Fall 2020/Online Live!
PM556/856
Branson
PM556/856: PRACTICAL THEOLOGY METHODS; God’s Agency, Discernment, & Praxis (MA/MDiv: 4 Units: 175 Hours; PhD/ThM: 6 Units: 375 Hours). Mark Lau Branson.
DESCRIPTION: This is a 6-unit required methods seminar for all PhD students in Practical Theology; at the 500-level, the 4-unit course is offered to a limited number of master’s level students as approved by the professor. The seminar will introduce students to recent studies of practical theology with a focus on ecclesiology and mission in a Western context. The hermeneutical implications of a praxis-based theology of ministry will be considered in an integrative, interdisciplinary manner, with attention to matters of discernment and leadership appropriate to participation in God’s mission in both the church and the world.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will articulate an understanding of key elements and recent constructs of practical theology methods. (2) Students will provide an integrative explanation of PT methods in relationship to ecclesiology, missiology, leadership, and ministry. (3) Students will demonstrate skills for shaping a PT process for a contemporary challenge in a church or other setting. (4) (PhD & ThM only:) Students will develop a syllabus for a PT-based ministry class. (5) Students will reflect critically on their own competencies and capacities for PT-shaped leadership in relationship to their current professional goals.
COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’sacademic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students are required to attend the scheduled class times via videoconference each week (*see schedule and note for specifications). Students are also 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.
This class meets online once per week for 2-hour sessions and in groups or 1-on-1 appointments, for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students will spend 30-60 minutes weekly in web-based media and interaction; class times will include lectures, individual and group exercises, reflective discussions of materials and experiences, and student presentations.
REQUIRED READING: 1,500 pp. of required reading for MA/MDiv Students; 3000 pp. of required reading for PhD and ThM students
All Students:
Bevens, Stephen. Models of Contextual Theology, Rev. ed. Orbis, 2002. ISBN: 1-57075-438-1, Pub. Price $32,00. [186 pages]
Branson, Mark Lau & Juan Martínez. Churches, Cultures & Leadership. IVP Academic, 2011. ISBN: 978-0830839261, Pub. Price $27.00 [233 pages assigned].
Branson, Mark Lau and Alan Roxburgh. God’s Agency—Disruptions—Leadership. Cascade, 2020 (in press). [200 pages assigned; available on Canvas]
Cahalan, Kathleen & Gordon Mikoski. Opening the Field of Practical Theology. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. ISBN:978-0742561267, Pub. Price $41.00 [150 pages assigned].
Cartledge, Mark. The Mediation of the Spirit: Interventions in Practical Theology. Eerdmans, 2015. ISBN: 978-0802869555 [170 pages].
Osmer, Richard. Practical Theology. Eerdmans, 2008. ISBN:978-0802817655, Pub. Price $25.00 [240 pages].
Schreiter, Robert. Constructing Local Theologies. Orbis, 2015. ISBN: 978-1626981461, Pub. Price $30.00 [190 pages].
Van Gelder, Craig. The Ministry of the Missional Church. Baker, 2007. ISBN:978-0801091391, Pub. Price $19.00 [170 pages].
*Additional 100 pp. will be on Canvas, including: Willie Jennings, Stephen Toulmin, Dale Andrews & Robert London Smith, Jr., and James Evans.
*It is assumed that students are familiar with a standard guide to writing research papers, like Kate Turabian. A Manual for Writers, 9th ed. University of Chicago, 2018; Wayne Booth et al. The Craft of Research (4th ed). University of Chicago, 2016; and with CMOS Online.
PhD & ThM students (all above plus):
Anderson, Ray. The Shape of Practical Theology. InterVarsity, 2001. ISBN:978-0830815593, Pub. Price $32.00 [320 pages].
Browning, Don. A Fundamental Practical Theology. Fortress, 1991. ISBN:978-0800629731, Pub. Price $29.00 [300 pages].
Heitink, Gerben. Practical Theology. Eerdmans, 1999. ISBN: 978-0802842947, Pub. Price $46.50 [320 pages].
Root, Andrew. The Pastor in a Secular Age. Baker, 2019. ISBN: 978-4934-1822-0. Pub. Price $26.99. [320 pages].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Andrews, Dale, and Robert London Smith, Jr. (eds.). Black Practical Theology. Baylor University Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-1602584358, Pub. Price $49.95 [354 pages].
Foley, Edward. Theological Reflection across Religious Traditions: The Turn to Reflective Believing. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. ISBN: 978-1442247192, Pub. Price $36.00 [180 pages].
Jennings, Willie. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. Yale University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0300171365, Pub. Price $27.50 [356 pages].
Toulmin, Stephen. Cosmopolis. University of Chicago Press, 1990. ISBN:978-0226808383, Pub. Price $26.00 [210 pages].
Whitehead, James and Evelyn Whitehead. Methods in Ministry Rev. ed. Sheed & Ward, 1995. ISBN:978-1556128066, Pub. Price $20.95 [150 pages].
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT: [PhD: 385 hours; MDiv/MA: 175 hours; includes 30 hours in class]
PREREQUISITES: MA/MDiv students must have completed a minimum of 40 quarter units of course work and have permission of the professor.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective. Required for CATS Practical Theology students.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: To participate in an Online Live course, please make sure your computer and Internet specifications meet the requirements listed below. You may also contact the Office of Teaching and Learning to schedule a test run before the quarter begins.
Online-specific requirements:
Important Note: Students must have full administrator access to their computer. This means that students may not be able to use a company-provided computer as they often restrict some system operations necessary for online course work.
Computer Specifications:
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.