were less stressed at Christian colleges than were faculty at other colleges.

On the Need for Religious Education

Illustrating the need for greater religious education and awareness, an airplane made emergency landing when a Jewish teenager put on tefillin in order to say his prayers. When the crew asked him what he was doing, they apparently were dissatisfied with his explanation and ordered the New York to Louisville flight to land in Philadelphia so that they could investigate further. Sigh.

There is an element of truth in comedian Bengt Washburn's observation that "One person doing something weird -- he is just a nut. A group of people doing something weird -- well, that's just a church." (source) Something that is common in one religion and helps bring meaning to its adherents often seems strange to observers outside the faith. In some cases, it even can seem threatening. More religious education and awareness may not solve all of the world's problems, but it seems that at least in one case, it could have helped a plane reach its destination safely.

Religious Bias Behind University President's Ouster?

Allegations of religious bias have been raised in the decision to not renew the contract of University of Central Missouri president Aaron Podolefsky. Among other things, the story involves a combination of small-town politics and apparent concern by some in the community that Podolefsky, who is Jewish, did not display a Christmas tree.

Religion among College Students - NBER Report

The National Bureau of Economic Research has released a new report on religion among college students. Among their findings: students who are religious are more likely to enroll in college than are nonreligious students; that religious students who major in physical & biological sciences are not less likely to attend services, but do rate religion as being slightly less important than do other majors; and that majors in the humanities and social sciences appear to be least religious. You can purchase a copy of the report at the link above, or read more at Inside Higher Ed.

Nietzsche Banned at Temple College

Religious expression in public colleges may be limited at Temple College in Temple, Texas. Limited, that is, to affirmations. At least, that is implication of this report from Inside Higher Ed. A philosophy professor was told to remove from his door a cartoon based on 2 Kings 2:23-24 because it included an expletive, which people might find offensive. That passage of scripture describes the story of Elisha, after being taunted by children for his baldness, cursing the children, who are then devoured by two bears. The professor, thinking that the offending element of the cartoon was the expletive, replaced it with a quote from Nietzsche, God is dead, in the original German. The professor was told to remove that quote as well, as students found it offensive. Read the article for more details, including statements from students who assert that pro-religion quotes are treated differently at the college.

I don't know about you, but I find the intersection of private belief and public institution to be a fascinating place to stand and observe people as they walk by.

Openness in the Psychology of Religion

The psychology of religion is one of those subjects that attracts a wide range of students. Some are simply curious about religion and its role in people's lives. They are the easy ones to teach. Others appear to have made up their minds already. They may be believers in the views that they were raised with, either religious or not, or they may have taken a different path and are convinced of its truthfulness in their lives. In either case, those are some of the more challenging students.

Why? Because in order to learn, we must be willing to admit that we don't already have all of the answers. It sounds simple, and it might even be obvious, but it often represents the biggest challenge in teaching the course.

Eleven years ago, when Heaven's Gate dominated the headlines, I made a mirror of their website so that it wouldn't vanish. The site has proven useful for my students, allowing them to learn about the group first-hand. I also happened upon a few videos of the group. In my class last week I showed a segment from one of those videos, an interview with a of the Heavens Gate group member describing his beliefs. From the interview you get a sense of his sincerity and the comfort he finds from his beliefs.

The video led to a good discussion of people who join new religious movements. Seeing the video made it much easier for students to understand that people who join a NRM are typically sincere people who are finding in the group something of value. In some classes this is a challenge because a few vocal students, either religious or anti-religious, make education difficult for everyone. I was reminded of that as I discussed with my class the Heavens Gate group member. If education involves learning new things, it has to start with being open to differences, and perhaps none of those differences are as challenging as those that deal with our own answers to existential questions. Still, if we do find a way to remain open to someone else's view, and at least try to understand how other people might reach answers quite different from our own, education can really happen.

Of course, I'm endorsing neither the Heaven's Gate beliefs, nor their actions. But if we wish to understand people and their religions, we must realize that our own concepts of existence, life and meaning are not shared by others. We gain insight on the human condition when we exchange those ideas, and we listen to what others value.

"Rate My Professor" Ratings Correlate with Formal Ratings

This item does not address the psychology of religion, but will be of interest to you if you teach or take courses at a university. There is growing evidence (pdf file) that ratings provided at Rate My Professor show a substantial correlation with formal, in-class student ratings. A new article in Inside Higher Ed gives a good summary of the research, and provides the usual disclaimes (e.g., ratings of teaching effectiveness should not be based solely on student perceptions or satisfaction, etc.). If you teach college courses, you'll want to read this.

Secularism on College Campuses

Inside Higher Ed has a discussion on the role of religion and secularism on college campuses. The article describes an ongoing study of how secularism has affected four liberal arts colleges when it comes to discussing "life's big questions." The qualitative research suggests that as a college promotes a secular vision, questions of existence become relegated to philosophy, religion and sometimes psychology courses. Read more here.

UCSIA Summer School

Universitair Centrum Sint Ignatius Antwerpen announces its special summer school on religion, culture and society. The focus of this year's summer school will be political multiculturalism. It will be in Antwerp August 31 - September 7. Applications must be received by April 20. Current PhD students and postdocs are especially encouraged to apply.

Ranking Churches and Universities

Here in the U.S. we have a yearly ritual. Using such criteria as prestige and faculty productivity, US News & World Report ranks the country's colleges and universities. Shortly thereafter, critics point out the flaws in such rankings, while parents of children about to graduate from high school scoop up the issue of the magazine with the rankings. It is as predictable as Tuesday following Monday.

One reason that the critics decry the rankings is that they do carry weight. The general public, the media, legislators and others scan the magazine to see where their favored schools fall in the rankings. Time and again, university presidents and administrators who just a few years earlier criticized the rankings, point with pride to the fact that their school gained standing and they claim that it was through their hard work that the quality of education has improved. It happens as dependably as sunrise and sunset.

Charlie Clark has written one of the most entertaining commentaries I have ever read on this ritual, published at Inside Higher Ed. He imagines what he would write as the editor of US News defending the practice applied to another nonprofit institution: churches. The result is excellent, and perfect reading for a Friday afternoon at the end of the semester. Enjoy!

Science, Religion, Education

NOVA, the award-winning program on public television, is broadcasting Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial Tuesday, Nov. 13th at 8:00 p.m. The program examines the intelligent design / evolution controversy in the context of the Dover, Pennsylvania, School Board's decision to mandate a disclaimer be read before every class period involving evolution; the disclaimer stated that "gaps [and] problems" exist in evolution. Science teachers and some townspeople objected, and the case went to court. The trial caught national attention. In the end, Judge Jones ruled that intelligent design "cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents." The school board was ordered to pay $1 million in legal fees and damages.

If you are at all interested in science, religion, or education, this sounds like a "must-see" program.