Fall 2018/Pasadena

YF522

Argue

YF522: EMERGING ADULT SPIRITUALITY AND MINISTRY (4 Units: 160 hours). Steven Argue.

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DESCRIPTION: This course will seek to understand the unique opportunities and challenges evident in the emerging adult stage of life [ages 18-29]. Specifically, we will explore emerging adults’ experiences regarding their faith journeys, spiritual struggles, and relationships with the church. Together, we will reimagine ministry that is good news to emerging adults and attempt to answer one of the biggest questions asked in churches today–“Where have all the 20-something’s gone?”

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated (1) an ability to define and explain the particular characteristics associated with emerging adulthood; (2) an understanding of developmental, social, cultural, and spiritual challenges associated with emerging adults in various cultural contexts, including the limitations of current research on Emerging Adulthood; and (3) propose, articulate, and interact with theologically rooted and missionally creative perspectives to nurture spiritual formation in emerging adults through church and/or parachurch ministries in diverse cultural contexts.

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: 1250 total number of pages required.

Books [1050 pp.]:

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0199929382, Pub Price $33.95 [330 pp. assigned].

Harris, Malcolm.Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials. First edition. ed., Little, Brown and Company, 2017. ISBN: 978-0316510868, Pub. Price $25.00 [220 pp.].

Parks, Sharon Daloz. Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith. 2nd ed. Jossey-Bass, 2011. ISBN: 978-0470903797, Pub Price $35.00 [240 pp.].

Twenge, Jean M. iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. Atria Books, 2017. ISBN: 978-1501151989, Pub. Price $27.00 [260 pp. assigned].

Articles [Required: All articles in these two sections section. 130 pp.]:

Emerging Adulthood and Identity, Belonging, and Purpose

Argue, Steven C. "Undergraduate Spiritual Struggle and the Quest to Remain Faithful." Journal of Youth Ministry 16, no. 1 (Fall 2017): 8-29. [21 pp.].

Bronk, Kendall Cotton and Rachel Baumsteiger. "The Role of Purpose among Emerging Adults." In Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood: Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life, edited by Laura M. Padilla-Walker and Larry J. Nelson, 45-66. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017. [11 pp.].

King, Pamela Ebstyne and Christine M. Merola. "Crucibles of Transformation." In Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood: Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life, edited by Laura M. Padilla-Walker and Larry J. Nelson, 330-67. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017. [37 pp.].

Padilla-Walker, Laura M. and Larry J. Nelson. "Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood." In Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood: Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life, edited by Laura M. Padilla-Walker and Larry J. Nelson, 3-13. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017. [10 pp.].

Emerging Adulthood and Gender, Race, Ethnicity

Norona, J., Preddy, T., & Welsh, D.“How Gender ShapesEmerging Adulthood.” In The Oxford Handbook of Emerging Adulthood. Oxford University Press. 2016. [20 pp.].

Phinney, Jean S. "Ethnic Identity Exploration in Emerging Adulthood." In Emerging Adults in America: Coming of Age in the 21st Century., 117-34: American Psychological Association: Washington. 2007. [17 pp.].

Syed, M. & Mitchell, L. “How Race and Ethnicity Shape Emerging Adulthood.” In The Oxford Handbook of Emerging Adulthood. Oxford University Press. 2016. [20 pp.].

Articles [Required: One article from each section. 70 pp.]:

Emerging Adulthood and Asian + Indian Regions

Badger, S., et al. (2006). "Perceptions of the transition to adulthood among Chinese and American emerging adults." International Journal of Behavioral Development 30(1): 84-93.

Kang, H. and R. W. Larson (2014). "Sense of Indebtedness Toward Parents: Korean American Emerging Adults’ Narratives of Parental Sacrifice." Journal of Adolescent Research 29(4): 561-581.

Nelson, Larry J., and Xinyin Chen. "Emerging Adulthood in China: The Role of Social and Cultural Factors." Child Development Perspectives 1.2 (2007): 86-91. [5 pp.].

Rosenberger, Nancy. "Rethinking Emerging Adulthood in Japan: Perspectives from Long-Term Single Women." Child Development Perspectives 1.2 (2007): 92-95. [3 pp.].

Seiter, L. N. and L. J. Nelson (2011). "An Examination of Emerging Adulthood in College Students and Nonstudents in India." Journal of Adolescent Research 26(4): 506-536.

Nelson, L. J., et al. (2004). "The influence of culture in emerging adulthood: Perspectives of Chinese college students." International Journal of Behavioral Development 28(1): 26-36.

Nelson, L. J., et al. (2013). "Facing Adulthood: Comparing the Criteria That Chinese Emerging Adults and Their Parents Have for Adulthood." Journal of Adolescent Research 28(2): 189-208.

Emerging Adulthood and Latin American Region

Facio, Alicia, et al. "Emerging Adulthood in Argentina: An Age of Diversity and Possibilities." Child Development Perspectives 1.2 (2007): 115-18. [3 pp.].

