IST2080-1HY-FA15 - Practical Theology

Course Description

This course explores models of practical theological reflection and methods of reflective professional practice as frameworks for religious leadership in the variety of contexts in which students will work. Students will be introduced to disciplined modes of embodying the integration of theory and praxis that allow them to place their coursework across the curriculum into regular conversation with their practice as religious leaders and ministry professionals in a variety of institutional and cultural contexts.

Course Overview

Practical theology represents an integrative form of disciplined reflection that begins in real life situations with description and analysis of what is going on (often using cognate disciplines such as psychology, cultural theory, sociology, and history), moves to dialogic interaction with historic and contemporary forms of religious wisdom, and results in constructive proposals of intentional, strategic, and faithful practice. The discipline of practical theology assumes that this movement is not linear but cyclical and continuous, reflecting a way of being in the world that integrates analysis, discernment, and praxis on an ongoing basis.   Being a practical theologian is not reserved for professional academics, but rather is a habitual practice of anyone interested in being a critical and reflective practitioner. Therefore, this course will make pedagogical use of case studies, reflection on current events and situations utilizing practical theological method, and other approaches that encourage the integrative and constructive reflection on practice germane to the learning goals of professional degree students.

This course strives to help you to begin to create connective tissue between your academic studies at Iliff and the communities of people, institutions, and contextual situations in which you will engage your vocation. Although this course requires integrative thinking across theological disciplines that you may not have yet had coursework in, we are engaging these skills early in your degree program in the hopes that you see the benefit of rigorous work in these particular areas as you move throughout your degree program. This form of reflective practice undergirds work in ministry and other forms of public leadership.

Course Objectives

Students participating in the course and engaging in its practices will be able to:

1. Describe at least one method for theological reflection grounded in human experience and practices that emerges from and leads to praxis and explore the variations within this method in dialogue with literature in the field.
2. Utilize this method to explore a practical theological question or concern of a community that matters deeply to them, drawing on the historical and contemporary resources of a religious tradition that is authoritative to them, in order to propose future faithful/ethical practice in relationship to that question or concern.
3. Write about matters of practical theological concern in current events to public audiences in accessible genres.
4. Cultivate and consult with a community of diverse colleagues also engaged in practical theological reflection.

Required Texts

Most of the readings for this class will be articles and chapters from books posted on Canvas in the module in which we will be working with them. Students will also be called upon to identify several chapters/articles to read that relate to their particular final project. A bibliography (still under construction) of these readings for citing in papers can be found here.

Required Text for all students:

Elaine Graham, Heather Walton, and Frances Ward. Theological Reflection: Methods. SCM Press, 2014.

Students will also choose 1 of the following 7 book-length practical theology texts that they will read throughout the quarter and write an analytical review of:

Jennifer Ayres. Good Food: Grounded Practical Theology. Baylor University Press, 2013.

Willie Jennings. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. Yale University Press, 2011.

Christine Longaker. Facing Death and Finding Hope. MainStreet Books, 1998.

Joyce Ann Mercer.  Welcoming Children: A Practical Theology of Childhood. Chalice Press, 2005.

Christine Pohl. Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Eerdmans, 1999.

Miroslav Volf.  A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good. Brazos Press, 2011.

Norman Wirzba. Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

COURSE PRACTICES AND MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS

Google Hangouts on Current Events/Case Studies: Once during the quarter each students will lead a discussion on a case study from a living community of practice or a current event from the news. They will facilitate a small group in practical theological conversation during a Google Hangout. They will write a 2 page plan for the conversation that includes a descriptive summary of the event or case study and the theological question it raised for them, description and analysis of the contextual practices involved, potential theological resources related to this, dialogue between those resources and the practice of the community involved, and potential proposals for praxis. After the conversation, a participant will write a two page reflection of how the conversation went.   A third member of the group will write a blog post about the current event to practice sharing insights with a public audience. Guidelines for these assignments can be found here: case study leadership, method reflector role, current event blogs.

Formal Practical Theological Reflections Paper and Workshop: Over the course of the quarter, as students are working on their individual final projects, they will share their progress and consult with the instructor and colleagues regarding their explorations. In preparation for each of these workshops, students will write a 3 page draft of a section of their final paper that incorporates their research, reflections, and engagement in a piece of practical theological reflection. After the workshop, each student will provide a one page constructive response to the draft for one of their colleagues as a part of the revision process. Instructions for each of these assignments are found here: Workshop 1, Workshop 2, Workshop 3.

Book Review: Each student will read one full-length work of practical theology and write a review of it. Instruction for this assignment is found here, a worksheet to prepare to write the review is found here.

Participation: In all online learning, timely participation in the practices of the class, especially completing course readings, is essential to your learning, and makes up a significant portion of your grade .  I grade participation in two ways.  Some weekly assignments receive an individual grade, especially if I recognize that they require significant preparation and thinking to engage. Because I cannot see all of the effort that you put into your own learning, at the end of the quarter I ask you to assess your own participation in the course using a brief online quiz (which is simply a convenient format to collect your responses). The results from both of these will impact your participation grade.  So, though the readings are not graded week to week, your completion of them will be a part of the participation self-assessment.

The percentage of each of these elements in calculating the final grade can be found on the front page of the course. Rubrics for each assignment designating how they will be evaluated are available with the assignment instructions. 

Course Expectations

 Incompletes:  Incompletes are a temptation for busy students working under the pressures of the quarter system. However, they can truly hamper your progress towards finishing the degree, and should only be used in extreme and unexpected situations (such as deaths in the family, major illness requiring hospitalization, etc.). This class is designed so that if you keep up with the weekly activities, you will progress towards fulfillment of all major projects.  The instructor will abide by the incomplete policy in the Masters Student Handbook. 

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the beginning of the second week. All assignments will be graded using the rubrics provided.  A grade of C or higher is considered a pass in masters education.

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, as published in the Masters Student Handbook and www.iliff.edu.

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. 

Course Expectations

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. 

Degree Learning Goals

MDiv, MASJE, MAPSC

Constructive Theology (TH): critically engage historical and contemporary theological expressions of religious traditions and articulate one’s own constructive theological position in relation to contemporary events and/or situations.

MA

Formulate a viable research question that puts them into conversation with historic and contemporary thinkers in their declared discipline; articulate and pursue a disciplinarily-recognizable methodology to formulate a response to that research question.

MTS

1. Formulate a viable research question that puts the student into conversation with historic and contemporary thinkers in the study of religion and that fosters transformative possibilities for humanity and the world. 2. Identify theological resources that would broaden and deepen their thinking about these questions