Credits: Psychology, Sociology
Meeting times (subject to change): Fall 2022 MW 2:30-3:40 PM
Faculty leaders: Karen Neal and Melinda Harper
OPEN PROGRAM

*all itinerary items are subject to change*

Would you steal if you knew it could save a life? What is “right” versus “wrong” when it comes to thoughts and behaviors? What role do mental processes play in determining our actions towards others? Why do some people act more morally than others, and how is it that the same person can make moral decisions in some circumstances but not in others? Decisions (personal/medical/political/military) are made that walk a fine line between morality and "madness".

This course will explore the psychological cognitive and social processes of determining what is right and what is wrong. Using a mixture of secondary sources and primary texts, we will examine how the relationship between mental illness and morality has been shaped through the rich interaction of social, scientific, political, economic and cultural factors. This course places particular emphasis on the cultural and historic context of London, given its rich history and sites that were witness to the “moral” (or immoral and “mad”) decisions made by its citizens.

We hope to visit the Tower of London, an infamous location that witnessed significant moral (or "mad") decisions in history, including Henry VIII’s decisions regarding his six wives (including beheading, starting a new religion to maneuver around the Catholic church marital decree, etc.); the Royal Hospital of Bedlam, considered the first "insane asylum" in the world where types of psychiatric treatment were considered helpful but were immoral, Parliament and Churchill War Museum (where political/military decisions were made that were questionable in morality but beneficial to politically driven outcomes), and Freud's house in London with the famous couch where the shift was made from treating mental illness as a moral weakness and instead became an opportunity to dive into the unconscious.

Credits: Psychology, Sociology
Meeting times for Fall 2022 (subject to change): MW 2:30-3:40

WHY SHOULD A STUDENT JOIN THIS COURSE?
To gain more insight into why we make the choices we make, rationalize our decisions with our morals (or not); The opportunity to explore a culturally and historically rich setting that brings this course to life; also a beautiful time of year and the opportunity to create holiday memories with our Queens family.

All Open Courses are available to all majors. This course may be of particular interest to: Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy, Religion, Business and Political Science majors.