Fall 2020/Fuller Online

ST574

Carter

ST574: THEOLOGY OF C. S. LEWIS (4 Units: 160 hours). Grayson Carter.

DESCRIPTION: This course surveys a wide range of C. S. Lewis’s theological and imaginative writings, with a view to major themes, including apologetic, theological, and spiritual.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course should (1) enhance a student’s basic factual and thematic knowledge of the life, writings, and theology of C. S. Lewis; (2) help students gain a basic competence in how to interpret Lewis’s theology; (3) help students gain a greater ability to evaluate various theological issues and their development; and (4) provide students with the tools and knowledge for a critical and sympathetic appreciation for the breadth, unity, and diversity of Lewis’s life and theological contribution.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: ST574 is an electivecourse focused on the theology of C. S. Lewis as revealed in the study of his life and writings. As such, the course introduces students to a basic historical and theological knowledge of Lewis, particularly as it emerged over the course of the years between 1898 and 1963, with an eye to developing skills in interpretation and critical appreciation; it thereby seeks to implement the SOT PLO, “Students will have demonstrated capacities for historically informed theological and ethical reflection.”

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours, which will be outlined in the Assignments and Assessment section below. 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: A minimum of 1100 pages of reading selected from any volumes taken from the following list (student’s choice). All books written by C. S. Lewis unless designated otherwise. (Notes: Any published edition is acceptable. Though for some classes there is a choice of more than one volume, only one volume from each class can be included in the 1100 page count. Moreover, though a book (or a portion of it) may be listed for more than one class, the page count from reading that particular book may not be counted twice.)

Class 1 (Note: Pre-reading recommendation): Alister McGrath, C. S. Lewis, A Life. Tyndale House, 2016. ISBN: 978-1496410450,Pub. Price $16.99 [379 pp. assigned].

Class 2: Surprised by Joy. HarperOne, 2017. ISBN: 978-0062565433, Pub. Price $16.99 [304 pp.]; Como, James, ed. Remembering C. S. Lewis. Ignatius, 2005. ISBN: 978-1586171087, Pub. Price $18.00 [386 pp.]; Curtis, Carolyn and Mary Pomroy Key, Women and C. S. Lewis. Lion, 2015. ISBN: 978-0745956947, Pub. Price $17.95 [288 pp.] Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library.

Class 3: Mere Christianity. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652920, Pub. Price $15.99 [227 pp.].

Class 4: The Pilgrim’s Regress. Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802872173, Pub. Price $16.00 [256 pp.], OR Miracles. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060653019, Pub. Price $15.99 [294 pp.], OR God in the Dock. Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802871831, Pub. Price $18.00 [362 pp.].

Class 5: The Chronicles of Narnia. HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN: 978-0060598242, Pub. Price $32.99. Some volumes available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [any one volume, 240-320 pages], OR Till We Have Faces. HarperOne, 2017. ISBN: 978-0062565419, Pub. Price $16.99 [324 pp.].

Class 6: The Screwtape Letters. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652937, Pub. Price $14.99 [209 pp.], OR The Great Divorce. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652951, Pub. Price $14.99 [160 pp.].

Class 7: The Problem of Pain. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652968, Pub. Price $13.99. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [176 pp.], OR A Grief Observed. HarperOne, 2001. ISBN: 978-0060652388, Pub. Price $13.99 [76 pp.].

Class 8: The Abolition of Man. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652944, Pub. Price $13.99 [128 pp.], OR Mere Christianity (Book 1). HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652920, Pub. Price $15.99 [24 pp.], OR Miracles (chapter 5). HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060653019, Pub. Price $15.99 [8 pp.], OR “The Poison of Subjectivism” 10 pp, OR “On Ethics” 13 pp.

Class 9: The Abolition of Man. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652944, Pub. Price $13.99 [128 pp.], OR The Discarded Image. Cambridge, 2012. ISBN: 978-1107604704, Pub. Price $18.95 [242 pp.].

Class 10: Out of the Silent Planet. Scribner, 2003. ISBN: 978-0743234900, Pub. Price $16.00 [160 pp.], OR Perelandra. Scribner, 2003. ISBN: 978-0743234917, Pub. Price $16.00 [192 pp.], OR That Hideous Strength. Scribner, 2003. ISBN: 978-0743234924, Pub. Price $17.00 [384 pp.].

1. Required reading, viewing/listening to the weekly PowerPoint lectures, regular forum participation including active online response (30% of final grade). A minimum of three forum posts each week will be required; one of around 500 words and two around 250 words each [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [70 hours of reading, plus 30 instructional hours = 100 hours total].
2. Signature Assignment: Students will be required to produce a 10-page research paper covering some aspect of Lewis' life or Christian conversion. (35% of final grade) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 3, and 4]. [30 hours].
3. Students will be required to produce a 10-page research paper on some aspect of Lewis' thought. (35% of final grade). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 2, 3, and 4]. [30 hours].
4. Extra Credit Research Paper or Book Review (10% maximum added credit).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT 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.