Open Forum - Post questions about the course structure here; you can also use this to connect up with other students as we form groups.
Be sure to read the Announcements! They come out at least once a week, covering both past and upcoming assignments, as well as additional information about course content. Announcements List
In this course, we examine the history of Methodism and the sources of Methodist doctrine. Specific topics include English Methodism up to the death of John Wesley, the United Methodist tradition in North America, and racial and ethnic diversity and the role of women in United Methodism.
Reuben Job, A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader, Abingdon, 1998.
Richard Heitzenrater, Wesley and the People Called Methodists, Abingdon, 2nd rev ed. 2013. (1995 edition is ok also)
John H. Wigger, American Saint: Francis Asbury, Oxford University Press, 2009.
Russell E. Richey, Kenneth E. Rowe, and (former Iliff professor) Jean Miller Schmidt, American Methodism: A Compact History, Abingdon, 2012.
Optional Texts:
Albert Outler & Richard Heitzenrater, eds, John Wesley’s Sermons: An Anthology, Abingdon, 1991. This book is also required for UM Doctrine, and is an essential resource for UM clergy. If you are in the Denver area, this is on reserve at Taylor Library.
OR Kenneth J. Collins & Jason Vickers, eds, The Sermons of John Wesley: A Collection for the Christian Journey, 2013. This is also a good option for the Wesley sermons. The introductions are different from the Outler version and each sermon is outlined.
Wesley’s sermons are also available online, but watch for (avoid) sermons that have been re-worded to make them more accessible for today's readers; as is generally the case with graduate work, you are expected to engage the original texts!
Randy Maddox and Jason E. Vickers, eds, The Cambridge Companion to John Wesley, Cambridge, 2010. An interesting – and relatively new – resource for Wesley studies, it contains articles targeting specific areas of Wesley’s life and thought by a variety of authors. The Cambridge series is available online from some libraries.
How can you be successful in taking an online class? It can be more than a little challenging - after all, in a face-to-face class, you meet once or twice a week, and, in that time, the instructor can make sure you are on-track in terms of course progress and your understanding of the material. Online, though, is different in some key ways, and your success in the course hinges on understanding those differences.
You can't participate if you don't know what's going on! In your Canvas Profile (which you can access using the Profile link at the top right of every page), you can specify how you should be contacted. Make sure that your preferred email address is properly set on that page.
From that page, you also have the ability to change your notifications (that is an option on the left menu on that page). Please make sure that your notification settings are set so that you are kept reasonably informed of events related to the class.
Finally, as each week progresses, you need to pay attention to class-related activities! Keep an eye on whatever notifications you have chosen to receive. If you choose to ignore them, you can quickly find yourself way behind (and, remember, after two weeks of non-involvement, you may be removed from the class).
Online classes are, by their very nature, highly collaborative in terms of learning. That means that the majority of your learning will take place as you engage other students regarding the material that everyone is reading (and, as you may have already noticed, different people are reading the same material from different perspectives).
Collaborative learning is a common approach at Iliff, both in online and face-to-face classes. The discussions and other activities that you participate in here are similar to in-class discussions in the face-to-face session. It is a little harder to "hide" in the online classes than it is in the face-to-face, but, otherwise, the approach is the same. And yes, the readings are the same in the two classes - the load is no heavier in the online class, although the 3.5 hours of "face time" in the face-to-face class is replaced by reading, thinking about what other students have said and responding online.
As with any class, your commitment to learning will greatly impact your success (both in terms of grades and in terms of actually mastering new information). In this class, we don't all meet online at the same time, so it is up to you to set up a schedule that allows you to engage other students about the material.
There is a significant difference in terms of commitment in an online class, though, and it is this: Since the learning process is highly collaborative (and since different students will be reading material in different ways), your failure to participate will reduce the effectiveness of the class for other students as well. Taking an online class really does require commitment, and a special kind of discipline, in order for everyone to be successful.
Incompletes: If you think this may be an issue, contact the instructor immediately. Incomplete requests must be made before the last day of the term. They are made through the registrar-- see the Masters Student Handbook for instructions.
Pass/Fail: Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the end of the second week. Some Annual Conferences will not accept this particular course taken pass/fail. Check with your BoOM registrar before you make this choice.
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. 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.
