Philosophy of Christian Education – CED
520 (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: none
________________________________________________________________________
Instructor: Dr. Bruce T. Grady
Office :Rm. 205, Leonard Hall
Classroom : Rm 101, Leonard Hall
Course Offered:
Spring 2009
Office Hours:
Mon:
Tues:
Wed:
Thur:
Fri:
Telephone: (919) 546-8574
E-mail: bgrady@shawu.edu
|
MRE Program |
MDiv Program |
|
The mission of the Master of
Religious Education degree is to equip persons for competent leadership in
Christian Education to serve congregational ministries and other religious
institutions. This purpose is consistent with the mission of |
The mission of the Master of
Divinity degree is to prepare persons for ordained ministry, for chaplaincy,
general pastoral and religious leadership responsibilities in congregations
and other settings, and to prepare some students for admission to advanced
programs oriented to theological research and teaching. The purpose is
consistent with the mission of |
Program Goals
|
MRE
Program Goals |
MDiv
Program Goals |
|
|
Program Learning Outcomes
|
MRE
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) |
MDiv
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) |
|
|
Course Description:
The purpose of this course is
to examine a systematic scheme of thought which can guide the practice of
Christian education. Through this study, students will study the philosophic
frameworks that provide continuity to the church's teaching ministry.
Student Learning Outcomes:
|
Student Learning Outcomes
(SLO) At the completion of this course, students will be able
to: |
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (Assessment Tools) |
Linkage to MDiv Program Learning Outcomes (PLO statement number(s) that correspond
to or support the SLO) |
Linkage to MRE Program Learning Outcomes (PLO statement
number(s) that correspond to or support
the SLO) |
|
1. Develop a method to justify and defend your own
views. |
Student Paper |
3 |
3 |
|
2. Develop a method to understand,
critique and evaluate others’ views. |
Claims Paper |
2 |
2 |
|
3. Critically
reflect on current Christian educational issues. |
Book Review Journals |
2 |
2 |
|
4. More
clearly articulate his/her own philosophy of Christian Education. |
Personal Proposal Paper |
2, 4 |
4 |
In addition, students are encouraged to use a
peer-supported collaborative approach to learning. Using this method, each student will adopt a
study buddy with whom they will discuss the assignments and use as a back-up if
unable to attend the class. Please be
advised that absence is no excuse for failing to satisfy the requirements of
the course.
Required Texts:
Foster, Charles R. and Smith, Fred, Black Religious Experience
Conversations on Double Consciousness and the work of Grant Shockley. (
Freire, Paulo, Pedagogy
of the Oppressed, (
Gangel, Kenneth O. & Wilhoit, The Christian Educator’s Handbook on Spiritual Formation, (
Turabian, Kate, A
Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th
Ed., (
Use
of Technology:
All
students in this course are required to have regular access to email and to the
internet. The Shaw Blackboard site (http://shawu.blackboard.com)
will be heavily used in this class. All
course handouts (including readings, guidelines for completing assignments, and
grading rubrics) will be made available via Blackboard. Students will also
submit assignments and receive feedback using Blackboard’s Digital
Dropbox.
Email
will be the instructor’s primary mode of contacting students outside of class
hours. Thus, all students must set up
their email address on Blackboard.
Directions for doing so are below:
We will be using the following
sections of Blackboard for this course:
Follow the instructions below to
submit assignments via the Digital Drop Box:
Academic Integrity:
Students
in this course are expected to abide by the Shaw University Code of Conduct.
The university policy on plagiarism will apply to all assignments given in this
course (see Student Handbook).
Plagiarism involves the intentional or unintentional representation of
another person’s words and/or ideas as one’s own. Students are expected to cite all materials,
including scriptural references, using the formats described in Kate Turabian’s
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers,
Theses, and Dissertations.
If you
need help determining whether to cite, see the guide on avoiding plagiarism at http://library.duke.edu/research/plagiarism/index.html.
