Winter 2017/Fuller Online

ST555

García-Johnson

ST555: TEOLOGÍA DE LA COMUNIDAD LATINA [Theology of the Latino/a Community] (4 Units: 160 Hours). Oscar A. García-Johnson.

DESCRIPTION: This course introduces the student to the major themes and specialized disciplines that deal with U.S. Latino(a)/Hispanic communities. The approach is practical and intends to forge a critical environment for interpreting religious practices, culture, ministry models, and social structures that so far have shaped the contours of Latino living. The end product is a critical ecclesiology for churches whose constituency is the Latina community or whose intention is to embrace such a community and issues at some point.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) cognitively, a foundational understanding of the main issues affecting Latinos in the U.S. and beyond; (2) ministry-related, a hermeneutics of religious practices, leadership, and missions; (3) contextually, a social ethics situated in the Latino context and shaped by biblical values; (4) spiritually, an every day spirituality for the people of God—a communal expression of faith shaped by the Spirit of the Global God.

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. Course content will be presented through introductory and summative video presentations and written essays provided at the start of each 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. Given the practical methodology of this course, the class environment will allow for a variety of learning experiences including video-lectures, film analysis, group blogs, etc. Students are expected to study beforehand the required readings for the week and take part in the ensuing discussion. It will require independent study, group projects, and presentations.

REQUIRED READING: 1150 pages required.

Bonino, José Miguez. Rostros del Protestantismo Latinoamericano. Nueva Creación, 1995. ISBN: 978-0802809346, Pub. Price $10.00 [167 pp.]. [A digital copy is available at Scribd.com for a daily, monthly or yearly subscription fee].

Carroll Rodas, Daniel. Cristianos en la Frontera. Creación, 2009. ISBN: 978-1599794310, Pub. Price $9.99 [172 pp.].

García-Johnson, Oscar. The Mestizo/a Community of the Spirit. Pickwick, 2009. ISBN: 978-1556357190, Pub. Price $21.00 [156 pp.].

Garcia-Johnson, Oscar and Milton Acosta, Conversaciones Teológicas del Sur Global Americano. Puertas Abiertas/Wipf & Stock, 2016. ISBN: 978-1498294577, Pub. Price $30.00 [available on November 2016] [100 pp]

Isasi-Díaz, María, Timoteo Matovina, y Nina Torres-Vidal., eds. Camino a Emaús: Compartiendo el ministerio de Jesús. Augsburg Fortress, 2002. ISBN: 978-0814629567, Pub. Price $9.95 [105 pp.].

Miranda, Roberto. En La Tierra de los Peregrinos. Palabra y más, 2009. ISBN: 978-9945408225, Pub. Price $15.00 [296 pp.].

Villafañe, Eldin. El Espíritu Liberador: Hacia una ética social Pentecostal hispanoamericana. Eerdmans Publishing, 1997. ISBN: 978-0802809391, Pub. Price $25.00 [264 pp.].

eReserve: Selected articles on Latin American and U.S. Latino/a ecclesial issues. [50 pp].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Attendance and participation (10%).

2. Careful reading of assigned texts: 1150 pages of required reading. The quality and extent of readings will be assessed in the form of reflective reports and a research paper. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2, 3] [76 hours].

3. Instruction hours in the form of video lectures, video-interviews, and PowerPoint presentations [10 hours].

4. Each week students will reflect upon a chapter of Camino a Emaús, post their impressions on Moodle (250 words), and interact with two members of their group (200 words) (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2, 4] [10 hours].

5. Four book reviews, 700 words. (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome # 1, 3] [24 hours].

6. One film review, 500 words (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome # 1,2,3] [5 hours].

7. Students will choose a research topic, write a thesis statement and outline, and peer-review it in groups (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 3] [10 hours].

8. At the end of the quarter each student will submit his or her research paper of 2000-2500 words based on the peer-reviewed outline (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1,2,3] [25 hours].

PREREQUISITES: Spanish.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT Programs (Fall 2015).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.