IST3041-1-FA14 - Theological Themes in Pastoral Care

Instructor: Larry Kent Graham, Ph. D.
E-mail: lgraham@iliff.edu
Office Hours: By appointment through Email

Course Synopsis

This course examines pastoral practices of care in a variety of settings in the light of the theological and spiritual questions raised by those practices, and by perspectives derived from selected contemporary literature in the field of pastoral theology and care.  Students will look at examples of their own pastoral care and the theological and spiritual lenses by which their care is informed.  The course will utilize readings, case studies, role plays, class discussions, and written work to accomplish its purposes.

Lartey, Emmanuel Yartekwei.  Postcolonializing God: New Perspectives on Pastoral and Practical Theology.  London : SCM Press, 2013.

 

Speerstra, Karen, Herbert Anderson, and Ira Byock M.D. The Divine Art of Dying: How to Live Well While Dying Paperback – September 9, 2014

 

Swain, Storm. Trauma and Transformation at Ground Zero: A Pastoral Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2011.

 

Whitehead, Jason C. Redeeming Fear: A Constructive Theology for Living into Hope. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2013.

Master's Students

Attendance and Participation [40 % of grade]

One 3- 4 page reaction paper to readings for one class session [20% of grade]

A Final Project on one of the following:  [40% of grade]

Two five-page summaries of your Journal 

Journal 1 Guidelines Due October 7

 Journal 2 Guidelines  Due November 12

An 8 - 10 page paper on a current event relevant to the course

An 8 - 10   research project on a topic of the course

An 8-10 page case study on a pastoral care situation

An 8 - 10 Book Review on a book related to the course [excepting the required for purchase books]

Attend the Day-long Conference on the Pastoral Theological Work of Larry Graham November 7 and write a 10 page review, evaluation, and implications for your caregiving.

Friday November 7 Day-long Consultation on Pastoral Theology Honoring Larry Kent Graham    

Registration is Free: Click Here to Register

Final Projects (Journal Assignment 2, Case Study, Book Review, Current Event, Conference Review, Research Papers are due at 11:59 PM Friday, November 12.

 

Doctoral Students

Attendance and participation

Leadership of one class session

Facilitation of group discussions during class time

A final  paper of 15-20 pages presented ahead of time for class discussion on November 11.

One-hour meeting 3 - 4 times as a peer group 

Weekly Assignments and Schedule

See Taylor Library's list of online book sellers for purchasing options.

Course Goals: 

1.         To examine pastoral situations with attention to operative theological themes. 

2.         To review selected literature in pastoral theology and care on central theological themes, with special attention to theological contributions made by pastoral theologians.

3.         To identify the student’s theological and spiritual traditions and to examine them in the light of the readings and the case material presented in class.

4.         To assist students in responding pastorally to situations of care requiring theological interpretation and spiritual guidance.

Master's Students

Attendance and Participation [40 % of grade]

One 3- 4 page reaction paper to readings for one class session [20% of grade]

A Final Project on one of the following:  [40% of grade]

Two five-page summaries of your Journal 

Journal 1 Guidelines Due October 7

 Journal 2 Guidelines  Due November 12

An 8 - 10 page paper on a current event relevant to the course

An 8 - 10   research project on a topic of the course

An 8-10 page case study on a pastoral care situation

An 8 - 10 Book Review on a book related to the course [excepting the required for purchase books]

Attend the Day-long Conference on the Pastoral Theological Work of Larry Graham November 7 and write a 10 page review, evaluation, and implications for your caregiving.

Friday November 7 Day-long Consultation on Pastoral Theology Honoring Larry Kent Graham    

Registration is Free: Click Here to Register

Final Projects (Journal Assignment 2, Case Study, Book Review, Current Event, Conference Review, Research Papers are due at 11:59 PM Friday, November 12.

 

Doctoral Students

Attendance and participation

Leadership of one class session

Facilitation of group discussions during class time

A final  paper of 15-20 pages presented ahead of time for class discussion on November 11.

One-hour meeting 3 - 4 times as a peer group 

Policies and Services

Since this is a course in pastoral care all communications in this course--telephone, email, online postings, responses to one another’s work, disagreements and conflict—will be in the mode of pastoral conversation. This means careful and effective listening, emotional attending, open and direct communication, and respectful give and take.  Participants are responsible for own responses to the material and to one another.  Part of the pastoral care process is to learn to monitor, explore, and modify one’s own responses to what takes place in group and interpersonal interaction.  The instructor and course participants will work together to explore ways to enhance this dimension of the pastoral care enterprise.

