Mind at the Museum: Psychology, Art and Wellbeing

Dr. Bryan Sokol, Assistant Vice President, Center for Social Action and Associate Professor of Psychology
David Brinker, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA)

Course Description

Mind at the Museum: Psychology, Art and Wellbeing

We cannot promise that museum artifacts will literally come alive à la “Night at the Museum,” but this course should ignite your imaginations as we explore topics of human empathy, meaning-making, and creativity, along with an introduction to the learning resources that SLU and the St. Louis community have to offer. 

Professors' Perspective

Empathy, meaning-making, agency, and creativity are at the heart of both of our scholarly and professional interests.  Psychology offers models for thinking about individual identity, the self-in-community, and culturally situated expressions of selfhood. Art can serve as both mirror and metaphor, revealing multiple perspectives that inform the meaning of the artwork and, in turn, the viewer’s identity. 

We wanted to bring our roles together. Our treatment of the disciplines of psychology and art envisions not just modes of thinking and inquiry, but also a mode of being-in-relationship with the world. The integration of Ignatian pedagogy, spirituality, and the SLU mission were a natural extension of our work in the Center for Social Action and at MOCRA with its interfaith focus."

Launch SlideshowDr. Bryan Sokol, Assistant Vice President, Center for Social Action and Associate Professor of Psychology leads a classroom discussion