Summer 2020/Fuller Online

IS500

McNichols

IS500: PRACTICES OF VOCATIONAL FORMATION (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 vocational coherence of a Christian leader through reflection, relationships, and practices. IS500 teaches students a method for integrating resources of theological method into faithful responses to the human condition. As an integrative course, it explores the identity and practices of Christian vocational formation as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (listening, discernment, guidance, lament, honoring the body, and stewardship) fashioning them into a Rule of Life that shapes and supports the student’s vocation 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 vocational formation. (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 vocational formation. (3) Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic and personal practices of vocational formation. (4) Students will have articulated how vocational 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 worship, 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 1,031 pp. of required reading.

Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation. Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830833337. Price $22.00. [166pp]. Available as an e-book in the Fuller Library.

Bradley, Anthony B. Aliens in the Promised Land: Why Minority Leadership Is Overlooked in White Christian Churches and Institutions. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 978-1596382343. Price $15.99. [120pp, selected readings]

Newell, J. Philip. Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0809137596. Price $11.95. [107pp]

Placher, William C., ed. Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005. ISBN: 978-0802829276. Price $32.00. [160pp assigned]

Rah, Soong-Chan. Prophetic Lament : A Call for Justice in Troubled Times. Resonate Series. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-0830836949. Price $18.00. Available as an e-book in the Fuller library. [224pp]

Required articles and selected chapters will be available from Fuller library e-books and also on e-reserves, and will include such authors as Mark Lau Branson, Walter Brueggemann, Rose Mary Dougherty, Leah Libresco, Juan Martinez, Stephanie Paulsell, Miroslav Volf, and others.

Biblical texts assigned [50 pages].

CliftonStrengths Assessment: Students in IS500 are required to take the CliftonStrengths Assessment, and participate in a 45-minute coaching call with a Strengths Based coach. There will be a $40 charge which will automatically be charged to your student account.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT: This course includes fieldwork and embodied assignments of various kinds. If you have a disability, chronic illness, or other condition that makes these activities inaccessible for you, please let the instructor know. Together you can figure out some alternative ways of completing the assignments that will preserve the learning objectives while making the coursework accessible.

Approximately 1,031 pages reading including biblical text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3] [68 hours].
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. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3 and #4]. [32 hours+8 hours].
Autobiography: Students will present an autobiography related to practices of vocational formation (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [4 hours].
Directed Exercises, Disciplines and Fieldwork: Students will participate over the quarter in disciplines and exercises outside of the classroom related to the core practices of the course. In addition, students will take the Strengthsfinders/CoreClarity Assessment and debrief the results via a phone call with a professional executive coach to learn more about their strengths and how to better grow them in use for God’s mission in the world. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and #2] [18 hours].
Integrative Reflections: Students will engage in critical theological reflection on contextualized experiences using a practical theology or similar method. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3.] [10 hours].
Finances and Vocation: Students will write a financial autobiography using a practical theology method to reflect on finances, creating a financial plan that supports vocational goals. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2 and #3]. [5 hours].
Final Integrative Assignment (2,500 words): Integration paper that reflects theologically on course practices 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, #2, #3, and #4]. [15 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None. Recommended in first year of study; recommended as foundation to IS501, IS502, and IS503.

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.