DESCRIPTION:

This course revolves around three sets of challenging questions: (1) What is the nature of culture, generally, and pop and youth culture more specifically? (2) How do contemporary culture systems affect young people in our society? (3) How can we keep track of all that's going on in the youth culture and apply our information to ministry?

This course attempts to raise your professionalism, your ability to respond to the needs of young people, and your effectiveness in communicating the Gospel by way of the following goals: (1) To enable you to observe our culture (especially the youth and popular cultures) more critically. (2) To foster your excitement and hunger for theology--to make your preaching and teaching with young folks more prophetic and relevant. (3) To enable you to monitor and research the youth culture. (4) To help you create media-oriented discussions with adolescents.

This course is highly interactive, combining lecture and presentations with open class and small group discussions on the course material. Assigned readings are to have been prepared for each class. The class will meet Monday-Friday, February 10-21, 7:00-9:50 p.m.

Background: You are encouraged to be familiar with these three books.

Elkind, David. All Grown Up and No Place to Go: Teenagers in Crisis. Addison-Wesley, 1984.

Howe, Neil and Bill Strauss. 13th Generation: America's 13th Generation. Vintage books, Random House, 1993.

Rice, Wayne. Junior High Ministry: A Guidebook for the Leading and Teaching of Early Adolescents. Zondervan, 1987.

Borgman, Dean. Theology of Youth Ministry. Unpublished manuscript.

Pipher, Mary. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. Ballantine Books, 1994.

Zustiak, Gary. The Next Generation: Understanding and Meeting the Needs of Generation X. College Press Publishing Co., 1996.

Barna, George. The Invisible Generation: Baby Busters. Barna Research Group, 1992.

French, Thomas. South of Heaven. Doubleday, 1993.

Lull, James. Popular Music and Communication. Sage, 1992.

Medved, Michael. Hollywood vs. America: Popular Culture and the War on Traditional Values. HarperCollins, Zondervan, 1992.

Schultze, Quentin, et al. Dancing in the Dark: Youth Pop Culture and the Electronic Media. Eerdmans, 1991.

Ward, Peter. Youth Culture and the Gospel. Zondervan, 1992. (Available from England only.)

Annotated bibliography, three quizzes, personal reflections, and a research project.

None.

Meets concentration requirement in Adolescent Ministries for the M.A.C.L.

None.