Spring 2020/Pasadena

ET513

Mouw

ET513: PERSPECTIVES ON SOCIAL ETHICS (4 Units: 160 hours). Richard Mouw. Course Coordinator: Nick Scott-Blakely.

DESCRIPTION: This course will examine the relationship between the church and state in contemporary culture.We will explore different approaches to evangelical engagement in public policy issues including human sexuality, war and peace, the environment, human rights and justice.The emphasis of this course will be to develop an approach to political engagement that reflects the Scriptural emphasis on being a distinct community of faith as well as an ability to communicate about those issues in a public square.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated: (1)the ability to understand the biblical and theological bases for Christian ethics in the public square, (2) the ability to apply different ethical approaches to the church’s public witness in political discourse,(3) confidence in the way of Jesus and humility in offering a Christian ethic in the public square, and(4) the ability to evaluate contemporary social issues and offer a theological and biblical basis for a Christian moral response to those issues in a winsome manner.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: TH6 courses fulfill the MDiv, MATM, and MDiv PLO that states “Students will have demonstrated capacities for historically informed theological and ethical reflection.” Addresses MAICS Area of Interest Class “Students will have demonstrated capacities to pursue vocations that engage the mission of God globally.”

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. There will be weekly reading assignments.

REQUIRED READING: 1,110 number of pages required.

Bacote, Vincent E. The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life. Zondervan, 2015. ISBN: 9780310516071. Pub Price $11.99 [76 pp. assigned].

Coles, Robert. Dorothy Day: A Radical Devotion. Da Capo Press, 1989. ISBN: 9780201079746. Pub. Price $18.99 [160 pp. assigned].

Day, Keri.Religious Resistance to Neoliberalism: Womanist and Black Feminist Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. ISBN: 9781137569431. Pub. Price $149.99 [56 pp. assigned]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Koyzis, David T. Political Visions and Illusions: A Survey and Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies. Second Edition. Intervarsity Press, 2019. ISBN: 9780830872060. Pub. Price $33.00 [156 pp. assigned]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Patel, Eboo. Out of Many Faiths: Religious Diversity and the American Promise. Princeton University Press, 2019. ISBN: 9780691196817. Pub. Price $17.95 [106 pp. assigned]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Swartz, David R. Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780812207682. Pub. Price $26.50 [254 pp. assigned]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Tisby, Jemar. The Color of Compromise. Zondervan, 2019. ISBN: 9780310597261. Pub Price $21.99 [204 pp. assigned]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

Wong, Janelle. Immigrants, Evangelicals, and Politics in an Era of Demographic Change. Russell Sage Foundation, 2018. ISBN: 9780871548931. Pub. Price $24.95 [98 pp. assigned]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 30 hours of in-class lecture and discussion (10%). [This is related to all learning outcomes]. [30 hours].
  2. 1,110 pp. of required reading. [This assignment relates to all learning outcomes]. [75 hours].
  3. Two short papers (approximately 1,000 words each) (30% total). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2]. [10 hours for each paper; 20 hours total].
  4. One Classmate-reviewed paper (approximately 500 words) (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2, #3, #4]. [5 hours]
  5. Final Paper (3,000 words) (50%). [This assignment is related to all learning outcomes]. [30 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Fulfills the TH5 or TH6 requirements in the 120 MDiv Program (Fall 2016). Fulfills the TH6 requirement in the 80 MAT and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2016). Option to meet the C4 or TH5 requirements in the 120 MDiv Program (Fall 2014). Option to meet the C4 requirement in the 80 MATM and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets ETH in the 144 MDiv Program. Meets MAT program requirement (Winter 2010) and Seminary Core Requirement (SCR) for other MA degrees (Winter 2010). Requirement in Christian Ethics emphasis.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes, in class.

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.