Galambos, Nancy L., and M. Loreto MartÌnez. "Poised for Emerging Adulthood in Latin America: A Pleasure for the Privileged." Child Development Perspectives 1.2 (2007): 109-14. [15 pp.].

Katsiaficas, D., et al. (2015). "“When Do I Feel Like an Adult?”: Latino and Afro-Caribbean Immigrant-Origin Community College Students’ Conceptualizations and Experiences of (Emerging) Adulthood." Emerging Adulthood 3(2): 98-112.

Manago, A. M. (2012). "The New Emerging Adult in Chiapas, Mexico: Perceptions of Traditional Values and Value Change Among First-Generation Maya University Students." Journal of Adolescent Research 27(6): 663-713.

Emerging Adulthood and European Region

Douglass, Carrie B. "From Duty to Desire: Emerging Adulthood in Europe and Its Consequences." Child Development Perspectives 1.2 (2007): 101-08. [7 pp.].

Fingerman, K. L., et al. (2014). "Parental Involvement With College Students in Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, and the United States." Journal of Family Issues.

Oleszkowicz, A. and A. Misztela (2015). "How Do Young Poles Perceive Their Adulthood?" Journal of Adolescent Research 30(6): 683-709.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen, and Lene Arnett Jensen. "A Congregation of One: Individualized Religious Beliefs among Emerging Adults." Journal of Adolescent Research 17.5 (2002): 451-67.

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen, et al. Debating Emerging Adulthood. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0199757176, Pub. Price $38.95.

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen, and Elizabeth Fishel. When Will My Grown-up Kid Grow Up?: Loving and Understanding Your Emerging Adult. Workman Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 978-0761162414, Pub. Price $23.95.

Christerson, Brad, Korie Edwards, and Richard Flory. Growing up in America: The Power of Race in the Lives of Teens. Stanford University Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0804760522, Pub. Price $22.95.

Clydesdale, Timothy T. The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens after High School. Morality and Society Series. The University of Chicago Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0226110660, Pub. Price $28.00.

Freitas, Donna. Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses. Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0199747610, Pub Price $16.95.

Jay, Meg. The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter--and How to Make the Most of Them Now. Twelve, 2013. ISBN: 978-0446561754, Pub. Price $17.00.

Magolda, Peter Mark, and Kelsey Ebben Gross. It's All About Jesus!: Faith as an Oppositional Collegiate Subculture. 1st ed. Stylus, 2009. ISBN: 978-1579223557, Pub Price $35.00.

Mintz, Steven. The Prime of Life : A History of Modern Adulthood. Belknap Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-0674047679, Pub. Price $35.00.

Smith, Christian, and Patricia Snell. Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults. Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0195371796, Pub. Price $28.95.

Smith, Christian, et al. Lost in Transition: The Dark Side of Emerging Adulthood. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0199828029, Pub Price $31.95.

Suskind, Ron. A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League. Broadway Books, 1999. ISBN: 978-0767901260, Pub. Price $17.00.

Seth, J. Schwartz, A. Gonzales-Backen Melinda, A. Allen Kimberly, E. Reynolds Jamila, A. Donovan Roxanne, Hudson Monika, Agocha Bede, Williams Michelle, and A. Hurley Eric. "Ethnic–Racial Identity of Black Emerging Adults: The Role of Parenting and Ethnic–Racial Socialization." Journal of Family Issues 38, no. 15 (2017): 2200-24.

Syed, M. and L. L. Mitchell. "Race, Ethnicity, and Emerging Adulthood: Retrospect and Prospects." Emerging Adulthood 1, no. 2 (2013): 83-95.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. 1,250 pages of required reading [75 hours].
2. DLA: Directed learning will include students interviewing a church or ministry in order to understand the questions, challenges, and initiatives the ministry is addressing as it seeks to support emerging adults. Questions must reflect the subject matters of the course and will be used to write a 5-page assessment and recommendation for the leader interviewed. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [10 hours].
3. Completion of 4, 2-page reaction papers (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [10 hours].
4. Personal reflection on Emerging Adulthood (20%). Students choose one of the following options: [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [10 hours].

- Option 1: Keep a weekly journal for 10 weeks on how the material covered in this class material helps you make meaning of your own emerging adult experiences, or your experiences of parenting/mentoring an emerging adult. Summarize your findings in light of the material covered in this class.

- Option 2: Design a questionnaire and interview three emerging adults. Summarize your findings in light of the material covered in this class.

5. Research paper that focuses on one particular segment of emerging adults; applies current theories on Emerging Adulthood to identify formational challenges, contextual nuances, and unique ministry considerations [e.g. Married EAs, EA and Asian females, EA and spiritual struggle of men, EA and urban settings, etc.], and critically reflects on the limitations of these theories pertaining to their segment of focus. – 3000 words (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [25 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None. Auditors are not required to complete assignments but are encouraged to invest in them as much as they are able.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C2 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015).

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.