PSYC3322 · Psychology

The Neuroscience of Spirituality: Exploring Religion and the Brain

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

The brain is an organ of adaptation and such plasticity allows humans the capacity to build and draw upon faith and reason throughout times of stress and the building of resilience. Brain development throughout all life stages will be examined as we consider the following primary question: What does the field neuroscience help us to understand about faith throughout the life span, and what does it leave out? Contexts that confer stress or build resilience are examined throughout the course as students discover how neuroscience and faith converge or diverge in their contributions to understanding of the human experience and its development throughout life's unique pathways. To engage in this exciting dialogue about larger questions that may integrate these seemingly disparate and often siloed modern and ancient disciplines, students will be exposed to key concepts, definitions and vocabulary in neuroscience and recent advancements in related biological fields such epigenetics. We will then be able to engage in investigating and returning to important questions that may thematically bridge these fields. Through extensive writing, reflection and dialogue students will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the relationships among faith, religion, spirituality, and modern science.