Summer 2016/Pasadena

ST574

Carter

ST574: THEOLOGY OF C. S. LEWIS (4 Units: 160 hours). Grayson Carter.


DESCRIPTION: This course surveys a wide range of C. S. Lewis’s theological and imaginative writings, with a view to major themes, including apologetic, theological, and spiritual.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course should (1) enhance a student’s basic factual and thematic knowledge of the life, writings, and theology of C. S. Lewis; (2) help students gain a basic competence in how to interpret Lewis’s theology; (3) help students gain a greater ability to evaluate various theological issues and their development; and (4) provide students with the tools and knowledge for a critical and sympathetic appreciation for the breadth, unity, and diversity of Lewis’s life and theological contribution.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets daily as a two-week intensive for a total of 40 instructional hours in the classroom for lecture and discussion.

REQUIRED READING: A minimum of 1200 pages of reading selected from the following list (student’s choice). All books written by C. S. Lewis unless designated otherwise. Though for some classes there is a choice of more than one volume, only one volume from each class can be included in the 1200 page count. Moreover, though a section of a certain book may be listed under a later class, the page count from reading that particular book may not be counted more than once.

Class 1 (Note: Pre-reading (strong) recommendation): Alister McGrath, C. S. Lewis, A Life. Tyndale House, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-4143-3935-1,Pub. Price $24.99 [379 pp.]

Class 2: Como, James, ed. Remembering C. S. Lewis. Ignatius, 2005. ISBN: 978-1586171087, Pub. Price $18.95 [509 pp.].

Class 3: Mere Christianity. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652920, Pub. Price $14.99 [227 pp.]

Class 4: The Pilgrim’s Regress. Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802872173, Pub. Price $16.00 [256 pp.], OR Miracles. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060653019, Pub. Price $14.99 [294 pp.], OR God in the Dock. Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802871831, Pub. Price $16.00 [416 pp.].

Class 5: The Chronicles of Narnia. HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN: 978-0060598242, Pub. Price $32.99 [any one volume, 240-320 pages], OR Till We Have Faces. Harcourt, 1980. ISBN: 978-0156904360, Pub. Price $14.95 [324 pp.].

Class 6: Out of the Silent Planet. Scribner, 2003. ISBN: 978-0743234900, Pub. Price $15.00 [160 pp.], OR Perelandra. Scribner, 2003. ISBN: 978-0743234917, Pub. Price $14.00 [192 pp.], OR That Hideous Strength. Scribner, 2003. ISBN: 978-0743234924, Pub. Price $16.00 [384 pp.]

Class 7: The Screwtape Letters. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652937, Pub. Price $14.99 [209 pp.], OR The Great Divorce. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652951, Pub. Price $13.99 [160 pp.]

Class 8: The Problem of Pain. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652968, Pub. Price $13.99 [176 pp.], OR A Grief Observed. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652388, Pub. Price $13.99 [76 pp.]

Class 9: The Abolition of Man. HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652944, Pub. Price $12.99 [128 pp.], OR Mere Christianity (Book 1). HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652920, Pub. Price $14.99 [24 pp.], OR Miracles (chapter 5). HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060653019, Pub. Price $14.99 [8 pp.]

Class 10: The Abolition of Man. HarperOne, 2009. ISBN: 978-0060652944, Pub. Price $12.99 [128 pp.], OR The Discarded Image. Cambridge, 2012. ISBN: 978-0521477352, Pub. Price $19.99 [242 pp.]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 1200 pages of required reading [80 hours]

  2. Two 10-page research papers: (40% each; 80% of final grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-4] [40 hours].

  3. Class attendance, participation and engagement (20% of final grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1-4] [40 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective. Option to meet TH4 requirement.

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.

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