Class Decorum Policy
To
enhance the learning atmosphere of the classroom, students are expected to
dress and behave in a fashion conducive to learning in the classroom. More
specifically, students will refrain from wearing clothes that impede academic
learning such as but not limited to, wearing body-revealing clothing and
excessively baggy pants; hats/caps, headdress. Students will turn off
telephones prior to entering the classroom. Students who exhibit the behaviors
described above, or similar behaviors will be immediately dismissed from class
at the third documented offense. The student will be readmitted to class only
following a decision by the Dean of the
Each
behavior construed by the teacher/professor as non-contribute to learning will
be recorded, properly documented, and appropriately reported to the student and
to the Dean of the
Special Considerations:
Disabilities: Students with disabilities that may require extended exam
times or other accommodations should contact Student Disability Services
(Counseling Center 546-8284). The instructor cannot alter the course
requirements for any disability without certification from this office.
Psychological
Services:
If at any
time you feel that emotional distress is interfering with your class
performance, please speak with the instructor.
If you would prefer to speak with someone else, you may contact the
Recommended Texts:
Boys, Mary C., Educating in Faith Maps and Visions,
(
Woodson, Carter G., The Mis-Education of the Negro.
(
Morris, Van C. and Pai, Young, Educating in Faith Maps
and Visions, (
Sloan, Douglass, Philosophy and the American School An
Introduction to the Philosophy of Education, Second Edition, (
Woodson, Carter G., The Mis-Education of the Negro.
(
IV. REQUIREMENTS
1.
Required readings will come from the text and other
assigned resources. Students are
required to use the library. Class
discussion will be based on the content of these readings and the
lectures. Students are expected to be
conversant in the content of these readings. The final paper must
demonstrate evidence of knowledge of the contents of the class dialogue.
2. Research Papers
Research papers are to be presented as formal graduate
degree papers which conform to the Shaw University Divinity School Guidelines
for Writing. All sources must be
cited by footnotes in their respective form and included in the bibliography as
prescribed in Kate Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers,
Theses, Dissertations, 6th Ed.. Each paper must be
submitted to blackboard before
Course
Assignments
Written Papers
All papers are to be presented as formal graduate degree
papers which conform to the Shaw University Divinity School Guidelines for Writing. The
writing guidelines are available from the Dean’s office. The following papers
will be required:
Overview
of Assignments Weighting (total 100%); grade
lowered if reading or assignments are not completed on time]
1.
Research and Reading 20%
2a.
2b.(step
1) 5%
2b
(step 2) 5%
2b
(step 3) 5%
2c.
Second Argument Outline 15%
3.
Christian Intellect Paper 15%
4.
Class Participation 5%
Study
groups of about 3 persons will be formed at the second session. Members can
help each other assimilate the material of the course and to pray for each
other. Two group meetings will be held during class time. Feel free to schedule
other group meeting times during the semester.
* * * *
* * * * * * * *
READING
: per schedule Reading percentages with
Grade Form (10%)
Read
textbooks/assigned reading per schedule and be ready to discuss the major
concepts in class. On the Grade Form identify percentages for all the assigned
reading (% completed and % completed on time).
1.
Research and Read Book Reviews in Christian Education, Religious Education and
Religion & Education Due. Feb.14.
1a. Given the tile and the author of a journal
article, create and submit a two-page set of instructions that explain how to
use ATLA to determine if the article is available in hardcopy, if its available
in the libraries on the following campuses (Shaw University, North Carolina
State University, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke University); if its available on
line and if so, where is located.
1b.
Given a topic, create and submit a two-page set of instructions that explain
how to use ATLA to conduct a search of related articles.
1c. Using your knowledge of ATLA, find and copy 2
articles from 2 different journals. Find
2 current articles that deal with 2 out of 3 of the following topics: 1)
Christian Education and African Philosophy, 2) Theological Education and Latin Americans and 3) Religious Education
and the
1.d
Using Mortimer Adler’s options in responding to books, identify how the
reviewer responds to the author’s argument.
For
your information: Mortimer Adler’s Options in responding to the argument of a
book:
Agree
Disagree
1.
Agree completely
2.
Agree as far as the argument goes (argument is incomplete)
3.
Mainly agree with minor disagreements not follow)
4.
Author is uninformed (lacks info)
5.
Author is misinformed (wrong)
6. Author
is illogical (conclusions don’t make sense)
[Note--Option #7 is not available during the
course: suspending judgment]
Due Feb. 14].
Rationale:
2.
CLAIMS :
2a.
Identify
the three (3) [truth] claims/ideas in each chapter for these
readings.
Obviously
there are more than 3 claims in a chapter--but select important ones that you
think the author(s) is emphasizing. State each major claim as ONE sentence,
either in the author's or your own words. This shouldn't take more than a half
page (single-spaced) per chapter. When you have completed reading the
whole book, then write one claim for the main thesis of the whole book. Use
this assignment to help you understand the rich ideas in these texts. In
class, bring your claims and be prepared to discuss the reading.
Turn in
the set of the claims (and main thesis) by
7;
Foster & Smith, Mar. 21; Wilhoit, April.18].
Rationale: Since [truth] claims are the main tools of the academic
world, paying attention to the textbook author’s claims is good practice. It
also requires deeper reading so class discussions can be more fruitful.
2b.
Student Paper: DUE Jan. 31
Identify
one of your best-researched and best-written academic papers (at least 7 pages)
in which you were presenting an argument toward a conclusion. (For MRE students, this paper must deal with Christian Education, Religious
Education or a critical topic in general education.) Papers reporting only
the thoughts of others will not work for this assignment. Get approval
for the paper before working on this assignment. Create a Microsoft Word document of your assignment and email the attachment to the
professor with the title and a brief description of the paper (topic, length of
paper, number and type of books listed in the bibliography, etc) you think will
work for this assignment (please don’t email the whole paper). Also submit a
copy of the document by digital drop
box, once the paper has been approved.
(Step
1) List of Paragraph Main Claims Due Feb. 21 (10%)
Read
through your paper and identify the one main claim for each paragraph (perhaps
place a check by the key sentence in each paragraph). Copy all of the checked
sentences (no less than 8 sentences and no more than 15 sentences) and make a
list of them on a separate sheet of paper. Do not edit any of the words,
just copy these sentences as you initially wrote them. Number each
of these sentences sequentially in the order as they appear in your paper (1.,
2., 3., etc—for ease of reference). Identify one of these sentences/claims as
your “main conclusion statement” for the whole paper and place that sentence in
BOLD font to highlight it. Also provide a descriptive title for the
paper and use it as the title for this List of Claims.
(Step
2) Full-Sentence Outline (FSO) of the Original Argument Due: Feb. 28 (10%)
Now
identify the argument of your paper, as it appears in your paper. Using your
List of Claims now develop it into a genuine outline—a single-spaced,
full-sentence outline (e.g., I. A. 1. 2. II., etc , indenting subordinate
claims to the major claims). Limit this to one page. Note: Under any header, at
least two items/sentences must be included.)
(Note FSO
= “Full-sentence outline”—each line of the outline, including each header,
is one full sentence. Only the title of the paper can be a sentence
fragment.)
(Step
3) Full-Sentence Outline (FSO) of the Improved & Revised Argument Due: March 7 (10%)
Finally,
imagine you were going to revise your paper to tighten up the argument and main
thesis to earn an A if it were submitted in this class. Revise the outline you
developed in the last assignment and make a stronger argument. Edit, revise,
re-organize etc the major claims (and order of claims) of your paper and
develop the most cogent argument possible that is still related to your
existing paper (maximum ONE page, single-spaced). Include a descriptive title,
and your main conclusion needs to be stated at the beginning of the outline and
place in BOLD font.
Submit: Although you have already submitted the first two steps,
submit all three steps, list of paragraph main claims, original argument
outline and revised argument outline. On an additional page, summarize what
revisions you made. Also, bring copies of your revised one-page outline
sufficient for each member of the class.
Rationale:
Since a clear argument of claims is the
skeleton of any paper or book, focusing on this skeleton is a key task in any
academic writing. Revising the argument of an existing paper can be a helpful
educational exercise for honing one’s skills in academic writing.
2c.
Another Revised Argument Outline DUE: March 14 (20%)
Select
another term paper you’ve written that fits the criteria as in assignment #2b
(professor will need to approve this one as well) and follow the same steps and
develop another revised and improved argument FSO for submission. (MRE
students must identify a paper that reflects some aspect of Christian
Education, Religious Education or some aspect of education in general.)
