840:
334 HEALING: SACRED AND SECULAR
Fall 2002
Dr. James W. Jones
Office: Loree 132
Office Hours: M
11:00-1200, W
Ph.: 732-932-9623
[Please use this phone number and not email to contact
Dr. Jones]
Purpose.
This course will cover the latest research on the relationship between religion
and health and will explore how different concepts of health and healing
develop from different models of human nature.
E. Sternberg, The
Balance Within
L. Dossey, Healing Words
M. McGuire, Ritual Healing in Suburban
A packet of required articles is also available
at New Jersey Books
Requirements. Each class period will be devoted to both
lecture and discussion. Students are expected to have done the reading and come
to class prepared with questions and comments for discussion. This is one of
the reasons the class is being kept small. Class participation will be part of
the final grade. There will be three
brief (6-8 pages) essays due, as marked on the syllabus. The topic for the
final essay will be given out the last day of class. No extensions will be given
on any assignments.
Essays. One of the purposes of this course to help students learn to evaluate the research literature on religion and health. The essays will require students to critically evaluate and discuss this research. Each of the three required essays must contain at least three components: (1)reference to the specifics of the studies or texts that you have chosen to evaluate, and not a just report of general conclusions; (2)discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of these studies or texts; and (3)discussion of the implications of these studies for the specific topic of the essay and, where appropriate for such issues as the nature of health, for our understanding of religion, medicine, and human nature. No readings or references beyond the course material should be consulted. Students are required to do their own analysis and evaluation of the material. Violations of the university policy on academic integrity will be dealt with severely. The University Policy can be found at http://TeachX.rutgers.edu/integrity/index.himl.
COURSE OUTLINE
9/4/ Introduction - Religion and healing
Part One: Mind-Body Medicine
9/9, 9/11 Mind-Body Medicine: Psychoneuroimmunology
E. Sternberg The Balance Within (to be read throughout part one)
9/16/ Mind-Body Medicine: placebo effect
T. Hurley, “Placebos and Healing”
9/18/Mind-Body Medicine: biofeedback
Green, “Psychophysiology and health” and Green, “Science and
psychophysiology”
9/23; 9/25 Mind-Body Medicine: hypnosis
Madrid & Barnes, “Hypnotic Protocol for Eliciting Physical Changes”
9/30, 10/2; 10/7; 10/9 The scientific basis of mind-body medicine.
This section will be a combination of class lectures and video taped lectures from
a recent NIH Conference on Mind-Body medicined
10/14 Summary Mind-Body Medicine: Psychoneuroimmunology. First essay due at the start of class today: to what extent do the scientific findings presented in class, in Sternberg’s book or the various lectures, explain the effects of mind-body medicine. No extensions will be given.
Part Two: Religion and Health
10/16; 10/21; 10/23; 10/28 Research: religion and health
Payne, Bergin, et.al., “Review of religion and mental health,” and Levin &
Vanderpool, “Religious Factors in physical health,” from Pargament, Maton,
Hess , Religion and Prevention in Mental Health; “Patient spirituality in clinical
care,” Primary Care Reports,
“Religious
involvement and mortality”; Scientific Research on Spirituality and
Health (National Institute for Healthcare Research), “Physical Health.” (all to be
read throughout this section).
10/30; 11/4; 11/6 Research: religion, stress & coping
Hathaway & Pargament, “The religious dimensions of coping” from Pargament,
Maton, Hess , Religion and Prevention in Mental Health
11/11 Summary: Religion, mortality and health. Second essay due at the start of class today: critical review of the research on religion and health (you should choose two or three specific studies to discuss) – what do you see as the major implications of this research? No extensions will be given.
Part Three: Beyond Conventional
Medicine
11/13; 11/18; 11/20 Transpersonal healing
L. Dossey, Healing Words, chapters 1, 2, 7-12, appendices 1-4.
E. Targ, “Evaluating distant healing,” and “Distant healing and prayer –
Evidence and new directions”; Sicher, Targ, et. al., “A randomized double blind
study of the effects of distant healing …”; Harris, et.al., “A randomized,
controlled trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer.”
11/25/no class
11/27/Thanksgiving vacation
12/2/; 12/6/; 12/9 Cultural context of Unconventional Medicine
M. McGuire, Ritual Healing in Suburban America, chapters 1, 6-10
12/11/ Conclusion.
Final essay topic handed out. Due back in one week
12/18 Final essays due by