Course Descriptions
Field Education
Clinical Pastoral Education
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.
CPE is taken for variable credit (between 1-10 credits).
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
No Location
Course ID
FE-4012
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1-10
Community Field Work
Field work describes an involvement in community work for up to 15 hours a week with the ongoing support of a mentor. Community Field Work includes work in gender, racial and economic justice, queer activism, disability advocacy, immigration issues, environmental responsibility, civil liberties protection, HIV response, youth at risk, peace building, participating in a fundraising campaign for a non for profit or grassroots organization, chaplaincy, teaching and more. Students should discuss the field work opportunity with their advisor before making arrangements with the professor. Student and community mentor will discuss and sign a learning agreement at the outset of the field work experience. Midterm and final student/mentor evaluations will also be required by midterm and the end of term. All forms are available on the SKSM website. Please see Student Handbook and Contextual Education Handbook for more information.
This field work is taken for variable credit (between 0.5-5 credits)
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
No Location
Course ID
FE 4060
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
0.5-5
Community Internship
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.
This class is taken for variable credit (between 5-10 credits).
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
No Location
Course ID
FE-4220
Faculty Approval Required
No
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, participating in a stewardship campaign and more. Evaluation is based on Zoom conversations with professor, mid-term and final evaluations. This course is for M.Div. students. Depending on the focus of the Field Work, your project may relate to Starr King thresholds 1, 2, 5, 6, 7,
8 and MFC requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. This is taken for variable credit (between .5-5 credits).
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
No Location
Course ID
FE 4050
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
0.5-5
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 non-UU students, check with your
denominational body to see if there are additional requirements for the congregational internship experience. This
course is for M.Div students. Evaluation is based on the Zoom conversations, mid-term and final evaluations. The Intern Ministers meet twice a month 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. This is taken for variable credit (between 5-10 credits).
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
No Location
Course ID
FE 4210
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
5-10
Parish Intern Reflection
The Congregational Intern Reflection course is paired with the on-site experience of Congregational Internship. This
course is for M.Div students. The Intern Ministers meet twice a month by Zoom to discuss progress on Learning Goals,development of pastoral/prophetic/preaching voices, and integrating theory with skills. Students are expected to attend the January 2020 Congregational Intern Minister gathering at Starr King. This class is for MDiv students. Evaluation will be based on the Zoom conversations and the content of the mid-term and final evaluations. During the Internship experience, there are opportunities for all 8 Starr King Threshold Areas to be explored, as well as each of the UU Ministerial Fellowship Committee Competency Areas.
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
No Location
Course ID
FE 4212
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
2
Immersion
ChI Chaplaincy Electives
For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) courses as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. Students enrolling in ChI electives earn credit based on the total number of courses completed in a term. The following electives are offered in Fall 2019: Ceremonial and Congregational Ministry (Sept. 10-11), Prophetic and Social Justice Ministry (Sept. 12-14), and The Business of Ministry (Dec. 10-11). Some additional coursework will be conducted online.
ChI electives are only for students who have been admitted to the SKSM-ChI joint program and are not available to other SKSM students or to students from other GTU schools. This course does not count toward residency requirements. Relevance for SKSM thresholds and MFC competencies varies by elective.
