Winter 2004/Pasadena
Five-week Intensive
ET525
Schliesser
ET525: ETHICS OF BONHOEFFER. Chrissy C. Schliesser.
DESCRIPTION:
- The aim of this course is to acquaint the student with the life and
thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and to gain an understanding of the key motifs
of Bonhoeffer's theology and ethics. The political and ecclesiastical factors
that formed the background of his life will be considered along with the
development of his own theological and ethical insights. We will also seek to
appreciate Bonhoeffer's spirituality in pursuit of deepening our own
spirituality and identity as Christians.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- The course helps the student acquire critical theological tools for
addressing ethical issues such as Christian discipleship in a secular
environment, advocacy for the marginalized and oppressed in society, and the
struggle of the church with cultural accommodation. Many are also finding
Bonhoeffer deeply helpful for developing their identity in a time of scattered
and fragmented identity.
COURSE FORMAT:
- The course will meet twice a week for three-hour sessions for five
weeks. Class time will be devoted to lecture, discussion and student
presentations.
REQUIRED READING:
- The instructor will indicate some portions of the reading as
centrally important and some as less important, in order to help students
allocate their time wisely.
- Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship. Fortress, 2001.
- ________. Ethics. Simon Schuster Touchstone Book, 1995.
- ________. Letters and Papers from Prison. Macmillan, 1972.
- ________. Life Together. HarperCollins, 2003.
- De Gruchy, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Cambridge University Press, 1999.
- Wind, Renate. A Spoke in the Wheel: The Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- In preparation for the intensive, students will be expected to have
completed reading Renate Wind, A Spoke in the Wheel as well as Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, Life Together by the time the course starts. Each student
will choose a topic for a 10-minute in-class presentation (25% of final grade).
In addition, there will be two brief (8-10 pages) papers (each paper 25% of
final grade), one of which the student may choose to substitute for a journal
in dialogue with the reading, and a final exam (25% of final grade).
PREREQUISITES:
- None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Elective.
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- Yes.