About the course
DIAK/VID University College
Course code: |
SYK2116 |
Language: |
English |
ECTS: |
5 |
Possibility for exchange/mobility : |
Yes |
Compulsory: |
No |
Available as a single course: |
Yes |
Practical training: |
No |
Requirement for previous knowledge : |
University admission certification |
Level: |
Bachelor |
The course is internet based, and includes five consecutive learning sessions or lectures in the Fronter room. All the learning sessions are based on a holistic view of the human being. This view implies that all persons, including nurses and social workers, patients and relatives, have existential and spiritual needs, which in turn have consequences for professional practice in the caring professions. The learning process will include working on your consciousness regarding your own existential and spiritual strategies. It will further train your respect and empathy to the spiritual needs of people, and give you insight into the meaning of spiritual, religious and cultural contexts people are part of.
Contents
- Introduction and overview of the course, the basic assumptions it rests on, and what needs it intends to meet in the education of professional practitioners
- Introduction to patterns of religion, spirituality and worldview, based on empirical studies and mappings from e g sociology of religion. The introduction will be comparative among some relevant cultures, and presented with the aim of providing a background for doing spiritual care
- What is characteristic of existential and spiritual issues? Analysis based on philosophical, psychological and pastoral care perspectives – crises and vulnerable life situations
- Existential self-awareness in the professional practitioner, as a basis for spiritual care
- Methods in spiritual care. Evidence-based tradition applying operational assessment tools; humanistic tradition promoting existential themes like self-worth, hope, meaning etc. Focus on cross-professional cooperation, and the utilization of supervision in spiritual care practices
Learning outcome
- Have knowledge about the worldview patterns in cultures relevant to the students
- Have knowledge about the meaning and importance of existential and spiritual issues in relation to coping and quality of life
- Have insight into own existential and spiritual history and strategies for dealing with own spiritual and existential challenges, and have knowledge about how it influences communication with clients/patients
- Be able to identify existential issues in communication
- Have skills in communication with persons about spiritual, existential and religious issues with an attitude of listening, respect and cooperation
Learning activities
- Four internet-based sessions with presentation of relevant instruction and discussion in text, pictures and film. Each internet- based session has an assignment to match.
- Self- study of literature from the reading list (and outside).
- Role play or documentation of counseling situation on a spiritual /existential topic
- Dependent on student numbers and progression, there will be organized student-student and students-teacher interactivity.
Form of assessments
The assignments consist of four papers on the subject.
Code |
Requirement for passing the course
Compulsory assignments
|
Grade |
SYK2116-O1 |
Group assignment 1 - Patterns of religion, spirituality and worldview
|
Approved / not approved |
SYK2116-O2 |
Group assignment 2 - Identify existential and spiritual challenges |
Approved / not approved |
SYK2116-O3 |
Individual assignment 3 - Existential selfawareness |
Approved / not approved |
SYK2116-O4 |
Group assignment 4 - Methods in spiritual care |
Approved / not approved |
|
|
All compulsory activities are assessed to approved/ not approved, and must be approved in order to pass the course. |
Assessments
The assignments consist of four papers on the subject and one seminar. All four assignments will be assessed to approved / not approved.
Assignment 1 - Patterns of religion, spirituality and worldview
A paper that assesses the spiritual and religious development in the last decades on the context of a selected country based on statistical and qualitative material. (800 - 1500 words)
Assignment 2 - Identify existential and spiritual challenges
A paper that analyze a film and identify existential and spiritual challenges to the characters in the film. The analyses have to be based the course literature and Yalom’s texts. (800 - 1500 words)
Assignment 3 - Existential self-awareness
A paper on the students’ own spiritual history, thoughts about spiritual issues and strategies for dealing with own spiritual and existential challenges. (800 - 1500 words)
Assignment 4 - Methods in spiritual care
- Presentation on a seminar: An role play about a spiritual / existential topic. (5-15 minutes) and an oral presentation of the written presentation.
- A written presentation where the dialogue is discussed in a theoretical reflection (800 - 1500 words).
It is possible to do the assignments in a Scandinavian language. All four assignments have to be assessed as approved to pass the subject.