Session
Fall 2020
Instructors
TBD
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Course ID
SPFT 1120
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1-7
ChI Ministry Basics 4
For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. In this course, areas of focus include: spiritual care and prayer, spiritual interventions, listening through the arts, introduction to ethics for chaplains, ritual-making, and public speaking.. The ChI curriculum incorporates lecture, dyad/small group work, various art modalities, and site visits to deepen our many ways of learning and integrating new awareness. 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. Meets Oct. 16-19 + additional online coursework. Relevant for SKSM thresholds 1, 2, and 6; MFC competency 3.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
10/16/19 – 10/19/19
Instructors
TBD
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
W / Th / F / Sa
Course ID
SPFT 1103
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
ChI Spiritual Direction IV
FALL 2019 For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Spiritual Direction Certificate. This course is the final class in the 2019 program. The certificate is designed to inspire, nurture and educate those who are called to serve as Spiritual Directors in our increasingly diverse world. Our innovative program focuses on a combination of the study of world religions, an exploration of personal spirituality, and spiritual direction skills, all in a creatively infused context. Each intensive learning course focuses on the development of practical skills and competencies for offering spiritual direction to persons of varying religious beliefs and backgrounds. This immersion in the arts of ministry combines pedagogies of theoretical, practical, and artistic learning. 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. Held Oct. 21-25. Relates to SKSM Thresholds 1, 5, 6, 8; MFC Competencies 2, 3.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
10/21/19 – 10/25/19
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
No Location
Days
M / T / W / Th / F
Time
9:30am-5:00pm
Course ID
SPFT-1498
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
2
ChI Spiritual Psychology
Joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. The second of a 2-part series that introduces students to ChI’s core philosophy and learning approach as well as an introduction to World Religions and/or spiritual paths that have their origins in the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity). While engaging with the world’s knowledge, beliefs, traditions, scriptures, and practices, the ChI curriculum incorporates lecture, dyad/small group work, various art modalities, and site visits to deepen our many ways of learning and integrating new awareness.
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. Meets Nov. 12-16 + additional online coursework. Relevant for SKSM threshold 1, 3, and 6; MFC competency 3.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
11/12/19 – 11/16/19
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
T / W / Th / F / Sa
Course ID
PSFT-1002
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
2
ChI Spiritual Traditions 2
Global Spiritual Traditions 2: for joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. The second of a 2-part series that introduces students to ChI’s core philosophy and learning approach as well as an introduction to World Religions and/or spiritual paths that have their origins in the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity). While engaging with the world’s knowledge, beliefs, traditions, scriptures, and practices, the ChI curriculum incorporates lecture, dyad/small group work, various art modalities, and site visits to deepen our many ways of learning and integrating new awareness.
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. Meets Nov. 12-16 + additional online coursework. Relevant for SKSM threshold 1, 3, and 6; MFC competency 3.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
11/12/19 – 11/16/19
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
T / W / Th / F / Sa
Course ID
HR 1101
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
UU Baltimore Immersion
The Baltimore immersion course is a five day intensive course and will include the traditional content of UU history and prophetic witness in a dynamic setting. The centerpiece of the course will be attendance at the triennial joint meeting, or Convocation of the UU Collegium and Unitarian Universalist History and Heritage Society Thursday, October 17, 2019 to Sunday, October 20, 2019 at the Maritime Conference Center, in Baltimore, Maryland. 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the first great landmark event in American Unitarian History. On May 5, 1819, William Ellery Channing delivered a sermon at the Ordination of the Rev. Jared Sparks in the First Independent Church of Baltimore entitled Unitarian Christianity, more often referred to as the Baltimore Sermon. 2020 also marks a landmark in Universalist history: the 250th anniversary of John Murray’s first arrival in America at Good Luck, New Jersey, where he preached his first sermon as a Universalist minister on September 30. The triennial convocations have been rich gathering of ministers, scholars, students, and others who cherish the history, heritage, and future of Unitarian Universalism. At the past three convocations of Unitarian Universalist studies, participants were treated to a variety of papers, panels, and workshops; there also were opportunities to tour historic sites, attend performances, view exhibits, and browse poster sessions. Past convocations have feature award-winning sermons and hymns and recreations of historic debates and presentations. In addition, we will have two days to deepen our engagement with UU history and prophetic witness in Baltimore. Students are responsible for their own Convocation registration, transportation to Baltimore, and their lodging and meals (lodging may be arranged through Convocation registration). Students are evaluated by class participation and a final reflection paper of 10-15 pages.
This course relates to Unitarian Universalist Association’s Ministerial Fellowship Committee competencies 4, 6, and 7 and Starr King Thresholds 1, 2, 4 and 6.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
10/17/19 – 10/20/19
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
Th / F / Sa / Su
Course ID
FTHS-4079
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
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Intensive
No courses found
Online
Community Intern Reflection
This course is a peer group seminar for interns in community field sites. It offers spiritual 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 spiritual practices to sustain religious leadership in community ministry. Students gather multi-religious sources of wisdom, which serve as touchstones for group spiritual reflection. The course includes a frequent required live web-based video seminars as well as online discussion postings that orient the live sessions. 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. Low residency with synchronous online Zoom meetings every other week. Simultaneous enrollment in community internship credits for the semester required. Full and complete approval of the internship agreement by the Director of Contextual Education, site supervisor and faculty advisor. Student must submit description of approved internship and copy of agreement to FE-4222 instructor prior to first session.
