IST - 3163 1 (online)
Spring 2021
Instructor: Jeffrey Mahan
Contact: jmahan@iliff.edu
Religious leadership must be appropriate to the culture within which one leads. We live in cultures increasingly shaped by the digital. This course explores ways that understandings of religious identity, of community and congregation, and of leadership are changing in digital culture, and examines how both online and face-to-face expressions of faith are adapting to that. It asks what sort of leaders will guide faith communities into effective life and service in a culture shaped by its digital experience.
Readings : There are no books that must be purchased for this course. The primary text will be Professor Mahan’s forthcoming, Church as Network: Reimagining Christian Life and Connection in Digital Culture , Roman and Littlefield, anticipated publication 2021. Chapters will be posted in Canvas for class discussion but are not for citation outside the course. This will be supplemented by several essays or book chapters also posted in Canvas.
Below you will find links to the assignments and an outline of the course organized by week:
Course Outline, 2021 updated.pdf
Synchronous Zoom Sessions : Tuesdays, 4:00 to 5:15MTZ on March 30, April 20, and May 11.
Potential Graduates, please note : You are final paper must be submitted no later than noon on May 20, so that I can confirm that you are passing and keep you on the graduation list. JM
| Date | Day | Details | |
| Mar 23, 2021 | Tue | Introductions | due by 05:59AM |
| Mar 24, 2021 | Wed | Net Safety - Google Yourself | due by 05:59AM |
| Mar 25, 2021 | Thu | Reading Discussion: Campbell and Gardner, Networked Religion: Considering How Faith is Lived in Networked Society | due by 05:59AM |
| Mar 27, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| Mar 30, 2021 | Tue | Reading Discussion: Mahan, Media, Religion and Culture, "Relating Media, Religion and Culture" | due by 05:59AM |
| Mar 31, 2021 | Wed | Mahan remarks, "church in digital culture" | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 01, 2021 | Thu | Mahan remarks, "The Digital Metaphor" | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 03, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 06, 2021 | Tue | Reading Discussion: Mahan, Church as Network, Intro and Chapter One | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 07, 2021 | Wed | Leadership/Digital Culture Zoom #1 | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 08, 2021 | Thu | Reading Discussion, Chapter Two, Mahan "Church in American Media Culture" | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 10, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 13, 2021 | Tue | Reading and Discussion, Mahan, Chapter Three, Church as Network: Identity. | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 14, 2021 | Wed | Mahan remarks, "Identity Construction" | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 15, 2021 | Thu | Ippolito remarks, Social Media and Leadership | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 17, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussions and extend the conversation. | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 20, 2021 | Tue | Reading Discussion, Mahan, Church as Network, Chapter Four, Communities and Networks. | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 21, 2021 | Wed | Leadership/Digital Culture Zoom #2 | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 24, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 27, 2021 | Tue | Reading Discussion: Mahan, Church as Network, Chapter Five, "Authority and Leadership" | due by 05:59AM |
| Apr 29, 2021 | Thu | Reading Discussion: Block, Leadership is Convening | due by 05:59AM |
| May 01, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| May 04, 2021 | Tue | Interview a Leader Presentation | due by 05:59AM |
| May 05, 2021 | Wed | Interview a Leader Presentation | due by 05:59AM |
| May 06, 2021 | Thu | Interview a Leader Presentation | due by 05:59AM |
| May 07, 2021 | Fri | Interview a Leader Presentation | due by 05:59AM |
| May 08, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| May 11, 2021 | Tue | Reading and Discussion: Mahan, Chapter Six, "A Brief Theology of the Church as Network" | due by 05:59AM |
| May 12, 2021 | Wed | Leadership/Digital Culture Zoom #3 | due by 05:59AM |
| May 13, 2021 | Thu | Reading and Discussion, Mahan, Church as Network, Chapter Seven, "Beyond Congregations" | due by 05:59AM |
| May 15, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| May 15, 2021 | Sat | Submit social media reflection paper | due by 05:59AM |
| May 18, 2021 | Tue | Social Media experiments discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| May 19, 2021 | Wed | Reading and Discussion, Mahan, Church as Network, Chapter Eight, "Beyond Congregations" | due by 05:59AM |
| May 20, 2021 | Thu | No Discussion Today | due by 05:59AM |
| May 22, 2021 | Sat | Return to the week's discussion | due by 05:59AM |
| May 29, 2021 | Sat | Final week discussion points and feedback | due by 05:59AM |