IST2009-1-FA14 - Christianity in the Modern World

Course themes might be moved for scheduling reasons.

Course Objectives:

To explore historically the interrelationship between Christianity and cultures in the Americas, Asia, and Africa in order that we might begin to:

1)     Trace the correlation between the expansion of Christianity and European colonialism since 1492.

2)     Come to grips with the emergence of an economic and political world system in the modern period and the implicit and explicit participation of Christian institutions in that modern world system with its structures of power.

3)     Recognize the confusion of gospel with Euro-American cultural values that occurred in even the best-intentioned Christian missionary efforts, resulting in the unintended evil of destroying the cultures and values of other peoples in the name of conversion to the Christian gospel.

4)     Develop the intellectual and spiritual discipline to enter into the perspective of the historical “other,” and especially to confront courageously the meaning and continuing legacy of cultural contact in our common past.

5)     Discover intellectual and spiritual resources for overcoming that past and participating in transformative processes that can lead to a world of genuine mutual respect among peoples, communities, and nations.

Required Texts:

George E. Tinker, Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and Native American Cultural Genocide , (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993).

Albert Memmi, The Colonizer and the Colonized (expanded edition) Boston: Beacon Press, 1991 (with an introduction by Jean-Paul Sartre and afterword by Susan Gilson Miller).

Many other course materials will be listed in the syllabus and posted on CANVAS.

Requirements:

1)      Preparation for and participation in each class session – 10% of course grade

Completion of assigned readings before class the day they are listed.  Class sessions will presuppose student reading of assignments ahead of time and may include discussion of the readings.  Lectures that are given will provide context, interpretation, integration and/or present material not in the readings. The written assignments will test the depth and completeness of your readings. Class attendance and participation is essential—and a professional obligation. Classroom discussions are particularly important.  In the block schedule, every class missed is ten percent of the total class. Please come to class, and please come well read and prepared to take part in vital discussions. (See the note below on excessive absences.)

2)      Research and Analytical Postings - 65% of course grade.

Several times during the course you will be asked to complete a written assignment and post it onto our online class CANVAS site. These may be one of two types of assignments: research postings related to specific topics drawing on on-line and out of class resources and “analytical” postings that ask you to dig more deeply into assigned literatures. These assignments are outlined more fully in the pertinent syllabus locations. Each assignment will be graded on a 10-point scale (see end of syllabus for grading-point rubric) and the several weeks will be averaged for an overall “posting” grade. You must post your answers to CANVAS by Tuesday night at midnight previous to class. Your analytical postings should be concise and well-written, analytical and embodied responses to the content of the current week’s assigned materials. Guiding questions will be provided. Some weeks you will have to answer more than one analytical question. Some weeks may be a combination of analytical and research postings. Regardless of the mixture of postings, each separate answer (for analytical and research postings) will be graded on a 10-point scale. The mere expression of personal opinion is unacceptable without coherent argumentation (based on the readings) to support one’s opinion. Critical argumentation must be founded on the assigned literatures, citing text wherever appropriate. You should not quote readings at length, but make appropriate parenthetical textual citations to demonstrate the material to which you are referring. Refer to the text, make an argument.

Posting length:  Students are responsible for answering all of the questions for posting. However many given questions there on any given week, we expect the total word count for all answers to total not more than 500 or 1000 words (as indicated for each posting).

Posting evaluation criteria: See bottom of page for a detailed grading rubric.

Responsibility for evaluating the postings: will rotate among the instructors and teaching assistant every week throughout the quarter. The initials of the respondent will appear at the end of the posted response. Only you and the members of the teaching team will be able to view your posting on CANVAS.

Late postings: will be penalized one full point per day. Further, you must communicate with your instructors and TA (all of them, since the evaluation will be rotating every week and you may not know which one will be grading you from week to week) that the posting will be late, and when you intend to post within the coming week.

3)      Final Posting – 25% of course grade

Write a final integrative posting of 6-8 pages. Length: double-spaced, typed, 2500-2800 words. This short, analytic paper should address how I/we have come to grips with the content of this course, related again to the questions framed by the work you have done in your previous postings. You may use themes from your writings and integrate them into the paper, but you should not quote yourself at length. This is not a mere reflection essay. Build your reflection with careful analytical argumentation and on an analysis of actual text from the course. A letter grade will be assigned. A more detailed description of the assignment will be distributed mid-way through the quarter. Due by 6pm on Wednesday, November 12^th. Please submit all the final papers by email in a format that is MSWord compatible.  The final paper should be uploaded as a Word document to CANVAS.

A general word about assignments:

There will be no examinations in this course.  However, since the quarter system is notorious for the term being over before students [or faculty] realize it, it is crucial to plan your reading and writing carefully.  There will be a penalty for a late final paper and, in accord with the faculty’s more stringent policy on Incompletes, no Incompletes will be given except in the case of a bona fide emergency.

Criteria / Points for Grading Postings and Final Paper

Every research posting, analytical posting, and the final paper will be graded in relation to four overall criteria: Thesis, Textual Evidence, Writing, and Reflection.

Thesis  (Make a claim that answers the question)

2.5 points  - Thesis is evident, is clearly and concisely stated, and meaningful. (When provided, guiding question is answered)

1.5 points – Attempt at formulating thesis is evident, lacks clarity / only partially answers guiding question

0 points – No thesis / failed to respond to guiding question

Textual Evidence  (Integration of material)

2.5 points - Variety of course materials are used and appropriately cited. Evidence that material was understood and applied appropriately. Connections between different materials are made, using texts in conversation with each other and in relation to the thesis.

1.5 points – Some course materials are used. Some course materials are misunderstood. At times, material is incompletely cited or inappropriately used (original material does not support thesis or claim made).

0 points – No or little material used or no appropriate citation. Material misunderstood.

Writing (Organization and Clarity)

2.5 points – Well organized, coherent and structured. Writing strategy to develop arguments evident (chronological, spatial, or comparison / contrast). Organization supports overall goal for the paper. Writing remains focused on central point, appropriate transitions assist reading, conclusion serves thesis and goal for the paper. Writing style is appropriate to intended purpose, shows variety of sentence patterns and rhetorical effectiveness, avoiding jargon and discriminating language.

1.5 points  – Organized and structured, appropriate style and word choices. At times lacks cohesion or relevancy to main goal of paper unclear.

0 points – Lacks structure and organization. Uses inappropriate language. Lacks focus.

Reflection (Depth and Quality)

2.5 points – Thesis is developed throughout the paper with well-chosen, appropriate argumentation. Arguments are used to show rather than tell, assertions are well defended and logical. Personal reflection shows understanding of complexity and context of issue discussed as it relates to embodied context of student.

1.5 points – Most arguments support thesis, at times claims miss supportive evidence or lack clarity. Reflection at times appears to miss contextual connections or complexity of issue, remains abstract.

0 points – Arguments do not support thesis or lack evidentiary nature. Issue is discussed without attention to complexity and context or personal context of student.

Standard Syllabus Annotations