This three-hour pass/fail course introduces students to the basics of what it means to have healthy self-awareness and is designed to lay the foundation for effective and ethical pastoral care practices. The primary focus is to encourage students to recognize and enjoy their gifts and strengths without ignoring the limits of those good things. It is also about seeing and accepting ownership of the sometimes laudable, sometimes questionable motivations and needs that shape our perceptions and guide our behavior. The overarching goal of this course is for each student to gain accurate self-understanding and an appreciation of the ways in which he or she is predisposed to bring him or herself as a person to interactions that require sensitivity and skill.
Because this is a pass/fail course, consistent attendance and timely submission of course assignments are required in order to receive credit for this course. This course involves a combination of theoretical/conceptual learning as well as role played and experiential exercises designed to assist in the acquisition of skill. The class format is comprised of discussions of readings, short lectures with an emphasis on dialogue and discussion, experiential learning events, and the practice and demonstration of component skills.
