Church and Ministry. Pastoral Care and Counseling
PC501. Introduction to Pastoral Care
Fall and spring. Credit, three hours. (Ellison, Hansen, Lartey)
Introduction to caregiving dimensions of ministry through theological and psychosocial analysis of personal, family, and congregational need, and on principles and methods of care in response to them. May be a prerequisite for other pastoral care courses.
PC502. Pastoral Care in Congregation and Community
Credit, three hours. (Faculty)
This course approaches pastoral care as an ecclesial practice. The specific context of care is the congregation. Students will be introduced to the literature, theory and practices of pastoral care as a part of the church’s redemptive ministry, as well as basic practices of pastoral care as dimensions of congregational ministry.
PC610. Crisis Ministry
Credit, three hours. Prerequisite: PC501 or permission of instructor. (Faculty)
Psychological, social, pastoral, and theological dimensions of crisis, death, loss, grief and bereavement, and hope will be explored. Attention is given to both individual and communal forms of crisis, trauma, and loss, as well as the cultural and social contexts in which these events occur. Strategies for pastoral care in specific situations of crises will be developed in light of pastoral theological reflection.
PC612. Spirituality and Health
Credit, three hours. (Little)
This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of the intersection of spirituality and health whereby one is invited to contemplate and define health and spirituality from one’s own context and ways of being. The class will also examine the praxis of spirituality and will serve as an entry point to the in depth study of religions through the lens of salvation as wholeness and health.
PC615. Theological Dimensions of Pastoral Care
Credit, three hours. May require PC501 as a prerequisite depending on the topic. (Faculty)
Topics in the theological interpretation and critique of psychologies and methods employed in pastoral care and counseling, theological perspectives on selected pastoral problems, and the nature of pastoral theology as a theological discipline in ministry. (PC615CEE when offered as a Contextual Education elective)
PC628. Caring with Marginalized Populations
Credit, three hours. (Ellison)
This course garners “expert” wisdom from scholars with distinct disciplinary perspectives who have variously considered the nature and power of human hope and the potential threats to hope faced by marginalized populations and the caregivers who seek to aid them. Young African American men will serve as the primary lens to investigate the problem of threatened hope, muteness, and invisibility. However, care for other unacknowledged groups including, but not limited to the imprisoned, the homeless, and the elderly will be discussed. (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and/or Global Contexts)
PC630. Pastoral Care of Adolescents
Credit, three hours. (Ellison)
This seminar mines theoretical, clinical, and literary resources to examine and care for the interior lives and embodied selves of adolescents in church and community. Consideration is given to the adolescent self in various cultural and socioeconomic contexts to heighten student awareness and responsiveness to adolescent crises and needs in diverse situations. Case studies derived from young adult literature, music, and film will be incorporated throughout. (PC630CEE when offered as a Contextual Education elective)
PC635. Trauma, Theology, and Pastoral Care
Credit, three hours. (Hansen) (Same as CHP635.) (Prerequisite: PC501, PC501CE, PC 502, or equivalent)
The goal of this course is to gives students knowledge and practical skills to support them in working with individuals and communities of faith in the aftermath of trauma. The course integrates the work of social scientists who write about trauma with the scholarship of theologians and with the narratives of individuals who have personally experienced or born witness to traumatic events. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to think about the challenges trauma poses to faith leaders in various contexts.
PC640. Pastoral Care of Women: International Perspectives
Credit, three hours. Prerequisite: PC501 or permission of instructor. (Faculty)
This course examines the impact of issues facing women in both church and society, such as women’s development, sexual and physical abuse, self-esteem, aging, and gender roles on the practice of pastoral care and counseling. The primary theoretical resources for this course are feminist and womanist pastoral theologies and theories of care. (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and/or Global Contexts)
PC645. Spiritual Care in African Religious Traditions
Credit, three hours. (Lartey) (Same as WR645.)
The course will examine how spiritual care is conceptualized and practiced in various African religious traditions including African-derived religions in South and Central America, the Caribbean and in North America. We will spend the first part of the course gaining theoretical grounding in African religious thought and philosophy. The second part focuses on African traditional medicine, divination, rituals and practices of care. We will examine African healing systems, concepts of disease, traditional concepts of mental health, traditional beliefs and interpretations of various illnesses as well as traditional healing and practices of medical and spiritual care. We will also explore some of the myths surrounding traditional healing in Africa. In the final part of the course African American and other African diasporan folk traditional understandings and practices of healing and spiritual care in the Americas and the Caribbean will be explored. (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and/or Global Contexts)
PC650. International Perspectives on Pastoral Care
Credit, three hours. (Lartey)
This course enables participants to examine pastoral care practices in different cultural and regional contexts. Key questions consider what can be learned for pastoral care and ministry in particular contexts through the exploration of practices in different places. By means of detailed explorations of case studies, students engage in social, socioeconomic, cultural, and pastoral analysis of contextual issues in pastoral care practice and ministry. The course builds students’ skills in empathy, interpathy, social and cultural analysis, and theological reflection with a view to strengthening the practice of intercultural pastoral care. (PC650CEE when offered as a Contextual Education elective) (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and/or Global Contexts)
PC655. Care of Souls, Care of World
Credit, three hours. (Ellison)
Scholars. Activists. Ministers. Ideally these roles are complementary, yet seldom is that the case. When these leaders gather for collaborative exchange, the perils of paternalism, territorialism, and fear must be overcome. Lacking a framework to circumvent stalemates, they may succumb to the temptation of retreating to familiar theories, practices, and dogmas. These conversational impasses leave churches and communities devoid of leadership that integrates intellect, faith, and prophetic service. How might the wisdom of notable social movements, religious visionaries, and mystical traditions inform leaders to live undivided lives, forge unlikely partnerships, and catalyze sustainable change? Using a full-sensory pedagogy and drawing upon the wisdom of master practitioners, this course examines the life and work of 20th- and 21st-century faith leaders who defy the reductionist categories of scholar, activist, and minister by equally valuing the epistemic quality of theory, community engagement, and “faith-full” practice. The historical and global perspectives of these leaders offer invaluable frameworks for vocational discernment, care of souls, and care of world. (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and/or Global Contexts)
PC657. Interreligious Spiritual Care
Credit, three hours. (Lartey) (Same as WR657)
This course explores the nature of spiritual care as conceived of and practiced in, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, and African religious cultures. Students shall examine how inter-religious interaction may be engaged in service of spiritual care across religious traditions. Additionally, the course aims to explore what different faith traditions may learn from each other regarding spiritual care.
PC660. Reading Lives: Narrative and Pastoral Care
Credit, three hours. (Goodman) (Same as RP660.)
This course is designed to: (1) Introduce students to narrative psychology, narrative identity, and the role of “redemptive narratives” in adults' lives; (2) Apply narrative personality theory to the construction of identity in autobiography and memoir and identify the presence, absence, and form of redemptive themes; (3) Examine particular dimensions of narrative identity construction including gender, racial, sexual, and religious identity; (4) Examine the construction of one’s own narrative and the presence or absence of redemptive themes through reading and writing spiritual memoir/autobiography; and (5) Consider the relationship between our own redemptive narratives and those within Christianity.
PC698. Special Topics in Pastoral Care
Credit, variable. (Faculty)
Special topic or one-time offering courses led by Candler regular and visiting faculty. Prerequisites may be required and are noted on the course schedule when applicable.
