Course Descriptions
Field Education
Clinical Pastoral Education – Fall 2018
This course is for Starr King students engaged in part-time or full-time Clinical Pastoral Education. Participate in ministry to persons in crisis and engage in individual and group reflection. Didactic sessions draw together theoretical material from theology, the behavioral sciences, and pastoral care. Students learn to integrate theological understanding and knowledge of behavioral science with pastoral functioning. Upon completion, a written evaluation from the program supervisor will be placed into the student’s permanent file. Discuss CPE with your advisor and then faculty. Final evaluation from CPE supervisor needs to be sent to faculty by the last day of the semester to receive credit.
Students are responsible for applying for and securing a place in a CPE program. Please check the SKSM Student Handbook for more information.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 5, and MFC Comp 2.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4012
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
1 - 10
Community Field Work
Community Internships involve engagement at a field site from 16 to 40 hours a week, under weekly supervision at the site and the support of the SKSM Community Intern Reflection class. Community Internships include a variety of settings, such as supervised placements in a non-profit service agency or grassroots organization, hospice work, chaplaincy, teaching and more. They can also entail creating new projects such as starting a new organization or planning a conference. Those who register for this course should also register for Community Intern Integrative Reflection Spring. Students should discuss the internship with their advisor before making arrangements with the professor. Student and supervisor will discuss and sign a learning agreement at the outset of the internship. Midterm and final student/supervisor evaluations are also required. All forms are available on the SKSM Website.
Please see Student Handbook and Contextual Education Handbook for more information.
Relevance for specific SKSM thresholds and MFC competencies varies according to the nature of a student’s field experience.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4060
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
0.5 - 5
Community Intern Reflection
This course is a peer group seminar for interns doing fieldwork in community field sites. It offers theo-ethical reflection, linking the experience in the internship to the student’s broad educational and vocational goals (praxis). The class is designed for students to assess their personal progress, gather support from peers and the instructor, integrate their internship experience into their degree program, and deepen theo-ethical practices to sustain religious leadership in community ministry. Students gather multi-religious sources of wisdom, which serve as touchstones for group theological reflection. The course includes a required weekly live web-based video seminar and frequent online discussion postings. This online course is synchronous on Zoom and counts as low residency; students must have consistent internet access to relevant technology. Evaluation is based on participation, depth of engagement with peers and resources, as well as written self-evaluations.
Required for MDiv/MASC students enrolled in credit for community internship during the same semester. Fulfills thresholds based on personal learning goals in the internship.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Days
Th
Time
3:40 pm - 5 pm
Course ID
FE-4222
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
2
Download
Community Internship Fall
Community Internships involve engagement at a field site from 16 to 40 hours a week, under weekly supervision at the site and the support of the SKSM Community Intern Reflection class. Community Internships include a variety of settings, such as supervised placements in a non-profit service agency or grassroots organization, hospice work, chaplaincy, teaching and more. They can also entail creating new projects such as starting a new organization or planning a conference. Those who register for this course should also register for Community Intern Integrative Reflection Spring. Students should discuss the internship with their advisor before making arrangements with the professor. Student and supervisor will discuss and sign a learning agreement at the outset of the internship. Midterm and final student/supervisor evaluations are also required. All forms are available on the SKSM Website.
Please see Student Handbook and Contextual Education Handbook for more information.
Relevance for specific SKSM thresholds and MFC competencies varies according to the nature of a student’s field experience.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4221
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
5 - 10
Congregational Field Work
Fieldwork is an opportunity to put into action the theory learned in the classroom. Working in a congregation gives the student a chance to develop their unique pastoral voice while navigating complexities of a congregation’s history, culture, systems and ethos. Fieldwork placements may include: teaching a religious education class for children or adults, working with a youth group, serving on a pastoral care team, and more. All congregational field work students meet monthly by Zoom to discuss learning goals and monthly learning themes with the professor. The professor’s final evaluations of work is determined by monthly Zoom participation and the student’s final assessment of their work.
This course is for M.Div. students and may fulfill UU ministry requirements. Depending on the focus of the field work project, it can relate to the following Starr King Threshold Areas: Life in Religious Community and Interfaith Engagement, Prophetic Witness and Work, Spiritual Practice and Care for the Soul, Educating for Wholeness and Liberation, and Embodied Wisdom and Beauty.
Requires approval from faculty advisor.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4050
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
1- 4
Congregational Intern Reflection
The Congregational Intern Reflection course is paired with the onsite experience of Congregational Internship. This course is for M.Div students. The Intern Ministers meet monthly by Zoom to discuss progress on Learning Goals, development of pastoral/prophetic/preaching voices, and integrating theory with skills. UU students will use the UUA Internship Evaluation forms. During the Internship experience, there are opportunities for all 8 Starr King Threshold Areas to be explored, as well as the UU Ministerial Fellowship Committee Competency Areas.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4212
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
2
Congregational Internship
This is a 10 month full-time (one year, 10 credits/semester) or part-time (two years, 5 credits/semester) ministry experience in a teaching congregation, under the supervision of a Minister in Final Fellowship (for UU students), working with an intern committee, and a professor at the school. For nonUU students, check with your denominational body to see if there are additional requirements for the congregational internship experience. Those who register for this course must also register for Congregational Intern Reflection Fall. This course is for M.Div students. The Intern Ministers meet monthly by Zoom to discuss progress on Learning Goals. UU students will use the UUA Internship Evaluation forms. During the Internship experience, there are opportunities for all 8 Starr King Threshold Areas to be explored, as well as the UU Ministerial Fellowship Committee Competency Areas.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4210
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
5 - 10
Foundations of Religious Freedom in the United States
For SKSM students only. A blended learning course on the origins and development of religious liberty in the US from the colonial and founding periods to the mid-twentieth century. It offers a thorough understanding of the historical and legal foundations that currently govern the relationship of religion and government, define protection for the free exercise of religion, and provide the civic framework for living among people of all religions and none. Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Conducted in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum, http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/admissions/areas-of-study/religious-civic-leaders/. Online during the Fall 2018 Semester (September-December) plus three day immersion at the RFC in Washington, DC. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the students. Separate application must be made to the RFC. Instruction provided by Eleesha Tucker, supervised by Christopher Schelin (http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/contact/directory/?entry=57)..
Relates to SKSM Threshold 1 and 2 and MFC Comp 4, 5, and 7.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education, Online
Location
Off-site
Course ID
HSRS-8210
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
Immersion
ChI Immersion Hindu & Sikh
For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. In addition to the big picture view of Hindu and Sikh traditions and beliefs in class, more of this month’s learning will be through immersion, with visits to a Sikh and Hindu temples. Other classes this module include spiritual care at end-of-life, spiritual care with those on the margins, and an introduction to grief & loss.
This course is only for students who have been admitted to the SKSM-ChI joint program and is not available to other SKSM students or to students from other GTU schools.
This course does not count toward residency requirements. Classes held Nov. 14-18, approximately 9am-5pm (typically includes 1 evening session).
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 5, 1, 3, 7; MFC Competencies 1, 3, 4.
Session
Fall 2018
Dates
11/14/18 – 11/18/18
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
W / Th / F / Sa / Su
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
FEFT
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
ChI Immersion Judaism
For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. Students will explore the sacred texts and aspects of spiritual care particular to Judaism, as well as attend a local Shabbat service. Other areas of study will include: the importance of research in spiritual care; officiating at weddings; and an introduction to spirituality and aging. The Community & Social Transformation (CMT) curriculum will examine social change theory as a tool for justice.
This course is only for students who have been admitted to the SKSM-ChI joint program and is not available to other SKSM students or to students from other GTU schools. This course does not count toward residency requirements.
Classes held Sept. 12-16 from approximately 9am-5pm (usually includes 1 evening).
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 1, 5, and 3; MFC Competencies 1, 2.
Session
Fall 2018
Dates
9/12/18 – 9/16/18
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
W / Th / F / Sa / Su
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
FEFT
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
ChI Immersion Spirit Psych 1
For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. This is the first in a series of 2 modules (Pt. II offered in December). Modules must be taken consecutively. The Interfaith Spiritual Psychology intensives provide students with a holistic model of psycho-spiritual development that can be used for personal growth and for work with others. Curriculum integrates wisdom from various spiritual traditions: Kabbalah with Jungian, Developmental and Archetypal Psychology, Family Systems and Psychodynamic perspectives, as well as Astrology and alchemy.
