MA in Global Leadership, Fuller OnlineCohort Course

MP520: Spring 2009

Downes

THIS ECD IS FOR SPRING 2009 QUARTER ONLY!

If you are viewing this after April 3, 2009 it serves as a SAMPLE ONLY

MP520:TRANSFORMING CONTEMPORARY CULTURE (4 units)

DonnaDownes, Associate Professor of Global Leadership

 

DESCRIPTION: Issues of modernity,post-modernity, pluralism and globalization challenge the Church worldwidenecessitating thoughtful, culturally relevant yet biblically soundresponses.  This course willexamine the following key questions:

á          Whyhas the church largely failed to challenge the negative effects of the modernistcultural paradigm?

á                    How do modernism, post-modernism, pluralism andglobalization interact to bring new challenges to the contemporary church?

á          Howcan we step outside our culture in order to see ourselves through"missional" eyes?

á          Howdoes a missionary approach to culture differ from conventional evangelisticapproaches?

This course proposes the paradigm thatmissionary engagement should be the basic stance of church toward its culturalcontext.

 

LEARNINGOUTCOMES: Uponsuccessful completion of this course, students will have: 

á          Demonstratedthe ability to Òreadʺ or ÒexegeteÓ modern/postmodern culture usingmissionary criteria

á          Discerned those values and characteristics in theircultural contexts that can be affirmed, promoted, and leveraged for the benefitof the Church as well as the cultural values and forces that bring spirituallethargy and decline. 

á          Designed strategies of missional engagement withcontemporary culture that show cultural awareness and understanding, and inwhich the full resources of the Gospel are brought tobear in their ministries and churches.

 

COURSE FORMAT: Conducted online, theten weekly lessons align with Fuller's academic calendar. Students and the instructor will interact weeklythrough lectures, threaded discussions, reading responses, and web-basedresearch. 

 

REQUIREDREADING:  A minimum of 1,300pages of reading from the following materials (as scheduled in the courseshell): 

á                    Crouch, Andy. Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling.  InterVarsity,  2008.

á                    Drane, John. After McDonaldization: Mission, Ministry, & ChristianDiscipleship in an Age of Uncertainty.  Baker, 2008.

á          Frost,Michael, and Alan Hirsch. The Shaping of Things to Come. Hendrickson, 2003.

á          Linthicum,Robert C.  Transforming Power. InterVarsity, 2003.(128 pp. assigned)

á          Newbigin,Lesslie.  The Gospel in aPluralist Society.Eerdmans, 1989.

á          Ramachandra, Vinoth. Subverting Global Myths.  Theology and the Public Myths Shapingour World. InterVarsity, 2008.

á          Supplementalrequired readings which will be included electronically in the courseshell.  (200 pp. assigned)

 

ADDITIONALSPECIAL TOPIC  READING:  In addition to scheduledreading from the above texts, students will select, read and write a500-600-word report on  ONE  of the following books (studentÕschoice). Reports will be shared with the entire cohort:

          

á          Bauman,Zygmunt. Consuming Life. Cambridge, U.K.: Polity Press, 2008.

á          Carroll,M. Daniel. Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church and the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008.

á          Claiborne,Shane.  Irresistible Revolution:  Living as an Ordinary Radical.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 2006.

á          Edwards, Joel. An Agenda forChange: A Global Call for Spiritual and Social Transformation.Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

á          Goudzwaard, Bob, et al.  Hope in Troubled Times:  A New Vision for Confronting Global Crises.Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007.

á          Hanciles, Jehu. Beyond Christendom: Globalization, African Migration and theTransformation of the West. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis,2008.

á                    Hipp, Shane. The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture.  How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel and the Church.Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 2006.

á                    Kalu, Ogbu U.  and Alaine Low, eds. Interpreting ContemporaryChristianity: Global Processes and Local Identities.Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008.

á          Miller, M. Rex. The Millennial Matrix: Reclaiming the Past, Reframing the Future ofthe Church. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004.

á                    Reynolds, John M. and Overton, Roger, eds.  The New Media Frontier: Blogging,Vlogging, and Podcasting for Christ. Wheaton, IL: Crossway,2008.

á          Natchigall, Patrick. Faith in the Future:  ChristianityÕs Interface withGlobalization.  Anderson,IN: Warner Press, 2008.

á          Raschke,Carl.  GloboChrist:  The Great Commission Takes a PostmodernTurn.  Grand Rapids:  Baker, 2008.

á          Rollins,Peter.  How (Not) to Speak ofGod.  Brewster, MA;  Paraclete Press, 2006.

á          Smith,James K. A. Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? Baker Academic, 2006.

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

1.        Weeklythreaded discussions, reading responses, web research, peer reviews and CourseReading Record (35%)

2.        A600-word extended reading responses on a special topic book chosen by thestudent from the list provided above (10%)

3.        A2,000‐word collaborative Culture Watch assignment (15%)

4.        A 1,250‐word Cultural Analysis through Filmcomparing and contrasting two movies and their post-modern cultural themes.  (15%)

5.        A 3,000‐word Case Study paper addressing a culturaltheme and its practical outworking in a studentÕs ministry context. (25%)

 

PREREQUISITES: This course is onlyavailable to those who are accepted into the MA in Global Leadership.

RELATIONSHIP TOCURRICULUM:A required course for the Cohort portion of the MA inGlobal Leadership.  NO AUDITORS.

FINALEXAMINATION:None.                                       

                                               

ThisECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification.                                                               

Updated January 2009