Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences · Courses
PHI
8 courses with the subject PHI, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
PHI 145Logic and Reasoning
This class focuses on inductive and deductive reasoning. We cover a wide range of topics in critical thinking, such as rational argumentation, fallacies, definition, meaning, truth, and evidence. We discuss how the techniques for critical reading and thinking that we develop in this course are applicable to your work in other classes and to your future careers. (3) PHI 210 Comparative Religion (Formerly LAS 215) This course will provide a survey of and an engagement with the contemplative or wisdom dimension of four traditions in world religions: CHOIstianity, Buddhism, Native American Religion, and Islam (Sufism).Rather than look at these traditions only from the outside, in a descriptive manner, we will read texts from authors within these traditions who attempt to explain and describe their understanding of the contemplative/meditative dimension of each tradition. From this perspective, fundamental questions will be examined and discussed such as: What is the spiritual psychology of a human being? What is the human heart and what role does it play in human knowing? How does one cultivate a spiritual presence? What is the relationship between the human and the divine? (3)
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a practice-focused course in meditation and mindfulness techniques that will allow students to manage and mitigate stress. Through an introduction to contemplative practices, as well as reading, discussion, and written reflection, the students will gain a sense of control over their health and well- being through a method proven to have physical and mental health benefits. (1) PHI 250 Religion as the Search for Meaning (Formerly LAS 271) Students examine the major religious traditions within the framework of an analysis of humankind’s fundamental need to find meaning in the world by explaining and maintaining proper relationships among the self, society and nature. (3) PHI 255 Religion, Philosophy, and Film (Formerly LAS 272) This course will explore examples of contemporary cinema from a wide variety of genres and regions that reflect various dimensions of world religious and philosophical traditions. We will examine and discuss the images, metaphors, and ideas expressed in film as a means to explore and contemplate some of the following questions: What is the sense and purpose of human life? What are the ways that film presents and dramatizes religious or philosophical concepts? What role does religion play in human life or what meaning does it provide? Can film evoke or illuminate religious or spiritual experiences and philosophical insights? Can film be morally, philosophically, spiritually, or religiously educational? Everyone is asked to bring their own questions to bear upon the films and class discussions. Each week we will watch a film in class and students will also be required to participate in ongoing conversations on a discussion board. (3)
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a practice-focused course in meditation and mindfulness techniques that will allow students to manage and mitigate stress. Through an introduction to contemplative practices, as well as reading, discussion, and written reflection, the students will gain a sense of control over their health and well- being through a method proven to have physical and mental health benefits.(3 credit)
It is believed that yoga (Sanskrit, “to yoke” or “to harness”) goes back to the earliest roots of Indian history. This course will provide an introduction to the history, philosophy, and practice of yoga. We will study key texts in the
This course will look at several different examples of contemporary spiritual healing practices drawn from many of the religions and spiritual movements from around the world. The primary objectives of the course are: a knowledge and appreciation for various examples of spiritual healing practices and the development of an analytical and tolerant assessment of the theoretical and practical differences and similarities between contemporary spiritual and scientific healing practices.
This course looks at how human interactions with Nature can promote spiritual, psychological, and physical wellbeing. We will read historical and contemporary texts that explore human-Nature relationships focusing on contemplative approaches that emphasize spiritual, ecological, social, and ethical concerns. We will also look at human-Nature interactions in relation to health outcomes. Through critical reading, discussion, and reflective experiences in Nature, students will consider the importance of Nature to their individual lives, their communities, and to our ecologically and culturally interdependent world. This course will include an experiential component including one or more field trips.(3); Prerequisite: 3rd year standing or permission of the instructor
A practice-focused course in meditation, mindfulness, and gentle yoga practices that will allow students to manage and mitigate stress. Through an introduction to contemplative practices, as well as reading, discussion, and written reflection, the students will gain a sense of control over their health and well-being through a method proven to have physical and mental health benefits. Students will also examine the philosophical and practical underpinnings of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and investigate research on its health benefits.
This course will provide a survey of and an engagement with the contemplative, meditative, and ritual dimensions of world religious, spiritual, and philosophical traditions. Topics will vary, but may include contemplative practices from both Western and Eastern traditions, including CHOIstianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, and Native traditions. We will read texts from authors within these traditions who explain and describe their understanding of contemplative practices – practices that have been historically at the center of these traditions. Through critical reading, discussion, and written reflection, students will be asked to consider the ethical and moral implications and outcomes of contemplative practices. This course will also include an experiential component through which students will be introduced to meditation, ritual, or other contemplative practices and may also include visits to local monasteries, groups, or gathering places of the traditions that we investigate. (3); Prerequisite: COM 115 PHI 380/PSC 380 Brain, Mind and Meditation The Science and Practice of Mindfulness and Meditation: Meditation and other contemplative practices are increasingly used to reduce stress, improve health, and treat disease. This interdisciplinary course will discuss the neurobiological and psychological basis of these effects and explore the relationship between the brain and the mind as revealed through the theory and practice of meditation. The course will consist of three integrated components. The first component will consider the scientific evidence demonstrating that meditation produces lasting changes in brain anatomy and function and review accumulating research data showing that meditation produces therapeutic effects in chronic pain, depression, drug addiction, and other psychiatric and physiologic