Please note: Grading will be guided by the rubrics indicated below. For reflection assignments, that is somewhat subjective, and the grade is focused on your engagement with the disciplines (spiritual practices, small groups); in other words, if you really engaged in the assignment, your grade will be solid, regardless of the eventual outcome (i.e. if you decide that the spiritual practices are not your cup of tea). For the other projects, the grade is tightly focused on the requirements noted (i.e. if Wesley's conception of grace is not clearly visible in the sermon or alternative assignment, the grade will be substantially reduced).
What you do: Six days a week for nine weeks, spend 20 minutes in prayer. Start by using the pattern for prayer found in Reuben Job’s A Wesleyan Spirituality. This pattern includes lectio divina on scripture and on short quotes from the Wesleys. Experiment with adapting the traditional pattern as needed until your spirit fits with it.
What you turn in for credit: A three-page reflection on progress or changes over the nine weeks, what you have learned about yourself and how you see these Methodist practices differently as a result of using them for a sustained period of time.
This constitutes 10% of your final grade (80 points). Check the Assignments area of this site for the due dates.
When the assignment is due, you will submit it here.
What you do: Meet “live” for at least 30 minutes (either online or face-to-face if you are fortunate enough to have colleagues in the class who are geographically nearby) once a week for eight weeks in a Covenant Group. If you are meeting online, your best tools may be Skype or Google+. The group should be reasonably small - at least two (otherwise it wouldn't actually be a group), and probably no more than four. The exact size (2, 3, or 4) is really up to you.
When forming your group, you may want to consider both gender and life situations; that is, you may find it easier to share with others who are in similar life situations (parents, singles, older students, etc.), and you may find it easier to safely open up to students of the same gender. How you form your group is up to you (Canvas will provide a way to connect with others who also need to find groups); however, if you are not in a group by the end of the first week, please contact the instructor. Please do try to join or create a small group with other participants in this class; if that is not possible, contact the instructor to talk about other small group options.
In terms of the format of the weekly meeting, that is largely up to you; however, you may want to try either the classic questions that Wesley drafted for such meetings, or a more recent set, both of which can be found on the Covenant Group Questions page.
What you turn in for credit: A three-page reflection on what you learned about supporting spiritual growth from the satisfactions and frustrations you experienced in your covenant group. How would you change the questions in future so as to support yourself more fully? How would you change the expectations of the group? What would you add to the group if you had more than 30 minutes in which to meet each week?
This constitutes 10% of your final grade (80 points). Check the Assignments area of this site for the due dates.
When the assignment is due, you will submit it here.
You don't sign up for this group online; however, once you have formed your group, select someone to let Tom know that you've done so, along with the names of the participants.
What you do: Analyze the specific Wesley sermons assigned, think about which aspects of his preaching depend on specific cultural assumptions, and identify the experience of divine grace in your own life that draws you into seeking further knowledge, ethical consistency, and love of neighbor.
What you turn in for credit: A six-page sermon or a plan of equal detail for a series of emergent encounters/activities that will clarify for your hearers/participants the nature of the grace that you have received and that is offered to them. Wesley’s understanding of grace (including his basic framework of the activity of grace) must be visible in your writing.
This constitutes 10% of your final grade (80 points). Check the Assignments area of this site for the due dates.
When the assignment is due, you will submit it here.
What you do: Select one Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church (preferably the one you intend to join if you plan to be ordained, or the one that you live in if you plan to remain a layperson) or an historically Methodist institution to which you are related. Interview two members of this conference/institution. Select one person who has been a clergy member of the conference/institution for at least 20 years. Select a second person who has joined the conference within the past five years (this might be a lay staff member or a clergy person). You are looking very specifically for the ways that this particular conference/institution replicates the trends and patterns we have found in our broad study of Methodist history and the ways in which it might diverge from some of those patterns.
What you turn in for credit: An 8-10 page paper that (1) summarizes your analysis of the Conference’s history (2) in light of overall United Methodist history and (3) that notes the patterns that one would reasonably expect continue to influence the behavior and capacities of the Conference in its ministries. 5 to 6 pages of this paper will contain this summary analysis. The second 3 to 4 pages will be your reflection on how this specific history that you have learned is likely to influence your participation in your conference or institution.
This constitutes 30% of your final grade (240 points). Check the Assignments area of this site for the due dates.
When the assignment is due, you will submit it here.
While this is not a "graded assignment" in the same way as those listed above, it is 40% of your final grade (320 points which, depending on how the discussions play out, may include a separate grade value which reflects your overall engagement with the discussions throughout the course). The timeliness of your posts, as well as the quality of your engagement with the reading, the question, and the conversation in the discussion thread will be reflected in the points awarded. These discussions will normally occur within smaller groups of around six participants, and you are assigned to the groups automatically (but you will usually stay with the same group through the entire term).
