Winter 2019/Pasadena

TM522

Colletti

TM522: HOMELESSNESS, CONGREGATIONS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS (4 Units: 160 Hours). Joe Colletti.

DESCRIPTION: Students will study the extent, causes, and complexities of homelessness. Instruction will focus on the efforts made to solve and end homelessness in the United States during the past three decades and into our current decade. Lectures will describe how evidenced-based best practices were implemented during the past decade that have significantly reduced homelessness which is a reversal of the limited success of reducing homelessness in the 1980s and 1990s through emergency assistance and a sequence of programs that moved people through a continuum of care system. More importantly, instruction will help students explore what best practices and what ancient and contemporary spiritual practices can be integrated together to further individual and congregation formation for community service to help end homelessness during this decade and beyond.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will (1) Cognitive: a) gain a practical theological approach and biblical basis for ministry among the poor and marginalized with a focus on homelessness; b) learn how congregations can engage homelessness beyond providing emergency assistance; and c) learn how the media influences public perception of homelessness; (2) Skills: engage in planning faith-based social programs and learn to give bold and specific suggestions about how that practical engagement can take place; and (3) Affective: experience how compassionate social action can be combined with spiritual, social, and economic means to end homelessness.

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. Each session will consist of lectures and discussion of readings. Guest lecturers will be scheduled for class presentations and interaction.

REQUIRED READING: 1,045 pages required

Cummings, Charles. Monastic Practices. Cistercian Publications, Inc., 2015. ISBN: 978-0879070502, Pub. Price $19.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [217 pp. assigned].

Wasserman, Jason Adam and Jeffrey Michael Clair. At Home on the Street: People, Poverty, and a Hidden Culture of Homelessness. Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009. ISBN: 978-1588267016, Pub. Price $23.50 [252 pp.]

Additional publications on Canvas including a wide-range of publications on homelessness and spiritual practices scheduled for each week of class.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 1,045 pp. of required reading. [Assignment is related to learning outcome #1 & 2] [70 hours].
  2. Prepare for and participate regularly in class (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 & 2] [30 hours].
  3. Submit a one-page paper for each class beginning with second class through ninth class that will focus on a different spiritual practice and how it can be used to further engagement with homelessness after reading a brief paper, chapter, or article about the practice and spending time in reflection (graded pass/fail and counts towards 20% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3] [20 hours].
  4. Submit a three-to-four page theological reflection paper (minimum 750 words) following final instructions given in class (paper is due by the sixth class and will be graded pass/fail and count towards 10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3] [10 hours].
  5. Final paper (3,000 words) that integrates three best practices to prevent and end homelessness with ancient and contemporary spiritual practices following final instructions given in class (60% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2] [30 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C2 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Meets the Missions (MIN8) requirement in the 144 MDiv core requirement and the Globalization (GLBL) requirement for MA degrees.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.