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Hybrid, Online
Location
No Location
Days
Th
Time
3:40-5:00pm
Course ID
FE 4222
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
2
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Forgiveness and Moral Repair
In this class we will meet people from all over the world, from a variety of religious and cultural traditions, who have practiced forgiveness as a means of healing, peace, and liberation. Through readings, films, spiritual practice exercises, and projects we will develop interpersonal and pastoral skills in forgiveness. We will also explore moral repair: how we individually and collectively might apologize, repent, and make amends after wrong-doing. This class will be multi-religious and counter-oppressive. It will draw on personal narratives, neuroscience, psychology, practical theology and world religions including earth-based traditions. The course is especially suited to those preparing for ministry, chaplaincy, interfaith work, and/or sacred activism. Relates to SKSM Thresholds: Spiritual Practice & Care of the Soul; Prophetic Witness & Work. Relates to MFC Comps: #3 Encourages spiritual development for self and others, #4 Witnesses to Social Justice in the Public Square.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/3/19 – 12/3/19
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
PS 8430
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 20
Units
3
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Freedoms in a Complex World
The course discusses the inadequacy of Western classical interpretations of freedom. First, it presents interpretations of freedom such as: freedom to be a moral human being; freedom of choosing the authentic self; freedom as fight for the change of the shared world and community. Second, the course investigates how these Western classical interpretations of freedom must be reconsidered in light of multiple perspectives and contemporary challenges, such as: the problem of injustice in freedom as existential choice, as analyzed by Black Existentialism; the compatibility of Christian mythology within the globalized world; the clash between law and freedom in the urgent issue of migration in the US southern borders and the Mediterranean Sea.
Evaluation methods will include research papers, reflection papers, and class presentations and is open to MDiv, MA/MASC/MTS, DMin, PhD/ThD or any combination thereof. The course is taught by Dr. Andrea Vestrucci (Ph.D., Th.D.), a SKSM Research Scholar.
Relates to SKSM Thresholds: 1) Life in Religious Community and Interfaith Engagement, 2) Prophetic Witness and Work, 4) History of Dissenting Traditions and the Thea/ological Quest, 6) Thea/ology in Culture and Context, 7) Educating for Wholeness and Liberation, & 8) Embodied Wisdom and Beauty and Ministerial Fellowship Competencies (MFC): 2) Pastoral Care and Presence, 3) Spiritual Development for Self and Others, 4) Social Justice in the Public Square, & 7) Leads the faith into the future
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/10/19 – 12/3/19
Instructors
TBD
Course Type
Hybrid, Residential
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Room
Round Chapel
Days
T
Time
9:40am - 12:30pm
Course ID
CERS-2001
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
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Health Ethics
Health and medicine lie at the intersection of our religion/spirituality, values, and bodies. This course provides a foundation in bioethics and the complexities of health, illness and health care. Students develop the ability to apply ethical theory and bio-political knowledge to key ethical issues, such as end-of-life decision making, patient-provider relationships, genetic/reproductive technologies, the care of vulnerable populations, organ donation, and crisis medicine. The course includes a significant “laboratory” component, in which students develop and lead discussion of key concepts and cases in order to produce valuable arguments and cultivate pastoral leadership. The course requires weekly consistent online community building and peer-to-peer accountability practices, which enhance the learning and engagement for all.
Relates to SKSM Threshold 5 and MFC Comp. 2 and 4.
Prerequisites: Students are expected to have taken an introductory course in ethics, have significant undergraduate philosophy or ethics experience or some equivalent education experience in a related field. Final acceptance to the course will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Students should contact the instructor to discuss their interests and experiences.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/3/19 – 12/3/19
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
No Location
Course ID
CE 8212
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 25
Units
3
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Intro to Pastoral Counseling
This online pastoral counseling course will introduce students to culturally responsive counseling practices and foster multicultural awareness. Students will examine societal and institutional structures of power and privilege, and will become more aware of the biases, prejudices, and microaggressions that are detrimental to the growth of the human spirit. Students will study major counseling theories and will practice basic helping skills centered on Person-Centered (Rogerian) counseling and Bowen Family Systems Theory. Contextual pastoral elements will be included, especially in the use of Bowen Family Systems as applied to congregational contexts. This is an asynchronous course, with written lectures and frequent use of videos and links to online resources. Weekly personal reflections and weekly Zoom skill-practice exercises with a class-mate-practice-partner will be required. It is an intermediate course intended for MDiv students, and with doctoral upgrade possible.
Meet Thresholds: Spiritual Practice and Care of the Soul, Prophetic Witness
Meets MFC Competencies: Pastoral Care and Presence, Social Justice in the Public Square
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/3/19 – 12/3/19
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
No Location
Course ID
CEPS 8411
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 24
Units
3
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Queer Liberation Theologies
What does «liberation» mean to queer individuals and communities? How do Christian traditions worldwide relate to queer issues and queer believers? For the last twenty years queer theologians and communities have been developing contextual theologies in order to challenge and critique the ingrained heteronormativity in theological thought, spiritual practices, and institutional governance. Drawing from an interdisciplinary perspective, the course aims to examine and explore the development of queer theologies in the specific contexts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The focus of the course is intentionally non-US centered in order to offer future ministers, scholars, and activists tools to collaborate and interact with experiences, key topics, and thinkers within the complex and yet fascinating world of queer liberation
theologies, thus, enriching their worldview and praxis glocally.
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
No Location
Course ID
HRRS 8420
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 20
Units
3
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Sex & Sin
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. These texts 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, gender, and sexuality with sin. We will engage with traditional readings of passages known as ‘clobber texts’ and challenge them with counter-oppressive readings from a range of hermeneutics including feminist, queer, postcolonial, liberation, and ecological perspectives. Topics such as religious leadership, ritual participation, 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 is an online synchronous with Zoom 3000 level course. The format is lecture/discussion. Lectures will be pre-recorded and weekly Zoom sessions will be primarily for group discussion of the lecture and the readings.
SKSM Thresholds: 3) Sacred Text and Interpretation and 4) History of Dissenting Traditions and Thea/ological Quest
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/9/19 – 12/9/19
Instructors
Course Type
Hybrid, Online
Location
No Location
Days
M
Time
9:40am-11:00am
Course ID
HRHS 8335
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 15
Units
3
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Sustainable and Resilient Spiritual Leadership
How do those called to bless the world – to engage with the suffering and healing of others, and of the planet – ground and sustain themselves? Students will link theory, practice, and personal experience to develop their personal theologies for sustainable, resilient leadership – and learn practical tools to serve their vocations “for the long haul”. Together, we will explore concepts including compassion fatigue, measuring emotional and spiritual health, vocational burnout, trauma stewardship, boundary setting, and care for self and community. Participants will also explore how to positively influence organizational culture and build healthy, sustainable congregations and other collectives. This interactive, multi-faceted course combines multimedia, readings, class discussion, a praxis (action/reflection) component, and more, and is open to all interested in spiritual leadership for social change.
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Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
RSFT-8160
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 15
Units
3
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UU History
This course begins with a discussion of recent historical developments in Unitarian Universalism and then extends back through time to the various antecedents of Unitarianism and Universalism in pre-Reformation Europe, all the way back to the early church and the Council of Nicea. Students will have the opportunity to explore Unitarian Universalist heritage, as well as different historical approaches. We will examine social location in relation to class, race, and gender identities, and how these enabled or impeded social justice advances. We will discover the origins of our faith by progressing from our known contemporary experience to the unknown, and perhaps unknowable. Along the way we will consider various theological developments within this tradition, as expressed through various identities and the challenges presented by new modalities of faith including Transcendentalism and Humanism. Sources will range from primary sources to anecdote, with an emphasis on articulating contemporary experience in the context of historical identity and experience. Evaluation: Demonstrated preparation, Weekly posts on the Moodle, Final paper or project. Students who take the course for a grade instead of pass/fail are required to submit a 25 page paper with original research. Students who take the class pass/fail have the option to turn in a paper or a project. Projects must be approved in advance.
