Community Organizing

In this online synchronous course students will deepen their contextual understanding of community organizing using a spiritual and eco-theological framework. Using case studies, hands-on activities, guest speakers, lecture and discussion, students will begin to engage in spiritually resilient community organizing that moves beyond protests and online postings and into the messy beauty of on the ground grass-roots organizing. Topics will include relationship building, movement arts, leadership development, historical understanding of place and culture, power analysis, mutual aid, community care as self-care, faithful funding, and organizing in the age of social media. We will examine global, national, and local movements, analyzing historical and current movements to gain insight and learning into best practices in community organizing in the 21st century.

Reflection essays/videos, and final paper. For MDiv and MASC students.

PREREQUISITE: ECO

Relates to Thresholds: 1) Life in the Religious Community and Interfaith Engagement, 2) Prophetic Witness and Work and MFC Competencies: 4) Social Justice in the Public Square and 7) Leads the Faith into the Future.

Enrollment Max: 20. Auditors excluded.