Fall 2008/Pasadena
TC864/564
Dyrness
TC864/564: A THEOLOGY OF BEAUTY. William Dyrness.
DESCRIPTION: This is a 6-unit doctoral seminar, also offered at the 500-level
as a 4-unit course open to a limited number of master's level students by
special permission. Ideas of beauty were in eclipse for much of the 20th
century, but have received renewed attention recently. In this course students
will explore historical, philosophical, biblical, theological and cultural
understandings of beauty with the goal of understanding the role of beauty in
theology and the Christian life.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: That students (1) practice a close reading of primary
sources in order to articulate and analyze the various arguments; (2)
understand a spectrum of theological and cultural traditions relating to a
theology of beauty and be able to locate their cultural, historical, biblical,
and philosophical rootage; (3) be able to assess critically and imaginatively
the central issues and options present when developing a constructive theology
of beauty so as to see its role in worship and the Christian life.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: In his address to the Pontifical Academies in 2004,
Pope John Paul II suggested the path of beauty "as the best way for the
Christian faith and the culture of our time to meet, besides being a valuable
instrument for the formation of the young generations." This course will
explore the theological significance of beauty not only in terms of human
creativity and divine worship, but also with reference to issues of justice and
human transformation.
COURSE FORMAT: The seminar will meet weekly for three-hour sessions.
REQUIRED READING:
- Aristotle. Poetics. (Dover, 1997, or any edition.)
- Brown, Frank Burch. Good Taste, Bad Taste and Christian Taste.
Oxford University Press, 2000.
- Danto, Arthur. The Abuse of Beauty. Carcus, 2003.
- Goizueta. Robert. Caminemos con Jesús. Orbis, 2003.
- Hart, David Bentley. The Beauty of the Infinite. Eerdmans, 2003.
- Leeuw, G. van der. Sacred and Profane Beauty: The Holy in Art. Holt,
Rinehart & Winston, 1963.
- Navone, John. Toward a Theology of Beauty. Liturgical, 1996.
- von Balthasar, Han Urs. The Glory of the Lord. Vol. 1. Ignatius
Press/Crossroad, 1983.
- Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Art in Action: Toward a Christian Aesthetic.
Eerdmans, 1980.
- Course Reader with material from Schleiermacher, Plato, Eco, De Gruchy,
Kuyper, Boyd, Postrel, Dyrness, Willis, Evdokimov, Tarkovsky, Barth.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Brown, Frank Burch. Religious Aesthetics. Princeton
University Press, 1989.
- Eco, Umberto. Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages. Yale University
Press, 1986.
- Evdokimov, Paul. The Art of the Icon: A Theology of Beauty. Redondo
Beach, CA: Oakwood, 1990.
- de Gruchy, John. Christianity, Art and Transformation. Cambridge
University Press, 2001.
- Milbank, John, G. Ward & E. Wyschogrod. Theological Perspectives on
God and Beauty. Trinity, 2003.
- Scarry, Elaine. On Beauty and Being Just. Princeton University
Press, 1999.
- Seerveld, Calvin. Rainbows for the Fallen World. Radix, 1980.
- Sherry, Patrick. Spirit and Beauty: An Introduction to Theological
Aesthetics. Clarendon, 1992.
- Treier, T., J. M. Husbands & R. Lundin, eds. The Beauty of God:
Theology & the Arts. IVP Academic, 2007.
- Viladesau, Richard. Theological Aesthetics: God in Imagination, Beauty,
and Art. Oxford UP, 1999.
- Willis, Paul. Common Culture. Westview, 1990, 1994.
ASSIGNMENTS: (1) Completion of all readings and participation in class
discussion (10%). (2) Each student will assume primary responsibility for one
or two of the readings above and write a 2-3 page summary, typed and
single-spaced, to be emailed to members of the class 24 hours before the
seminar session, together with 6 to 8 questions which the student has framed on
the basis of his/her interaction with the materials, to form the basis of the
class discussion (20%). (3) A 25-page paper on a constructive theology of
beauty (18 pp. for master's level participants in the seminar ) (70%).
PREREQUISITES: For master's level students: permission of the instructor.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective for master's level students.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (7/08)