Summer 2009/Pasadena
Two-week Intensive: July 6-17
DP513
Wigger
DP513: UNITED METHODIST HISTORY. John H. Wigger.
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to help students explore the historical
development of the United Methodist tradition in the cultural and social
context of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. We will
consider how Methodism engaged its cultural setting, why it succeeded so
dramatically in America, and what challenges the church now faces.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of taking this course, the student will (1)
understand the historical context from which the United Methodist Church
developed, and (2) be able to reflect that heritage in preaching,
teaching, and ministering within the context of current theological reflection
in the Christian community.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: This course will help students gain a broader
historical perspective on the United Methodist Church, providing a richer
context from which to evaluate the church's place in modern life. It will also
meet part of the requirement for ordination in the United Methodist Church.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet daily for four-hour sessions for two weeks.
We will use a mixed lecture and discussion format. Discussion will focus on
daily reading assignments.
REQUIRED READING:
- Heitzenrater, Richard. Wesley and the People Called
Methodists. Abingdon, 1995.
- Hatch, Nathan. The Democratization of American Christianity. Yale
University Press, 1989.
- Wigger, John. Taking Heaven by Storm: Methodism and the Rise of Popular
Christianity in America. University of Illinois Press, 2001.
- Course Reader (includes primary source readings from B. Abbott, R. Allen,
J. Lee, and F. Newell).
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Andrews, D. The Methodists and Revolutionary America,
1760-1800. Princeton University Press, 2000.
- Asbury, Herbert. Up From Methodism. Knopf, 1926.
- Brekus, C. Strangers and Pilgrims: Female Preaching in America,
1740-1845. Univ. of N. Carolina, 1998.
- Frederic, Harold. The Damnation of Theron Ware. Harvard, 1960 (and
other editions).
- Hatch, N. and J. Wigger, eds. Methodism and the Shaping of American
Culture. Abingdon, 2001.
- Hempton, David. Methodism: Empire of the Spirit. Yale University
Press, 2005.
- Heyrman, C. Southern Cross: Beginnings of the Bible Belt. University
of North Carolina Press, 1997.
- Lyerly, Cynthia Lynn. Methodism and the Southern Mind, 1770-1810.
Oxford University Press, 1998.
- Melton, J.G. A Will to Choose: Origins of African American
Methodism. Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.
- Norwood, Frederick. The Story of American Methodism. Abingdon,
1974.
- Noll, Mark. America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln.
Oxford, 2002.
- Rack, Henry. Reasonable Enthusiast: John Wesley and the Rise of
Methodism. Epworth, 1989.
- Richey, Russell. Early American Methodism. Indiana University Press,
1991.
- Ruth, Lester. Early Methodist Spirituality. Abingdon, 2005.
- Sutton, William. Journeymen for Jesus: Evangelical Artisans Confront
Capitalism in Jacksonian Baltimore. Pennsylvania State University Press,
1998.
ASSIGNMENTS: Students are expected to complete the assigned readings before
each class session. Quizzes may be used to encourage this practice. Grades will
be based on (1) a final exam based on assigned readings, class lectures and
discussion (100 points); (2) a comparative analytical book review at the end of
the first week (20 points); (3) Quizzes and/or class participation (50 points);
(4) a 10-15 page source-based paper on a topic related to United Methodist
history and approved by the instructor; or, reading five books from the
recommended reading list and submission of a 600-800 word analytical book
review for each (100 points, due September 4).
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes, given during final class meeting.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (4/09)