My Contribution to the 1st Uniservitate Global Symposium on Service Learning

This volume dedicated to the I Global Symposium Uniservitate, compiles the reflections and experiences shared in the virtual event held in October 2020. The meeting aimed to facilitate the exchange between specialists, authorities and teachers of Higher Education institutions from different cultural contexts worldwide, around university social commitment and service-learning practices and programs.
My contribution was to:
Reflections on service-learning in the identity and mission of Catholic Higher Education. It was entitled, “Motivation for Social Transformation through Spirituality in Service-Learning”.
In summary, the reflection argued that:

The goal of Catholic Higher Education Institutions is to create competent graduates
who will be agents of social transformation.
This can be achieved through well-accompanied service-learning.
Service-learning becomes a lifestyle when coloured by a deep spirituality.
Spirituality has the potential to generate intrinsic motivation, which will sustain the
graduates in social transformation.

Reference:
Selvam, S.G. (2021). Motivation for […]

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Ethics of HIV/AIDS and Religion in Africa: A Systematic Literature Review

{{unknown}}Ethics of HIV/AIDS and Religion in Africa: A Systematic Literature Review
 Sahaya G. Selvam
 
Abstract
The role of religion in the prevalence and the prevention of HIV, and in the care of people living with HIV/AIDS and children orphaned by HIV, are well researched. The objective of the present systematic literature review was to examine the ethical issues underpinning the relationship between HIV/AIDS and religion in Africa. Carrying out a literature search in Academic Search Premier, a digital database of academic journals, 22 articles were selected based on some specific inclusion and exclusion criteria.  The selected articles were analysed in order to identify patterns in the emerging themes related to the objective of the review.  Three major themes were picked up.  These include: Ethics of the influence of religion on behaviour related to HIV prevalence and […]

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Covid-19 tests self-learning skills of students today

Covid-19 tests self-learning skills of students today
Sunday Nation, 26 April 2020
Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the status quo of the contemporary society on several fronts.

Its impact has been felt across almost every aspect of life, including healthcare services, economics, entertainment industry and sports, work and family life, and in religious and educational practices.

Amidst these global disruptions, the winners have been the contemporary twins, Information Technology (IT) and internet.

On the education front, the immediate focus has been on providing an emergency response, to keep the learning going remotely via the internet.

If our investment of resources right now just targets a stop gap measure, we might miss an opportunity to make a systemic change to education.

Covid-19 has thrust us by force, as it were, into how education ought to be carried out in the 21st […]

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My contribution to Sunday Nation, Kenya

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26 April 2020
Covid-19 tests self-learning skills of students today

Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the status quo of the contemporary society on several fronts. Its impact has been felt across almost every aspect of life, including healthcare services, economics, entertainment industry and sports, work and family life, and in religious and educational practices. Amidst these global disruptions, the winners have been the contemporary twins, Information Technology (IT) and internet.

On the education front, the immediate focus has been on providing an emergency response, to keep the learning going remotely via the internet. If our investment of resources right now just targets a stop gap measure, we might miss an opportunity to make a systemic change to education. Covid-19 has thrust us by force, as it were, into how education ought to be carried […]

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“Moulding his human personality”: Personality change and formation to priesthood in the Catholic Church

 “Moulding his human personality”: Personality change and formation to priesthood in the Catholic Church

Sahaya G. Selvam
Abstract

The official documents on formation to priesthood in the Catholic Church encourage the use of personality psychology. Generally, the documents understand human personality to be dynamic. What does this mean in the light of the contemporary debate on the psychology of personality change? This article attempts to summarize the salient features of this debate, pointing out its relevance to priestly formation. Supporting a “whole-person model” of personality as proposed by Dan McAdams, the article considers the possibility of personality change at some levels in the context of religious experience facilitated by seminary formation. This article is also aimed at enlightening formation guides to make an informed decision in the choice of appropriate models of personality in the accompaniment of their candidates.

Keywords 
formation to priesthood, psychology of personality, personality […]

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