The article analyses the effectiveness of introducing the academic discipline ‘Fundamentals of Chaplaincy’ at the Penitentiary Academy of Ukraine. The urgency of studying the course stems from the reform of the penitentiary system towards its humanisation and the introduction of European standards for the treatment of convicts.

The purpose of the article is to analyse the results and effectiveness of the implementation of the academic discipline ‘Fundamentals of Chaplaincy’ at the Penitentiary Academy of Ukraine, to determine the significance of the course for the formation of professional competencies of future penitentiary psychologists.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the systematisation of methodological approaches to teaching chaplaincy to higher education students, which has not been sufficiently covered in domestic pedagogy before.

The methodological basis of the study is a synergistic approach, grounded in the principles of cross-culturalism, multi-confessionalism, and religious tolerance. The empirical part of the study uses a set of methods: pedagogical observation, teacher self-analysis, analysis of students’ essays, and the results of an anonymous survey of full-time and part-time students.

It was established that the introduction of the academic discipline was accompanied by a certain psychological transformation among students, but during the course, their attitude shifted to an awareness of the discipline’s necessity and the practical significance of what they had learned. The practical orientation of the training allowed students to model professional situations and learn the ethics of intercultural relations. The religious studies component contributed to the development of future penitentiary officers’ ability to distinguish between destructive religious influences and manipulative technologies (in particular, the ideology of the ‘Russian world’), which is extremely important both for the formation of a civic position and for professional activities.

Key words: penitentiary system, resocialisation, chaplaincy, pastoral care, spiritual values, religious tolerance.

References

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