Spring 2016/Pasadena

ET528

Lee

ET528: CREATION CARE AND SABBATH ECONOMICS. (4 Units: 160 Hours). Hak Joon Lee.

DESCRIPTION: In a time of unprecedented ecological crisis and economic inequality that threaten the sanctity of God’s creation and human life, all Christians are called to the faithful stewardship of creation care and witness to God’s justice. This course studies the theological and ethical grounds and directives of creation care and Sabbath economics that inform our personal and corporate responsibility as the followers of Jesus. The study includes 1) an analysis of the detrimental impact of global capitalism on the ecology and 2) an exploration of appropriate spiritual formation, communal practices, and public policy proposals of creation care and the Sabbath economics in local, national, and global contexts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will demonstrate that they have (1) increased their theological and social literacy in understanding economic injustice and ecological challenges posed by industrialization, globalization, and the free market economy; (2) gained an appreciation of the ecological riches and prophetic heritages of the Scripture and theological traditions; (3) acquired the skills necessary to understand and assess different ethical views and assumptions on the ethics of creation care and Sabbath economics; (4) developed competence in teaching the ethics of creation care and Sabbath economics in their own local settings and in articulating their moral convictions in the public realm; (5) grasped the practical implications of being good stewards of God’s creation and understand the resources of the Christian faith to carry out the responsibility.

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.

REQUIRED READING: Approximately 1200 total number of pages required.

Bouma-Prediger, Steven. For the Beauty of the Earth. 2^nd edition. Baker Academic, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801036958, Pub. Price $26.00 [230 pp. assigned].

Davis, Ellen. Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: Agrarian Reading of the Bible. Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0521732239. Pub. Price: $29.99. [180 pp. assigned]

Harvey, David. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford University Press, 2007. http://www.sok.bz/web/media/video/ABriefHistoryNeoliberalism.pdf [200 pp. assigned].

Kinsler, Ross and Gloria Kinsler, The Biblical Jubilee and the Struggle for Life. Orbis Books, 1999. ISBN: 978-1570752896, Pub. Price $25.00. [160 pp. assigned]

Rasmussen, Larry. Earth Community, Earth Ethics. Orbis Books, 1996. ISBN: 978-1570751868, Pub. Price $30.00 [350 pp. assigned].

Course Packet (accessible electronically) [approx. 130 pages].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Bahnson, Fred and Norman Wirzba. Making Peace with the Land: God’s Call to Reconcile with Creation. Intervarsity, 2012. ISBN: 978-0830834570, Pub. Price $15.00.

Bauckham, Richard. The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation. Baylor, 2010. ISBN: 978-1602583108, Pub. Price $24.95.

Berry, Wendell. Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community. Pantheon, 1993. ISBN: 978-0679756514, Pub. Price $14.00.

Brower, Michael and Warren Leon. The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices. Three Rivers Press, 1999. ISBN: 978-0609802816, Pub. Price $15.00.

Hessel, Dieter and Larry Rasmussen, eds. Earth Habitat: Eco-Injustice and the Church’s Response. Fortress, 2001. ISBN: 978-0800632953, Pub. Price $21.00.

Jenkins, Willis. Ecologies of Grace: Environmental Ethics and Christian Theology. Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0195328516, Pub. Price $35.00.

Koetje, David, ed. Living the Good Life on God’s Good Earth. Faith Alive Resources, 2006. ISBN: 978-1592552924, Pub. Price $13.99.

McKibben, Bill. Hope Human and Wild: True Stories of Living Lightly on the Earth. Milkweed, 2007. ISBN: 978-1571313003, Pub. Price $15.00.

Rasmussen, Larry. Earth-honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key. Oxford University Press. 2012. ISBN: 978-0199917006, Pub. Price $45.00.

Wirzba, Norman, ed. The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry. Counterpoint, 2003. ISBN: 978-1593760076. Pub. Price $15.95.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Attendance, completion of weekly assigned readings before class, and participation in discussions (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-3] [103 hours].

2. Two take-home essay exams (each 4 pages, double space) (10%; total 20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-3] [10 hours].

3. A field trip to a nonprofit organization, an intentional community, or a government agency promoting economic or ecological justice, and write either a journal reflecting on your experience as a volunteer/participant there, or a critical report on your interview of a representative of the organization, community, or agency (15%).  [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1, 3, 5] [7 hours of DLAs].

4. Group presentation on economic or ecological issue. Each group will be assigned a current economic or ecological topic. They will research and present their critical analyses of the issue and argue for a particular way that Christians can address this issue (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-3, 5]. [7 hours + 3 hours of DLAs].

5. A final project paper (academic paper, journals, or curriculum, etc.) 10 pages, double space) (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5] [30 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective. Option to meet the C1 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015). Option to fulfill requirement in Just Peacemaking (JP) and Christian Ethics (ETH) Areas of Emphasis.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.