Outline

Overview

Faith (specifically religion/spirituality) is a fundamental, multidimensional and multilevel aspect of humanity. Faith has always had a powerful and distinct impact on a person's functional and dysfunctional mental processes, their emotional and intellectual states, behaviour, and attitudes, while at the societal level, it has been providing the necessary requirements for the formation of identity, social stability, social roles and social control, and moral order. At the same time, faith and science, arguably, have not had an easy or friendly relationship. In fact, this relationship has been at times rather polemical, in part due to fundamentally opposing positions and gross bilateral misunderstanding of interpretations. This Open Learning Environment unit will introduce the academic field of the psychology of faith. You will understand how faith is psychologically defined and evaluated, its psychological, evolutionary and sociocultural characteristics, structures and processes, its relation to wellbeing, psychopathology and anomalous experiences, and you will be critically exposed to the major theoretical and empirical issues and approaches in the psychological study of faith. In general, this unit will help you promote better cultural, intergroup or interpersonal relations and understanding. By completing this unit you will be able to recognise and disambiguate the psychological and, to an extent, broader scientific/academic approaches to and understanding of faith.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Psychology Academic Operations
Credit points	2
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	No academic knowledge is pre-required, only academic competence of logical and critical thinking
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Nikolaos Tiliopoulos, niko.tiliopoulos@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Tutorial quiz	Module 1 Quiz See Canvas for details.	6.25%	Week 01 Due date: 19 Apr 2023 at 23:59	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Module 2 Quiz See Canvas for details.	6.25%	Week 01 Due date: 21 Apr 2023 at 23:59	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Module 3 Quiz See Canvas for details.	6.25%	Week 02 Due date: 26 Apr 2023 at 23:59	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Module 4 Quiz See Canvas for details.	6.25%	Week 02 Due date: 28 Apr 2023 at 23:59	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Module 5 Quiz See Canvas for details.	6.25%	Week 03 Due date: 05 May 2023 at 23:59	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Module 6 Quiz See Canvas for details.	6.25%	Week 04 Due date: 12 May 2023 at 23:59	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Module 7 Quiz See Canvas for details.	6.25%	Week 05 Due date: 19 May 2023 at 23:59	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Module 8 Quiz See Canvas for details.	6.25%	Week 06 Due date: 26 May 2023 at 23:59	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Critical Essay See Canvas for details.	50%	Week 06 Due date: 28 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 25 Jun 2023	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

See Canvas for details.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	At HD level, a student demonstrates a flair for the subject as well as a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the OLE material. A "High Distinction" reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates the ability to apply the OLE knowledge and understanding to produce original and comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distinction	75 - 84	At the DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the OLE material. A "Distinction" reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply the OLE knowledge and understanding to produce comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65 - 74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the OLE material. A "Credit" reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the OLE material and can identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50 - 64	At PS level, the student demonstrates proficiency in the OLE material. A "Pass" reflects satisfactory achievement and is awarded to a student who has threshold knowledge
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	“What a piece of work is the [hu]man”: Introduction to the course – What is Faith?	Online class (1 hr)
Week 01	In the beginning was the question: The Birth of the Psychology of Faith	Online class (1 hr)
Week 02	The varieties of William James	Online class (1 hr)
Week 02	The end of the beginning: Sigmund Freud	Online class (1 hr)
Week 03	A return to the Study of the Soul: Gordon Allport	Online class (1 hr)
Week 04	Personal and interpersonal elements of faith	Online class (1 hr)
Week 05	Faith and wellbeing	Online class (1 hr)
Week 06	Faith and anomalous experiences	Online class (1 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 2 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 40-50 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

See Canvas for details.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Explain religion and spirituality.
LO2. Define the psychological characteristics of faith.
LO3. Identify the major issues involved in the psychological study of faith.
LO4. Describe and compare the different theoretical positions in the psychology of faith.
LO5. Critically evaluate the scientific evidence in the field of the psychology of faith.
LO6. Evaluate personal/interpersonal and evolutionary/cultural forces that shape faith.
LO7. Understanding how and what faith elements contribute to the well-being of the individual.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

OLET2608: Psychology of Faith

Intensive May, 2023 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect