Contemporary Anglican Theologians (Fall 2018)

ST 2029 CONTEMPORARY ANGLICAN THEOLOGIANS Fall 2018 Mondays, 2:10–5:00, Tucson Common Room Scott MacDougall, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Theology smacdougall@cdsp.edu Parsons Hall 216 Study day: Friday Overview This course examines the work of several Anglican-identified theologians situated in the North Atlantic, treating a variety of themes and topics from their respective vantage points in their respective locales. This allows us to encounter various ways in which Anglican theologies are engaged theologies, theologies that challenge us to rethink how we imagine and interact with both church and world, and that provoke deep transformations in the lived life of faith. This is a seminar course focused on close reading and discussion of texts by Sarah Coakley, Kelly Brown Douglas, Jay Emerson Johnson, William Stringfellow, Kathryn Tanner, Keith Ward, and Rowan Williams, along with a number of stand-alone articles. The requirements are active classroom participation and a research paper of 18–20 pages on the work of an Anglican theologian who is not the author of any of the course texts, selected in consultation with the instructor. The course is appropriate for students in all degree programs and there are no prerequisites. Low-residence and fully online students are welcome to register and participate via Zoom. Curricular Learning Outcomes This course, while addressing a number of the learning outcomes of the CDSP M.Div. curriculum, especially emphasizes the following: • 1.2.2: Students will demonstrate the capacity to articulate and use a scripturally, theologically, and historically grounded Christian ethic that encompasses interpersonal relations, wider social issues, and the church’s participation in the common good. • 1.2.3: Students will demonstrate the ability to identify and offer a Christian critique of the ways in which various forms of moral thinking shape our current culture. • 2.1.3: Students will demonstrate the capacity to cultivate in themselves and others the habits, dispositions, and imaginative capacities needed for faithful public action in order to lead communities of faith that participate in God’s healing of the world. The course also addresses a number of learning outcomes of the MTS curriculum, especially: • 1.2.2: Students will demonstrate the capacity to articulate and use a scripturally, theologically, and historically grounded Christian ethic that encompasses interpersonal relations, wider social issues, and the church’s participation in the common good. • 1.2.3: Students will demonstrate the ability to identify and offer a Christian critique of the ways in which various forms of moral thinking shape our current culture. • 2.1.3: Students will demonstrate the capacity to cultivate in themselves and others the habits, dispositions, and imaginative capacities needed for faithful public action in order to participate in God’s healing of the world. • 2.1.5: Students will demonstrate understanding and practical use of theological reflection in pursuing their own vocations. Course Learning Objectives Students who complete this course successfully will be able to: • Characterize North Atlantic Anglican theology in broad terms • Describe the general methods and approaches of several figures writing theology in the Euro-American Anglican world today • Articulate a coherent working perspective on the relationship between theology, practice, and context • Produce an extended written analysis of a chosen contemporary Anglican theologian’s engagement with her own place and time, in the various modes in which her own faith, commitments, and vocation have allowed that response to be made Required Texts You are responsible for obtaining the following books: Coakley, Sarah. The New Asceticism: Sexuality, Gender and the Quest for God. London: Bloomsbury, 2016. Douglas, Kelly Brown. Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2015. Johnson, Jay Emerson. Divine Communion: A Eucharistic Theology of Sexual Intimacy. New York: Seabury, 2013. Stringfellow, William. William Stringfellow: Essential Writings. Edited by Bill Wylie-Kellermann. Modern Spiritual Masters. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2013. Tanner, Kathryn. Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity: A Brief Systematic Theology. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2001. Ward, Keith. The Christian Idea of God: A Philosophical Foundation for Faith. Cambridge Studies in Religion, Philosophy, and Society. