(3 semester hours)
Location: Journalism 504
Office Location: 21 Peabody Hall.
E-mail (preferred method of communication): rouslane@uga.edu
Course Description:
The course will explore the relationship of theology to a wide spectrum of contemporary cultural issues in North America and beyond. Our discussions will be organized under four major rubrics: 1) theological attempts to deal with the challenges of science and philosophy; 2) theological responses to socio-political issues, such as sexism, militarism, and environmental crisis; 3) spiritual renunciation and life in society; 4) relationship between religion/spirituality and the culture of violence.
In connection to the above, we will pursue the following questions: What are some elements and characteristics of contemporary culture that are vitally relevant to theology? What are the nature and tasks of theology in relation to culture? How do theologians reshape their inherited religious traditions in light of contemporary issues and challenges? How do they venture to influence culture, to transform its problematic aspects? How does culture serve as the arena and medium for the human search for meaning and ultimate fulfillment?
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Expected Learning Outcomes:
1. A more adequate grasp of the categories of theology and culture and their complex interrelations.
2. A greater understanding of some important cultural forces and issues confronting theologians today and their attempts to answer those challenges
3. Increased ability for critical analysis and insightful thinking.
4. Improved scholarly writing skills
5. Improved oral communication skills
6. Enhanced skills in collaborative learning
Required Texts (Always bring the assigned materials to class!)
I. Books (available at the University Bookstore):
1) David Ray Griffin, Two Great Truths: A New Synthesis of Scientific Naturalism and Christian Faith (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 2004) [TGT]
2) Rebecca S. Chopp and Mark Lewis Taylor, eds. Reconstructing Christian Theology (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1994). [RCT]
3) Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha (NY: Bantam Books, 1971) [S]
II Articles from the on-line library reserve. Specific assignments TBA.
Access procedures:
Go to https://gil.uga.edu/
Click on Search Course Reserves
In the search box under “Instructor” find “Elistratov, Rouslan”, then under “Course” find “RELI4530 Theology & Culture” then click “search”
The list of assigned on-line reserve items will follow. Click on the desired item, then under the title info click “Full Text Online”
The system will prompt you to type in the case-sensitive password: theocult
Important: you either need to print out these materials for reference in class or use a laptop
III. Instructor’s notes (PowerPoint and Word documents) (posted on listserv throughout the semester). As these arrive in your mailbox, download and save them on your computer in a separate folder. This way, you will have all the materials for the test handy in one place.
Required technical base:
1) You should have access to and have the ability to open and navigate Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents
2) You should have an operational UGA e-mail account for the duration of this course. Keep your e-mail storage space uncluttered so that you could receive Word and PowerPoint documents from me without glitches. The instructor will create the listserv from the e-mail addresses listed on the enrollment sheet during the second week of classes.
Course norms:
While in class Please make every effort to be mentally present in class, which means abstaining from things like napping, solving crossword puzzles, having a snack (although water is permitted), reading newspapers, doing homework, talking on the phone, text-messaging, chatting with one another, etc.
Leaving class early Please do not leave class early without talking to the instructor before class or, if that’s impossible, provide an explanation next time you come to class. This does not apply to the situations when you need to step outside briefly (i.e., bathroom)
Being late to class Please avoid chronic tardiness. Although circumstances may occasionally prevent us from arriving on time, frequent late arrivals are not allowed without making arrangements with the instructor.
Persistent failure to abide by the above rules may result in a loss of attendance points
E-mailing the instructor. Due to the high cumulative number of students in my classes, I am trying to keep e-mailing to a minimum. For that reason, please do not e-mail me your papers or explanations for your absences and late arrivals/early departures. Simply talk to me before or after class in person at your next opportunity. However you certainly can e-mail me with questions regarding the material and class or missing the exams or setting appointments.
Course Requirements:
Note: if you are taking this class as a 6000-level course or for Honors credit, you would need to do extra work in addition to the requirements below. See instructor for details
I. Midterm Exam (40 points)
The goal is to test your grasp of key concepts and issues. It will consist of true-false, multiple-choice, short answer, fill-in-the-blank types of questions. The exam is scheduled for Monday, October 12
II. Final Exam (40 points)
Same as above, except it will cover topics or issues discussed in the second half of the semester. Scheduled for the week of finals: Wednesday, December 16,
12-3:00 pm
III. Class participation and attendance (20 points total; 20% of the final grade): This class is not lecture-only. Research shows that students learn best when they engage in active learning. Therefore your active involvement is important and will include the following three components:
1. Attendance (12 points)
Occasionally, I will pass around an attendance sheet (of that day and hour no one knows except Dr. E!)
With every missed class for any reason other than documented severe or infectious illness, medical or family emergency or UGA-required athletic trips or job/grad school interviews or religious holidays, you will lose 1 out of your 10 attendance points until all 10 points are used up. No exceptions. Also, because class participation is important in itself, you cannot miss more than two weeks of classes without penalty, even if you have been absent for any of the legitimate reasons listed above, unless I receive an official letter from the Student Affairs or Disabilities office allowing for illness or disability-related absences. Note, however, that you are entitled to 3 free absences per semester without penalty, for whatever reason (yes, even if you simply decide to take a day off).
Other reasons to attend: Poor attendance may affect your ability to write quality exams, as the missed discussions and lectures can prevent you from grasping the issues adequately. Secondly, you will miss out on the invaluable experience of exploring important human questions with your peers. Finally, good education always involves “moments of transformative insight” – moments when you suddenly realize the material’s relevance to you, or discover some new connection, or find an illuminating piece of information, or have an “aha!” experience, or learn a new way of looking at things. These moments are often stimulated by mutual interaction with other students and the teacher. Therefore, your asking questions, responding to the material in class, and participating in discussions are crucial for effective learning.
2. Leading a small group discussion (7 points). Every student will lead/facilitate a discussion in a small (5-6 students), informal learning group that will be formed occasionally during class. The groups will be assigned specific tasks in relation to the course material. Guidelines for small group discussions and responsibilities of the facilitators will be provided. Note that this assignment will include a written part: the leaders will be expected to submit a typed, 2- page, double-spaced report about their group discussion due at the next class following the discussion.
IMPORTANT: All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty." All students are responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. See
http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/culture_honesty.htm
Grading Scale (100% = 100 pts)
92-100 A 90-91.9 A-
88-89.9 B+ 82-87.9 B 80-81.9 B-
78-79.9 C+ 72-77.9 C 70-71.9 C-
60-69.9 D
0-59.9 F
Consultation: I welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your
academic interests, the course assignments, and your experience in this class during my office hours or by appointment. Half-way through the semester, you also will have a chance to suggest ways of making the course a more enriching experience for you through an anonymous midterm course evaluation. This way, I will be able to make the needed changes during the semester. Your suggestions and feedback are always welcome and will be taken seriously
to the class by the instructor may be necessary. Class discussions can unexpectedly take us to greater depths and lengths and therefore require more time than planned. For this reason I have opted against providing a detailed reading schedule in the syllabus (we will deviate from it anyway), except for the first few classes. Prior to each class I will provide you with study questions and specific page numbers for the readings. We will start with Griffin’s book. Although we won’t get to our novel Siddhartha until after the Midterm, I encourage you to start reading it early. For a list of topics, see course description above. We will cover them in that order.
Aug 19 TGT preface
Aug 21 TGT 1-13 (up to second paragraph)
Week 2
Aug 24 TGT 13-26
Aug 26 Review of Chapter 1, PowerPoint presentation in class
Aug 28 TBA