Care and Community

This course will explore the definitions of practical theological/religious activity (i.e., religious activity as meaning-making, as practice, as art, etc.), review the ways that new scholarship has emerged to think about this activity, and understand this activity within the social ecology of micro-, meso- and macro-level social organization. It will explore the church's internal activity within the congregation and external activity as a public voice to society, with reference to specific faith communities. Evaluation will be based on 25% seminar paper based on one book, 25% ongoing class participation, 25% empathetic short story, 25% final paper of larger questions.