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2017. Williams, Rowan. Holy Living: The Christian Tradition for Today. London: Bloomsbury, 2017. All other material will be available on the course site in Moodle. Schedule Raising the Questions September 10 Selections from The Open Body: Essays in Anglican Ecclesiology, ed. Zachary Guiliano and Charles M. Stang, Studies in Episcopal and Anglican Theology 4 (New York: Peter Lang, 2012). • Richard Valantasis, “Episcopal Formation: Mystery, Incarnation, and a Theology of Difference” • Robert Tobin, “Exploring Trans-Atlantic Tensions within Contemporary Anglicanism” • Benjamin J. King, “Seeking Consensus within the Anglican Tradition: The Example of Charles Gore” • Charles M. Stang, “The Beginning and End of All Hierarchy” • Cameron Partridge, “Skandalon of Conjoinment: Anglican Ecclesial Embodiment” Stephen E. Fowl, “Theological Interpretation of Scripture and Its Future,” Anglican Theological Review 99 (2017): 671–90. Anglican Theology: Systematic and/or Practical? September 17 Tanner, Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity, through chap. 3 September 24 Tanner, Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity, chap. 4 Coakley, The New Asceticism, introduction and chap. 1 October 1 Coakley, The New Asceticism, introduction and chaps 2–5 Coakley, “Can Systematic Theology Become ‘Pastoral’ Again, and Pastoral Theology ‘Theological’?” ABC Religion and Ethics, July 24, 2017, http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/07/24/ 4706747.htm THEOLOGIAN FOR FINAL PAPER DUE Anglican Theology Engaging Society October 8 Stringfellow, William Stringfellow: Essential Writings, 1–105 October 15 Stringfellow, William Stringfellow: Essential Writings, 106–210 October 22 Douglas, Stand Your Ground, xi–134 READING WEEK: NO CLASS MEETING, COMPLETE WORK REQUIRED ON MOODLE October 29 Douglas, Stand Your Ground, 137–232 BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR PAPER DUE Anglican Theology Engaging Philosophy and Science November 5 Ward, The Christian Idea of God, 1–111 November 12 Ward, The Christian Idea of God, 112–221 Anglican Theology Engaging Tradition November 19 Johnson, Divine Communion, v–82 INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE: NO CLASS MEETING, COMPLETE WORK REQUIRED ON MOODLE November 26 Johnson, Divine Communion, 83–182 Anglican Theology: Engaging the Questions, Shaping Discipleship December 3 Williams, Holy Living, 1–103 December 10 Williams, Holy Living, 105–210 December 17 FINAL PAPER DUE by 11:59 p.m. Requirements The requirements for the course are the following: Class preparation and active participation: 50% Theological research paper: 50% The two weeks for which work is required on Moodle will be adjudicated on a credit/no-credit basis. A grade of “no credit” will result in the final course grade being lowered by one increment (e.g., from B+ to B) for each instance of no credit. Please take this work seriously! CLASS PREPARATION AND PARTICIPATION Students must come to class having read and digested the material due for that day’s session. This is especially critical since this is a seminar course. Be sure to bring the text to class, either in hard copy or in an electronic format. It is very difficult to discuss a text you have not read and do not have at hand, so this is very important. The extent to which you find our time together to be fruitful and (hopefully!) enjoyable will result, to a significant degree, from the depth of your engagement in the material and our discussion of it together. Your participation grade will be determined by your attendance and your contribution to class discussions. The following factors will be taken into account as the participation grade is calculated at the end of the semester: • Regular attendance, with no unexcused absences, pre-arrangement if you make use of any of your two excused absences for a reason other than illness • Timely and thorough completion of all assigned readings • Regular, constructive, and substantive contributions to in-class discussions, making it clear that you have done the required readings, and contributing to the growth of our shared knowledge and insights Factors that will negatively affect your participation grade: • • • • Absence from class without excuse Consistent silence in plenary and/or small-group discussions Failure to complete the assigned readings Failure to observe standards of courtesy and respect in discussions Because class participation is so crucial in seminar courses, it constitutes 50% of your final grade. THEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PAPER Each student is required to produce a theological research essay of between 18 and 20 pages on the work of an Anglican theologian who is not the author of any of the course texts. While the specific topic of your essay is yours to determine—in conversation with the instructor and in light of your own interests and concerns— it should, in broad terms, focus on the question(s) engaged by the theologian, the aspect(s) of her context that drive that engagement, and the theological methods and conclusions arrived at. This essay should be insightful and rigorous. Include no cover sheet. The body of the essay should be at least 18 full pages. Double-space your text. Set your margins at one inch all around and use a standard, 12-point font. Indent each new paragraph half an inch. Provide footnotes and a bibliography that conform to the Notes–Bibliography Style detailed in chapters 16 and 17 of Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, 9th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018). Do not rely on automatic citation generators. These are often wrong. Be certain that you are doing this correctly. Pro tips: (1) Please take a