Fall 2014/Fuller Live!

Colorado Springs, Houston, and Pasadena

TC581

Johnson/Taylor

TC581: WORSHIP, THEOLOGY, AND THE ARTS TOUCHSTONE (4 Units: 160 Hours). Todd E. Johnson and W. David O. Taylor.

DESCRIPTION: This course is the introductory course for all students entering Worship, Theology, and the Arts (WTA) concentrations at the master’s level. This course introduces the students in the WTA concentration to the methodology that will undergird their theological study of Christian worship, along with narrative, performing, and plastic arts. Beginning with Augustine’s philosophy of language and learning as introduced and developed in De Magistro and De Doctrina Christiana, and his assertion that all we have to communicate with are signs, words, and gestures, this course will explore methods of exegeting signs and gestures to supplement the exegesis of words. The course will be divided into modules, each one focusing on the application of this method to Christian worship and two art forms. One module will also focus on the topic of the Brehm Lectures, which the students will be required to attend.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: A student successfully completing this course will (1) articulate the application of Augustine’s theory of communication to worship and the arts; (2) describe in general terms the history and theology of the arts in relation to the Christian faith; (3) describe in general terms the history and theology of Christian worship in relation to the arts; (4) apply the hermeneutic model of interpretation to worship and the arts in a cursory way; (5) complete an in-depth application of this hermeneutic model to one particular artistic expression or element of Christian worship in a specific cultural location.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. 10 hours of DLAs will be accomplished through online posts. It will have some lectures by the professor, discussions of course material, and interaction and reflection on the experience of various art forms. Students will be expected to attend the events surrounding the Brehm Lectures in their entirety and go on field trips with the class during class time (and possibly outside of class) to have common experience of various art forms

REQUIRED READING: 1,200 pp. required.

Course Reader (Includes selections from Flannery O’Connor, Pope John Paul II, Adrienne Chaplin, Alejandro Garcia-Rivera, Trevor Hart, Robin Jensen, John of Damascus, Mary Charles Murray, and others) [500 pp.].

Begbie, Jeremy, ed. Beholding the Glory: Incarnation Through the Arts. Baker Academic, 2000. ISBN: 978-0801022449, Pub. Price $22.00 [150 pp.].

Edmonds, Ben. Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On and the Last Days of the Motown Sound. Cannongate, 2001. ISBN: 978-1841953144, Pub. Price $12.00 [150 pp.]. ***OUT OF PRINT

González, Catherine Gunsalus. Resources in the Ancient Church for Today’s Worship. Abingdon, 2014. ISBN: 978-1426795657, Pub. Price $19.99 [100 pp.].

L’Engle, Madeleine. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. Waterbroook Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0877889182, Pub. Price $17.99 [200 pp.].

Muir, Edward. Ritual in Early Modern Europe. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0521602402, Pub. Price $32.99 [200 pp.].

REQUIRED LISTENING:

Gaye, Marvin. What’s Going On. Motown Records, 1971. [35 minutes].

REQUIRED FIELD WORK: 1 hour of ritual observation, 1 hour of observation at an art gallery.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. COURSE reading, 1,200 pages. [60 hours] (10%).

  2. Viewing a film, listening to a recoding [3 hours total].

  3. DLA: Four 250-word posts reflecting on course material, four 100-word responses to classmates posts. [related to LO1, LO2, LO3] [10 hours] (10%).

  4. A 2-3 page reflection paper on the observation of a ritual of Christian worship outside of your tradition using course concepts for descriptive categories. [related to LO1, LO2, LO4]. [3 hours] (10%)

  5. A 3-4 page reaction paper to one concept presented in the Brehm Lectures and its assessment in light of course material [related to LO1, LO2, LO3, and or LO4]. (depending on topic of Brehm Lectures) [8 hours] (15%).

  6. A 4-6 page evaluation of What’s Going On in its original context(s) and its context(s) today using the exegetical method taught for cultural artifacts in class. [related to LO1, LO4] [10 hours] (15%).

  7. A 4-6 page evaluation of a piece of visual art in its original context(s) and its context(s) today using the exegetical method taught for cultural artifacts in class. [related to LO1, LO4] [10 hours] (15%).

  8. A 10-12 page synthesis paper approved by the instructor providing an in-depth application of the hermeneutic model learned in class to one particular artistic expression or element of Christian worship in a specific cultural location. [related to LO5] [26 hours] (25%).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH5 or C2 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Required in Theology and Arts emphasis. Required in the Worship and Music Ministry Emphasis. Required in the Worship, Theology and the Arts emphasis.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.

For your convenience, order these texts online through the Archives Bookshop.