Holy Spirit:History & Traditions

The Holy Spirit: History & Traditions (IST 3101; 4 Credits; HI-Depth)

Instructor: Albert Hernandez, Ph.D.

Image result for images of medieval crusading

Course Overview:

This course focuses on the history of pneumatology and traditions of Pentecost from the early middle ages to the 1700's. What have Christians believed and written about the Holy Spirit through the centuries? Why does Pentecost show up in such different ways across the pages of Christian theology and literature? In the midst of the European Enlightenment, why did John Wesley hold such special reverence for the role of experience in Christian thought and education? Why has the Pentecostal legacy functioned simultaneously as a subversive trope for critiquing dominant church paradigms while also sparking creative, re-interpretations of Christian tradition among so many reformers and visionaries? These are just a few of the questions explored in this course as we discuss historical and theological works by contemporary scholars in pneumatology and the history of Christianity.

(1) Students will acquire a basic understanding of major themes and trajectories in the study of pneumatology from antiquity to the contemporary period.

(2) Students will examine and discuss the changing relationships between ecclesiology and pneumatology in different periods of the history of Christianity.

(3) Students will develop an understanding of the creative and liberating role played by the Holy Spirit in the imagination of Christian visionaries and reformers through the ages.

(4) Students will cultivate a critical appreciation for the “different ways of knowing” advocated by Christian pneumatological movements and writers over the centuries.

(5) Students will acquire basic familiarity with the academic study of spirituality and scholarly reputable approaches to the study of interiority and pneumatology.

DEGREE LEARNING GOALS in HISTORY (For all I.S.T. Master’s Degree Programs)

Historical Development and Expressions of Religious Traditions (HI): Demonstrate awareness of religious traditions as historically-situated movements that interacted and changed in relationship to their surrounding cultures and subcultures over time, resulting in various expressions located within and influenced by social structures and institutions, ideologies, historical events, ethnicity and gender, and cultural worldviews.

Required Course Textbooks and Readings:

Francis Bacon, The New Atlantis. Scotts Valley, CA: I.A.P., 2009 (Any edition or format is OK)

Albert Hernández, Subversive Fire: The Untold Story of Pentecost. Emeth Press, 2010.

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Contextual Perspective. Baker Academic, 2002.

The remainder of the required course readings will be provided for you as PDFs or as web links on the Canvas site for each week of our course.

SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL READING : (Optional texts; Not required)

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Spirit and Salvation. A Constructive Christian Theology for the Pluralistic World, Vol. 4. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2016.

Elizabeth Dreyer and Mark Burrows, eds. Minding the Spirit: The Study of Christian Spirituality. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.

Arthur Holder, ed. The Blackwell Companion to Christian Spirituality. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

COURSE PROCEDURES & EXPECTATIONS :

Accessing and Regularly Checking the Canvas Course Site:

Students are expected to use the Canvas course site/page to familiarize themselves with the entire course syllabus, the required weekly reading assignments from the different primary and secondary sources, and with all required and graded assignments throughout the duration of the course.
Students are expected to check the Canvas course site/page regularly for important announcements or updates from the instructor.
Historical timelines, relevant images from the historical periods covered in the course, and links to additional web-based resources are also available on the Canvas course site/page and on the files tab for the course.

Guidelines for Class/Group Discussions:

In order to participate effectively with their peers in each required/graded Class Discussion, students will be expected to have read the assignments for each week of the course, and to have viewed the respective video lecture(s) for the week of the class discussion
A paragraph or so, or four to six complete sentences, is sufficient to receive credit. You can always do more if you like, but the idea is to generate conversation with each other while reflecting on the discussion topic.
Each required/graded Class Discussion is structured on Canvas so that you must first post your reply to the actual discussion topic, and then the next time you log-in to post you will be permitted to see others’ replies to the topic. You will get credit for doing the discussion assignment, and you will receive no credit if you don't do it --simple as that.
Students are expected to participate respectfully in the online class Discussion by interacting in both positive and critically thoughtful ways with their peers and with the instructor.

Mandatory Attendance:

Attendance during the On-Campus Class Sessions on Thurs. July 12 and Friday July 13, 2018 from 1 PM to 4:30 PM is Mandatory. (As stated in the I.S.T. Masters Student Handbook, in order to receive a passing grade and full-credit for this course, attendance and full participation in both of this week's residential class sessions is required).

Incomplete Grades:

Incomplete Grade petitions will be granted only in the case of documented and verifiable medical circumstances or other personal or family related emergencies. In the event a student requires this option, the final grade for the course will be assigned as a "Pass" (P) or "Fail" (F) grade.

