Fall 2020/Fuller Online

TC541

Taylor

TC541: THE VOCATION OF AN ARTIST IN BIBLICAL, HISTORICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE. (4 Units: 160 hours). W. David O. Taylor.

DESCRIPTION: This course introduces the student to biblical, theological, historical and contemporary perspectives on the vocation of an artist and offers a vocational model that seeks to encompass a broad range of professions, stations of life and cultural contexts. With this broad perspective in mind, students will explore examples within the arts where artists have expressed their sense of calling; the virtues, practices and spiritual disciplines (both individual and communal) of an artistic vocation; the aesthetic dimension of an artist’s calling; the practical conditions of a flourishing artist; and the mission of a believer artist in light of God’s mission in the world.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The basic aim of this course is for students to discern the shape of a flourishing artist. Upon completion of this course, students will: (1) have a working knowledge of biblical, theological and historical models of an artist’s vocation; (2) be able to articulate contemporary understandings of the vocation of an artist as well as “read” works of art in which ideas about the vocation of an artist are expressed; 3) be able to articulate one’s own convictions about an artist’s vocation; and (4) be able to discern the basic shape of ministry to artists.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: Addresses MDiv PLO2 “Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage diverse cultural contexts for transformational discipleship, mission, and ministry.” Addresses MATM PLO2 “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. 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 1,350 pages required.

Course Reader [on eReserves] [355 pp.].

Bayles David and Ted Orland, Art and Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking. New York: Image Continuum Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0961454722, Pub. Price 12.95 [118 pp.]

Copeland, Misty. Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina. New York: Touchstone, 2014. ISBN: 978-1476737997, Pub. Price $16.99 [266 pp]

Currey, Mason.

EITHER: Madeleine L’Engle. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. Waterbrook Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0877889182, Pub. Price $16.00 [200 pp.].

OR: Anne Lamott. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0385480017, Pub. Price $16.00 [272 pp.]

OR: Andrew Peterson, Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making. B&H Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 978-1535949026, Pub. Price $16.99 [224 pp.]

Rowling, J. K. Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2014. ISBN: 978-0316369145, Pub. Price $15.00 [70 pp.]

Taylor, W. David O., ed., For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801071911, Pub. Price $20.00 [86 pp.]

RECOMMENDED READING:

Biographies/autobiographies: Rolland Hein, George MacDonald: Victorian Mythmaker; Humphrey Carpenter, Tolkien; Misty Copeland, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina; Frederick Buechner, Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation; Giorgio Vasari, The Lives of Artists; Flannery O’Connor, Mystery and Manners; Christoph Wolff, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; John R. Tyson, Assist Me to Proclaim: The Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley; Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies; Bono in conversation with Michka Assayas.

Novels: Marly Youmans, Glimmerglass: A Novel; Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray; Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay; Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven; Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch: A Novel; Ron Hansen, Exiles; Chaim Potok, My Name is Asher Lev; Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo; Steven Galloway, The Cellist of Sarajevo.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT: Grading is done on a total point basis, with 100 points total.

  1. Approximately 1,350 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1 & 2]. [68 hours].
  2. 34 hours online. [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1 & 2]. [34 hours].
  3. In conversation with Madeleine L’Engle OR Anne Lamott OR Andrew Peterson, write an essay in which you examine the ways in which your family, church and society, past and present, have shaped your ideas about art. 500-750 words (10 points; 10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 3]. [5 hours].
  4. Ten video posts 2-3 minutes long in response to specific topics of the week (10 Points; 10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 2-4]. [1 hour]
  5. Six online posts (no more than 500 words) and responses to classmates as outlined in the syllabus (25 Points; 25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 2 & 3]. [10 hours].
  6. Read Misty Copeland memoir and write a 750-1,000-word critical reflection. (15 points; 15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1 & 3]. [10 hours].
  7. A 300-500-word report on an interview with an artist. (10 points; 10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1]. [4 hours].
  8. In conversation with the work completed in previous assignments, students are to advance an argument on the vocation of an artist, appealing to specific historical, biblical, theological and contemporary perspectives. 2,000-2,500 words (25 points; 25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 3 & 4]. [28 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None. Auditors will be required to complete all assignments. This way we generate a common vocabulary and grammar of thought as we go along the course.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH5 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program.

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.