Winter 2016/Fuller Online
MC500
Dougherty
MC500: CHURCH AND MISSION IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT (4 Units: 160 Hours). Traver K. Dougherty.
DESCRIPTION: This course serves as a broad introduction to the Church and churches in historical and contemporary contexts. Students will explore a broad variety of ecclesiological formations, exploring the nature of churches, their liturgies, communal life, and their mission in the world. In this course, students will begin to compare and contrast the historical and contemporary church with their own particular tradition.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) examine the global church through the study of local churches in their particular historical and cultural contexts; (2) cite their own relationship to churches outside their ecclesiastical tradition, examining their own assumptions in the process; and (3) develop an understanding of the nature and mission of the Church and churches, both theologically and sociologically.
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: Approximately 1,200 pp. required.
Bolger, Ryan K. ed. Gospel after Christendom. Baker Books, 2012. ISBN: 978-0801039430, Pub. Price $29.99 [200 pp. assigned].
Frazee, Charles A. “1054 revisited.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 42, no. 2 (March 1, 2007): 263-279 [16 pp. assigned] [e-Reserves].
Kung, Hans. The Catholic Church: A Short History. Modern Library, 2003. ISBN: 978-0812967623, Pub. Price $14.00 [272 pp. assigned].
Miller, Donald, and Tetsunao Yamamori. Global Pentecostalism. University of California Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0520251946, Pub Price $25.95 [263 pp. assigned].
Tickle, Phyllis. Emergence Christianity. Baker Books, 2012. ISBN: 978-0801013553, Pub. Price $19.99 [94 pp. assigned] [also available on e-Reserves].
Ware, Timothy. The Orthodox Church. Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN: 978-0140146561, Pub. Price $17.00 [365 pp. assigned].
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Weekly instructional media [20 hours].
500-word weekly forum posts (Students will reflect and dialogue on readings and church visits in online journals) (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [20 hours].
200-word weekly replies (Students will reflect and dialogue on readings and church visits in online journals with other group members (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [10 hours].
1,200 pp. of required reading [60 hours].
Students will visit four churches from four traditions over the course of the term and create a response to those traditions via written, video, and audio posts (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [20 hours].
Students will either write a 3,000-word term paper or do a group project, comparing their own tradition (in terms of nature, liturgy, community, mission, and organization) to other historical and/or contemporary churches (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [30 hours].
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets 144 MDiv core requirement in Missions (MIN 8). A required core competency course in the MACCS degree (CSCC). Seminary core requirement (SCR) for MATM, MAICS, MAFS, MACL (effective Winter 2010). Meets globalization (GLBL) requirement for SOT MA programs. Option to count in the Worship and Music Ministry or Worship, Theology, and the Arts or Youth, Family, and Culture emphases.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.