MN536/636: Urban Immersion: Transforming the City (4 units)
Jude Tiersma Watson, Associate Professor of Urban Mission, with
Other instructors from cooperating institutions (see Course Format).
Summer 2010: July 6-10, Central Los Angeles


DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed as an interactive, participatory learning immersion that will connect participants with the historical and contemporary socio-cultural and ministry dynamics of Los Angeles. Using the city as our lab, we will journey through city streets, exploring both the urban context and faith responses to the context. We will engage both heads and hearts, using a model analysis guide, as we encounter various approaches to community and city transformation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
  1. Understand and analyze spatial and social dimensions of the LA urban context

  2. Hear stories of city and her people, and explore how faith responds

  3. Engage in call of Kingdom/community transformation

  4. Learn to use a model analysis guide as a tool for approaching, listening, reporting, and interpreting urban visits and case studies.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet 8:30a.m.-5:00p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, July 6-10, including a Monday evening introductory dinner, 6:00-8:00, and ending Saturday at noon. We will meet at the Union Rescue Mission (URM) board room, 545 S. San Pedro, Los Angeles. Class will begin at URM and then travel to various locations for site visits, using public transportation whenever possible. Students are encouraged to stay in LA during the week for a true immersion experience. Various options will be made available at low to no cost, including the roof of URM. A $100 fee will be automatically charged to the student's account at the time of registration to cover some transportation, some meals, and other site visit costs. This course is offered in collaboration with Bakke Graduate University (BGU), but Fuller students will register through Fuller. Students are asked to read 40-50% of the course reading before class begins, if possible. Syllabus will be available by May 11.

REQUIRED READING (1500 pages)
Block, Peter. Community: the Structure of Belonging. Berret-Koehler Publishers, 2009.

Davis, Mike. City of Quartz. Verso, 2006

Hayden, Delores. Power of Place. MIT Press, 1997

Padilla, Rene, and T. Yamamori. The Local Church, Agent of Transformation. Kairos, 2004.

Choose one of the following (city reaching):
Law, Eric. The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb: Spirituality for Leadership in a Multi-cultural Community. Chalice, 1993

Ruibal, Ruth. Unity in the Spirit. Transformations Media, 2002.

Salter-McNeil, Brenda. A Credible Witness: Reflections on Power, Evangelism and Race. InterVarsity Press, 2008.
Choose one of the following (community transformation):
Corbett, Nathan, and Vivian Nix-Early. Taking it to the Streets: Using the Arts for Community Transformation. Baker, 2003

Corbett, Nathan, and Brian Flikkert. When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty without Hurting the Poor. Moody Press, 2009

Perkins, John. With Justice for All: A Strategy for Community Development. Regal, 2006
Choose one of the following (Prayer and renewal):
Heidish, Marcy. Soul and the City: Finding God in the Noise and Frenzy of Life. Waterbrook, 2008.

Robeck, Cecil M., Jr. Azusa Street: Mission and Renewal. Thomas Nelson, 2006
Choose one of the following:
Bakke, Ray. Theology as Big as the City. InterVarsity Press, 1997.

Gornick, Mark. To Live in Peace: Biblical Faith and the Changing Inner City. Eerdmans, 2002.

Van Engen, Charles, and Jude Tiersma. God So Loves the City: Toward a Theology for Urban Mission. Wipf and Stock, 2009.

White, Randy. Encounter God in the City: Onramps to Personal and Community Transformation. InterVarsity Press, 2006

RECOMMENDED READING: If you have previously read any of the required texts, please select an alternative text from the recommended reading list or a book approved by the instructor.
See alternative books under required reading

Bedolla, Lisa Garcia. Fluid Borders: Latino Power, Identity, Politics in Los Angeles. University of California Press, 2005.

ASSIGNMENTS:
  1. 1500 pages of reading with annotated bibliography

  2. Journal kept during class visits

  3. Final project on a topic related to the course, 3600 to 4,000 words. Project can be adapted to the student's ministry context.

PREREQUISITES: None.

AUDIT POLICY: If space is available, with permission. Need to pay $100.00 admin fee.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: If MN536 Urban Immersion and MN572 are taken in the same quarter, the combination meets the 8-unit practicum requirement in the MACCS and MAIS program. MN572 may be completed in any urban context in the United States or abroad.

FINAL EXAM: None.

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (Posted April 21, 2010)