Summer 2015/New York City

TC518

Jacobsen / Savidge

TC518: CALLING: THE HISTORY, THEOLOGY, AND EXPERIENCE OF CHRISTIAN VOCATION (4 Units: 160 hours). Eric O. Jacobsen and Dale Savidge

DESCRIPTION: While the terms ‘calling’ and ‘vocation’ are often thought to be associated only with those who are considering ordained ministry, these terms can be applied much more broadly to the lives of every person. All of humanity is called to fulfill the ‘creation mandate’ from Gen. 1:28. As Christians, we participate in this general vocation of humanity, but also experience a fresh set of callings as part of our new status in Christ. We are called first and foremost into relationship with Christ and into relationship with the community of Christ. We also experience a general calling to live our lives in conformity to the will of God. And we are called specifically to use our gifts, experiences, and contexts in unique ways to further the mission of God in the world. In this class we will be exploring the full meaning of vocation (with a special focus on vocation in the arts) both in terms of what it means as an abstract concept as well as how each student experiences and respond to the call of God on her/his life.

LEARNING OUTCOMES At the conclusion of this course, a student will: (1) Develop a Biblical theology of work based on a considered understanding of the God of creation as well as theological anthropology; (2) Be able to make key distinctions between the concept of vocation as a fundamental category of Christian discipleship and other human centered approaches such as ‘just getting a job’, ‘pursuing a career’, or ‘working to earn retirement’; (3) Understand the relative merits (or deficits) of various models of vocational discernment and be able to articulate how one becomes confident that one’s vocational choices are in line with God’s will; (4) Gain competency in making connections between the stories of ordinary Christians (including oneself) and God’s larger story. (5) Develop a theoretical framework and become familiar with a set of practices that can be utilized for making one’s own vocational choices.

COURSE FORMAT: This is a hybrid course, meaning that it is a ten-week course with nine weeks of online instruction and one week of classroom instruction in New York City during week 3 of the quarter. The week of classroom instruction will include five hours daily of class time, as well as additional evening sessions. The week in New York City will include times of lecture and discussion, interviews with Christian artists working in New York City, as well as various activities that utilize the city and its offerings as a classroom. Classroom and online instruction will include lecture and discussion for a total of 40 instructional hours. 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: 909 total number of pages required.

Farnham, Suzanne G, Gill, McLean, and Ward. Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community. Morehouse, 1991. ISBN: 978-0819224446, Pub. Price $18.00 [65 pp.]

Keller, Timothy. Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work. Dutten, 2012. ISBN: 978-0525952701, Pub. Price $26.95 [288 pp.]

Schuurman, Douglas J. Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life. Eerdmans, 2004. ISBN: 978-0802801371, Pub. Price $22.00 [116 pp.]

Course Reader [on eReserves through Moodle (440 pp)] (Including readings by Michelle Alexander, Wendell Berry, Edward Brewer, Phillip Cary, Christine De Pisan, Roberto S. Goizueta, Lee Hardy, Mark A. McIntosh, Eugene Peterson, Pope Leo XIII, Dorothy L. Sayers, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Gordon Smith, John Stackhouse, Teresa of Avila, Dallas Willard, and Norman Wirzba).