M.A.in Engaged Humanities with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology
Depth Psychology Courses
Depth Psychology and the humanities
Depth psychology aspects of the Humanities curriculum focus on courses such as Dreamwork and Initiation, Ritual, & Ceremony. The psyches of individuals, community, and nature all arise together as expressions of the World Psyche. Images and stories rooted in archetypes reveal patterns that resonate among all living things. A depth psychology perspective informs the study of Humanities and fosters insightful perspectives on contemporary plights. It provides a rich academic grounding from which to understand and respond to life’s circumstances.
Traditions of Depth Psychology: Lineage & Legacies
HM 550........ 2 Units
The inclusion of the arts, myth, religion, and philosophy distinguishes depth psychology from other psychological schools of thought. Course topics include ancient approaches to healing, encounters with the unconscious, and soul-making through literature and the arts. These approaches are integrated into the evolving personal mythos of individuals seeking a fuller awareness of themselves, their personal relationships, and their relationship to the world.
Jung and the Humanities
HM 650........ 2 Units
Classical Jungian concepts such as ego, Self, persona, shadow, anima/animus, archetype, collective unconscious, transcendent function, and individuation are studied. The influence of Jung’s ideas on the arts, education, literature, and religion, both culturally and in the life of the individual, are also explored.
Chasing the Trickster
HM 637, 2 units
One of the arguments for the reality of the archetypes is the prevalence throughout world mythology of the trickster. Cultures around the world speak of gods, spirits, and animals who move in and out of structure. The trickster passes on messages and lies, steals things and plays pranks, provides tools that do not work as promised, laughs and dances between the various dimensions of the mythic and material world. In the first half of this course, we will study a variety of trickster figures-including Loki, Legba, Hermes, and Coyote-in order to explore the range and variation of this shifty figure. The second half of the course will explore the trickster from a more general and theoretical perspective, as we find track the figure through the fields of parapsychology, literature, and media theory.
Dreamwork
HM 653........ 2 Units
Historical approaches and responses to dreams are examined, as well as various assumptions about dream processes and meanings. The course draws particularly upon Freudian, Jungian, phenomenological, and archetypal theory in acknowledging the autonomous nature of dream figures. A variety of dreamwork interpretations and mythological amplification methods are explored.
Initiation, Ritual, & Ceremony
HM 552, 2 units
Cultural myths are universally associated with the “enactment” of elements of the storied mythos. In this course, students will explore both the theory and practice linked to the enactment of historical and contemporary myths and mythos in their own lives and from multicultural venues. Initiation, ritual, and ceremony articulate group values and ethics as a “covenant of works,” while simultaneously encouraging immediate expression of spirit and psyche as a “covenant of grace.”
Project Workshop
HM 605, 2 units
The Final Project will be developed during a capstone course in which advanced students will be required to consider the discipline broadly, and integrate what they have learned from the curriculum. The Project must be completed during the final quarter and presented during residential session. Assessment data for a variety of outcomes will be collected in this course, particularly outcomes related to integrating and applying the discipline, information literacy, critical thinking, and research and communication skills.
Psychology of Compassion and Tolerance
HM 627........ 2 Units
Love has contributed to the best and the worst of human behavior and relationships throughout history. Its importance extends beyond romantic, familial, or filial love, into love of nature, culture, ideas, images, spirit, and globe. This course reviews depth psychological theories and research on the psychology of love and compassion, and considers applications for human behavior, health, and world relations. It charts the soul's passionate meanderings, leading to engagement with the world.
Psychogeography
HM 630, 2 units
The term 'psychogeography' refers to the feeling of a particular place—the idea that the 'beach under the pavement' somehow makes itself felt in the ideas, feelings, and 'spirits' of a certain place, usually a city. In this course, students will use the theories of depth psychology to consider the physical and spiritual “feeling” of a particular place, urban or rural, considering its cultural influence, its undertow, relief, currents, fixed points, portals and vortexes.
