IDOCS 06/07-1
At the October 5, 2006 faculty meeting, IDOCS will move the approval of Psychology TIME as the Field Supervised course for the Fall 2007 Term in the Middle East. Chuck Huff, Instructor.
Course: Psych TIME 257 Culture and Morality: Middle East Perspectives
Catalogue description:
An overview of the psychological underpinnings of morality in cross-cultural perspective. Students will read current research in cross-cultural and moral psychology, and classical statements of moral obligation from philosophical and theological traditions. We will encounter moral claims and actions in planned experiences in the Middle East and also by reading moral argumentation from these cultures. We will use our understanding of moral psychology to analyze the content and structure of these claims.
GE Credit: EIN (to be proposed - not yet approved)
Other Credit: to be proposed
This course is the Field Supervisor’s contribution to the academic content of the Term in Middle East for 2007-008, and represents a blend of cultural psychology, moral psychology, psychology of religion, philosophy, and theology. Emerging theory in moral psychology suggests that there are at least four dimensions of moral reasoning: sacredness, care, justice, and self-interest, and that the emphasis on these vary from culture to culture. Drawing from this scholarship, students will compare modes of moral reasoning in Morocco, Egypt and Turkey. In doing so, they will gain an understanding of the Islamic roots of moral reasoning in these countries while at the same time learn about the diversity of moral ideas and values within the Islamic world. They will also have the opportunity to test whether these four dimensions are in fact adequate to explain moral reasoning in real life, across several different cultures. Course activities will include discussions with individuals about social issues, interviews with charitable workers connected to possible service projects, and the analysis of local English-language newspapers, newsletters, flyers and local websites.
