Spring 2019/Fuller Online

TC540

Taylor

TC540: THE ARTS IN WORSHIP (4 Units: 160 hours). W. David O. Taylor.

DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to Christian reflection on and the practice of the arts in worship. By lectures, discussions, and conversations with artists, students will discover ways in which the different media of art open up and close down liturgical, communal, theological, formative and missional possibilities for a given congregation in corporate worship.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, students will (1) have a greater understanding of the biblical, historical, theological and contextual perspectives of art in worship; (2) gain a careful appreciation for the logic and formative power of the different media of art in corporate worship; (3) be exposed to various experiences of the arts in worship; and (4) be given an opportunity to deepen their own practices of liturgical art.

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: 1350 total number of pages required.

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services. Baker Academic, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801038747, Pub. Price $24.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [90 pp.]

Crowley, Eileen D. Liturgical Art for a Media Culture. Liturgical Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0814629680, Pub. Price $8.95 [90 pp.]

Dyrness, William. Visual Faith: Art, Theology and Worship in Dialogue. Baker, 2001. ISBN: 978-0801022975, Pub. Price $22.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [75 pp.].

Snowber Schroeder, Celeste. Embodied Prayer: Harmonizing Body and Soul. Triumph Books, 1995. ISBN: 978-0892437825, Pub. Price $16.69. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [183 pp.]

Taylor, W. David O., ed., For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts. Baker, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801071911, Pub. Price $18.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [125 pp.]

Taylor, W. David O. The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation and the Liturgical Arts. Eerdmans, 2017. ISBN: 978-0802874481, Pub. Price $30.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [75 pp.]

Torgerson, Mark. An Architecture of Immanence: Architecture For Worship and Ministry Today. Eerdmans, 2007. ISBN: 978-0802832092, Pub. Price $26.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [75 pp.]

Wilkey, Glácia Vasconcelos. Worship and Culture: Foreign Country or Homeland? Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802871589, Pub. Price $36.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [75 pp. assigned].

Additional readings: Approximately 500 pages.

RECOMMENDED READING: See course syllabus for recommended texts.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 1,350 pages of reading/viewing. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4] [62 hours].
  2. 20 hours with class activities such as video lectures, PowerPoint presentations,podcasts, Google Hangout, etc. [20 hours].
  3. Eight 250-300-word online responses to readings & video lectures (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-2] [16 hours].
  4. A 1,250-word participant-observation report of an experience of liturgical art (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2-4] [10 hours].
  5. A 1,000-word report of a conversation with a liturgical artist (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2-3] [10 hours].
  1. Ten video/audio reports on each class/session exercise (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome # 1-3] [10 hours].
  1. Signature assignment: write a 2,500-3,000-word research paper in which you choose a particular activity of worship (e.g., gathering, praying, confessing, singing, reading, preaching, communing, sending, etc.) and suggest ways in which a specific use of art might open up and close down the formative possibilities for a given congregational context in their practice of that activity of worship (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2-4] [32 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH5 or C2 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Option to meet the C2 requirement in the 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015).

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. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.