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)