This course relates to the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Ministerial Fellowship competencies 6 and 7, and the Starr King Thresholds 4 and 6.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/3/19 – 12/3/19
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
No Location
Course ID
HSFT 8162
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 30
Units
3
UU Theologies
Unitarian Universalist Theologies: This reading-intensive online course grounds its exploration in the fundamentals of liberal theology, through a survey of Unitarian Universalist voices. Its main purpose is to engage those considering UU ministry in the practice of theological reflection while exploring some of the historical, philosophical, and theological contexts shaping Unitarian Universalism as we know it today. This course is not intended to replace a class in systematic theology. Students will be expected to complete the reading, write a brief weekly reading response, and participate in dialogue about personal and spiritual responses to the topics each week. All students are required to submit a final paper or project. Class is limited to 25 students, please contact instructor for permission to enroll. Prerequisites: A) a systematic theology class or B) UU History before or concurrently with this course. Relates to Starr King Threshold 1 and MFC Competency 6. This course is online only.
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
ST 8401
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 25
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Writing for Religious Leaders
Whether working for justice, serving communities, or guiding organizations, religious leaders should be able to write well and often for a variety of audiences. Theological school is a perfect place for thinking about how we put our ideas and interpretations into words. Writing as religious leaders requires thoughtful articulation of our own ideas as well as the ability to clearly explain multiple perspectives on a variety of critical issues. This is an online course geared toward students who wish to improve their critical thinking skills and writing habits for graduate-level academic work and religious leadership. It is recommended for students early in their degree program, but open to all. Students will engage texts from a range of substantive topics and explore various writing assignments, which are common in their education at the GTU. Each week includes reading activities to build comprehension and reconstruction skills, synchronous writing “chats,”, peer-editing sessions, and student-led themed discussions. Students will be familiarized with the GTU library resources early in the semester and use of electronic library resources will be a consistent component of assignments. Upon registering and in preparation for the start of the term, students will be asked to read and write a brief essay on an assigned topic. Prerequisites: None, Relates to Threshold 3. Online, asynchronous with synchronous online chat meetings.
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Online
Location
Online
Course ID
RAFT-8100
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
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Residential
Freedoms in a Complex World
The course discusses the inadequacy of Western classical interpretations of freedom. First, it presents interpretations of freedom such as: freedom to be a moral human being; freedom of choosing the authentic self; freedom as fight for the change of the shared world and community. Second, the course investigates how these Western classical interpretations of freedom must be reconsidered in light of multiple perspectives and contemporary challenges, such as: the problem of injustice in freedom as existential choice, as analyzed by Black Existentialism; the compatibility of Christian mythology within the globalized world; the clash between law and freedom in the urgent issue of migration in the US southern borders and the Mediterranean Sea.
Evaluation methods will include research papers, reflection papers, and class presentations and is open to MDiv, MA/MASC/MTS, DMin, PhD/ThD or any combination thereof. The course is taught by Dr. Andrea Vestrucci (Ph.D., Th.D.), a SKSM Research Scholar.
Relates to SKSM Thresholds: 1) Life in Religious Community and Interfaith Engagement, 2) Prophetic Witness and Work, 4) History of Dissenting Traditions and the Thea/ological Quest, 6) Thea/ology in Culture and Context, 7) Educating for Wholeness and Liberation, & 8) Embodied Wisdom and Beauty and Ministerial Fellowship Competencies (MFC): 2) Pastoral Care and Presence, 3) Spiritual Development for Self and Others, 4) Social Justice in the Public Square, & 7) Leads the faith into the future
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/10/19 – 12/3/19
Instructors
TBD
Course Type
Hybrid, Residential
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Room
Round Chapel
Days
T
Time
9:40am - 12:30pm
Course ID
CERS-2001
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
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Theology & Ethics Seminar
FOUNDATIONAL THEMES IN THEOLOGY & ETHICS AND THEIR SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS. This course is co-offered by Graduate Theological Union and Pacific School of Religion. This seminar introduces first year doctoral students to foundational themes, texts, and concepts outlining the contemporary study of Theology and Ethics. Theology is variously experienced and expressed in religions – systemic, mythopoetic, mystical, textual, aesthetic, ethical, emotive, and embodied. There are categories of theology that cross all boundaries and yet every religion has its own unique theological themes and frameworks as well. Students will explore interreligious doctrinal frameworks as well as the diverse conduits through which theology is understood and delivered. Ethics is also a discipline in its own right with particular frameworks. Particular attention is paid to theological sources of justice and virtue ethics in terms of their value as social, economic, and environmental implications. Featured guest lectures and in-class student interactive forums offer additional opportunities for negotiating the field through interdisciplinary and interreligious pathways. An attitude that is open to understanding the relationship of systematic to constructive theology, and learning about other faiths will be a helpful asset. The course will require written reflections on readings and a term paper.
