The Human Condition (CO1004Z)

Content

To counsel well implies that the practitioner knows much about the ways of people, both good and bad. The counsellor must therefore be a student of the 'human condition'. Amongst other things, this implies that counsellors understand suffering; be it inflicted on, or by, a client. The human condition is, thankfully, also one in which hope persists and acts of beauty are possible. This unit will provide you with a snapshot of how great thinkers from across time and cultures have reflected on what it means to be both flawed and fully human. As such, this unit puts the client front-and-centre. It is hoped that this unit will frame your thinking when you soon begin to encounter more technical units.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Offering: This unit is to be taught in year 1, semester 1 (term 2). Prerequisites: NA Prohibited combinations: NA

Pedagogy

Transformative learning In practice: It is important that counselling students discover that the world is a complex place. To this end students now have the opportunity to confront “uncomfortable truths” about themselves and the world. Opportunity is then provided to critically reflect upon narrowly held ways of being. This is achieved through the provision of online modules in which personal reflections play an important role. During online seminars, or a face-to-face intensive, students are given the opportunity to undertake corporate critical reflection which is a powerful tool for personal growth. Assessments are designed to demonstrate a student’s personal growth towards holding truth provisionally, while also demonstrating an increased capacity for empathy, justice, and creative tolerance.

Indicative Bibliography

1. Aurelius, M. (2006). Meditations. Penguin.
2. Camus, A. (2017). Speaking out: lectures and speeches, 1937-58 (Trans. Q. Hoare). Penguin.
3. Compagnon, A. (2019). A summer with Montaigne (Trans. T. Kover). Europa Editions.
4. Crisp, T., Porter, S., & Ten Elshof, G. (Eds.). (2019). Psychology and spiritual formation in dialogue. IVP Academic.
5. Frankl, V. (2008). Man’s search for meaning. Random House.
6. Fromm, E. (1992). The art of being. Continuum.
7. Rabinow, P. (1984). The Foucault reader: An introduction to Foucault’s thought. Penguin.
8. Robinson, T., & Rodrigues, H. (2022). World religions: A guide to the essentials (3rd Edition). Baker Book House.
9. Rousseau, J.-J. (1979). Meditations of a solitary walker (Trans. P. France). Penguin.
10. Tolstoy, L. (2010). On life. White Crow Books.

Assessment