look at the end of chapter 16 for guidelines on using short forms for footnotes citing work in subsequent citations (i.e., after the first time you’ve footnoted them). (2) Be sure your footnotes and bibliographies are laid out properly. If you would like to see how footnotes are supposed to look on the printed page, please see pp. 403, 406, 408. To see what a bibliography is supposed to look like, please see p. 413. The final deadline for the complete paper is December 17 at 11:59 p.m. However, as reflected in the Schedule above, there are two intermediate deadlines. Please make a note of them and be diligent in observing them. If you wish to move more quickly, you are more than welcome to submit any of these earlier than the deadline. • • • By October 1: Identify theologian to be researched. Upload to Moodle a Word or RTF file containing one sentence. It should state simply which living Anglican theologian, from any part of the globe, you are proposing to study and why you want to focus on them. Choose a person whose work you want to know more about. If you are having trouble coming up with someone, make an appointment to see me. A conversation almost always gets ideas flowing. By October 29: Working bibliography. After I have approved your research question, you need to create a bibliography of material you will consult as you begin to address your question. Submit via Moodle a working bibliography of the research material you will consult. This does not need to be an annotated bibliography. The list should be in proper bibliographic format, per Turabian, as required above. Your bibliography should include at least ten items. For the most part, you should avoid web-based sources (unless you are referring to books and articles from reputable presses and journals that have been made available online) in favor of using scholarly material of high caliber. Of course, if your topic requires it, limited and judicious use of web-based commentary (blogs and so forth) from reputable sites is allowable. Please note that I may make comments about items on your bibliography and may ask you to revise it. Once your bibliography is approved, you should begin your research in earnest. By December 17: Completed research paper. Write the paper. Organize the paper with good structure in order to provide a solid analysis of the chosen theologian’s work in the three dimensions required by the assignment. Ensure your essay conforms to all of the requirements set forth above. It must engage substantively with at least ten sources, at least six of which appeared in your original working bibliography. Submit your paper via Moodle, in Word or RTF formats ONLY. The essay, which constitutes 50% of the final grade, will be graded on a scale of 100 points according to the following rubric: Criteria Clear thesis Use of sources Structure and organization Above standards Clear, testable thesis statement Meets standards Thesis is less clear and/or testable Near standards Thesis is only a restatement of claims in the text(s) 1 point Claims in source texts often misrepresented and/or not well analyzed, possibly limited to using quotes to prove points Below standards No thesis statement 4 points Claims in source texts consistently represented well, analyzed with skill, and used effectively in the essay argument 2–3 points Claims in source texts generally represented and analyzed well, with good use in the essay argument 28–30 points Structured as an academic essay and organized into a coherent, logical, cumulative, and effective argument that clearly supports the thesis 24–27 points Structured as an academic essay and organized into a generally logical and cumulative argument that supports the thesis 21–23 points Loosely structured academic essay organized into a weak argument that may or may not support the thesis 18–20 points Structured as a reflection rather than an essay and the points made are often too disconnected to constitute an argument 19–20 points 15–18 points 12–14 points rubric continued on next page 0 points Incorrect or insufficient number of texts engaged and/or material used in a manner that does not advance the essay 9–11 points Original and critical thinking Formatting Style and clarity Citations Bibliography Essay shows evidence of a high degree of original and critical thinking Essay shows evidence of original and critical thinking Essay shows lack of evidence of original or critical thinking Essay shows lack of evidence of original and critical thinking 19–20 points Format conforms to all technical requirements 15–18 points Format conforms to most technical requirements 12–14 points Format conforms to few technical requirements 9–11 points Format conforms to no technical requirements 9–10 points Well-written, with excellent grammar, spelling, punctuation, diction, and logic 7–8 points Solidly written, with generally good grammar, spelling, punctuation, diction, and logic 3–4 points Poorly written and featuring belowstandard grammar, logic, spelling, diction, and/or punctuation 9–10 points Citations conform to standards in form and content 7–8 points Citations mostly conform to standards in form and content 5–6 