HI-532: Encountering World Christianity. Spring 2016. Thursday Evenings, 6:30-9:30. Dr. Brian Clark: bclark@hartsem.edu Office Phone: (860) 509-9508 Neither the most ardent advocates of Christianity nor its bitterest critics predicted the transformation of the faith that has occurred over the last century. At the same time that Christian practice plummeted in Western Europe and was decimated in the Middle East, it grew explosively in Asia, Oceania, Latin America, and sub-saharan Africa. Despite the massive scale, kaleidoscopic diversity, and stunning speed of these changes, they were largely ignored by Western scholars, who expected everyone to follow them into Enlightened secularity. To gain a big picture perspective on what actually happened after the collapse of Colonialism, we will read some of the best work done in World Christianity, including work by scholars who were writing about it before it was cool. At a smaller scale, we will try to encounter World Christianity for ourselves by attending to specific leaders, moments, and movements. We will listen to music, watch engaging films, and attempt, as much as we can, to dialogue with Christians from the emerging centers of World Christianity. Course Objectives: I. Students will be able to describe the changes in the nature and distribution of global Christianity that occurred from roughly 1900 to 2010. II. III. IV. Students will be able to identify the four traditions of Christianity currently dominant in the world and briefly describe the defining characteristics of each tradition and its primary geographic origin. Students will be able to characterize and describe the current nature of large-scale religious change in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Students will be able to describe periods in modern mission history and the commonalities and distinctive characteristics of Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal mission. V. Students will be able to identify and describe recurring patterns in the genesis, adaptation, expansion and recession of Christian movements. Alignment with MARS Program Outcomes: The material in the course relates primarily to portions of the first two Master of Arts Learning Outcomes: 1. To demonstrate foundational and critical knowledge of one s own religion by: b. Relating one s tradition to public issues which intersect with faith c. Engaging one s own religion analytically and contextually d. Developing appreciative knowledge of the continuum of expressions and interpretations of one s own religious tradition. e. Recognizing the different streams of thought and practice within one s own tradition.
2. To demonstrate the knowledge, capacities, and willingness to respectfully engage other religions and worldviews by: b. Being able to compare the social contexts of another faith tradition with one s own. c. Displaying empathy in critical examination of other religions Course Requirements: Class Discussions and Activities (30%): Careful preparation of class readings is required, and students will be expected to share the responsibility for leading the discussions of the prepared texts. Each week there will be time allotted for at least one graded activity or extended discussion in which the instructor observes and evaluates the contributions of each student. Unit Papers (70%): During the semester, students will be responsible for writing seven small Unit Papers of 3-4 pages each. These papers will be similar to reaction papers, in that they will serve to summarize key themes from readings and allow students to articulate their own responses and reactions. The seventh unit paper will allow students to articulate their reactions to a major theme from the course. Attendance Policy for Weekly Classes: Attendance in class is required. If you know you will be unable to attend a class session please inform the professor in advance. Missing two sessions will result in an automatic lowering of your final grade by 10%. Missing three or more sessions will result in automatic failure of the course. Email Policy: The instructor will use the official Hartsem student email addresses for all communications. Please check your Hartsem email account regularly. Office Hours: Dr. Clark will be available from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm on each Thursday on which class is held. He will also be available from noon to 4 pm each Monday in which school is in session. His office is within the Technology Office, on the second floor of 77 Sherman (the white building), adjacent to the Student Lounge. His number there is (860) 509-9508, and his email address is bclark@hartsem.edu.