If you desire to receive a pass/fail grade, please notify the instructor by 5:00 pm on the Friday of the second week of the term. A passing grade will equate to a letter grade of C- or better; any grade below C- will be reported as a failing grade.
Late assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements are made; if they are accepted, late submissions will receive a reduced grade.
Students are expected to participate in the online components of the class every week during the term. Failure to participate in two or more weeks may result in removal from the class.
Your overall grade will be determined by two general sets of grades: online participation, and five graded assignments.
Listening to any required audio files, viewing any required videos, and/or reading any posted articles each week, and logging into Canvas will earn a C; participating in the online discussions and demonstrating a basic understanding of the required materials will earn a B; participating online in a particularly helpful way, demonstrating a more advanced understanding of required materials will earn an A.
In your interactions with other students, we are looking for:
a) an accurate understanding of the relevant readings for a given week, which means a description of the content that could be defended by referring directly to the texts,
b) an understanding of the implications (where appropriate) that the readings have on Methodism, and
c) some engagement in offering a critique of those implications in terms of Methodism up to the present day. Please keep your postings well-focused; aim for 250 words or less. Note that, most weeks, you are expected to post your own response to each topic being discussed, and read the posts of others and post at least one reply to each topic.
Your grade for online participation constitutes 40% of your overall grade (320 of the 800 total points available in the class).
Note: The first couple of weeks, the instructor (Tom) will try to respond to all of the initial posts to the questions, just to get the conversations going and set some direction for the remainder of the term. Later in the term, once everyone is up-to-speed and the conversations are robust, all posts are still read and graded, but instructor comments will be less frequent.
Another Note: Starting in early 2015, Canvas added a feature allowing people to "Like" posts in discussions. That is turned on in our discussions, but doesn't count toward a grade in any way.
Your final grade will also be determined by your grades on the five Graded Assignments, which are described in the Overview Of Graded Assignments page. These assignments constitute 60% of your overall grade (480 of the 800 points).
In the written assignments, I assign grades as follows:
A or A- Excellent work, well-structured and insightful, with few (if any) errors or typos. These papers demonstrate very strong engagement with required materials along with “real world” application of the concepts. A+ is not a grade recognized at this school.
B+ to B- Above average work (or excellent work with errors) demonstrating good engagement with the materials, and some application to the real world.
C+ to C- Average work, marginal engagement, marginal application to real life.
D+ to D- Below-average work, failure to fulfill basic assignment requirements. At the graduate student level, this is a failing grade.
All papers must be submitted in 12-point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins, double-spaced. If this seems overly picky, please keep in mind that this is the standard for academic papers at this level (and we are trying to preserve our respective eyesights). Reflection papers need to provide citations only if necessary. If you do include citations, please also add a Bibliography at the end. You can use any citation standard you want, as long as you use it correctly and consistently within a given assignment.
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.
Covenant Group Questions
The structure of these groups is almost entirely shaped by the questions that you agree to answer and discuss with each other each time you meet. It is essential that you choose questions that challenge you, but also questions that don’t provide such a challenge that you will avoid actually addressing them as a group.
Here is one set of historical questions for you to consider:
Wesley wrote five starter questions to be used in each band meeting. For Wesley’s wording of the questions, see The Works of John Wesley (Wesley, 1872/1978). Following are the band questions stated in contemporary style (Tracy, Cockerill, Demaray, & Harper, 2000, p. 133):
Another option was created by a clergy group that Iliff Professor Dr. Cathie Kelsey was part of in the 1980s.
This past week:
Themes to Watch For As You Read
The General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) has an online timeline of Methodist events, placed side-by-side with events in U.S. history, which you can access by clicking here.
If source materials are your "thing," be sure to spend some time at the Methodist page on archive.org. Careful, though, it's possible to lose track of time when you're in there...
The video on Grace that we produced for this course can be found here.
If you find other resources that should be included here, feel free to add them - everyone should be able to edit this page.
Week-by-Week Reading and Assignment Overview
This page contains links to the videos used in this course. New videos may be added from time to time.
https://youtu.be/2i4bLctaxWM
https://youtu.be/_5rjz72NOc4
https://youtu.be/OuCkWfeIX4g
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