Rubric for Truth Claim Assignments
|
Purpose: develop a method to understand, critique, and evaluate
other's views |
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Criteria |
Exemplary 5 |
Outstanding 4 |
Satisfactory 3 |
Adequate 2 |
Unsatisfactory 1 |
|
3 Truth claims/ideas in each chapter |
Provides clear and coherent claims for all chapters |
Provides claims for all chapters but occasionally needed more
clarity |
Provided required claims but lacked clarity |
Provided 80 % of the required claims |
Provided less than 80 % of the required claims |
|
Sentence Structure |
Used complete sentences and proper grammatical structure |
Used complete sentences but occasionally made broad sweeping
generalizations. Sentences used too
much narrative causing run sentences. |
Paper has occasional grammatical and spelling errors |
Paper has less than adequate sentence structure |
Paper contains poor sentence structure |
|
Citation |
Each sentence is properly identified and referenced |
All sentences are properly cited and most references are
accurately presented. |
Most sentences are properly cited and referenced |
Paper relied completely upon quoting the author and never
paraphrases into his/her own words |
Student frequently misquoted or misrepresented the authors views
|
|
The main thesis of the entire book |
The main thesis clearly and accurately reflects the authors
point of view |
The main thesis basically represents the author's point of view. |
One component is missing
from the author's main thesis. |
The author's main thesis is completely misrepresented or
misunderstood. |
The paper omits the main thesis. |
3.
Short Paper
Personal
Proposal for Cultivating a Christian Intellectual Life DUE: Apr. 25 (30%)
Develop
a personal, realistic, proposal for yourself for how you will continue
furthering your own pursuit and cultivation of a Christian intellectual life,
for one who is committed to a level of scholarship in becoming one of the
following: 1) for MRE students- a
Teacher of the Church/Community or 2) for
MDiv students- a Leader of the Church/Community. The proposal should relate
to the remaining time in your theological education and to the years following
graduation when you’ll become a Teacher of the Church. In your proposal,
(1)
include your definition and brief explanation of your understanding of a
Christian intellect and what it means to value the life of the mind (min. one
page, double-spaced)
(2)
What particular goals or themes are important to you in cultivating of a
Christian intellectual life. (min. half a page to full page,
double-spaced)
(3) Describe
various practical action steps you are taking or plan to take in the future to
sustain this intellectual formation project both in your graduate
program and beyond (dream, assume there is no limit of time or money, yet keep
it within the bounds of reasonability for you). Note, the focus of the paper is
on your intellectual life—not your whole spiritual life or your whole character
formation. (min. half page, double
spaced)
(4)
Create a set of instructions that explain how you might teach a small group of
seminarians to adopt this method of cultivating a “Christian Intellectual
Life.” (min. one page double spaced)
(5)
Identify and explain the major themes of social and behavioral sciences
imbedded in this process. (min. one page)
(6)
Match each social/behavioral science from step (5) with at least one
educational philosophy. Briefly define
each of the identified philosophies.
Then explain how each philosophy supports the long-term goals/themes of
the self-teaching proposal. (min. three
pages)
(min.
7 pages, double-spaced) Please follow Turabian’s Manual of citations with
footnotes, bibliography and cover page. Before submitting your paper, give
your study group members a draft of your paper (DUE: Apr.11). Respond to their questions and suggestions and
revise your paper. Be prepared to present some of your ideas at the last class.
