Summer 2014/Fuller Online

FS510

Clardy

FS510: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN CONTEXT (4 Units: 120 Units). Casey Clardy.

DESCRIPTION: This course provides an integrated overview of the process of human development in various social contexts. We will address psychological, cultural, and theological perspectives on the nature of personal and social development as we seek to answer the question, “What is God’s intention for persons to develop into?” Development will be explored from the poles of flourishing and languishing as informed by humankind’s origin in God. A life-span approach will explore core areas of identity development including moral/faith, gender and sexuality, family, and cultural/ethnicity. Students will reflect on their life experiences in light of the course content.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) be able to design ministry practices that take into consideration critical life span issues of human nature and functioning; (2) be able to identify individual, familial, community and cultural resources and risks that influence flourishing and languishing; (3) demonstrate appropriate and nuanced understanding of age, gender, economic, ethnic, and cultural diversity; and (4) identify personal issues that may impact their own well-being and will design an action plan to begin addressing them.

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 is outlined below in the assignment and assessment section. 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:

Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2002. ISBN: 978-0767905923, Pub. Price $11.99 [192 pp. assigned].

Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Reissue edition). Ballantine Books, 2009. ISBN: 978-0345514400, Pub. Price $6.99 [304 pp. assigned].

Balswick, Jack, King, Pamela, & Reimer, Kevin. The Reciprocating Self: Human Development in Theological Perspective. InterVarsity Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0830827930, Pub. Price $27.00. [293 pp. assigned].

Balswick, Jack, & Balswick, Judith. The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Home. (3rd ed.). Baker Books, 2007. ISBN: 978-0801032493, Pub. Price $26.99 [229 pp. assigned].

Course Reader (available on course Moodle site).

Online sexual abuse prevention training, $10 charge, on the Darkness to Light website: https://learning.vitalect.com/d2l/ [Requires 2-3 hours of online training time]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Participation/Engagement (30%): Completing all course readings; interacting with online course content (polls, videos, quizzes, etc.); attending all in-class sessions; and posting biweekly in online discussion forums (one 500 word response + 150 word response to 2 classmates’ posts per 2-week module).
2. Written Assignments (40%): Completing four 6-pg written assignments (contextual analysis of 2 selected readings, case study, & personal reflection paper using course concepts and theories).
3. Reflection Presentations (25%): Delivering five 5-minute presentations to the class regarding personal reflections and practical application of course content to one’s developmental, familial, cultural, theological, and ministry contexts (one per in-class session during Week 7).
4. Darkness to Light Online Sexual Abuse Training (5%): Completing a 2 hour online training course preventing child abuse (upload certificate of course completion).

PREREQUISITES: None. This course is not recommended for SOP students.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets Seminary Core Requirement (SCR) for MATM, MAICS, MAFS, MACL (effective Winter 2010).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.