This course is only for students who have been admitted to the SKSM-ChI joint program and is not available to other SKSM students or to students from other GTU schools. This course does not count toward residency requirements.
Classes held Oct. 17-21, approximately 9am-5:00pm (Typically includes 1 evening class).
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 5, 1, 8; MFC Competencies 2, 3, 1
Session
Fall 2018
Dates
10/17/18 – 10/21/18
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
W / Th / F / Sa / Su
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
FEFT
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
ChI Immersion Spirit Psych 2
For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. This is the second in of a 2 module series (Pt I is offered in Sept; modules must be taken consecutively). This training integrates wisdom from various spiritual tradition: Kabbalah, Jungian, Developmental & Archetypal Psychology, Family Systems & Psychodynamic perspectives, as well as Astrology & alchemy. After foundational work on Ego Development and Identity formation n Part One, Part Two explores Soul & Spiritual Development more fully.
This course is only for students who have been admitted to the SKSM-ChI joint program and is not available to other SKSM students or to students from other GTU schools. This course does not count toward residency requirements.
Classes held Dec 12-16, approximately 9am-5:30pm (typically includes 1 evening session).
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 5, 8; MFC Competencies 2, 3.
Session
Fall 2018
Dates
12/12/18 – 12/16/18
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
W / Th / F / Sa / Su
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
FEFT
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
Religion and News Media
For SKSM students only. This course is a blended learning course will offer the following for religious leaders and introduce a diverse group of graduate students to the challenges that the media present in communicating and engaging with belief within the context of the First Amendment and freedom of religion or belief.
In order to be an effective and authoritative religious leader in a diverse democracy, lay and ordained leaders must cultivate multiple competencies and literacies. This course will help students expand religious, media and digital literacies. These competencies will be measured via multimedia engagement, key readings, videoconferences, Socratic seminars, analysis (case studies), and media production. Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 1 and 2 and MFC Comp 4, 5, and 7.
Conducted in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum,
http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/program/religious-civic-leaders/. Online during the Fall 2018 Semester (September-December) plus three day immersion at the RFC in Washington, DC. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the students. Separate application must be made to the RFC. Instruction provided by Janet Saidi of the RFC, supervised by Christopher Schelin (http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/contact/directory/?entry=59).
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion, Online
Location
Off-site
Course ID
HSRS-8220
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
Religious Liberty and Contemporary American Public Life
For SKSM students only. A blended course on the evolution of the First Amendment religious Freedom principles from the 1940s, through the civil rights era, to today. Participants will address contemporary issues that concern the constitutional relationship of religion and government along with current debates over the meaning of free exercise of religion.
Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 1 and 2 and MFC Comp 4, 5, and 7.
Conducted in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum, http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/program/religious-civic-leaders/. Online during the Fall 2018 Semester (September-December) plus three day immersion at the RFC in Washington, DC. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the students. Separate application must be made to the RFC. Designed and administered by Lauren W. Herman of the RFC, supervised by Christopher Schelin (http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/contact/directory/?entry=23).
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion, Online
Location
Off-site
Course ID
HSRS-8211
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
The Human Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief
For SKSM students only. The course introduces students to the human right of freedom of religion or belief, based on a review of the conceptual and operational tools, as well as illustrative empirical evidence, necessary for advanced study of the issue. The course is designed so that students of religious studies and/or theology, as well as religious leaders, can develop an understanding of how this right has come to be defined, protected, interrogated, and addressed, in a global order that remains organized according to the (evolving and problematic) political entity known as the state.
Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 1 and 2 and MFC Comp 4, 5, and 7.
Conducted in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum, http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/programs/religious-civic-leaders/. Online during the Fall 2018 Semester (September-December) plus three day immersion at the RFC in Washington, DC. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the students. Separate application must be made to the Religious Freedom Center. Designed and administered by Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou of the RFC, supervised by Christopher Schelin (http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/contact/directory/?entry=25).
