Winter 2020/Fuller Online

IS502

McNichols

IS502: PRACTICES OF COMMUNITY (4 Units: 160 hours). Michael McNichols.

DESCRIPTION: Christian practices constitute the Christian life. The combined Christian practices of vocational formation, worship, community, and mission facilitate the integration of personal, spiritual, academic, and global formation into the vocation coherence of a Christian leader through reflection, relationships, and practices. IS502 is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian community as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (hospitality, forgiveness, promise-keeping, truth-telling, gratitude, and testimony) in order to form students who demonstrate capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will have demonstrated capacities to critically reflect on their current and past experiences of Christian practices of community. (2) Students will have demonstrated through participation in local contexts the capacity to engage in activities and exercises related to Christian spiritual disciplines and practices of community. (3) Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic and personal practices of community. (4) Students will have articulated how community practices impact their response to the Central Integration Question (CIQ) and will identify exercises, habits, and disciplines to embody these practices within their sociocultural context.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course will provide students with further opportunity to develop and/or master skills in integrating theological and missiological content with life experience and context through engaging a variety of spiritual practices related to the practice of community, which is consistent with the SOT/SIS PLO “Students will have demonstrated capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.” (MDiv, MAT, MATM, MAICS). The emphases on integration in this course provides introduction to the MAICS learning outcome related to critical thinking and integration (MAICS). This course may also contribute to various learning outcomes in the MAGL related to integrating theology and praxis in ministry and mission, and related to spiritual formation (MAGL).

COURSE FORMAT: This course meets ten weeks online (which includes required synchronous and/or asynchronous participation in vocation and formation groups) for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING: Approximately 955 pp. of required reading. Note: Several of the required readings are available on e-reserves and online at no charge to the student.

Biblical Texts [approximately 50 pp. assigned].

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community. HarperOne, 2009. ISBN: 978-0060608521, Pub. Price $14.99 Also available as a pdf here:

https://tinyurl.com/y2wjpduo [115 pp. assigned].

Drury, Amanda Hontz. Saying is Believing: The Necessity of Testimony in Adolescent Spiritual Development. IVP Academic, 2015. ISBN: 978-0830840656, Pub. Price $22.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [176 pp.]

Katongole, Emmanuel. Mirror to the Church: Resurrecting Faith after Genocide in Rwanda. Zondervan, 2009. ISBN: 978-0310284895, Pub. Price $15.99 [160 pp. assigned].

Pohl, Christine. Living into Community: Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us. Eerdmans, 2011. ISBN: 978-0802849854, Pub. Price $20.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [178 pp. assigned].

Wright, N. T. Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. HarperOne, 2010. ISBN: 978-0061920622, Pub. Price $25.99 [87 pp. assigned].

Note: Required texts should be obtained prior to first class session.

Online articles, e-reserves and videos (available on course page) [equivalent of approximately 189 pp.].

CORE PRACTICES: Hospitality, Truth-telling, Promise-Keeping, Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Testimony.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Approximately955 pages reading and videos, including at least 50 pages of biblical text. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [48 hours].
  2. Two reading reflection papers (500-600 words per paper) on selected topics from the Drury and Katongole texts (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #3 and #4]. [10 hours].
  3. Using the required textbook Life Together, students will participate in regular weekly reflections on Canvas (approximately 250 words each) (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [10 hours].
  4. Online and Vocation Formation Group (VFG) Participation: Students will participate in active learning to foster understanding of and capacity for engaging in theologically-informed reflection in the online classroom and through participation in Vocation Formation Groups. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3 and #4]. [32 hours+8 hours].
  5. Autobiography (approximately 250 words) Students will create an autobiography related to practices of community (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [5 hours].
  6. Directed Exercises and Integrative Reflection: Students will participate in disciplines and exercises outside of the classroom over duration of the quarter related to the core practices of the course and reflect on these experiences in a way that integrates experience with course content.(15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2 and #3.] [10 hours].
  7. Fieldwork assignments: Students will complete three fieldwork assignments related to course practices and reflect on these experiences in a way that integrates experience with course content (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2.] [12 hours]
  8. Final Integrative Assignment (2,500 words): Integration paper that reflects theologically on the practices of this course and their implications for the student’s response to the CIQ and the exercises, habits, and disciplines in their current Rule of Life. (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [25 hours].

PREREQUISITES: IS500 encouraged. Recommended in first year of study.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core integration requirement in the 120 MDiv and the 80 MAT, 80 MATM, 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015).

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. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.