Academic Teaching, Graduate Lectures & Research Supervision

Prof. Dr. Lakshman Madurasinghe has delivered graduate and postgraduate lectures and supervised research across a range of disciplines including psychology, clinical psychology, comparative religion, theology, jurisprudence, international law, constitutional law and human rights.

This page provides an overview of selected areas of academic teaching, lecture programmes and research topics supervised.

The teaching and supervision portfolio reflects an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together established academic disciplines with questions concerning human behaviour, religion, law, consciousness, society and human wellbeing.

Graduate-Level Psychology Lectures

The graduate-level psychology teaching programme has covered major areas of psychological theory, research, assessment, clinical practice and intervention.

Foundations & Research

  • History of Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Research Design & Methods
  • Biopsychology
  • Experimental Psychology
  • Statistical Techniques in Psychology

Personality & Human Development

  • Theories of Personality
  • Lifespan Development
  • Personality Assessment
  • Personality Tests: 16PF, MBTI and Enneagram

Abnormal & Clinical Psychology

  • Psychology of Abnormal Behaviour
  • Psychopathology
  • Introduction to Clinical Psychology
  • Psycho-diagnostics
  • Childhood Disorders
  • Neuropsychology
  • Clinical Field Training

Psychotherapy & Psychological Intervention

  • Psychotherapy I
  • Psychotherapy II
  • Psychological Intervention
  • Counselling Theory and Practice

Related Psychological Themes

  • Motivation and emotion
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Human behaviour
  • Cognitive processes
  • Clinical and therapeutic approaches

MSc Psychology Lectures — KDU, Sri Lanka

Selected lectures and teaching material for MSc Psychology include the following areas.

A. Nature of Psychology

  • Nature of Psychology
  • Approaches to Psychology
  • Scope of Contemporary Psychology
  • Research Methods

B. Motivation & Emotion

  • Theories of Emotion
  • Motivation Factors in Aggression
  • Emotion
  • Theories of Emotion

C. Conflict & Stress

  • Frustration
  • Reactions to Frustration
  • Anxiety
  • Defence Mechanisms
  • Stress

D. Introduction to Abnormal Psychology

  • Abnormal Behaviour
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Affective Disorders
  • Schizophrenia
  • Alcoholism and Drug Dependency

E. War-Related Issues

  • Conflict-Related Trauma
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Deserters
  • Torture

F. Psychological Impact

  • Death and Bereavement
  • Women
  • Children

Related Psychology Resources

Psychology Resources →
Counselling Resources →

Comparative Religion & Religious Studies

Graduate-level teaching in comparative religion has addressed religious traditions, historical development, philosophical questions and relationships among religious systems.

Buddhism

Teaching has included:

  • Theravada Buddhism
  • Buddhist literature in Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Pali and Tibetan
  • Modern and contemporary Buddhism in Japan
  • Medieval Chinese Buddhism
  • Buddhist thought
  • Contemporary perspectives on the historical Buddha
  • The Mahavamsa and its place in Sri Lankan history
  • The Mahavamsa and other historical sources
  • Buddhism and indigenous East Asian traditions

East Asian Religions

Areas include:

  • Taoist canonical literature
  • The construction of Shinto
  • Chinese science
  • Chinese alchemy and medicine
  • New Religions of Japan
  • Relationships among Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto

Early Christianity

Teaching includes:

  • The New Testament
  • The Gospels
  • Pauline literature
  • Hebrews
  • Early Greek Church Fathers
  • Christian apologetics
  • Systematic theology

Western Religious Thought

Areas include:

  • Philosophy of religion
  • Theology
  • Ethics
  • Islamic religious thought
  • Jewish religious thought
  • Christian religious thought
  • Secular perspectives
  • Patristic thought
  • Relationships between philosophy and religion

Apologetics

Topics include:

  • Nature of apologetics
  • Developing an apologetic mind
  • Truth and knowledge
  • Conventionalism
  • Testing worldviews
  • Natural theology
  • Atheism
  • Cosmological arguments
  • Design arguments
  • Reliability of the New Testament
  • Claims concerning Jesus and the Resurrection
  • Religious pluralism and exclusivism
  • Intelligent design and science

Graduate & Postgraduate Research Supervision

Research supervision has included topics across comparative religion, philosophy of religion, psychology, therapeutic jurisprudence, international law, constitutional law and human rights.

The following topics represent selected areas of supervised research.