Rationale:
Due to the trend toward
anti-intellectualism in the church today, it’s imperative that those gifted and
called by God to the intellectual life continue to do so, despite the
opposition from the church, from culture, and from the Devil. This planning
exercise can be a great jumpstart to help you fulfill your calling to God in
this arena.1
1. DE 801--PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES IN EDUCATIONAL
STUDIES
Student
Participation Rubric
|
Criteria |
Exemplary 5 |
Outstanding 4 |
Satisfactory 3 |
Adequate 2 |
Unsatisfactory 1 |
|
Interaction/ participation in classroom learning activities |
Demonstrates
critical thinking skills, evidence that student read assigned material, asks
focused and appropriate questions, always interacts, responds regularly to
questions; freely volunteers opinions, initiates appropriate questions, does
not dominate discussion |
Demonstrates
beginning critical thinking skills, some evidence that student read assigned
material, often interacts in class; responds often to questions, often
volunteers opinions, contributions less developed and focused contributions |
Occasionally,
demonstrates critical thinking skills, occasionally interacts and responds to
questions when prompted, contributions not as clearly focused, contributions
lack focus, rambling, or tangential, questions sometimes digressive |
Rarely
demonstrates critical thinking skills, rarely participates or volunteers
point- of-view, provides minimal answers when called upon, does show interest
in class and discussion, some evidence that material was read |
Does not
participate or respond to questions; almost never volunteers to contribute or
provide information, little or no evidence that read assigned material or
completed assignments, may be disruptive to class |
|
Engagement in the electronic/ email learning forum |
Demonstrates
competency in using electronic/email, including Blackboard learning forum assignment. Completes all tasks for every assignment
within allotted time, provides complete written comments related to
assignments or tasks, follows
directions accurately of assignment or task |
Follows
directions with minimal difficulty,
most of time no difficulty accessing and using electronic learning
forum |
Misses no more
than two assignments, minimal difficulty accessing and using electronic
learning forums |
Misses more than
two assignments. Some difficulty
accessing and using electronic learning forums |
Never logs onto
Blackboard or check email, assignments not completed, no demonstrated
competency in using electronic learning forum |
|
Professional attitude and demeanor |
No disruptive
classroom behavior, no cell phones or electronic devices during class,
respectful and courteous to others, recognizes and respects other students’
points-of-view, alert in classroom, enthusiastic for work |
Rarely
disruptive and disrespectful on rare occasions, alert in the classroom on
most occasions, enthusiastic most of the time, no cell phones or electronic
devices |
Minimally
disruptive and disrespectful, sometimes lethargic in the classroom |
Disruptive
and disrespectful, rarely
enthusiastic |
Not respectful
and courteous, alert or enthusiastic in
the classroom |
|
Punctuality |
0-2 times tardy |
3-4 times tardy |
5-6 times tardy |
7-8 times tardy |
9-10 times tardy |
Course Grade Evaluation
|
Assignment
|
Percentage
of Final Course Grade |
|
Class Participation |
10% |
|
1. Research & Read |
10% |
|
2. Student Argument |
60% |
|
Student Argument Outline |
15% |
|
Final Paper |
40% |
|
Total |
100 % |
Note: The minimum
passing grade for this required course is C.
Research Paper
Rubric
A
•
Thesis is well developed and clearly focused
•
Supporting evidence is thorough and relevant
•
Narrative and description kept to minimum needed for analysis
•
Conflicting evidence is consistently acknowledged and accounted for
•
Counter-arguments are consistently anticipated and refuted
•
Conclusion emerges logically from main arguments
•
Footnotes are used when needed; footnotes and bibliography use consistent
and appropriate format
• Well
organized and well written
•Grammatically
correct and coherent
B
•
Thesis is well developed, but may not be as clearly focused as in top category
•
Supporting evidence is less thorough and/or relevant than in top category, but
