> > Something similar happened to me in my Marriage and the Family class the
> > other day. Now, remember that I am a Christian psychologist who teaches
> > at a Christian university. A student raised his hand and started
> > complaining about the class was a waste of his time because all we were
> > doing was talking about secular theories when the Bible has all the
> > answers to our marriage problems.[...]
If that is his view, why is he taking the course then?
Actually, Gary Collins, a leading Christian psychologist, cogently argues
that the bible actually does not say very much about marriage problems per
se.
Secular and religious marital therapy research have both contributed nicely
in this field.
Maybe the student is opposed to anything secular, not just in the arena of
marriage and family.
> > Well, this student never came to see me individually, but he did send me
> > a lengthy email. Here is a snippet of his email (with identifying
> > information removed): "I took M&F in hopes that I could learn more
> > about how to be a good husband to my wife. So far I have not learned
> > anything that has helped me in our relationship from the text material,
> > and from the direction we're taking in class, I don't think I will.[...]"
>
> If this student was being honest about the reasons for his
> dissatisfaction with the course, maybe he would have responded to
> material about what's been empirically demonstrated to predict marital
> success or failure. I'm thinking of research by John M. Gottman
> (which I know about only because it's been popularized), who used
> brief observation of married couples in order to establish four big
> predictors of divorce ("four horsemen," he called them, biblically
> enough). Questions of causation remain open, but if that sort of
> research isn't enough to pique your ex-student's curiosity, maybe he
> doesn't have any curiosity.
Good response from David Epstein.
Again, what does the student want to learn? From teaching marriage and
family, esp undergrads, they are less interested in research and theories
and more interested in "who can I get my husband to stop..." and "how do I
know if I'm met the right..."
Sometimes for me it's hard to tell if I'm covering research that I think is
fascinating but the students don't get the implications. Asking them
is the best way to ensure this is happening.
Best wishes,
Jim
************************************************************************
Jim Guinee, Ph.D.
Director of Training & Adjunct Professor
President, Arkansas College Counselor Association
University of Central Arkansas Counseling Center
313 Bernard Hall Conway, AR 72035 USA
(501) 450-3138 (office) (501) 450-3248 (fax)
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved
in it as he who helps to perpetrate it"
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
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