Fall 2007/Pasadena
Five-week Intensive: Sept. 24-Oct. 26
CO518
Drane/Drane
CO518: CREATIVE ARTS AND THE BIBLE. Olive M. Fleming Drane and John Drane.
DESCRIPTION: This course explores creativity as a key element in Biblical
texts from both Old and New Testaments, together with practical exploration of
selected art forms.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) gain a Biblical foundation for use of the
arts in worship and witness; (2) acquire skills in specific artistic media; (3)
explore strategies for incorporating the arts into regular church life.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: In today's culture, using the arts with Biblical
integrity and creative authenticity is an essential skill for effective
Christian ministry.
COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet twice weekly for three-hour sessions for
five weeks. Class meetings will have an interactive format, including plenaries
and small group work, as well as experiential learning.
REQUIRED READING:
- Adams, Doug and Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, eds. Dance as
Religious Studies. Resource Publications, 2001.
- Adams, Douglas. The Prostitute in the Family Tree. Louisville:
Westminster John Knox 1997.
- Bausch, William J. Storytelling, Imagination and Faith. Mystic, CT:
23rd Publications, 1984.
- Fleming Drane, Olive M. Clowns, Storytellers, Disciples.
Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2004.
- Harris, Max. Theater and Incarnation. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1990.
- Vrudny, Kimberly, and Wilson Yates, eds. Arts, Theology & the
Church. Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2005.
- Wink, Walter. Transforming Bible Study, 2nd ed. Nashville: Abingdon,
1990.
- Wuthnow, Robert. All in Sync: How Music & Art Are Revitalizing
American Religion. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Kreitzer, Larry J. The Old Testament in Fiction and Film.
Sheffield Academic Press, 1994.
- ___________. The New Testament in Fiction and Film. Sheffield
Academic Press, 1993.
- Pinsky, Mark I. The Gospel according to the Simpsons. Westminster
John Knox, 2001.
- Radday, Yehuda T., and Athalya Brenner. On Humour and the Comic in the
Hebrew Bible. Almond Press, 1990.
- Webber, Robert E. Music and the Arts in Christian Worship.
Hendrickson, 1995.
- Whedbee, J. William. The Bible and the Comic Vision. Augsburg,
2002.
ASSIGNMENTS: (1) Students who miss three or more class meetings will not
receive a passing grade. (2) All students will be expected to engage in
adequate advance preparation and to participate fully in class meetings. (3)
Students will make a practical creative presentation in an art form to be
chosen by the student, counting for 50% of the course grade. (4) Students will
write a paper of approximately 12 pages, or its equivalent, on a subject to be
mutually agreed between student and professors (counting for 50% of the course
grade).
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (8/07)