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion, Online
Location
Off-site
Course ID
RS-8404
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
Intensive
No courses found
Online
ECO-Theologies
As theologians rooted in Judeo-Christian religious traditions have responded to the complex nexus of the injustices of ecological crises and social inequities, a variety of critical and constructive theologies have emerged. This course explores how ecotheologies, including ecofeminist, ecowomanist, queer ecotheologies, and Native American theologies of creation, have engaged the major issues in ecotheology, and in what ways these theologies address contemporary environmental/ecological issues. Each student will research one current ecological issue as a conversation partner for the theologies we will study. We will also be asking questions about the implications of these theological projects for liturgical practices, congregational mission, and the students’ own constructive theological work where applicable.
Weekly reading and regular online participation in Moodle’s discussion board, weekly group work via synchronistic online tools, two synthesis papers, and a final project are required. Prior coursework in theology helpful but not required.
Intended for M.Div., MASC, MA, and certificate students.
The course relates to SKSM’s Thresholds 1, 2, 6 and MFC Compentencies 3, 4, 7. The online course is asyncrhonous with synchronous small group work.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
CEST-8450
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
Download
Foundations of Religious Freedom in the United States
For SKSM students only. A blended learning course on the origins and development of religious liberty in the US from the colonial and founding periods to the mid-twentieth century. It offers a thorough understanding of the historical and legal foundations that currently govern the relationship of religion and government, define protection for the free exercise of religion, and provide the civic framework for living among people of all religions and none. Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Conducted in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum, http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/admissions/areas-of-study/religious-civic-leaders/. Online during the Fall 2018 Semester (September-December) plus three day immersion at the RFC in Washington, DC. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the students. Separate application must be made to the RFC. Instruction provided by Eleesha Tucker, supervised by Christopher Schelin (http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/contact/directory/?entry=57)..
Relates to SKSM Threshold 1 and 2 and MFC Comp 4, 5, and 7.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education, Online
Location
Off-site
Course ID
HSRS-8210
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
Global Religious Traditions
This course will examine the major global religions from a cross-cultural, multi-religious perspective. Taking into consideration that a course that explores many religions cannot be comprehensive, we will consider the religions from a thematic perspective by analyzing fundamental beliefs and practices in the various religious traditions. In addition, we will also examine assumptions underlying the discipline of religious studies. Students will engage through weekly readings and forum discussion, as well as other interactive learning activities, as part of the online learning community.
Students of all faiths and backgrounds are invited and encouraged to enroll. Priority given to low residency SKSM students. MDiv, MA/MTS, DMin.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 3 & 4 and MFC Comps: 1 & 3.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
HR-8401
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
Download
Illness, Health, & Healing
This course invites students to listen for the voices of the ill, even when those voices are full of pain or have been long ignored. Students will develop spiritual care skills and practices to promote health and healing that will enhance their ministries and their lives. The course will draw from narrative medicine as well as scriptures and healing stories from a variety of religious traditions. Format: Class Discussion. Method of Evaluation: weekly reflections, spiritual practice exercises, and projects. Intended audience: M.Div., MASC, MA.
This online course is asynchronous. Low residency.
Relates to Threshold #: 5; 7; and 8
Relates to MFC Competencies #: 2; 3; and 6
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
PS-8450
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
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Intro to Pastoral Counseling
This online course introduces students to culturally responsive counseling practices and multicultural awareness. Students examine societal and institutional structures of power and privilege, and become more aware of biases, prejudices, and microaggressions detrimental to the growth of the human spirit. Students study major counseling theories and practice basic helping skills centered on Person-Centered (Rogerian) counseling and Bowen Family Systems Theory. Pastoral elements will include individual, family, and congregational contexts. Asynchronous course with written lectures, videos, and links to online resources. Weekly personal reflections and skill-practice exercises, with some academic writing. Possible synchronous skills-practice opportunities.
Intermediate/advanced course intended for MDiv students, and with doctoral upgrade possible.
It relates to Thresholds #2 and #5. MFC Competences #2 and #4.
Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
CEPS-8510
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
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Intro to Quaranic Studies
This introductory course in Quranic Studies focuses on the shorter hymnic suras (chapters) of the Quran. In addition, students are exposed to passages related to themes of religious freedom and pluralism. Students learn traditional Islamic and contemporary western academic skills for reading the Quran, including structural and literary analyses and they write essays on selected suras and passages applying the methods that they learn in class. The course provides a safe learning environment in which diversity of perspectives is encouraged and differences of opinion respected.
Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval. Students may take the course for 1.5 or 3.0 credits for partial or full completion of course assignments as instructed. Doctoral students may take the course for an added assignment of a 5000 word research essay.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 3 and MFC Comp 3.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Days
M
Time
2:10 pm - 5 pm
Course ID
HRBS-4822
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
1.5 - 3
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Organizational Management for Spiritual Leaders
Merging the practical and pastoral, this foundational, introductory course helps equip students for effective organizational management and leadership – whether serving congregations, leading other religious institutions, or bringing spiritual leadership to secular settings. Topics include non-profit administration, governance, finance, strategic planning, human resources, change management, and organizational culture – and how these relate to ministry. This interactive, multi-faceted course blends readings and written assignments with group discussion, coaching, independent research, and a praxis (action/reflection) component. With the support of the instructor, students will customize their course experience to build on their unique learning goals, aptitudes, and areas for improvement as organizational leaders.
Relates to SKSM Threshold #2: Life in Religious Community and Interfaith Engagement threshold
Relates to MFC competency for Administration.
Note: This course fulfills the leadership intensive requirement for SKSM students pursuing vocational paths other than Unitarian Universalist ministry.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
RSFT-8411
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
Download
Queering Ecclesiology & Rites
Across Asia and Latin America we are witnessing the emergence of queer faith-based communities in very different contexts and histories. Exploring the way that these communities address issues of ecclesiology and rites would benefit students to explore the ways that our global village is moving in terms of the intersections among religion, gender, and sexuality. The course investigates what are the struggles and mechanisms that these communities have to cope in their context with ingrained homophobia. At the same time, it will examine how those communities enact interreligious and multireligious dialogue and rituals and how faith and activism are coupled to counter oppressive discourses and colonial performativities in their own situations. The course also features guest ministers and activists from different context to whom we can turn to learn from their experiences and who will be “present” every class through recorded videos.
Intended Audience: MDiv, MA, and MASC; PhD With extra coursework.
Evaluation Method: 2 reflection papers, weekly class participation, final project.
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and MFC Comps 1, 2, 3, 6, 7.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
RSHR-8450
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
Download
Religion and News Media
For SKSM students only. This course is a blended learning course will offer the following for religious leaders and introduce a diverse group of graduate students to the challenges that the media present in communicating and engaging with belief within the context of the First Amendment and freedom of religion or belief.
In order to be an effective and authoritative religious leader in a diverse democracy, lay and ordained leaders must cultivate multiple competencies and literacies. This course will help students expand religious, media and digital literacies. These competencies will be measured via multimedia engagement, key readings, videoconferences, Socratic seminars, analysis (case studies), and media production. Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 1 and 2 and MFC Comp 4, 5, and 7.
Conducted in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum,
http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/program/religious-civic-leaders/. Online during the Fall 2018 Semester (September-December) plus three day immersion at the RFC in Washington, DC. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the students. Separate application must be made to the RFC. Instruction provided by Janet Saidi of the RFC, supervised by Christopher Schelin (http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/contact/directory/?entry=59).
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion, Online
Location
Off-site
Course ID
HSRS-8220
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
Religious Liberty and Contemporary American Public Life
For SKSM students only. A blended course on the evolution of the First Amendment religious Freedom principles from the 1940s, through the civil rights era, to today. Participants will address contemporary issues that concern the constitutional relationship of religion and government along with current debates over the meaning of free exercise of religion.
Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 1 and 2 and MFC Comp 4, 5, and 7.
