TH320

Title

TH320

Narratives of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth

Time

Thursday

3:00pm

5:30pm

Location

Instructor

Dr. R. M. Keelan Downton

kdownton[at]somerset.edu

732-356-1595 x1103

Description

An exploration of theological aesthetics as a way of imagining and embodying the reign of God. Focuses on biblical depictions of the abundant life God intends for human communities with attention to elegance, paradox, and complexity.

Relation to Mission and Vision

This course helps students reflect on the intersection of perception, morality, and knowledge (Upward Call), develop their spiritual capacities to perceive (Inward Journey) that provide a framework for faithful response to these gifts of God (Outward Move).

Prerequisites

TH101

TH201

EN101, 102

This template was created by R. M. Keelan Downton and licensed under

ISBN

Author

Title

Publisher

Year

List Price

Used Price

Link to Amazon

0814659233

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

1999

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

1556129068

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#

Action

Subject

Difficulty

1

discuss

perceptions of beauty, goodness, and truth

2

2

identify

stories that inform our ideas of beauty, goodness, and truth

2

3

differentiate

between things that are beautiful, good, and true

4

4

organize

abstract ideas in ways that can be understood by others

5

5

design

and present a major paper

5

Week Due

Date Due

Name

Description

Meets Objective

Possible Points

Days Remaining

weekly

Learning to Perceive Journal

Write a 500-600 word (approx. 1.5 pages) reflection about the beauty, goodness, and truth that you experience this week, focusing particularly on ways that assigned readings are enhancing your perceptions.

1, 3

150

4

4

Sep-25

Sensual Beauty Presentation

Make a 10-15 minute presentation of things that are beautiful including three components: a) something to see, something to hear, something to touch, something to smell, something to taste, and something to feel. b) for each object, a story or set of stories that informs your perception of its beauty. These can be personal, biblical, or even fictional. (Galileo might show a picture of the stars and talk about the Genesis account of creation. The prodigal son might discuss the smell of pig excrement in terms of its role in bringing him back to God.) c) reflection about how the beauty of the objects or the stories that inform them relate to each other. Note: You will lose points for going over time, using the same story for more than one object, or audio excerpts that last longer than 60 seconds.

2, 4

150

passed

7

Oct-16

Paper Proposal

Write a 250-500 word proposal for a paper on the nature of beauty, goodness, and truth using a book, chapter, theme or story from the Bible as a launching point. Some example topics: "Trees and Cities in Genesis and Revelation", "Pilate's Question and Jesus' Response", "Hospitality as a Window to Truth: The Visitation of Abraham and the Road to Emmaeus", "Atonement Images", etc.

3, 4, 5

100

passed

9

Oct-30

Annotated Bibliography

Submit a typed bibliography including a complete citation of at least FIVE scholarly sources, not including required textbooks (i.e. academic journals and books - save yourself a lot of points by asking before your assignment is due!) AND a 150 word summary of each source describing the significance of the source for your paper (this may be a single chapter out of a book or a single section of a commentary). See http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm for a more detailed description of annotated bibliographies.

4, 5

150

passed

11

Nov-13

Draft Presentation

In 10 minutes, present the current progress of your paper to the class for comment and critique. You must bring copies of a one-page outline for the professor and every member of the class. Full credit will be given for drafts that demonstrate reasonable progress.

1, 4, 5

150

passed

15

Dec-18

Final Paper

Write a 2500-3000 word paper on the nature of beauty, goodness, and truth using a book, chapter, theme or story from the Bible as a launching point. These will be presented on the final day of class, but only the written document will be graded. Points will be deducted if you are late or absent.

1, 3, 4, 5

300

passed

TOTAL

1000

Week

Date

Topic

Reading

page_begin

page_end

amount

Assignment Due

I earned

out of

1

Sep-4

Syllabus

What I know essay

10

2

Sep-11

The Community of the Beautiful

7

38

31

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

3

Sep-18

The Community of the Beautiful

39

62

23

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

4

Sep-25

The Community of the Beautiful

63

90

27

Sensual Beauty Presentation

150

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

5

Oct-2

The Community of the Beautiful

91

118

27

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

6

Oct-9

Guest lecture on "magical realism"

"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

7

Oct-16

The Community of the Beautiful

119

154

35

Paper Proposal

100

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

8

Oct-23

The Community of the Beautiful

155

196

41

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

9

Oct-30

Story as a Way of Knowing

1

38

37

Annotated Bibliography

150

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

10

Nov-6

Story as a Way of Knowing

39

62

23

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

11

Nov-13

Story as a Way of Knowing

63

87

24

Draft Presentation

150

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

12

Nov-20

Story as a Way of Knowing

88

120

32

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

13

Dec-4

Story as a Way of Knowing

121

166

45

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

14

Dec-11

Story as a Way of Knowing

167

196

29

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

15

Dec-18

Story as a Way of Knowing

197

240

43

Final Paper

300

Learning to Perceive Journal

10

TOTAL

1000

Instructional Resource Center

The Instructional Resource Center (http://www.somerset.edu/students/academics/irc2.htm) at Somerset Christian College offers tutorial support services designed to help all students achieve their full academic potential and goals. The IRC, as a venue of both remediation and enhancement to the coursework requirements, offers materials and tutorials in study skills such as time management, organization, and learning or test strategies; in MLA format and style; in writing assistance such as outlining, drafting, researching, and editing; and in computer skills and information access. Conveniently located in the AK White library on campus, the IRC works to provide students with materials and skill sets necessary to carry out information access, evaluation, and application effectively. It also offers assistance in resume building and in reference letter requests. As a supplement to the regular classroom experience, the IRC promotes quality and excellence of all student endeavors to the glory of God. For current hours of operation, you may email the director, Dr. Beverly Busch at (bbusch@somerset.edu) or call 732-356-1595, ext. 1126; you may also call the library direct at 732-356-1595, ext. 1120; or check the SCC web page as these hours are subject to change throughout the academic year.