Required Texts: Please note: Many of the course texts are available in Kindle editions which are very convenient to use and significantly cheaper than the print editions. They can be read on laptops or large phones, using the Kindle App, and inexpensive Kindle readers can be purchased from Amazon. The instructor will be using Kindle editions of some texts, so either Kindle or print editions will suffice. The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith, Andrew F. Walls, Orbis Books, 1996. ISBN: 1-57075-059-9 Global Gospel: An Introduction to Christianity on Five Continents, Douglas Jacobsen, Baker Academic, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-8010-4993-4 The Unexpected Christian Century: The Reversal and Transformation of Global Christianity, 1900-2000, Scott W. Sunquist, Baker Academic, 2015. ISBN: 0801097460 Christian Mission: How Christianity Became a World Religion, Dana L. Robert, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. ISBN: 0631236201 To the Ends of the Earth: Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity (Oxford Studies in World Christianity) 1st Edition, Allan Heaton Anderson, Oxford University Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0195386424 Jesus and the Gospel in Africa: History and Experience, Kwame Bediako, Orbis Books, 2004. ISBN: 1-57075-542-6 The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South, Philip Jenkins, Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-19-530065-9 The Rebirth of Latin American Christianity (Oxford Studies in World Christianity), Todd Hartch, Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0199843138 Recommended Background Reading: To Whom Does Christianity Belong?, Dyron B. Daughrity, Fortress Press, 2011; ISBN: 978-1-4514-7227-1 The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. (Revised and expanded edition.), Philip Jenkins, Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-19-518307-8
Week: Theme Readings: Assignments: Week of Jan. 18 The Big Picture: Global Gospel: Ch. 1. (p.1-13) Missionary Movement in Christian History: Ch. 1, 2, 4, 10 (p.1-25, 43-54, 119-139) Unexpected Christian Century: Intro, Ch. 1-2 (p.1-77.) Week of Jan. 25 Four-Traditions? Global Gospel: Ch. 2 (p.14-39) Unexpected Christian Century: Ch. 3-4 (p.77-134) Week of Feb. 1 Christian Mission Christian Mission: Ch. 2-7 (31-177) 1 st Unit Paper. Week of Feb. 8: Pentecostalism I To the Ends of the Earth: Intro., Ch. 1-5 (p. 1-118) Week of Feb. 15: Pentecostalism II To the Ends of the Earth: Ch. 5-9, Conclusion, (118-259) 2 nd Unit Paper. Week of Feb. 22 African Christianity I Global Gospel: Ch. 3: (40-72) Missionary Movement in Christian History: Ch. 7-10 (79-142) Week of Feb. 29 African Christianity II Jesus and the Gospel in Africa: Ch. 1-4, 7-9 (p. 3-46, 85-120). 3 rd Unit Paper. + Additional biographical readings. Week of Mar. 7 Asian Christianity I Global Gospel: Ch. 6: (p. 146-187) + Additional biographical readings. Week of Mar. 14 Asian Christianity II Star in the East: Whole book. 4 th Unit Paper Week of Mar. 21 Seminary Closed, No Classes.
Week: Theme Readings: Assignments: Week of Mar. 28 Latin American Christianity I Global Gospel: Ch 4 (73-105) Rebirth of Latin American Christianity: Ch. 1-2, (1-57) Week of Apr. 4 Latin American Christianity II Rebirth of Latin American Christianity: Ch. 3-7 (p.58-145) Week of April 11 Latin American Christianity III Rebirth of Latin American Christianity: Ch. 8-10, Conclusion (p.146-228) 5 th Unit Paper. Week of April 18 A New Bible: New Faces of Christianity: Ch. 1-4 (1-97) Week of April 25 A New Bible: New Faces of Christianity: Ch. 5-8 (98-193) 6 th Unit Paper. Week of May 2 Concluding Discussion. Readings and activities reflecting student interests. 7 th Unit Paper. Plagiarism Policy: Plagiarism, the failure to give proper credit for the words and ideas of another person, whether published or unpublished, is strictly prohibited. Credit will not be given for written work containing plagiarism, and plagiarism can lead to failure of a course. All written material submitted by students must be their own original work; where the words and ideas of others are used they must be acknowledged. Additionally, if students receive editorial help with their writing they should also acknowledge it appropriately. Credit will not be given for work containing plagiarism, and plagiarism can lead to failure of a course. Faculty will report all instances of plagiarism to the Academic Dean. The Academic Dean will then collect documented details of the case and advance any recommendations for further action to the Academic Policies Committee. Through this process the situation will be reviewed and any additional penalties that may be warranted (up to and including expulsion from the school) will be determined. For clarity as to what constitutes plagiarism, the following description is provided:
1. Word for word plagiarism: (a) the submission of another person s work as one s own; (b) the submission of a commercially prepared paper; (c) the submission of work from a source which is not acknowledged by a footnote or other specific reference in the paper itself; (d) the submission of any part of another person s work without proper use of quotation marks. 2. Plagiarism by paraphrase: (a) mere re-arrangement of another person s works and phrases does not make them your own and also constitutes plagiarism; (b) paraphrasing another person s words, ideas, and information without acknowledging the original source from which you took them is also plagiarism. See Part II of Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations, (7th Edition, University of Chicago Press, 2007) for an explanation of the proper ways to acknowledge the work of others and to avoid plagiarism. 3. Reuse of your own work: Coursework submitted for credit in one course cannot be submitted for credit in another course. While technically not plagiarism, this type of infraction will be treated in the same manner as plagiarism and will be subject to the same penalties. If you are using small amounts of material from a previous submitted work, that work should be referenced appropriately. When a student is writing their final program requirement (paper, project or thesis) it may be appropriate, with their advisor s permission, to include portions of previously submitted material if properly referenced.