Winter 2018/Pasadena

ET501

Lee

 

ET501:  CHRISTIAN ETHICS (4 Units: 160 hours).  Seung Woo Lee.

                                                                             

 

DESCRIPTION:  A foundational course in Christian ethics that studies core Christian ethical vision, values, and convictions (telos, norms, and virtues) shaping and guiding Christian moral agency, decisions, and ecclesial practices. The course discusses the methods of ethical decisions, authority of Scripture, formation of moral agency, norms of love and justice, together with the issues of economic, racial, and ecological justice, the sanctity of life, sexual faithfulness, and violence and peacemaking with special attention to global, pluralistic contexts of Christian ministry today.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:  Students will demonstrate that they (1) understand core Christian moral convictions, vision, values, and virtues of Christian faith (the kingdom of God, covenant, law, cruciformity/cross, love and justice, human dignity, nonviolence, community, etc.); (2) have learned the basic skills of critical moral description, analysis, and ethical reasoning; (3) understand and can assess different ethical views and assumptions besides their own; (4) have gained competence in teaching Christian ethics in their own particular social contexts and in articulating their moral convictions in the public realm in conversations with others; (5) have learned how to identify and apply core Christian vision, values, and virtues to major contemporary ethical issues.

 

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

 

REQUIRED READING: 1,200 pp. of required reading.

De La Torre, Miguel A. Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins. 2nd ed. Orbis, 2014. ISBN: 978-1626980754, Pub. Price $35.00 [240 pp. assigned].

Hollinger, Dennis. Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World. Baker Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0801025631, Pub. Price $28.00 [156 pp. assigned]. 

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Strength to Love. Fortress Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0800697402, Pub. Price $24.00 [164 pp. assigned].

Stassen, Glen, and David Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. 2nd ed. Eerdmans, 2016. ISBN: 978-0802874214, Pub. Price $40.00 [360 pp. assigned].

Wright, Christopher J.H. Old Testament Ethics for the People of God. IVP Academic, 2011. ISBN: 978-0830839612, Price $35.00 [140 pp. assigned].

Course Packet (available on eReserves) [approx. 140 pp. assigned].

 

RECOMMENDED READING:

Horsley, Richard. Covenant Economics: A Biblical Vision of Justice for All.Westminster John Knox Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0664233952, Pub. Price $25.00.

Lee, Hak Joon. The Great World House: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Global Ethics. Pilgrim Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0829818215, Pub. Price $25.00.

Migliore, Daniel. Faith Seeking Understanding. Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802871855, Pub. Price $30.00.

Niebuhr, H. Richard. The Responsible Self. Westminster John Knox Press, 1999. ISBN: 978-0664221522, Pub. Price $30.00.

Sanders, Cheryl. Empowerment Ethics for a Liberated People: A Path to African American Social Transformation. Fortress Press, 1995. ISBN: 978-0800629175, Pub. Price $18.00.

Sider, Ronald. Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America. 2nd ed. Baker, 2007. ISBN: 978-0801066139, Pub. Price: $25.00.

 

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Attendance and participation in discussions (5%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5]. [30 hours].
2. 1,200 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5]. [80 hours].
3. Two 1,000-1,250 word critical reflection papers based on course materials, auxiliary readings, and/or movie screenings (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4]. [12 hours].
4. One 1,500 word group discussion report on an assigned documentary film, and two 200-250 word responses to other groups’ reports (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2-5]. [10 hours of DLAs].
5. Final in-class essay exam covering readings and lecture (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome # 1, 2, 3, and 5]. [8 hours].
6. 3,000 word term paper. The final term paper is the signature assignment for ET501. This scholarly paper has to engage at least two different Christian ethical perspectives on the same ethical issue or variable, e.g. human dignity, justice, power, in light of a student’s own particular cultural context (35%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5]. [20 hours].

 

PREREQUISITES: None.

 

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Fulfills the TH5 or TH6 requirements in the 120 MDiv Program (Fall 2016). Fulfills the TH6 requirement in the 80 MAT and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2016). Option to meet the C4 or TH5 requirements in the 120 MDiv Program (Fall 2014). Option to meet the C4 requirement in the 80 MATM and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets ETH in the 144 MDiv Program. Meets MAT program requirement (Winter 2010) and Seminary Core Requirement (SCR) for other MA degrees (Winter 2010).

 

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.