Attendance

In an effort to ensure that students experience the greatest return from their studies at SCC and to maintain a sense of community between and among students and faculty, the following policy about student attendance has been established: SCC recognizes that extenuating circumstances will necessitate students missing class on occasion. Therefore, students are allowed to miss one block session (unexcused) per three credit-hour course without question and without academic penalty. A block session constitutes one class meeting (2 ½ or 3 ½ hour session) per week. Students missing 2-4 classes will have their letter grade lowered one full letter for every block class missed (e.g. students missing 2 block classes would have his/her grade lowered from A to B; 3 absences would reduce the letter grade from A to C, etc.). Students who accrue more than 4 absences will be assigned a grade of F for that course. In all cases, students have the right to appeal. Appeals must be made in writing to the instructor and the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College. In all cases, including unexcused absences, students must make up all assignments and tests missed during any absence through arrangement with their instructor(s) in order to receive academic credit.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the dishonest attribution of research and thought to oneself that really belongs to someone else. It strikes at the heart of the network of trust and truthfulness that constitutes the basic morality of the academic enterprise. Committing plagiarism is a breach of academic contract with the instructor and the college, and makes the student liable to failure of a given project, failure of the course, and possible expulsion.
Faculty will record instances of sanctions related to plagiarism, and these reports will be included in students’ academic file. Students can appeal through the student grievance policy found in the Academic Catalog.
The following principles can help ensure that students avoid committing plagiarism:
(1) Plagiarism takes place when one reproduces any five sequential words from a text, or takes ideas from a source without proper citation.
(2) Exact quotations should either be put in quotation marks or indented and an in-text citation should be used to indicate the source.
(3) Put an in-text citation at the end of any idea or fact which you found in a book or article, whether or not you change the words.
(4) When in doubt, document the source. Documenting sources helps your reader find more information as well as helping you avoid plagiarism.
(5) Your instructor is your best resource if you have any questions regarding whether or not your information is documented accurately.

Technology

Cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices are to be turned off while class is in session, unless their use is specifically needed for academic purposes and approved by the instructor. Leaving the classroom to take phone calls may be regarded as an unexcused absence.

Online Services

All courses offered at SCC are supplemented with an online educational element at the Somerset Christian College Online Learning Site. This is accessible at www.sccstudent.com. Your professor will use this to make articles and media files available to you.

Student E-mail Addresses

E-mail is an official means for communication within SCC. Therefore, SCC has the right to send communications to students via e-mail and the right to expect that those communications will be received and read in a timely fashion. Students are expected to check their official e-mail address on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with SCC communications, in recognition that certain communications may be time-critical. The full SCC email policy can be found in the SCC Academic Catalog.

Snow and Other Emergencies

In case of inclement weather or other emergency conditions, students, staff and faculty should consult the Somerset Christian College website, voice mail, and/or STAR 99.1 for up to date information. Faculty may also organize a phone chain to communicate with students. Call 732-356-1595 or 1-800-234-9305 and press 9, the college information line, for up to date information on class cancellation.

Writing Guidelines

All written assignments should conform to the guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Style or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and be printed on clean white paper held together by a staple with a header or cover page that includes your name, the course number, the name of the assignment, and the date that the assignment is due.

Grading

The grading scale is listed below with the respective grade point values. The unit of credit is defined as one 50 minute session per week for one semester of 15 weeks or the equivalent. Academic standing is defined as the ratio of total grade point values to the total semester hour credits. The 4.0 point system is used to compute the grade point standing. The grading system is as follows: A (95-100), A- (90-94), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59). These are calculated into your GPA using the following values: A (4.0) A- (3.7) B+ (3.3) B (3.0) B- (2.7) C+ (2.3) C (2.0) C- (1.7) D+ (1.3) D (1.0) D- (0.7) F (0.0).
The following grades are not counted in the calculation of the GPA (grade point average):
W Withdrawn
WP Withdrawn Passing
WF Withdrawn Failing
NC No Credit
To remain in good academic standing, a student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Transfer credit hours are not counted in calculating academic standing. To graduate a student must complete at least 60 hours of academic credit for the two-year Associates degree with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on all credits attempted at Somerset Christian College.

Disclaimer

This course syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. If you are not present in class when changes are discussed, it is your responsibility to obtain the necessary information.

ISBN

Author

Title

Publisher

Year

Link to Amazon

0874778018

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

0802828884

Gesa Elsbeth Thiessen

#NAME?

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#NAME?

019512622X

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

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#NAME?

0334028655

#NAME?

#NAME?

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2002

#NAME?

0802818161

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1980

#NAME?

0226021130

Maria Antonaccio and William Schweiker (eds.)

#NAME?

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0664257690

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0268035040

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

0830826793

#NAME?

#NAME?

#NAME?

2002

#NAME?