Summer 2015/Fuller Online

ET543

Liou

ET543: MARTIN LUTHER KING: THEOLOGY AND ETHICS (4 Units: 160 hours). Jeff Ming Liou.

DESCRIPTION: As a Baptist pastor and more, Martin Luther King, Jr. is an iconic figure in modern American history, one whose influence reaches well beyond the nation. The aim of the course is to study King’s key theological and ethical motifs and the distinctive characteristics of his spiritual formation and public ministry in shaping our own ministerial and public leadership in today’s religious, cultural and political contexts. In particular, the course focuses on King’s communal and political spirituality and ethics as they are related to his ideas of God, the beloved community, humanity, love, justice, and the mission of the church, exploring his enduring relevance and legacy in the global era.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, (1) students will be able to integrate King’s communal and political spirituality with their own spirituality and identity as Christian leaders; (2) students will assess the theological grounding of their own ethics; (3) students will be able to apply the insights of King’s theology and ethics (most notably, the vision of the beloved community, nonviolence, love-justice dialectic) to their own ministry; (4) students will evaluate King’s historical and public example and articulate its significance for their Christian ministries and discipleship.

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: Approx. 1,250 pp. of required reading.

Cone, James. Martin and Malcolm and America. Orbis, 1991. ISBN: 978-1570759796, Pub. Price $24.00 [200 pp.].

King, Martin Luther, Jr. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Edited by James M. Washington. HarperCollins, 1990. ISBN: 978-0060646912, Pub. Price $23.99 [500 pp.].

Lee, Hak Joon. We Will Get to the Promised Land:Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Communal-Political Spirituality. Pilgrim Press, 2006. ASIN: B00JYHBK8G, Pub. Price $25.00 [150 pp.].

________. The Great World House: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Global Ethics. Pilgrim Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0829818215, Pub. Price $25.00 [100 pp.].

Marsh, Charles. The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, from the Civil Rights Movement to Today. Perseus Books, 2006. ISBN: 978-0465044160, Pub. Price $18.99 [200 pp.].

Robinson, Jo Ann Gibson. The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It. Edited by David Garrow. University of Tennessee Press, 1987. ISBN: 978-0870495274, Pub. Price $18.95 [100 pp.].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Baldwin, Lewis V. To Make the Wounded Whole: The Cultural Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Fortress, 1992. ISBN: 978-0800625436, Pub. Price $23.00 [344 pp.].

________. There is a Balm in Gilead: The Cultural Roots of Martin Luther King, Jr. Fortress, 1991. ISBN: 978-0800654567, Pub. Price $26.00 [352 pp.].

Delgado, Richard and Jean Stefancic. Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. NYU Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0814721353, Pub. Price $20.00 [207 pp].

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Strength to Love. Fortress, 2010. ISBN: 978-0800697402, Pub. Price $20.00 [192 pp.].

______. Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? Beacon Press, 1967. ISBN: 978-0807000762, Pub. Price $24.95 [256 pp.].

Fluker, Walter E. They Looked for a City: A Comparative Analysis of the Ideal of Community in the Thought of Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr. University Press of America, 1989. ISBN: 978-0819172634, Pub. Price $55.00 [281pp.].

Long, Michael G. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Creative Living. Chalice Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-0827204966, Pub. Price $20.00 [144 pp.].

Paris, Peter. The Social Teachings of the Black Churches. Fortress, 1985. ISBN: 978-0800618056. Pub. Price $18.00 [162 pp.].

________. The Spirituality of African Peoples: The Search for a Common Moral Discourse. Fortress, 1995. ISBN: 978-0800618056. Pub. Price $19.00 [208 pp.].

Ward, Brian and Tony Badger, eds. The Making of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Palgrave Macmillan, 1996. ISBN: 978-1403996541. Pub. Price $31.00 [224 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Weekly lessons including audio files, videos, teacher’s posts, other directed learning activities [20 hours].

2. 250 to 350-word weekly forum posts (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-3] [10 hours].

3. Three, 100-word weekly forum responses (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-3] [10 hours].

4. 1,250 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4] [70 hours].

5. 2,500-word term paper examining contemporary ethical issues and applying the theology and ethics of Dr. King (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4]. [25 hours].

6. Group project: groups will research a topic in global ethics and propose ways in which Christian discipleship and ministry can engage the issue(s) therein. 1,000-words per group member on different segments of the project (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #3-4] [10 hours writing; 15 hours group interactions/editing].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet a C4 or C5 program requirement. Elective in Just Peacemaking emphasis.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.