DESCRIPTION: This course explores the variety of ways that music expresses theology through the juxtaposition of sound and text, and through the spiritual formation of peoples and congregations as it is played and sung. Particular attention will be given to the pastoral implications arising from music's capacity to embed theology both individually and communally by shaping theology, evoking memory and forging relationships.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Discussions of music in the life of the church often revolve around pragmatics of planning and rehearsal, without attending to how music functions formatively within worship contexts. Often, musical decisions are made on the basis of unexamined biases, and can evoke strong reactions either positively or negatively. By exploring music as a type of ritual and by making use of discussions of music occurring within the discipline of theological aesthetics, this course will offer tools to critically and pastorally understand why music often evokes deep responses, and provide opportunities to consider how music can be most effectively used in the service of congregational life.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who pass this course will demonstrate that they have: gained a deeper understanding of music's formative qualities and their pastoral implications; articulated how music functions within their own tradition; and begun to develop an ability to identify and interpret value judgments surrounding discussions of music.

COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet weekly for three-hour sessions. Classes require an average of eight hours a week of preparation time (reading, viewing sound and video clips, and writing response papers). Class time will include both lecture and discussion of readings, written assignments, and excerpts from musical works.

REQUIRED READING: A minimum of 1200 pages taken from the following:

Blackwell, Albert L. The Sacred in Music. Westminster John Knox Press, 1999. 255 pages. ISBN: 0664224865. Pub. Price: $29.95.

Hogue, David. Remembering the Future, Imagining the Past: Story, Ritual, and the Human Brain. Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2003. 216 pages. ISBN: 0-8298-1489-2. Pub. Price: $25.00.

McGann, Mary E. A Precious Fountain: Music in the Worship of an African American Catholic Community. The Liturgical Press, 2004. 326 pages. ISBN: 0814662072. Pub. Price: $29.95.

Mouw, Richard J., and Mark A. Noll, eds. Wonderful Words of Life: Hymns in American Protestant History and Theology. Eerdmans, 2004. 288 pages. ISBN: 080282160X. Pub. Price: $20.00.

Redman, Robb. The Great Worship Awakening: Singing a New Song in the Postmodern Church. Jossey-Bass, 2002. 272 pages. ISBN: 0787951269. Pub. Price: $25.95.

Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Revised and expanded ed. Vintage Books, 2008. 448 pages. ISBN: 9781400033539. Pub. Price: $14.95.

Course Reader.

1. Completion of assigned readings, attendance, and participation in class discussions (15%).

2. Three 5-page papers: (a) A reflection upon how music is rehearsed, taught, and performed in the student's tradition (15%); (b) Theological comparison of music's sacramental qualities as described in various course readings (20%); (c) Reflection upon the pastoral implications of music making, using course readings (20%).

3. One 15-page final project (30%).