Course Descriptions
Field Education
Clinical Pastoral Education – Intersession 2019
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
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/7/19 –
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4012
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
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.
Relevance for specific SKSM thresholds and MFC competencies varies according to the nature of a student’s field experience.
Session
January Intersession 2019
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4061
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
0.5 - 5
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
January Intersession 2018
Dates
1/7/19 –
Instructors
Course Type
Field Education
Location
Off-site
Course ID
FE-4051
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
1 - 4
Immersion
ChI Immersion Catholic & Orthodox Christianity
For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Studies Certificate. In the month of January, we explore Christianity through the lens of Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. In addition to introductory classes on Catholicism, students will explore the teachings of the women Christian mystics, the sacrament of communion, and the sacred scriptures of Christianity. They also will get an overview of the professional field of spiritual care, with a specific focus on tending to Roman Catholics. For field learning experience, students attend Sunday church service. 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.
Dates for this course are tentatively Jan 16-20, 2019, 9am – 5pm (typically includes 1 evening class).
Relates to SKSM thresholds 1, 8, 6, 7, 2; MFC Competencies 1, 2 and 4.
Session
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/16/19 – 1/20/19
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
W / Th / F / Sa / Su
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
FEFT 1103
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
ChI Spiritual Direction III
For joint-program students participating in Chaplaincy Institute (ChI) modules as part of the Interfaith Spiritual Direction Certificate. This module is the third of four quarterly classes in the 2018/19 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 module 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.
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 1, 5, 6, 8; MFC Competencies 2, 3.
Session
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/7/19 – 1/11/19
Instructors
Course Type
Immersion
Location
Off-site
Days
M / T / W / Th / F
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
SPFT 2497
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
Intensive
A TheoEthics: #Black Lives Matter
Students MUST contact the instructor for approval prior to registering for this course.
Evaluation Method: Term paper, daily assignments, presentation, pre-assignment and class participation.
Intended Audience: Mdiv, MASC, DMin
Session
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/22/19 – 1/26/19
Instructors
Course Type
Intensive
Location
Starr King Campus (Berkeley, CA)
Room
Reading Room
Days
T / W / Th / F / Sa
Time
8 am - 5 pm
Course ID
IDS/CE 4212
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Course Size
5 – 30
Units
1.5 - 3
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Counter-Oppressive Agrarian Theologies – Introductory Intensive
COUNTER-OPPRESSIVE AGRARIAN THEOLOGIES – INTRODUCTORY INTENSIVE
How does a perspective of the divine grounded in the soil, in the humus that makes us human, shape our relationship to each other, to the planet, and to God? This experiential and embodied course will help religious leaders gain first-hand experience in the spiritual and structural nuances of our food systems and in how our lives and ministries fit within them. We will explore how systems of oppression intersect with our own bodies through how we produce and interact with the food we eat, and create space for creative imagining and exploration of solutions to food systems problems. This intensive, in-person class will provide a foundation and common language for students to bring with them into Part 2 of this course, which will be conducted online and which will require weekly volunteering at a local farm or garden in the student’s community (the instructor can help make connections for this). Students are required to enroll in both parts.
The course is intended for all students. This course may help meet the Starr King thresholds for Prophetic Witness and Work, Spiritual Practice and Care for the Soul, Educating for Wholeness and Liberation, and Embodied Wisdom and Beauty. It may also help meet the MFC competencies of Spiritual Development for Self and Others, Social Justice in the Public Square, and Leads the Faith into the Future.
Session
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/14/19 – 1/19/19
Instructors
Course Type
Intensive
Location
Starr King Campus (Berkeley, CA)
Days
M / T / W / Th / F
Time
9 am - 1 pm
Course ID
CERS 1501
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
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Educating to Counter Oppressions “ECO” CORE Intensive
Educating to “Create Just and Sustainable Communities that Counter Oppressions” (“ECO”) is a core goal of Starr King’s M.Div. and M.A.S.C. degree programs. In this required core intensive, M.Div. and M.A.S.C. students work together to form a framework for counter-oppressive spiritual leadership. We will ask: how can spirituality, ministry, and religious activism respond to the multiple and intersecting realities of injustice, suffering, and oppression in our lives and our world? What models of justice and sustainable community invite our commitment? Drawing on Unitarian Universalist and multi-religious sources, we will explore how in the midst of a world marked by tragedy, sorrow and injustice there remain abiding resources of beauty and grace that nourish resistance, offer healing and call us to accountability and community building. Reading and writing assignments to be completed before the course. Final paper. This course has a special focus on economic and racial justice addressed intersectionally.
