Course Syllabus

Transformational Worship - Worship and the Arts

Faith and the drama of the Biblical texts are often experiences beyond words.  Yet the practice of worship is primarily a verbal construct.  What would it mean to practice worship beyond words?  

The Arts in all forms - music, theatre, film, dance, photography, poetry . . are a means of communal experience.  This course is designed as an exploration of the creative process, the theology of worship, and the methodology of creating artful worship.  

Students will be asked to study the history, theology, and practice of worship - to become connoisseurs of fine practice - to practice a process of creativity, collaboration, and evaluation - to develop and execute worship experiences for a faith community, and become artful leaders.

Instructor:  Sarah Bjornebo 303.257.3356/sbjornebo@iliff.edu

Goals/Objectives:

Understand and experience the arts as essential in worship.

Explore and articulate the theological, historical, and aesthetic principals of practicing the arts in worship.

Learn a variety of approaches, practical reasources, and processes for creating, executing, and evaluating artful worship.

Develop a creative process to educate, manage, and sustain artful worship in community settings.

Learn tools to embrace the challenges of communal art in faith communities.

Develop a personal aesthetic, defendable theology, and a process of evaluation/critique.

Required Reading:

Stephen Nachmanovitch; Free Play

Marva Dawn; Reaching Out without Dumbing Down

Requirements:

Participation - Active and responsible participation is required. Students are expected to read the assigned readings, complete all assigned work and be prepared for class

Attendance - Faithful and punctual attendance at all class sessions is required.  The instructor should be informed in advance of any necessary absences.  Students cannot pass the course with more than one unexcused absence during the course period.  Students are required to make up missed classes through special assignments approved by the instructor.  

Research/Presentation - Students will research the history and current trends of worship in her/his faith tradition and present in class.

Observation/Evaluation - Students will be required to attend Iliff Community Chapel and participate as a team in preparing two chapel services.  Students will attend at least four worship services in different contexts/traditions.  Students will compile a binder as part of their observation, work as a team using a creative process, and evaluate their experiences using the Four Part Process of Critique.

Individual Project - According to individual skill, each student will create a musical, visual, theatrical, or movement art with the purpose of facilitating a particular element of the Final Worship Project

Final Project - Create and execute a full worship service in a local congregation, spirtual community, or worship center.  Implementing the creative process developed in the course, students will work together with their community to create an authentic worship experience incorporating the arts.

Evaluation:

Students who take the course using the P/F option will receive the grade of "P" by activvely participating in class, and completing the course requirements.

The traditional grading system is used for a letter grade.  In order to ensure accoutability and fairness, the following grading system will also be applied:  To receive the grade "A" the assignments must be completed on-time;  Excused and unexcused absences will result in a lower grade unless make up assignments are approved and completed in a timely manner;  Attendance, Participation, Presentations, and Readings will comprise 25% of the grade; Observation and Evaluation will comprise 10% of the grade; the Individual Project and the Final Project will comprise 50% of the grade.