The Psychology Major at BLC

Highlights of How Christianity Is Incorporated into Psychology Classes

Bethany is a Christ-centered campus. Its mission of teaching the “One Thing Needful” is illustrated each day when the campus literally shuts down and all join together in fellowship within the walls of Trinity Chapel. Together, faculty, staff, and students pause to unite in worship. This mission is also illustrated by professors of every discipline who integrate Christian principles in the classroom. Can you imagine a better context for the grooming of future psychologists?

The goal of psychology classes at Bethany Lutheran College is to prepare students by exposing them to the most up-to-date information that would be taught at other institutions and also to look at psychological ideas through the eyes of faith. While some have questioned whether psychology should be taught at a Christian college, most understand that Bethany is the perfect place for young minds to explore the many answers to questions such as the following: 1) What is the cause of human problems? 2) What motivates our behavior? 3) What is our most basic need? 4) How do you fix what is broken inside a person? and 5) Why do we do the things we do?

At Bethany, students of psychology gain an understanding of psychology as a field of study and learn the terminology and content of that college discipline. Students learn the foibles and contradictions of psychology as both a science and as an applied discipline and gain significant insight as to how we develop as individuals over a lifetime. They learn how the complex interplay between the biological, intellectual, psychological, societal, and spiritual aspects of development impacts our daily overt, and covert, behavior. In addition, students learn to use the truths of Scripture to understand human behavior and the true solution to man’s sin.

As psychology is interested in understanding the individual, small class sizes clearly play a key role in the provision of quality educational opportunities. They allow us to engage in the material more fully. Students are commonly taken “on the road” for field trips that emphasize material covered in class. For example, students enrolled in an adult development class have attended a presentation at a domestic violence shelter and toured a living cooperative for those over 55. The class will also tour an assisted living facility, a nursing home, and mortuary. Bethany’s psychology students experience an intimate atmosphere in the classroom that allows for honest conversation between the students, the professor, and scheduled guest speakers. Based on in-class discussion and subsequent student reflection-papers on the above-mentioned activities, students greatly benefit from students greatly benefit from close access to their teachers at Bethany.

A recent development within the psychology major is the establishment of a supervised study class. This course, in addition to the Christian focus is a unique aspect of the BLC psychology major. Supervised study in psychology class gives students a semester long opportunity to identify their God given talents and subsequently decide how to best use their time here at Bethany to prepare for life after earning a bachelors degree. The course is designed to give students an opportunity to develop a clear path and direction for their professional life. Students meet as a group to network with each other and share their progress on individual goals. They also meet individually once a week with the professor, who assigns them a variety of tasks to help them to reach the previously mentioned course goals. Core requirements for those enrolled in this class include participating in a variety of career-centered activities (i.e., resume building, interviewing, job shadowing) and participating in community service. The success of this course is best illustrated when, following mid-term break, class members reported on their experiences of interviewing, job shadowing, and volunteering during their “vacation.” One student reported on his graduate school interviews at four colleges within the Chicago area and another reported on her interviews at two schools in Wisconsin.

The psychology department at Bethany trains students to serve in a variety of capacities. Many students are interested in seeking out additional training to become counselors and clinicians. Imagine the comfort and solace a Christian counselor could provide you or a family member in a time of despair. A Bethany-trained counselor who consistently and unapologetically turns to Scripture for guidance when dealing with the problems of others will certainly provide them with truths that can help people throughout their life and, most importantly, bring eternal benefits to people as they are guided to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Several of our students are interested in educational psychology, which focuses on developing methods and materials to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of educational programs and the design curricula for implementation in schools (i.e., educational psychologists). We pray that the experiences of Bethany’s psychology students will serve them well in the variety of careers they pursue following graduation and that they continue to serve the mission of “One Thing Needful.”

By Mark Wiechmann and Jennifer Wosmek