Winter 2015/Pasadena
TM522
Colletti
TM522: HOMELESSNESS, CONGREGATIONS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS (4 Units: 160 Hours). Joe Colletti.
DESCRIPTION: Students will study the extent, causes, and complexities of homelessness. Instruction will focus on the efforts made to end homelessness in the United States during the past three decades and into our current decade. Lectures will describe how evidenced-based best practices were implemented during the past decade that has significantly reduced homelessness which is a reversal of the limited success of reducing homelessness in the 1980s and 1990s through emergency assistance and a sequence of programs that moved people through a continuum of care system. More importantly, instruction will help students explore what best practices and what ancient and contemporary spiritual practices can be integrated together to further individual and congregation formation for community service to help end homelessness during this decade and beyond.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will (1) Cognitive: a) gain a practical theological approach and biblical basis for ministry among the poor and marginalized with a focus on homelessness; b) learn how congregations can engage homelessness beyond providing emergency assistance; and c) learn how the media influences public perception of homelessness; (2) Skills: engage in planning faith-based social programs and learn to give bold and specific suggestions about how that practical engagement can take place; and (3) Affective: experience how compassionate social action can be combined with spiritual, social, and economic means to end homelessness
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. Each session will consist of lectures and discussion of readings. Guest lecturers (including Philip F. Mangano who was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead efforts to prevent and end homelessness during his administration) will be scheduled for class presentations and interaction.
REQUIRED READING: 1,045 pp. required.
Cummings, Charles. Monastic Practices. Cistercian Publications, Inc., 1986. ISBN:978-0879079758, Pub. Price $19.95 [217 pp.].
Wasserman, Jason Adam and Jeffrey Michael Clair. At Home on the Street: People, Poverty, and a Hidden Culture of Homelessness. Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009. ISBN:978-1588267016, Pub. Price $22.50 [252 pp.].
Additional publications on Moodle including a wide-range of publications on homelessness and spiritual practices scheduled for each week of class.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
1,045 pp. of required reading. [Assignment is related to learning outcome #1 & 2] [70 hours].
Prepare for and participate regularly in class. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 & 2] [30 hours] (20% of grade).
Submit a one-page paper each week that will focus on a different spiritual practice and how it can be used to further engagement with homelessness after reading a brief paper about the practice and spending time in reflection. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [20 hours]. (graded pass/fail and count towards 20% of grade)
Submit a three-to-four page theological reflection paper (minimum 750 words) following final instructions given in class, which will include a related reading (paper is due week 6 and will be graded pass/fail and count towards 20% of grade) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [10 hours].
FINAL paper (3,000 words) that integrates three best practices with ancient and contemporary spiritual practices following final instructions given in class (40% of grade) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [30 hours].
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C3 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Meets 144 MDiv core requirement in Missions (MIN8) and the requirement in Globalization (GLBL) for MA degrees.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.