Each participant is responsible for deciding their own level of self-disclosure the instructor and fellow students.  What is said in the course stays in the course, unless decided otherwise by agreement.  

Professional Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting

All students must agree to abide by professional confidentiality in all matters, which means that they will preserve anonymity by disguising the identity of cases when seeking consultation and case reporting.  Student disclosures to one another and to the professor will remain confidential, unless the law requires otherwise.  In all cases, students must be aware of the mandatory reporting laws of the state in which they provide professional caregiving. If they are designated spiritual caregivers within their religious tradition, they need to also be aware of what their religious organization requires.  If students have reason to suspect or have first-hand knowledge of recent, current, or ongoing child abuse or neglect perpetrated on a child currently under the age of 18 years, elder abuse, sexual and domestic violence, or threats of homicide or suicide in any of the pastoral situations they use for fulfilling the requirements of this course they need to seek immediate consultation with supervisors, denominational leaders, and the professor of this course so that proper reporting procedures can be ascertained. We will work together to establish an appropriate pastoral relationship with all parties facing these crises.  

State laws on mandatory reporting are available at State Laws on Mandatory Clergy Reporting  Colorado mandatory reporting requirements may be found at Colorado Revised Statutes 19-3-304, 1a, 2(aa, II, III); 13-90-107c.  

Please note: we do everything we can to maintain the security of an online format. However digital materials appearing on the Internet may be compromised.  Please do not post any information that you feel would be against your best interests if it is released beyond the purposes of this course.  Please consult with the instructors and/or the Iliff Helpdesk if you have any questions or concerns.  

Contacting Instructor

The professor is available by email lgraham@iliff.edu or by telephone at 303-765-3104.  Email is the preferred mode of communication. Appointments can be made accordingly.

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. 

Iliff MDiv Curricular Goal Central to this Course:

The course resides in the Theology and Religious Practices (PR) section of the curriculum.  The goals of PR are to engage in analysis of contemporary religious traditions and institutions in order to assess, design, and perform meaningful leadership practices with sensitivity to contextual realities and relationships.

Iliff MAPSC Curricular Goals Central to this Course:

The course is designed to meet the needs of those preparing for the specialized vocation of pastoral and spiritual care. Students take courses in pastoral and spiritual care that implement an intercultural approach to spiritual care, integrating contextual understandings of religious truth with a social justice orientation. Experiential learning through sharing and intentional conversations about journals describing traumatic experience provide intense group learning and supervision of the practice of pastoral and spiritual care. This course will help students integrate what they are learning in the core curriculum. Each area has a thematic focus, and courses within each area cohere in directing students to think more critically about their assumptions and to develop theological perspectives necessary for becoming responsible pastoral and spiritual caregivers in a changing world.

Joint Ph. D. Goals Related to this Course:

The Joint Ph. D. Program in Religious and Theological Studies at Iliff and DU emphasizes research, theory, clinical practice, and opportunities for developing pedagogical skills suitable for graduate and undergraduate teaching and for oversight of spiritual and pastoral care in diverse ministries. This course affords the Ph. D. students an opportunity to address all of these goals.

 

DateDayDetails
Sep 15, 2014MonSeptember 16 Reading Discussion on Hopedue by 05:59PM
Sep 22, 2014MonSeptember 23 Reading Discussion on Human Nature & Communitydue by 05:59PM
Sep 29, 2014MonSeptember 30 Reading Discussion on Goddue by 05:59PM
Oct 06, 2014MonOctober 7 Reading Discussion on Love, Acceptance, Compassiondue by 05:59PM
Oct 08, 2014WedJournal 1 Due [if elected as your Final Project]due by 05:59AM
Oct 08, 2014WedFirst Half Participation Gradedue by 05:59AM
Oct 13, 2014MonOctober 14 Reading Discussion on Evil, Sin, and Tragedydue by 05:59PM
Oct 27, 2014MonOctober 28 Reading Discussion on War and Military Chaplaincydue by 05:59PM
Nov 04, 2014TueShyamaa Creaven's Precis and Final Paperdue by 06:59AM
Nov 15, 2014SatJournal 2 Due [if elected as your Final Project]due by 06:59AM