This is a Departmental Doctoral Seminar and appropriate for PhD, DMin, and PhD students.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/5/19 – 12/12/19
Instructors
Course Type
Residential
Location
Off-site
Room
GTU Library Collaborative Learning Space
Days
Th
Time
2:10 pm - 5:00pm
Course ID
STCE 6007
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 –
Units
3
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Residential Hybrid
Bending the Arc: Effective Justice Ministries
In the face of profound climate disruption and racial and economic inequality, people of faith are called be agents of change, co-creators of more equitable, sustainable and life-giving communities. However, our capacity to make a difference may fall short of our ideals. How do individuals and systems change? What gifts can faith communities and leaders bring to this work? How can our justice ministries be more effective, meaningful and sustainable? Students in this class will: 1) engage with different theories of change, 2) learn from historic and current movements for justice, 3) become acquainted with Unitarian Universalist, interfaith, faith/labor, legislative, and organizing networks, and 4) develop practical skills needed to inspire, organize, analyze, structure, resource, sustain, and pastor effective justice ministries. This class is offered in high residency with limited hybrid synchronous participation allowed via Zoom. Hybrid participation counts as low residency. A weekly seminar with some field trips and guest presenters. In consultation with the professor, students will apply core concepts to a final project of their choice. This class relates to SKSM Threshold # 2 “Prophetic Witness and Work” and UUA Ministerial Fellowship Competencies #4 “Social Justice in the Public Square.” Evaluation method – class participation, reflection papers, & final project. Intended Audience: M.Div., MASC, D.Min. Students must contact the professor to seek permission before registering. Registration is contingent on faculty approval.
This class meets on Wednesdays from 2:10-5pm.
Session
Fall
Dates
9/4/19 – 12/4/19
Instructors
Course Type
Residential Hybrid
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Room
Fireside
Days
W
Time
2:10 pm - 5 pm
Course ID
RSFT 2130
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 16
Units
3
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Decolonizing UU Liturgy and Transforming Ritual Space Through Embodied Worship
Why do we do what we do? As Unitarian Universalists, we have a rich history of merging diverse religious traditions, celebrating annual holidays and rites of passage, creating meaningful worship services, participating in rituals and ceremonies to express our principles and values, and bringing our communities together to offer inspiration, support, and healing. In this introductory course, we will apply a multicultural lens to the study of Unitarian Universalist history and theology and learn about how those roots continue to influence and shape our UU liturgy. We will explore the role of the liturgist as worship creator, spiritual guide, prophetic voice, and community builder. Using an intersectional/multicultural approach, we will reflect on the various meanings of “tradition” and interrogate the ethical dimensions of the process of creating, adapting and embodying liturgical elements, within the context of cultural authenticity. How can the liturgist contribute to affirming and promoting a journey towards spiritual wholeness? Toward building a diverse multicultural Beloved Community and dismantling systems of oppression? Regular and active attendance, one paper, one presentation and one portfolio of rituals required. Related to Thresholds 1,5,6,8 and MFC Areas 1,3,4,7.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/9/19 – 12/2/19
Instructors
Course Type
Residential Hybrid
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Room
Fireside
Days
Th
Time
2:10 pm - 5:00 pm
Course ID
RALS-1100
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
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Introduction to Islam
This course will give an introduction to the Islamic tradition in its religious, historical, and cultural contexts, paying particular attention to the diversity of expressions of Islam within each of these categories. The course will discuss the theological foundations of the tradition, the history of its development, and different expressions of its praxis that have evolved out of Muslim cultures and societies. It will also present contemporary issues related to Islam and Muslims, particularly in their representation throughout different types of media.
