Fall 2020/Fuller Online

IS500

Maros

IS500: PRACTICES OF VOCATIONAL FORMATION (4 Units: 160 hours). Susan L. Maros.

DESCRIPTION: This course seeks to address how our vocation as people called to participation in God’s work in the world is discerned, developed, and sustained across a lifetime particularly considering the historically and theologically-rooted Christian practices of listening, discernment, guidance, lament, rhythms of rest, and stewardship. Participants explore the values and assumptions about vocation present in their context, integrating theological and missiological resources with their lived experience of vocational formation enacted in distinctive social and cultural contexts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to analyze and assess their community’s past and current practice of vocational formation. (2) Students will consider the impact of their social-cultural context and heritage--including racial-ethnic-cultural identity, gender, theological environment, and other contextually-shaped identities--on their vocational formation. (3) Students will articulate the implications of Christian practices and disciplines for their current and future spiritual and vocational formation. (4) Students will identify specific steps to enact and deepen practices of vocational formation as a response to God’s invitation to continued formation.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course will introduce students to one or more strategies for integrating theological and missiological content with life experience and context through engaging a variety of spiritual practices around vocational formation, 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 and vocational formation this course provide introduction to the MAICS learning outcome related to critical thinking and integration and the learning outcome related to vocation (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 with a total of 160 hours of coursework. 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 850 pp. of required reading.

A. Core Texts

Maros, Susan L.Intersections: Calling in Context. InterVarsity Academic (in press) [200 pp.]

Reyes, Patrick B.Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community, and Surviving to Adulthood. Chalice Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-0827225312, Pub. Price $19.99 Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [192 pp.]

Choice Book - pick one of the following

Brown, Austin Channing. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Convergent Books, 2018. ISBN: 978-1524760854, Pub. Price $25.00 [192 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Spiegel & Grau, 2015. ISBN: 978-0812993547, Pub. Price $26.00 [176 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library

Crespo, Orlando. Being Latino in Christ: Finding Wholeness in Your Ethic Identity. InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0830823741, Pub. Price $17.00 [167 pp.]

Hill, Daniel. White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to Be White. InterVarsity Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0830843930, Pub. Price $18.00. [192 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library

Irving, Debby.Waking up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race. Elephant Room Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0991331307, Pub. Price $19.99 [288 pp.]

Jeung, Russell. At Home In Exile: Finding Jesus Among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors. Zondervan, 2016. ISBN: 978-0310527831, Pub. Price $17.99 [224 pp.]

Khang, Kathy. Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up. InterVarsity Press, 2018. ISBN: 978-0830845408, Pub. Price $16.00 [176 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library

Shin, Sarah. Beyond Colorblind: Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey. InterVarsity Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0830845156, Pub. Price $16.00 [204 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library

B. Vocational Practices Reader. Articles and chapters available on Canvas. Materials address the core practices of the course as well as offering resources for integration. [Approx. 200 pp.]

D. StrengthsFinders

*Students in IS500 are required to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment, receive a CoreClarity coaching packet based off of their top 5 strengths, and participate in a 45-minute coaching call with a CoreClarity coach. There will be a $40 charge for StrengthFinder® assessment, Coaching Packet, and Coaching Session which will automatically be charged to your student account.

RECOMMENDED READING:

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

Thurman, Howard. Disciplines of the Spirit. Friends United Press, 1963. ISBN: 978- 0913408353, Pub Price $13.00 [128 pp.]

Walker-Barnes, Chanequa.Too Heavy a Yoke: Black Women and the Burden of Strength. Cascade Books, 2014. 978-1620320662, Pub. Price $28.00 [232 pp.] Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. 850 pages reading including at least 50 pages of biblical text and video lectures [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [60 hours].
2. Online Discussion 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]. [20 hours].
3. Social Location and Vocation: Students will engage in reading, exercises, and fieldwork activities focused on considering their social location and its impact on vocation formation. This assignment culminates with writing a vocational autobiography (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2]. [20 hours].
4. Directed Exercises, Disciplines and Fieldwork: Student will participate over the quarter in disciplines and exercises outside of the classroom related to the core practices of the course. These exercises will include (but not limited to) Clifton Strengths Assessment and the creation of a financial plan that supports vocational goals (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3] [20 hours].
5. Integrative Reflections: Students will engage in critical theological reflection on contextualized experiences using a practical theology method. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1.] [20 hours].
6. Final Integrative Assignment: 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. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [20 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None. 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.