Feminist Theory &Christian Theology

Welcome to Feminist Theory and Christian Theology!

Dr. Shelli Poe
Fall 2020
Office Hours: Sept 22, Oct 13, Nov 3 from 10:30-11:45am MST, and by appointment.
Phone: 320-444-1905
Email: spoe@iliff.edu

Course Goals

The goal of this course is to equip and empower you to be able to talk with your future church congregants, undergraduate students, or community members about feminist theory and Christian theology. To do so, you will need to know:

• What motivates feminist theologians?
• Who are some important feminist theologians?
• What are the key ideas and questions in feminist theology?

You will also need to be able to make an argument regarding at least one of the following:

• How does or doesn't feminist theory influence your own theology, and why you have adopted, adopted with modification, and/or rejected particular aspects of feminist theory?
• What aspects of feminist theory or theology are most important to accept and/or reject for your work together as a congregation, denomination, religion, or community of learning?

Course Activities

The learning activities we use throughout the semester will allow you to acquire the knowledge and skills required to achieve our learning goals. You will primarily be asked to read book chapters and articles, engage with classmates in discussions, collaboratively curate a set of resources, and practice making arguments and responding to others in both shorter and longer writings.

Reading

Please purchase the following texts:

• Estelle B. Freedman, No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women (Ballantine, 2002).
• Serene Jones, Feminist Theory and Christian Theology (Fortress, 2000).
• Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow, Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology (Fortress, 2016).

Each week, we will read about 75 pages of the above books, and from other book chapters and articles as posted. As you encounter and synthesize new material, I encourage you to keep our course goals in mind as a way to focus your thoughts and energies. Whenever you read a new text, you might ask yourself:

• What motivates this theologian to do her work?
• What are this theologian’s key ideas?
• What questions is this theologian attempting to answer? What questions does she raise?
• How do I respond to various aspects of this theologian’s argument?
  • Would I like to adopt aspects of this argument into my own theology? Why?
  • Would I like to adopt aspects of this argument with modification into my own theology? Why and how?
  • Would I like to reject aspects of this theologian’s argument, or portions of it? Why?
  • What aspects of feminist theory or theology would impact my understanding of the nature or work of my congregation, denomination, religion, or community of learning? Would that impact be beneficial or harmful? How?

To help you understand the texts we will be reading in the course, students will take turns providing background information and further resources about the theologians we will be reading. Please sign up for one theologian by Wednesday, September 16.

• Background information posts are due on Saturdays by midnight MST: In at least 250 words, summarize useful background information about a theologian on the syllabus. You may write these summaries or offer them in a video format. (Since we have more students enrolled in the course than we have authors, some of you will sign up for the same author. If two of you are sharing responsibility for one author, you will need to integrate your summaries so that the rest of the class receives one summary of 500 words.)
• In addition, provide links to two resources, with your own summary of each resource, in the Curated Resources GoogleDoc. One of these resources should provide background information on the theologian, while the other should offer further reading (secondary or primary) for those who want to know more. (If you are sharing responsibility for an author with another student, each student will be responsible for 2 resources with summaries. The class will receive 4 total resources with summaries on these weeks of class.)

Discussing

After reading, you will have the opportunity to step back and reflect on what you’ve encountered in the reading, to see how others respond to the text, and to engage with them about particular portions of the readings.

• Discussion posts are due on Thursdays by midnight MST: In at least 300 words, make an argument about a portion of the text we’ve read for the week. When making your arguments, keep your course project in mind by asking yourself the kinds of questions that you’ll need to answer in the project (see below). If you want to focus on a particularly difficult text to interpret, it is perfectly acceptable to ask for help in interpretation within your discussion posts, provided that you first make an argument about why the text is difficult to understand. See

  These elements of a persuasive argument should be present whenever you make an argument in discussion posts and in the course project.

  • Claim:
    • The claim answers the question, “What do you think?”
    • You should be able to put your claim in the form of a sentence that begins with “I think that…”
  • Reasons:
    • Reasons support your claim. They answer the question, “Why do you think that?”
    • You should be able to put your reasons in the form of sentences that begin, “I think so because…”
  • Evidence:
    • At least one piece of evidence should support each reason offered. Evidence answers the question, “How do you know?”
    • You should be able to put your evidence in the form of sentences that begin, “I believe my reasons are legitimate because…”
    • Evidence most often takes the form of textual passages. Be sure to include page number(s) and brief key quotations when you refer to a passage of the text.
    • In discussion posts and the final project, a full citation and/or bibliography is not required unless you have a different version of the text than the rest of the class or you cite a resource that is not on the syllabus.
  • Counter-argument and response:
    • A counterargument asks the question, “Are you sure?” and can apply to any of the elements of argument described above, as well as unstated assumptions and the links between the elements of argument.
    • You should be able to respond to counter-arguments by acknowledging their validity and modifying your argument, or showing how the counter-argument does not defeat your argument.
    • You can practice making counterarguments and responding to them by replying to your classmates’ discussion posts, and responding to your classmates’ replies to your posts. Your replies to your classmates’ posts do not need to be counterarguments all of the time, but sometimes this should occur as a way of helping each other see a different perspective.
  and

