This first week’s assignment, the Worldview Analysis and Personal Inventory, will help you explore some foundational concepts that are going to be very important throughout this class. Realize that this is not a science or clinical course. Rather, it incorporates philosophy and theology. In order to understand the role of ethical and spiritual decision making in healthcare, it is important that you, the healthcare professional, first understand your own philosophical and theological beliefs. You will be introduced to the concept of a worldview and you will begin to intentionally assess and refine your own thinking so that you can eventually define most of your own worldview. In particular, you will need to understand scientism, modernism and postmodernism as they relate to this course. You will also need to be aware of how these “isms” can lead to reductionism about human beings and the marginalization of spirituality and religion. Holistic nursing (caring for the whole person) involves the integration of science and religion/spirituality. Thus, it is helpful for healthcare professionals to understand the role spirituality plays in their own worldview.
Throughout this course, we will be referring to questions that will help illuminate a person’s worldview. They are:
- What is ultimate reality?
- What is the nature of the universe?
- What is a human being?
- What is knowledge?
- What is your basis of ethics?
- What is the purpose of your existence?
The assignment is to be submitted as one paper, with three sections (the worldview questions make great subheadings). Don’t forget to include an introduction and conclusion.
Also, since your paper for this week is about you, please feel free to write in the first person where appropriate. Please note, that when discussing the worldview questions, I would like for you to discuss your beliefs.
Here are a couple of additional hints for all of your papers in this course: When writing your papers, use section headings and subheadings that follow the outline of the assignment requirements. Each paper should have an introduction that includes both your thesis as well as a brief overview of the paper’s contents in light of the assignment requirements and your thesis. Finally, make sure that unless the assignment calls for a different number, any paper at this level should have at least 3 academic references. The Bible is of course a great resource, but is not considered an academic source.
