Spirituality Class Teaches Respect for Different Beliefs

A Swami, Catholic priest, Protestant minister, Rabbi and Buddhist monk each walk into a classroom. They are not the punch line in a joke, but rather the new teachers of spiritual diversity at the USC School of Social Work.

As part of a new social work curriculum, a new class called “Spirituality and Social Work Practice: Diverse Traditions and World Views” uses a variety of religious leaders from the community, who represent different belief systems, to help students understand and appreciate the role of spirituality and religious values in human well-being.

Devised by Professor Helen Land, the elective course is offered to master of social work students, giving them a chance to explore how various spiritual beliefs guide people’s world views and life decisions. The hope is that students will gain self awareness of their own spirituality, and as professional practitioners, engage in spiritually sensitive clinical practice techniques.

“We strive to educate students about diverse spiritual traditions that may impact their clients’ experiences,” said Land. “In addition to speakers, we invite students to debate contemporary social issues, taking a stance that opposes their own. This method increases their sensitivity to diverse religious world views and decreases egocentricity.”

Students are assigned religious-themed literature that exposes them to the spiritual dilemmas of people struggling to make meaning of their world. Homework also includes watching movies that identify life cycle themes and life events that impact the world view and spirituality of the protagonist, who may be very much like a client students will one day need to help. Other assignments involve interviewing religious leaders, social workers or nurses practicing from a different faith and visiting religious services that are different from their own. Throughout the class, students keep a journal and reflect on what they are learning and experiencing.

Rev. Cecil "Chip" Murray

“We are trying to help students see the client’s religious and spiritual life as dimensions of global and cultural awareness and that a belief system can be a coping resource,” she said.

Guest speakers this semester have included Rabbi Susan Laemmle, USC dean of religious life; Rev. Cecil “Chip” Murray, emeritus pastor of Los Angeles’ First African Methodist Episcopal Church and holder of the John R. Tanzy Chair in Christian Ethics at USC; Lee Klosinski, a Catholic theologian; USC Associate Dean of Religious Life Elizabeth Davenport, an Episcopalian minister; Swami Sarvadevananda, senior monk of the Hindu Ramakrishna Order of India and the minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of Southern California; Venerable Punnaji, a medical doctor and Buddhist monk of the Theravada Tradition; and USC Assistant Professor of Religion Megan Reid, who specializes in Islamic Studies.

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Did You Know?
The USC School of Social Work has established one endowed chair and six endowed professorships in the last decade. This reflects an overall increase from one professorship in 1978 to today’s total of eight endowed chairs and professorships valued at $8 million.