  You may want to make a variety of arguments in your posts and projects. Here are some examples that may be helpful to you:

  • Interpretive/analytical: In this type of argument, the author claims to know what the text means. For example, she may:
    • draw upon various portions of the text that bring fuller meaning to one passage
    • point out the literary and/or socio-cultural context of the passage and relate it to the specific passage under consideration
    • highlight the author’s interlocutors or influences that stand behind the text and show how they relate to the specific passage under consideration
  • Comparative/synthetic: In this type of argument, the author brings two or more texts together for comparison. For example, they may:
    • draw out the contrast between two texts and highlight reasons for the discrepancies between them
    • show how two texts are very similar but have subtle differences
  • Evaluative: In this type of argument, the author draws out the benefits and/or weaknesses of a text’s argument. For example, he may:
    • demonstrate the beneficial or deleterious outcomes within a particular context that would result from a community’s acceptance of the argument
    • offer particular conceptual modifications that would bolster the argument under consideration
    • critique the validity or soundness of an argument by pointing out flaws in its logic, reasons, evidence, or assumptions
  for more details about discussion posts.
• Replies to others' posts are due on Fridays by midnight MST: Please keep the following guidelines in mind:
  • Your replies to others should extend the conversation: Creatively and critically push the conversation forward, rather than repeating what has already been said. If 1 or 2 other students have already responded directly to a point raised in a student paper, don't write another response to that point unless it adds something new to the conversation. Extend the conversation by adding an additional or different insight from the course materials, by asking a new question that stems from one of the posts already offered, by offering a related and contextualized example of the issue being discussed from your own experience, or by creatively integrating your own perspective with what has already been posted.
  • If you have a question for a peer or about the text,  contextualize your question: Situate your questions within the discussion by referencing the course materials and other parts of the conversation thread that inform your inquiry. Give us a little background as to why this question matters to you and how it relates to the course.
  • Engage with your peers respectfully:  Discussions in this course are likely to raise sensitive topics. Please strive for respect in all your comments, and charity in reading the comments of others.
• Responses to others' replies to your own posts are due on Saturdays by midnight MST. Please keep the previous guidelines in mind.
• During weeks in which you have project section drafts due, please:
  • Read the material for the week as usual
  • Post at least 100 words in response to the week's material by Thursday at midnight.
  • Read and reply to only one other student's discussion post (you may, of course, read/reply to more than one student, but you are required only to engage with one other student) by Friday at midnight.
  • No need to respond to replies to your posts, since you'll be working on the project draft on Saturday (though, of course, you may respond as you are able).
  • Post your section draft by Saturday at midnight in both the Discussions page for your peers to see and also as an Assignment for me to read .
  • Read and offer feedback to only one other student's project section draft by Sunday at midnight (again, you may do more, but only one is required). The purpose is to offer you the opportunity to engage in a limited form of peer review, where 1) you get to see how others are approaching the material; 2) you receive some feedback from someone other than me, for use when writing the final project (you'll want to pay extra attention to overlapping feedback). When offering feedback to one another, please be charitable and also challenge one another.

Course Rhythm

The rhythm of each week will look like this:

Course Project

The project will be an opportunity for you to utilize the knowledge and skills you've gained during the course. In addition, it will be useful to you in your future ministry, since the project is situated in a real-life situation of your choice.

• The project is due on Friday, November 20 ^th by midnight MST: In 4000-4500 words (plus questions), create one of the following:
  • A transcript of a four-week adult education series on feminist theology for church congregants
  • A four-part article about feminist theology that could be published in your denominational newsletter or a Christian magazine (e.g. Christian Century )
  • A four-part lecture series introducing feminist theology to undergraduate students or (non-church) community members

As a minister or teacher who is introducing feminist theology to others, you will need to do more than simply provide a useful summary of important feminist theologians, their motivations, and their key ideas and questions. You will also need to tell your readers your perspective on the material. To do so, make an argument regarding one of the following within the project:

• How feminist theory does or does not influence your own theology, and why you have adopted, adopted with modification, and/or rejected particular aspects of feminist theory
• What aspects of feminist theory are most important for your work together as a congregation/denomination or religion/community of learning

Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to make some progress on the final project by creating drafts of each part of the project.

• Project section drafts are due approximately every two weeks: Each of the four parts of the project should include approximately 1000 words of explanation, in addition to at least three questions for further consideration. At a minimum, each section draft should discuss at least one theologian from the appropriate section of the course (weeks 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-9).

When constructing the final version of your project:

• You do not need to discuss every theologian we read in the course. Be judicious, choosing to treat only those authors you think would be most beneficial in your own context and for your own argument.
• Between the initial drafts and the final version of the project, you may (and probably should!) change your mind. We will have a week to revisit and revise your projects at the end of the quarter, during which time you should rethink your ideas and revise your work.
• You may choose to structure the final version of the project however you wish, as long as it has four parts of roughly 1000 words each. Some may wish to structure the project by beginning with their argument and threading it through the entirety of their remarks, while others may wish to include their argument in only the fourth portion of the project.
• Please remember to utilize the Curated Resources document that will be constructed throughout the semester as you draft and revise your project.