points Acceptably written, often featuring challenges in grammar, spelling, punctuation, diction, or logic 5–6 points Citations rarely conform to standards in form and content 3 points Bibliography conforms to standards in form and content 3 points 2 points Bibliography contains some errors in form or content 2 points 1 point Bibliography contains significant errors in form or content 1 point 0 points Bibliography is missing or unacceptable 3–4 points Citations are unacceptable 0 points Policies 1. Preparation for class. Preparing for class allows you to be an active contributor to our learning community. It is important that you have read and understood the assigned material for each class. Make sure you have grasped the author’s major claim(s), the reasons that the author gives to support his or her claim(s), and the evidence that substantiates the reasons. 2. Attending class. In addition to the seminary-wide attendance policy noted in the most recent version of the CDSP Academic Handbook, please note that attendance directly affects the participation grade. Up to two excused absences may be granted, if arranged in advance and for proper cause. Excused absences may be granted for illness if there is prompt communication with the instructor about the situation. 3. Engaging in class discussion. This is a seminar course. Your participation grade—and your personal satisfaction with the course—will reflect your level of engagement in discussion. Be sure to bring the reading(s) assigned for the day with you to class in hard copy or digital format and be prepared to participate in discussion. 4. Academic integrity. Your instructor takes academic integrity very, very seriously. CDSP’s policies on academic integrity will be rigorously enforced. For details about what “academic integrity” means, how to maintain yours, and what will happen if you do not, please see the “Seminary Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty” in the most current version of the CDSP Academic Handbook. 5. Due dates and submission of work. Assignments must be submitted by the due date. Any work submitted late will be marked down for lateness at the discretion of the instructor. Please be in touch with the instructor ahead of time if you have pressing extenuating circumstances that require you to request an extension on an assignment. 6. Electronic devices. Laptops and tablets are permissible in class for the purpose of accessing course material. You may also use them for note-taking, although current research suggests that taking notes longhand improves learning outcomes. Turn off and put away cell phones while in class. Use of phones during class will affect the participation grade. 7. Communication. Be sure to check your email frequently. You will receive course-related information, material, and updates through email. Also, if you wish to be in touch—and you are invited to be!—please use the email address on the front page of the syllabus. Please do not message the instructor through Moodle. Unless you receive an out-of-office response stating otherwise, you can expect to receive a response to your email within 24 hours, and often sooner. An exception might be emails that come in on Tuesday, which is an especially heavy day for the instructor. If you would like to connect on social media, please feel free to friend me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ScottMacDougall.4 and follow me on Twitter (@scottmacdoug). Finally, you are warmly invited to use the hashtag #CDSPTheology on either of those platforms to share and discuss thoughts and material that might be of interest. 8. Requirements for written work. The requirements for the style and format of assignments are noted above. In addition, note well the “Seminary Policy on Gender-Inclusive Language” in the most current version of the CDSP Academic Handbook. 9. Grading scale. Grading in this course is in accordance with the following schedule: A AB+ B BC+ C CF 100–95 94–90 89–87 86–83 82–80 79–77 76–73 72–60 59–0 Excellent. Honors-level work, outstanding. Still Excellent. Very Good. High level of performance. Good. Solid and above average level of performance. Good. Still above average. Average level of performance. Satisfactory. Acceptable level of performance. Minimally acceptable. Failure. Inferior performance. 10. Pass/fail. If you opt to take this course on a pass/fail basis, please note you will earn a “P” only if you: (1) submit every required assignment by the assigned (or extended) deadline; (2) participate regularly and well in seminar discussions; (3) earn a minimum grade of C (i.e., 73 percent) on the research essay; and (4) earn a minimum overall grade of B (i.e., 83 percent) in the course. 11. Accommodation notice. Your instructor is committed to ensuring that no student is barred from fulfilling his or her potential in this course due to circumstances for which remedies are available and accommodations can be made. If you have special needs, please be sure they are addressed by following the GTU policy for accommodation, which can be found here: http://gtu.edu/admissions/life-atgtu/students-with-disabilities HERE’S TO A GREAT SEMESTER!