IST1002-1OL-WI16 - MTS Colloquium

Instructor: Amy Erickson, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the MTS Program

Overview of the Course

A possible schedule for articulating and focusing your research interests and thesis topic (feel free to emend this document to suit your needs/style)

Theme: The BIBLE in AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LIFE

Option 1. Backgrounds: BIBLICAL TRADITIONS AMONG JEWS, CHRISTIANS and MUSLIMS

• Jon D. Levenson, Inheriting Abraham: The Legacy of the Patriarch in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Princeton University Press, 2012. ISBN-10: 0691155690 ·  ISBN-13: 978-06911556925.

      Check out this short vimeo on Abraham (Links to an external site.) for Christians, Muslims and Jews.

Option 2. The BIBLE as an ICON

• Timothy K. Beal, The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book. HarperOne 2011. ISBN-10: 0151013586

       Here's Tim Beal on What is the Bible?  (Links to an external site.)

Option 3. The BIBLE in POPULAR CULTURE

• Peter T. Lanfer, Remembering Eden: The Reception History of Genesis 3: 22-24. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Option 4: Jesus: An American Icon

• Stephen R. Prothero, American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. ·  ISBN-10: 0374529566 ·  ISBN-13: 978-0374529567

Option 5: Satan: An American Anti-Icon

• W. Scott Poole, Satan in America: The Devil We Know. Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. ISBN-10: 0742561720 | ISBN-13: 978-0742561724

I have chosen recent books that have provoked conversation among people informed about and interested in religion in contemporary America. Given the interests of students in the MTS program, I was particularly drawn to books that investigate peculiarly American cultural manifestations of religion. These readings provoke questions such as: What does our religion say about our (cultural, familial, and individual) identity? How have religious traditions and American culture/history interacted in history? How are religious ideas, icons, and traditions interpreted and imagined in the United States? How can we be more self-reflective about how we engage, practice and talk about religion? What does interdisciplinary study of religion look like? On account of my area of expertise and training (biblical studies), Christianity is our primary touchstone, however what Christianity looks like on the American landscape is necessarily informed by interaction with other religions.

Course Overview

The colloquium consists of two - not unrelated – parts. Ideally these two realms will flow into one another. But for the sake of intentionality and clarity, I have divided our schedule/assignments into two categories.

Part 1. Research

The first is designed to help you articulate and clarify your (provisional or working!) research goals and to prepare you to write your MTS thesis.

Over the course of the quarter, we will address the following: How can you think about the questions and experiences that brought you here in particularly theological terms (what theological questions are you beginning to articulate)? What academic disciplines are having productive and stimulating conversations about the topic(s) that interests you? What resources, conversations partners, forums, etc can you find to help you deepen, broaden, and focus your questions and interests? How can you relate your academic learning to contemporary issues and questions, particularly those relevant to your own professional practices and personal life?

Part 2. Theological Fluency

The second part of the course is designed to get you thinking and reflecting critically on how contemporary issues in theological and religious studies are discussed (“religion in the public square”). How can we be more self-reflective about how we engage, practice and talk about religion? To this end, we will be reading and discussing fun (I hope), ‘hot topic’ books on religion together. This year's theme is "The Bible in American Religious Life."

Course Objectives

The MTS Colloquium will focus on helping students to achieve the following

1. Articulate the spiritual and social complexities of religious and cultural traditions related to the area of their specific focus/interest.
2. Demonstrate theological fluency with one or more of the academic disciplines involved in theological studies (historical theology, practical theology, biblical interpretation, ethics, etc.).
3. Relate learning from recognizable forms of theological discourse to contemporary issues and questions, particularly those relevant to the student’s own professional practices and personal life.
4. Identify theological resources that would broaden and deepen their thinking about these questions.
5. Demonstrate proficiency in theological research and writing as they articulate responses to their theological questions in light of their vocational goals and experiences.

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

Incompletes:  If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant:  All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate.  All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Accommodations:  Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs.   Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations.  The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. 

Writing Lab:  Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments.  Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. 

Inclusive Language:  It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community. 

Posts to discussions where people are no longer 'in the room' serve no purpose. Posts registered after the Friday at 5 deadline will not be accepted (even if you post them in the forum, there is no one there). If you do not post during the week (before Friday at 5), you have missed the book discussion.

If you miss more than one book discussion, your grade for the book discussion assignment group (20% total) could drop to 100/200 points, depending of the quality and timeliness of your other contributions.

If you miss two book discussions, your grade for the book discussion assignment group (20% total) could drop to 0/200 points, depending of the quality and timeliness of your other contributions.

If you miss three discussions, it is likely you will fail the course. This is the equivalent of missing three residential class sessions, which is grounds for failure.