Online- Intro to Pastoral Care

Catalog description

Taught by PSR. This online course aims to introduce students to the history, practice, and theology of pastoral care in Christian traditions, although it is open to students of any religious background or no religious background. Students will use online tools to discuss readings and engage in the analysis of case studies, though the instructor will give short lectures to present background information supplemental to the readings for each week. In addition, students will attend a small number of face-to-face meetings with their classmates to practice their pastoral care skills; these meetings will be scheduled in the first week of class according to student availability. Students will be evaluated through discussion board participation, presentations, reflection papers, and a research paper. The course assumes no prior knowledge or experience in pastoral care, and is a required course for the MDiv program. The course will place special emphasis on pastoral care in diverse contexts, for and by people of color, LGBTQ persons, and other underrepresented groups, in order to prepare students for a wide array of possible settings for pastoral care, and students will be encouraged to think critically about categories such as race, gender, and sexual orientation.