Buddhism, Islam & Comparative Religion

  • Compare and contrast the basic principles of Eastern and Western religious faiths. Are the two factions really that different?
  • What can be learnt from the religious conflict in the Sudan?
  • Compare and contrast modern-day Egyptian religious traditions to those from the pre-dynastic period.
  • All religious paths lead to the same mountaintop. Discuss.
  • Atheism is the new world religion. Discuss.
  • Compare religious beliefs in modern-day India to their beliefs in the early 20th Century. What has changed and why?
  • What is Alayavijnana? Is it the same as citta, manas or vijnana? Why is citta defined as mano-centered vijnana?
  • Is vitakka present in jhana? Is this the subtle aspect of thought that is carried over into jhana when the coarse aspect, the verbalization, is left behind?
  • How do we remedy emotional imbalances in Conative, Attentional, Cognitive and Affective states in Buddhism?
  • Death and Dying in Buddhism and Christianity
  • Spiritual Philosophy: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism
  • Foundations of Buddhism and Meditation
  • Karma and Rebirth in Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Parallels, Departures, and What Science Can Gain From Buddhism
  • Buddhism as a Religion That Offers Peace, Wisdom, and True Enlightenment
  • Ancient Greek Philosophy, Buddhism, and Vedanta Hinduism
  • What Are the Differences Between Mainstream Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism?
  • What Are the Gender Roles in Buddhism?
  • How Does Buddhism Treat Its Women?

Philosophy of Religion

Selected research topics include:

  • The existence of life on Earth is evidence of the existence of a higher being. Discuss.
  • A world so full of evil cannot co-exist with an all-loving, omnipotent God.
  • If God exists, who made Him?
  • God only exists in the minds of the people who follow Him. Discuss.
  • What challenges are there to the Christian belief that there is only one omnipotent God?
  • Does divinity exist in nature as the Egyptians once believed?
  • Religion is nothing more than a safety net in the face of death. Discuss.

Psychology Research Supervision

Selected research topics include:

  • Relapse in addictive behaviours
  • Social Phobia and Social Anxiety
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Mindfulness meditation and depression in the elderly
  • Alcohol consumption and its impacts on depression and anxiety
  • Causes of antisocial behaviour among teenagers
  • Behavioural therapy and the treatment of criminals
  • Factors associated with multiple personality disorders
  • The subconscious and decision-making ability
  • The influence of music on mental health
  • The work environment and its influence on self-esteem and motivation
  • Workplace bullying and its psychological impact on employee performance
  • Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Depression and Anxiety
  • The use of Virtual Reality in Exposure Therapy for Phobias
  • The effectiveness of group therapy in the treatment of substance abuse disorders
  • Employee reward and motivation
  • Psychological pricing and consumer purchase intention
  • Factors influencing effective training programmes in organisations
  • Leader-Member Exchange as a moderating variable in the relationship between wellbeing and job security

Therapeutic Jurisprudence

Research supervision has also addressed the relationship between law, behaviour, rehabilitation and wellbeing through the field of therapeutic jurisprudence.

Selected topics include:

  • The development of therapeutic jurisprudence: From theory to practice
  • Restorative justice and therapeutic jurisprudence
  • Shame and anger in therapeutic jurisprudence
  • The rehabilitative role of therapeutic jurisprudence

International Law

Selected areas of research supervision include:

  • Refugee Law
  • The phenomenon of Athenian Sortition
  • Modern Slavery and International Law
  • International Labour Organization Law
  • International Disaster Response Law
  • International Biodiversity Law

Constitutional Law

Selected areas include:

  • Origins of judicial review and federal jurisdiction
  • Individual liberties and due process
  • Freedom of speech and religion
  • Separation of powers

These subjects complement the broader constitutional and jurisprudential research programme documented elsewhere on the OIUCM website.

View Research & Publications 1980–2026 →

Human Rights

Selected research topics include:

  • Gender inequality
  • Climate change
  • The rights of immigrants and refugees
  • Surveillance technology

An Interdisciplinary Teaching & Supervision Portfolio

The teaching and supervision record demonstrates an interdisciplinary approach to academic inquiry.

Across psychology, religion, law and human rights, the subjects examined include questions concerning:

Human behaviour • Mental wellbeing • Consciousness • Religion • Philosophy • Law • Justice • Human rights • Constitutional governance • International relations • Rehabilitation • Society

The portfolio reflects an academic approach in which disciplinary knowledge is considered alongside broader questions concerning the human person, social institutions and human development.

Related Academic Work

The lectures and research supervision described on this page complement Prof. Dr. Madurasinghe’s broader research and publication record.

Research & Publications

Explore the wider scholarly record, including journal publications, books and monographs, theses and dissertations, conference papers, professional research, OIUCM E-Journal publications and current research programmes.

Research & Publications 1980–2026 →

Current Research

For ongoing research programmes in psychology, consciousness, integrative medicine, law, constitutional studies, Sri Lankan history, traditional knowledge and related interdisciplinary fields:

Current Research →

Academic Teaching & Research

Prof. Dr. Lakshman Madurasinghe

Graduate & Postgraduate Lecturer • Research Supervisor • Academic Researcher

Fields represented:
Psychology • Clinical Psychology • Comparative Religion • Theology • Jurisprudence • International Law • Constitutional Law • Human Rights • Therapeutic Jurisprudence

International Labour Organization Law

International Disaster Response Law

International biodiversity law