is still
substantial
• A
little too much narrative or description
•
Conflicting evidence is usually acknowledged and accounted for
•
Counter-arguments are usually anticipated and refuted
•
Conclusion is logical extension of the rest of the essay, but may be somewhat
attenuated
•
Footnotes are used when needed; footnotes and bibliography use consistent and
appropriate
format
• Well
organized and clearly, if not elegantly, written
•
C
•
Thesis is adequate, but may need further explication or definition
•
Supporting evidence is adequate but somewhat sketchy, or its relevance is not
always made
clear
• Too
much narrative or description, at expense of analysis
•
Relatively little concern for conflicting evidence
•
Relatively little concern for counter-arguments, or they are not dealt with
successfully
•
Conclusion “goes through the motions”
•
Footnotes are not always used when needed; footnotes and bibliography may
sometimes be
in
inappropriate format
•
Adequate organization and style, but may contain enough structural flaws or
mechanical
errors
to distract from the presentation
•
F
•
Thesis is unclear or even missing
•
Supporting evidence is irrelevant or missing; essay relies on assertion
rather
than demonstration
•
Narrative or description far outweigh analysis
• No
real concern for conflicting evidence
• Does
not reveal awareness of counter-arguments
•
Conclusion “goes through the motions” or is missing
•
Footnotes and bibliography are sloppy or missing
•
Sloppy organization, mechanics, style
V. SYLLABUS
|
Class Date |
Student Learning Outcomes [list the SLO nos.] |
Course
Content or
Unit |
|
Mode of Instructional Delivery |
Related Assignment |
Resources |
Assessment Tool (instrument used to
determine the achievement of the stated SLO) |
|
Week |
1, 3, 6 |
Welcome, Introduction & Syllabus
Review |
Syllabus; Freire, ch.1-
3 |
Lecture; |
Sign on to Blackboard |
|
Instructor Verifies |
|
Jan. 24 |
2, 5 |
Dehumanization and the Banking Concept |
Freire, ch. 4-6 |
Lecture and class discussion |
See Bb for Pre-test |
|
|
|
Jan. 31 |
1, 2, 3 |
|
Foster & Smith, Section I |
Lecture & Small Group Discussion |
2b. Identify student paper |
|
Instructor Verifies |
|
Feb. 7 |
1, 2, 4 |
|
Foster & Smith, Section II |
Class Discussion |
2a. Freire |
|
Truth Claims Rubric |
|
Feb. 14 |
1, 4, 5 |
Sources for a Liberative Religious Education |
Foster &
Smith, Section III, pp. 75-86. |
Class Discussion |
1a. Research & Read using ATLAS! |
|
Instructor Verifies with Librarian |
|
Feb. 21 |
1, 3, 4 |
Sources for a Liberative Religious Education |
Foster &
Smith, Section III, pp. 86-123. |
Lecture |
2b.(step
1) |
|
Truth Claims Rubric |
|
Feb 28 |
1, 2, 5 |
The Quest for a Model |
Foster &
Smith Section IV pp. 125-140 |
Lecture & Class discussion |
2b.(step 2) |
|
Truth Claims Rubric |
|
Ma. 7 |
1, 2, 5 |
The Quest for a Model |
Foster &
Smith, Section IV, pp.140-152. |
Lecture, Discussion & |
2b. (step 3) |
Black Board |
Truth Claims Rubric |
|
Mar. 14 |
1, 2, 3, 4 |
The Beloved Community |
Personal Edit 1st
Paper |
|
2c. Another Revised Argument Outline |
|
Truth Claims Rubric |
|
Mar. 21 |
1, 2, 5 |
Self-Assessment of Philosophy of
Christian Education |
Gangel &
Wilhoit, Introduction – Chapter 3 |
|
2a. Foster
& Smith |
|
Truth Claims Rubric |
|
Mar 28 |
|
Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday! No Class |
Gangel& Wilhoit, Chapters 5-10 |
|
|
|
|
|
Apr. 4 |
1, 3, 6 |
Counterfeit
Sprituality Project
Presentations |
Gangel & Wilhoit, Chapters 11-15 |
Class Discussion |
See Bb for Post-Test |
|
|
|
Apr. 11 |
1, 2, 3, 4 |
Holy Week
and Resurrection Sunday! No Class |
Gangel & Wilhoit, Chapters 16-20 |
Class Discussion |
3. Short Paper (Draft) for Small Group |
|
Research Paper Rubric |
|
Apr. 18 |
1, 2, 4, 5 |
The Spirit is
Willing Project
Presentations |
Gangel & Wilhoit, Chapters 21-25 |
Lecture |
2a. Wilhoit |
|
Truth Claims Rubric |
|
Apr. 25 |
1, 2, 3, 5 |
Evaluations & Review Students' Short Paper draft
|
“The Paradox of the Afro American Rebellion” |
Class Discussion |
3. Short Paper: Personal Proposal |
|
Research Paper Rubric |
|
May 2 |
1, 2, 5, 6 |
Recap and Review |
“The Sweet
Torture of Sunday Morning” |
Class Discussion |
|
|
|
|
May 9 |
1, 2, 5 |
Open Talk |
|
Class Discussion |
|
|
|