Relates to Thresholds #2,5,7 and 8 and MFC Competency #4.
The course will take place 9-5 Monday to Friday Jan. 14-18.
Session
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/14/19 – 1/18/19
Instructors
Course Type
Intensive
Location
Starr King Campus (Berkeley, CA)
Days
M / T / W / Th / F
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
RSFT-1017
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
3
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Issues in Ministry and Aging
In this one week intensive course, we share our attention between focused pastoral care and broader societal aspects of aging. We examine aging-related issues both as individuals’ personal circumstances and as clear manifestations of the broader societal context in which individual situations and problems are situated. Issues include (and are not limited to) developmental theories, marginalizations/inequalities/microaggressions, role changes/identities, spiritual development, caregiver supports, end of life issues. Activities include lectures (guest and instructors), discussions, films, enactments/role plays, art/music activities. Brief daily journaling and final paper required. Prerequisite reading of one book and some articles. Suitable for students interested in chaplaincy, hospice work, pastoral care, as well as students interested in aging and broader sociological perspectives.
Intermediate/advanced course intended for MDiv/MASC students, with doctoral upgrade possible.
The course 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
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/7/19 – 1/11/19
Instructors
Course Type
Intensive
Location
Starr King Campus (Berkeley, CA)
Days
M / T / W / Th / F
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
CEPS 3900
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
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Multi-Religious Core Intensive
Multireligious Intensive: Amidst the Blessing of the Ancestors weaves teachings on organic multireligiosity from Ibrahim Baba (Dr. Ibrahim Farajae) with practices of ancestor reverence and healing. According to Ibrahim Baba, organic multiregliosity “interrupts practices of considering religions as monolithic, rigidly-separated traditions in conflict with one another [and] rather understands them as having complex and constantly-morphing relationships in successive generations and in ever-widening geographical and cultural contexts.” His intensive focuses on embodying multireligiosity in personal practice, tending multireligiosity in spiritual leadership and public worship, and engaging multireligiosity toward countering oppression and cultural (mis)appropriation.
The intensive engages embodied practice around ancestor reverence and healing – in spiritual lineage and family / blood lineage – as a way of anchoring multireligious expression, countering oppression, and aligning to blessing. Each day of the intensive combines conceptual exploration of multireligiosity, embodied practice of counter-oppressive devotion and tending work in ancestral lineage ritual and repair. Course texts include multi-media selections from Ibrahim Baba, The Cave of the Heart by Swami Abishiktananda and Ancestral Medicine by Daniel Foor. Prior to the intensive, students are expected to complete selected readings as well as to submit a reflection paper on personal experiences of multireligiosity and ancestral tending. At the completion of the course, students submit a second reflection paper weaving together their learning and experiences in the intensive.
This is a required course for SKSM MDiv and MASC students.
Relates to SKSM Thresholds 1 & 2 and MFC Comps 3, 5 & 7.
Session
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/22/19 – 1/26/19
Instructors
Course Type
Intensive
Location
Starr King Campus (Berkeley, CA)
Room
Fireside
Days
T / W / Th / F / Sa
Time
9 am - 5 pm
Course ID
IDS 1400
Faculty Approval Required
Yes
Units
3
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Trauma-Informed Ritual I
Trauma Informed Ritual for Self and Community I is an intensive course that will introduce students to practical skills for identifying and leading compassionate, caring, and transformative rites for self, families and congregations/communities. Each day will include art-based creative practices in a studio setting. There will also be discussion/lectures and student presentations that explore concepts in trauma informed spiritual care. Special attention will be given to understanding the role of vigils, anniversary commemorations and the liturgical year as healing containers for community recovery. Daily reflection papers and an integrative final project will be required.
Intended Audience: MDiv and MASC
Required for Trauma Informed Ritual II offered in Spring 2019.
Relates to SKSM thresholds #1: Life in Religious Community and Interfaith Engagement, #5: Spiritual Practice and Care of the Soul, #7: Educating for Wholeness and Liberation, #8: Embodied Wisdom and Beauty. Relates to MFC competencies #1 Worship and Rites of Passage and #3: Spiritual Development for Self and Others.
Session
January Intersession 2019
Dates
1/7/19 – 1/11/19
Instructors
Course Type
Intensive
Location
Starr King Campus (Berkeley, CA)
Days
M / T / W / Th / F
Time
10 am - 2 pm
Course ID
RAFT 2400
Faculty Approval Required
No
Units
1.5
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Online
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Residential
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Residential Hybrid
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Thesis/Final Project
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