Spring 2018/Pasadena

WS542/842

Johnson

WS542/842: STUDIES IN WORSHIP PRACTICES (4 Units: 172 hours; 6 Units: 380 Hours). Todd E. Johnson.

DESCRIPTION: This is a doctoral level seminar, open at the 500-level to a limited number of advanced master’s level students by special permission. To study the people of God at worship is to study ritual. There can be no legitimate study of worship without taking into consideration the actual practice and action of the people involved. The challenge, however, is to move from simple description to evaluation. How does one determine what a ritual means? How does one appraise the enacted meaning in relationship to the intended meaning of the ritual? This course will explore various models of anthropological analysis of Christian practices as means of generating data for theological reflection and appraising pastoral praxis. Secondarily, for doctoral students, this course will examine pedagogical strategies for using participant observation in teaching.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: After successfully completing such a course, a student will have:

  1. Demonstrated knowledge of the history of Christian practices in Worship and the schools of thought that have developed therein.
  2. Demonstrated an understanding of the general schools of thought related to the issues of the practices of Christian worship (e.g. ritual studies, performance theory), as well as identify crucial figures and movements within this area of study past and present.
  3. Demonstrated skills in reading primary sources in the practices of Christian worship and be able to critically evaluate them, both in their original context and in contemporary settings.
  4. Demonstrated capacities for developing strategies for teaching and learning issues in the practices of Christian worship appropriate to a variety of settings (WS842); or as a means of assessing pastoral praxis (WS542).
  5. WS842: Developed resources for teaching the practices of Christian worship as part of a larger course or as a stand-alone course.

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. It will have some lectures by the professor, but will be mostly discussions and seminar presentations.

REQUIRED READING: WS542: 1600 pp. assigned. WS842: 2580 pp. assigned

Course Reader. (on eReserves found on CANVAS) [290 pp. required for WS542; 765 pp. required for WS842].

Bell, Catherine. Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions. Rev. ed. Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0199735105. Retail price: $24.95. [270 pp.; 170 pp. assigned WS542].

_________. Teaching Ritual. Oxford University Press, 2007. 300 pp. ISBN: 978-0195176469. Retail price: $28.95. [WS842 only: pp. 200]

Bradshaw, Paul, and John Melloh, eds. Foundations in Ritual Studies. Baker Academic, 2007. ISBN: 978-0801034992. Retail price: $26.00. [pp. 220]

Cooke, Bernard, and Gary Macy. Christian Symbol and Ritual: An Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0195154122. Retail price: $26.95. [pp. 170]

Driver, Thomas. Liberating Rites: Understanding the Liberating Power of Ritual. BookSurge, 2006. ISBN: 978-1419642104. Retail price: $19.99. [pp. 240]

Grimes, Ronald. Beginnings in Ritual Studies. 3rd ed. University Press of America, 2010. ISBN: 978-1453752623. Retail price: $23.00. [pp. 270; 115 pp. assigned WS542].

Mitchell, Nathan. Liturgy and the Social Sciences. Liturgical Press, 1999. ISBN: 978-0814625118. Retail price: $16.95. [pp. 90]

Muir, Edward. Ritual in Early Modern Europe. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0521602402. Retail price: $43.95. [pp. 300]. Students who have read this book for a previous course (e.g. WS541/841) will receive an alternative reading assignment.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Anderson, H., and E. Foley. Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals. Jossey-Bass, 1998. 185 pp. ISBN: 978-0787956486. Retail price: $18.95.

Bell, Catherine. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice. Oxford University Press, 1992. 200 pp. ISBN: 978-0199733620. Retail price: $26.95.

Grimes, Ronald. Deeply into the Bone: Reinventing Rites of Passage. University of California Press, 2002. 250 pp. ISBN: 978-0520236752. Retail price: $34.95.

Rappaport, Roy. Ritual and Religion and the Making of Humanity. Cambridge University Press, 1999. 500pp. ISBN: 978-0521296908. Retail price: $39.99.

Senn, Frank. Embodied Liturgy: Lessons in Christina Ritual. Fortress Press, 2016. 440 pages. ISBN: 978-1451496277. Retail price: $34.00.

Turner, Victor. The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Aldine Transaction: 1995. 200 pp. ISBN: 978-0202011905. Retail price: $44.95.

van Gennep, Arnold. Rites of Passage. University of Chicago Press, 1961. 180 pp. ISBN: 978-0226848495. Retail price: $23.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

WS542:

  1. Completion of assigned readings, participation in our class discussions and attendance. (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [130 hours, including 30 hours of class time].
  1. Two short (2-3 page) papers reflecting on assigned readings. (20% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [4 hours].
  2. A half-hour long oral presentation with handouts to the class in which the student reports on three consecutive weeks of participant observation of the same ritual within the same community. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [10 hours of DLAs].
  3. A class presentation of one’s final research paper in progress. Use of handouts, videos, or whatever materials the student would find helpful in making one’s presentation is encouraged (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [8 hours].
  4. A 2,500-3,000 word final paper in which the student defines a particular model of ritual study and evaluates it in terms of its relevance to pastoral and liturgical practice. Students will be required to submit this paper at the end of this quarter. (35%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [20 hours].

WS842:

  1. Completion of assigned readings, participation in our class discussions and attendance. (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-5.] [185 hours including 30 hours of class time].
  1. Six short (2 page) papers reflecting on assigned readings. (20% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [30 hours, including 10 hours of DLAs].
  2. Either (a) an entire syllabus of a Ritual Studies class (College or beyond); or, (b) a rough draft of the syllabus of a worship or ministry class (College or beyond) with a detailed section on ritual studies. In both cases you must include: learning outcomes, class topics, and readings. (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-5.] [25 hours].
  3. A half-hour long oral presentation with handouts to the class in which the student reports on three consecutive weeks of participant observation of the same ritual within the same community. (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [10 hours].
  4. An hour long presentation to the class (including leading class discussion in response to their presentation) on a particular scholar in the field of ritual studies. Students are expected to develop a handout to accompany their presentation. In the presentation they should include the historical context and methodological influences on the scholar, the particular model of ritual studies in question, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Doctoral students are expected to make evaluative comments on the value of this scholar’s thought. (15% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [60 hours].
  5. A 20 page final paper in which a particular scholar in the field of ritual studies is described and assessed according to its philosophical integrity of their thought, its compatibility with Christian practices in general, and its pastoral application within particular Christian traditions in particular. (35% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [70 hours].

PREREQUISITES: For master’s level students: permission of the instructor.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: WS542: Elective. WS842: Meets a Worship and Preaching 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.