Summer 2013/Fuller Online

SP500

Hernandez

SP500: SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS AND PRACTICES. Wil Hernandez.

DESCRIPTION: Spiritual practices emerge out of spiritual traditions which, in turn, often emerge from the life and experience of spiritual pioneers. In this course we will explore the lives of seven spiritual pioneers from various traditions (Antony of Egypt, Patrick of Ireland, Hildegard of Bingen, Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, Ignatius of Loyola, and Teresa of Avila) and the spiritual traditions they founded (or influenced). Within each tradition a spiritual practice will be examined and employed with an eye to its use in the contemporary church. Additionally, we will allow these traditions to interact with their contemporary counterpart from the worldwide church. All this will be set in the context of the broad sweep of the history and theology of Christian spirituality.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Interest in spirituality is growing both in the church and outside the church. This course will not only explore the nature of spirituality, but will also seek to assist students to engage in various spiritual practices designed to foster the way of love.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The students will (1) understand the life, ministry, and spiritual practices of seven spiritual pioneers in the context of a broad understanding of the history and theology of Christian spirituality; (2) explore and experience various spiritual disciplines and practices from these traditions; (3) develop a broader understanding of one particular school of spirituality via a small group collaborative research process online; (4) develop skills that enable the student to lead others in the practices of spiritual formation.

COURSE FORMAT: The online class will be conducted via Fuller’s Moodle platform using a 10-week modular session aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. The weekly format includes text reading, audio/video listening/viewing, threaded discussion/interaction, personal/communal formational exercises, blogging, journal reflection and small group collaborative work.

REQUIRED READING: Students are required to read 1000 assigned pages from the required books plus materials drawn from a particular chosen spiritual tradition.

Foster, Richard J. & James Bryan Smith. Devotional Classics: Selected Readings For Individual & Groups. Revised Ed. HarperSanFrancisco, 2005. ISBN: 978-0060777500, Pub. Price $16.99 [355 pp. assigned].

Holt, Bradley. Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality. Fortress Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0800637095, Pub. Price $21.00 [226 pp. assigned].

Maas, Robin, and Gabriel O’Donnell. Spiritual Traditions for the Contemporary Church. Abingdon, 1990. ISBN: 978-0687392339, Pub. Price $33.00 [459 pp.].

McGrath, Alister. Christian Spirituality. Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999. ISBN: 978-0631212812, Pub. Price $ 54.95 [204 pp. assigned].

Supplementary Resources (SR - found on Moodle).

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Reading/Audio-Video Listening/Viewing/Threaded Discussion/Interaction (40%) – Involves 1-2 discussion questions per week based on the spiritual tradition in focus (200-word response; 2-3 interactive posts (100-150 words each post).
  2. Personal/Communal Formational Exercises and Blog Entries based on each of the seven spiritual traditions (25%) – Students do one assigned spiritual exercise per tradition and blog about it (250-300 words max each post).
  3. Personal Journal Reflections corresponding to each spiritual tradition (15%) – Consists of 1-page per entry following a prescribed Lectio template (about 250-300 words max each post).
  4. Small Group Collaborative Research Project (20%) – Involves each group gathering and assembling various resources focused on a particular tradition and presenting final product via Wiki on Moodle (about 5-6 pages worth of collected data ranging from 8-10 sources per category (e.g., bibliographic texts, audio-visual, web-links, etc.).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets program requirement for MAT, MATM, MACL, MAIS (2010); meets the following MA spirituality requirements: FSP, SP2, or SPIR.

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.