Conducted in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum, http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/program/religious-civic-leaders/. Online during the Fall 2018 Semester (September-December) plus three day immersion at the RFC in Washington, DC. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the students. Separate application must be made to the RFC. Designed and administered by Lauren W. Herman of the RFC, supervised by Christopher Schelin (http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/contact/directory/?entry=23).
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion, Online
Location
Off-site
Course ID
HSRS-8211
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
Sex & Sin in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity
This course will introduce ways in which sex was used as a proposed boundary marker for religious identity in Second Temple Jewish and Early Christian texts. Contextualizing these boundary markers in the cultural, religious, and political landscape of the Greco-Roman Mediterranean destabilizes the meta-narrative concerning the picture of ‘proper’ sexual ethics and gender identity by exposing the permeability of those boundaries. We will explore how Jewish and Christian pseudepigraphal and apocryphal texts from the third century BCE to the third century CE can offer alternative access points into Jewish and Christian tradition that offer a diverse set of voices that can be used to subvert oppressive interpretations that have had lasting and painful repercussions in lived gender experience because of the conflation of sex and sexuality with sin. Topics such as religious leadership, ritual participation (initiations, foundation narratives & practice), sin, violence & rape, the afterlife, fertility & abortion, and sexuality in the Greco-Roman world will be surveyed and discussed in light of current debates on women’s ordination, reproductive rights, and LGBTQI identity to track how ancient debates are alive today and consider how silenced voices from this period may be used as counter-oppressive lenses for Biblical and extra-Biblical interpretation.
This course is online synchronous with Zoom. The format is lecture/discussion. Lectures will be pre-recorded and Zoom sessions will be primarily for group discussion of the lecture and the readings concluding with supplemental lecture based on the direction of questions.
I will be present for some SKSM Thresholds: 3) Sacred Text and Interpretation and 4)History of Dissenting Traditions and Thea/ological Quest
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Hybrid, Online
Location
Online
Days
M
Time
9:40 am - 11:00 am
Course ID
HRHS
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
3 – 15
Units
3
Download
The Human Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief
For SKSM students only. The course introduces students to the human right of freedom of religion or belief, based on a review of the conceptual and operational tools, as well as illustrative empirical evidence, necessary for advanced study of the issue. The course is designed so that students of religious studies and/or theology, as well as religious leaders, can develop an understanding of how this right has come to be defined, protected, interrogated, and addressed, in a global order that remains organized according to the (evolving and problematic) political entity known as the state.
Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 1 and 2 and MFC Comp 4, 5, and 7.
Conducted in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum, http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/programs/religious-civic-leaders/. Online during the Fall 2018 Semester (September-December) plus three day immersion at the RFC in Washington, DC. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the students. Separate application must be made to the Religious Freedom Center. Designed and administered by Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou of the RFC, supervised by Christopher Schelin (http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/contact/directory/?entry=25).
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion, Online
Location
Off-site
Course ID
RS-8404
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
UU History
This course begins with an examination of the (alleged) antecedents to Unitarianism and Universalism in pre-Reformation Europe. We begin with development of Unitarianism in Poland, Transylvania, and England, then on to that of North American Unitarianism through its classical age, the Transcendentalist development, and the various crises of identity and purpose that develop into and through the late 19th and 20th centuries. Then we turn our attention to Universalist ascendency, decline, and then consolidation with Unitarianism. Careful attention will be paid throughout to the Unitarian/Universalist social location in relationship to class, race, and gender identities, and how these sometimes enabled and sometimes impaired social justice advances.
This course relates to MFC Competencies #6 and #7 and SKSM Thresholds #4.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
HSFT-8462
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
Download
Residential
Intro to Preaching in a Cross Cultural Context
Introduction to Preaching in a Cross Cultural Context: This non-lectionary, thematic preaching course embraces counter oppressive ministry through worship and the arts. Hands on learning will combine the sharing and peer review of brief homilies with exercises aimed at identifying your authentic preaching voice. Each student will also deliver two full-length sermons in class. Questions of how to make our worship services more relevant in today’s culturally shifting world will be explored through thea/ological study of homiletics through a libratory lens and an engagement with issues of cultural appropriation and misappropriation in Unitarian Universalist liturgical practice. Students from all traditions welcome.