Week 1 (Sept 14-19): Introduction to Feminism

• Post a video introduction of yourself by Monday Sept 14, including your name, location, interest in the course, and something you like to do when you’re not studying or working
• Watch video: Introductions
• Read: Estelle B. Freedman, No Turning Back (Ballantine, 2002), pp. 1-94.
• Engage: Write a discussion post (by Thursday at midnight MST), reply to a classmate’s post (by Friday at midnight), respond to replies to your post (by Saturday at midnight MST)

Week 2 (Sept 20-26): The Project of Feminist Theology

• Read:
  • Background information
  • Serene Jones, “Mapping Feminist Theory and Theology,” Feminist Theory and Christian Theology (Fortress, 2000), 1-21.
  • Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, “Charting the Field of Feminist Biblical Interpretation,” But She Said (Beacon, 1992), 20-50.
  • Daphne Hampson, “Introduction,” and “Methodology,” Theology and Feminism (Blackwell, 1990), 1-11, 22-32, 41-46.
• Engage:
  • Write a 100-word discussion post, reply to a classmate’s post
  • Post the draft of your first portion of the final project (focus on introducing feminist theology, weeks 1-2), reply to a classmate’s draft, respond to the reply to your draft

Week 3 (Sept 27-Oct 3): Feminist Discussions of Sanctification and Justification

• Read:
  • Background information
  • Jones, “Women’s Nature?,” and “Sanctification and Justification,” Feminist Theory and Christian Theology, 22-68
  • Valerie Saiving Goldstein, “The Human Situation: A Feminine View,” The Journal of Religion 40/2 (April 1960): 100-112.
  • Rosemary Radford Ruether, “Can a Male Savior Save Women?” Sexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology (Beacon, 1983, 1993), 116-138.
• Engage: Write a discussion post, reply to a classmate’s post, respond to replies to your post

Week 4 (Oct 4-10): Sin and Grace

• Read:
  • Background information
  • Jones, “Oppression,” and “Sin: Grace Denied,” Feminist Theory and Christian Theology 69-94.
  • Carter Heyward, “The Erotic as Power: Sexual Theology,” in Touching Our Strength: The Erotic as Power and the Love of God (HarperSanFrancisco, 1989), 87-118.
  • [Not Required: Krista E. Hughes, “Simul What? Toward a Grace for the Fearful,” Dialog 56/1 (2017): 45-52.]
• Engage:
  • Write a 100-word discussion post, reply to a classmate’s post
  • Post the draft of your second portion of final project (focus on feminist approaches to redemption, weeks 3-4), reply to a classmate’s draft, respond to reply to your draft

Week 5 (Oct 11-17): Church and Spirit

• Read:
  • Background information
  • Jones, “Community,” and “Church: Graced Community,” Feminist Theory and Christian Theology, 126-176
  • Elizabeth Johnson, Friends of God and Prophets: A Feminist Theological Reading of the Communion of the Saints (New York: Continuum, 2005), 25-45.
• Engage: Write a discussion post, reply to a classmate’s post, respond to replies to your post

Week 6 (Oct 18-24): God and Creation

• Read:
  • Background information
  • Sallie McFague, Life Abundant: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril (Minneapolis, Fortress, 2001), 133-155.
  • Mary Daly, “After the Death of God the Father,” Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation (Beacon, 1973), 13-43.
  • Catherine Keller, Face of the Deep: A Theology of Becoming (New York: Routledge, 2003), 172-182.
• Engage:
  • Write a 100-word discussion post, reply to a classmate’s post
  • Post draft of your third portion of the final project (focus on feminist approaches to Church, Spirit, and/or creation, weeks 5-6); reply to a classmate’s draft, respond to the reply to your draft

Week 7 (Oct 25-31): The Divine in Feminist Interreligious Dialogue pt. 1

• Read:
  • Background information
  • Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow, Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology(Fortress, 2016), xi-60.
• Engage: Write a discussion post, reply to a classmate’s post, respond to replies to your post

Week 8 (Nov 1-7): The Divine in Feminist Interreligious Dialogue pt. 2

• Read: Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow, Goddess and God in the World, 75-130.
• Engage: Write a discussion post, reply to a classmate’s post, respond to replies to your post

Week 9 (Nov 8-14): The Divine in Feminist Interreligious Dialogue pt. 3

• Read: Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow, Goddess and God in the World, 147-190, 287-302.
• Engage:
  • Write a 100-word discussion post, reply to a classmate’s post
  • Post a draft of the fourth portion of your final project (focus on your own perspective on feminist theology and how it influences your theology and/or work); reply to a classmate’s draft, respond to the reply to your draft

Week 10 (Nov 15-20): Final Project Review, Feedback, and Revisions

• Review and revise drafts of project
• Give and receive peer feedback on drafts
• Final project due Friday, November 20 by midnight MST

Please click "Course Calendar" for course readings and assignments.