Abstract
Training in ethics is fundamental in higher education among both faith-based and secular colleges and universities, regardless of one’s academic major or field of study. Catholic colleges and universities have included moral philosophy, theology, and applied ethics in their undergraduate curricula for generations. The purpose of this investigation was to determine what, if anything, Jesuit college psychology departments are doing to educate psychology majors regarding ethical issues. A survey method was used to assess the psychology departments of all 28 Jesuits colleges and universities in the United States. A total of 21 of the 28 schools responded and completed the survey. Five schools (23%) reported that they offered a course specifically on ethics in psychology, and three (14%) additional schools offered related courses. Of the eight (38%) that offered ethics-related courses, only one required its majors to take it, and only if they were enrolled in the mental health or forensic psychology tracks. For two (10%) of the schools, the ethics in psychology course counted as a university core ethics requirement; for two others (10%), the class met an elective university ethics requirement for psychology majors.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and Simran Singh, MD, from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation for their support of this project.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Survey template
If an ethics in psychology course was found through an initial online catalog search:
Hello,
My name is _____ and I am writing from the psychology department at Santa Clara University. We are conducting a survey of the 28 Jesuit universities in the United States, and we would love to have your input. We are interested in finding out what, if anything, Jesuit institutions do to incorporate ethics into their psychology curriculum. I see on your website that you offer a course called:
PSYC ________.
I have a few questions about this course and your ethics curriculum in general:
-
1)
Is it a required course for psychology majors?
-
2)
Does it cross over with a university core ethics requirement?
-
3)
Would it be possible to obtain a syllabus for PSYC ______?
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4)
Does your university offer any other courses or experiences designed to teach ethics to psychology majors (research opportunities, internship experiences, etc.)?
Our ultimate goal is to develop a model ethics curriculum in line with Jesuit ideals that could be shared nationally among psychology departments. Your input is truly valuable to us, and I would deeply appreciate it if you could pass this email along to the appropriate recipient. Please do not hesitate to contact me at ______________.
Appendix 2
Survey template
If an ethics in psychology course could not be found through an initial online catalog search:
Hello,
My name is _________ and I am writing from the psychology department at Santa Clara University. We are conducting a survey of the 28 Jesuit universities in the United States, and we would love to have your input. We are interested in finding out what, if anything, Jesuit institutions do to incorporate ethics into their psychology curriculum. I was not able to find a course that specifically addresses ethics in psychology among your course listings, and I am wondering if you can provide me with further information by answering these questions:
-
1)
Do you offer a course on ethics in psychology?
-
2)
Is it a required course for psychology majors?
-
3)
Does it cross over with a university core ethics requirement?
-
4)
Would it be possible to obtain a syllabus for it?
-
5)
Are ethics incorporated into any of the psychology courses that you offer? If so, how?
-
6)
Does your university offer any other courses or experiences designed to teach ethics to psychology majors (research opportunities, internship experiences, etc.)?
Our ultimate goal is to develop a model ethics curriculum in line with Jesuit ideals that could be shared nationally among psychology departments. Your input is truly valuable to us, and I would deeply appreciate it if you could pass this email along to the appropriate recipient. Please do not hesitate to contact me at ____________.
Appendix 3
Sample syllabus
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Plante, T.G., Pistoresi, S. A Survey of Ethics Training in Undergraduate Psychology Programs at Jesuit Universities. Pastoral Psychol 66, 353–358 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-017-0755-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-017-0755-3