Pre-requisites: ECO core intensive or equivalent.
Relates to Starr King thresholds 1, 2, 6 and 7, and MFC Competency 1.
This course is high residency only. Students must contact the instructor via e-email prior to enrolling in order to receive permission to register. Registration is contingent upon faculty approval.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Residential
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Days
Th
Time
2:10 pm - 5 pm
Course ID
HMLS-4075
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
Download
On Constructing a Jewish Liberation Theology and Theological Praxis: Indigeneity, (Anti)-Zionism and Diaspora
The full title of this course is On Constructing a Jewish Liberation Theology and Theological Praxis: Indigeneity, (Anti)-Zionism and Diaspora and is offered as part of Starr King’s Hilda Mason Fellowship. In this course, through the use of scholarly writing, news sources, opinion and blog pieces, multimedia, Jewish liturgy, Torah (Hebrew Bible), Talmud (Rabbinical exegesis), and Midrash (rabbinical commentary and interpretation) we will collectively strive to answer the question: In an era of relative Jewish nationalist power and self-determination, what is a Jewish liberation theology and theological praxis that engenders liberation of both self and other? And what does it even mean to pursue a liberation theology or theological praxis, both squarely Christian constructs, within a Jewish context? In order to answer this question, we must start at the beginning and trace the roots of Jewish theological, halakhic (legal) and communal formation and subsequent galut (exile or diaspora) in an attempt to understand Judaism’s relationship to divinity as well as ritual and ethical practices that breed liberatory possibility for not just the Chosen people. This will include discussions of Jewish relationships to indigeneity, Zionism, ethnicity, race, diaspora, culture, secularism, intellectual inquiry and liturgical and ethical practice.
This course is a 3-unit seminary-style interactive course. It is offered high-residency. Evaluations will be based participation in class discussions, two small projects throughout the course of the semester as well as one culminating final project. This course is open to all, especially those looking to explore the intersection of religious practice and liberatory social change. You do not need to be Jewish or have any background in Jewish studies to take this course. All course participants are encouraged to e-mail the instructor at farynborella@gmail.com before enrolling saying why you are interested in taking this course and your current relationship to Judaism.
This course relates to the SKSM thresholds 2- Prophetic Witness and Work, 4- History of Dissenting Traditions and 4- Thea/ological Quest and Thea/ology in Culture and Context and MFC Comps.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Residential
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Days
T
Time
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Course ID
HRFT
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
Download
Transformative Ritual Craft
Ritual Craft as Transformative Practice is an exploration into the art and technology of ritual craft. This course supports students in developing a nuanced understanding of successful ritual structures and empowers students in cultivating skills to create and guide ritual. The course itself is a ritual immersion, with each class meeting structured as a ritual experience. Students are encouraged to deepen their own resonant ritual practices, to experience rituals in contexts new to them and to craft and guide ritual for the community. Students will identify their strengths and edges in ritual craft and leadership, and will receive structured support in enhancing their existing ritual strengths and in nurturing arenas in which they seek additional growth and experience.
Intended Audience: MDiv and MASC students.
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 5 & 6 and MFC Comps 1 & 2.
This course is High-Res only.
Session
Fall 2018
Instructors
Course Type
Residential
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Days
T
Time
2:10 pm - 5 pm
Course ID
RALS-2492
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
5 – 20
Units
3
Download
Residential Hybrid
No courses found
Thesis/Final Project
MASC Project
For SKSM Master of Arts in Social Change (MASC) students only. MASC students can split this course over two semesters of sign up for it during their last semester. This final project can take a variety of forms and should be representative of the student’s learning and creative work in the MASC degree. Projects include research thesis, public presentations, designing and implementing educational curricula, organizing local/national conferences and special events, multimedia artwork, writing a book, and more. The thesis topic, proposal, and final draft need to be discussed and developed with the faculty. The project can have a public presentation. A total of 3 MASC Project credits are required for graduation in the MASC degree. Please discuss with instructor.
Session
Fall 2018
Dates
9/4/18 – 12/14/18
Instructors
Course Type
Thesis/Final Project
Location
Off-site
Course ID
MA-5300
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
0.5-3