EVALUATION :

FOUR CLASS/GROUP DISCUSSIONS ON CANVAS: 40%

Each student will participate in and complete four separate on-line group discussions about different topics/themes selected by the instructor. In order to earn full-credit on each of the Class/Group Discussion Assignments, each student must log-on and post responses two separate times to each discussion topic/theme by the respective deadline.

Students will be expected to have read the assigned textbook sections, and the assigned primary or secondary source readings for each respective discussion topic/theme, and the respective week’s recorded lecture before participating in the respective Class Discussion assignment posted on Canvas. For further details see the Guidelines for Class/Group Discussion under the Course Procedures & Expectations syllabus section.

CLASS PARTICIPATION DURING ON-CAMPUS CLASS SESSIONS: 10%

In addition to the mandatory attendance requirement at the on-campus/residential portions of the course on Thurs. July 12th and Friday July 13th, students will receive 10 percent of their final grade for Class Participation during the class lectures, discussions, and activities held on-campus. Effective Class Participation during these two on-campus/residential class sessions means that each student will come to class prepared for reflective, positive discussion with peers and with the instructor by having read all of the assigned materials and by being fully engaged in the seminar setting of the class.

FINAL EXAM – THREE COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY QUESTIONS: 50%

Each student will complete and submit (via email attachment) an at-home final exam comprised of comprehensive essay questions provided by the instructor on the material covered throughout the course. Students will be asked to choose three essay questions from a list of essay topics provided by the instructor, and then develop and write a three to four page answer for each essay. The list of final exam essays will be distributed to students via Canvas by the instructor during week seven of the summer term. The due date for submitting the final exam essays to the instructor by email will be posted on our Canvas course page and is also listed herewith: 11:59 PM – Saturday August 18, 2018.

Date	Day	Details
Jun 12, 2018	Tue	Welcome and Course Overview - Video	due by 05:55AM
Jun 13, 2018	Wed	Week One: Introduction to the History of Pneumatology	due by 05:59AM
Jun 15, 2018	Fri	Week One Discussion - Religious Experience & Logical Positivism	due by 05:59AM
Jun 18, 2018	Mon	Week One Discussion: Religious Experience & Logical Positivism (Continued....)	due by 05:59AM
Jun 23, 2018	Sat	Week Two: Biblical & Ecclesiastical Perspectives on the Holy Spirit	due by 05:59AM
Jun 28, 2018	Thu	Week Three - The Holy Spirit: From the Early Church to the Early Middle Ages	due by 05:59AM
Jun 29, 2018	Fri	Week Three Discussion - Medieval Views/Practices of the Holy Spirit in the Natural Environment	due by 05:59AM
Jul 02, 2018	Mon	Week Three Discussion: The Holy Spirit & the Natural Environment (Continued....)	due by 05:59AM
Jul 09, 2018	Mon	Week Four: The Church of the Holy Spirit and the Future of Christianity (ca.1185-1348)	due by 05:59AM
Jul 12, 2018	Thu	Week Five: On-Campus Class Sessions - Thurs. July 12 and Friday July 13, 2018; 1 PM to 4:30 PM; Iliff Hall, Room-202	due by 05:59AM
Jul 19, 2018	Thu	Week Six: The Rise of Modern Science, Christian Renewal, Pentecost Traditions, and the Power of the Holy Spirit	due by 05:59AM
Jul 21, 2018	Sat	Week Six Discussion: What Does the Rise of Science have to do with Christian Renewal, Pentecost & the Power of the Holy Spirit?	due by 05:59AM
Jul 23, 2018	Mon	Week Six Discussion: (Continued)	due by 05:59AM
Jul 28, 2018	Sat	Week Seven: The Holy Spirit in the Period of the Reformation, PART I ( ca. 1490's-Early-1600's)	due by 05:59AM
Aug 04, 2018	Sat	Week Eight: The Holy Spirit in the Period of the Reformation, PART II ( ca. 1490's-Early-1600's)	due by 05:59AM
Aug 09, 2018	Thu	Week Nine: "Contextual Pneumatologies" and Closing Reflections	due by 05:59AM
Aug 11, 2018	Sat	Week Nine Discussion: "Contextual Pneumatologies" and Closing Reflections	due by 05:59AM
Aug 13, 2018	Mon	Week Nine Discussion: (Continued)	due by 05:59AM
Aug 19, 2018	Sun	Week Ten: Final Exam Essays Due Saturday August 18, 2018 by 11:59 PM	due by 05:59AM