Course format and evaluation: seminar, with final research paper/presentation on a specific topic or theme. Intended audience: all degree programs.
Relates to threshold: Thea/ology in Culture and Context
High-residency, limited hybrid participation allowed.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/5/19 – 12/5/19
Instructors
Course Type
Residential Hybrid
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Room
Reading Room
Days
Th
Time
9:40am - 12:30pm
Course ID
HR-1902
Faculty Approval Required
No
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Labor and Leadership
This residential-hybrid course will explore the interplay between spiritual leadership and labor. Rooted in multi-disciplinary course materials and praxis assignments, each session will be facilitated as a collective inquiry into the relevance of a labor framework to social movements, vocational discernment and organizational management.
Together we’ll ask: How does labor show up in our lives? As religious leaders in formation, how might a labor perspective be relevant to discernment about our own callings, paid and unpaid? Can a labor framework help to fortify personal boundaries and ensure sustainability in ministry and in justice work? Within the organizations we serve- whether they be congregations, hospitals, or non-profits- how can we prioritize equitable labor practices in staffing, budgeting and coordinating volunteers?
In addition to applying these labor frameworks to our own lives, we’ll build foundational knowledge about the richness and variety of labor organizing in the US and around the world, with special attention to the possibilities of faith/labor coalitions. We’ll explore the limitations of and opportunities for the prevailing model of organizing by centering groups of workers who have historically been excluded from labor analysis and mobilization. Ultimately, we will engage and imagine inclusive, collaborative and holistic approaches to labor organizing and labor relations in our own work and beyond.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/5/19 – 12/12/19
Instructors
Course Type
Residential Hybrid
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Room
Fireside Room
Days
Th
Time
9:40am-12:30pm
Course ID
RS-1110
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3.0
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Power and Movements
The rationale of this course is to engage the interdependence of individual and collective power in contributing to social change movements, sustainability, and liberation.
The course will explore specific approaches to change through various perspectives of power, organization, and movement. This includes the artificial and natural phenomena that contribute to and are perpetuated by interlocking patterns of domination. Participants will have the opportunity to develop their relationship collective liberation by: studying power and movements; working with concrete tools and practices that deepen individual, interpersonal, and institutional relationships with power and movements; reflecting upon the wisdom of spiritual and secular sources; and collaborating in the equitable cultivation of community. Students will be expected to complete readings, case-studies, reflections, and a final project that contributes to the collective wisdom of the class.
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 1, 3, 4, 6, & 7, and MFC Comps 3, 5, & 7.
Recommended pre-course: ECO Core Intensive.
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/3/19 – 12/3/19
Instructors
Course Type
Residential Hybrid
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Room
Fireside
Days
M
Time
2:10 pm - 5 pm
Course ID
RSED 4907
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 12
Units
3
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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 is a ritual immersion, with each session 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 class as well as the wider Starr King community in chapel leadership. 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.
This course is high residence HYBRID.
This course relates to SKSM Thresholds 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and MFC Comps 1, 2, 3, 4
Session
Fall 2019
Dates
9/3/19 – 12/3/19
Instructors
Course Type
Residential Hybrid
Location
Starr King Campus (Oakland, CA)
Room
Round Chapel
Days
T
Time
2:10 pm - 5 pm
Course ID
RALS 4301
Faculty Approval Required
No
Course Size
6 – 20
Units
3
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Thesis/Final Project
MASC Project Fall
For SKSM Master of Arts in Social Change (MASC) students only. MASC students can split this course over two semesters or 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 art-work, writing a book and more. The thesis topic, proposal and final draft need to be discussed and developed with the faculty and a second faculty member (usually the student’s advisor). The project can have a public presentation at SKSM. A total of 3 MASC Project credits are required for graduation in the MASC degree. – Fulfills Threshold # 2.
This project is variable credit between 0.5-3 credits.
Session
Fall 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Thesis/Final Project
Location
No Location
Course ID
MA 5300
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
0.5-3