Course Syllabus

Instructor:

Joshua S. Bartholomew, M.Div., Ph.D., jbartholomew@iliff.edu, (617) 888-4551.

Welcome

I am excited to spend this academic year with you, journeying together as we have conversations about identity, power, and personal vocation, and how that interacts with religion/spirituality in community. The conversations we will have, and the learning that will take place will be significant. IPVC demands not only academic work, but emotional and spiritual work as well. Please remember to practice self-care and find ways to process the materials from this class.  The various ways to contact me are above, including online/via phone office hours. I am also happy to converse via email, or set up other times to speak via email. Please don’t leave a question until the last minute. You are also encouraged to be in dialogue with your fellow students before we meet in person through online discussion boards, but also through other mediums.

Course Description

The three course sequence of "Identity, Power, and Vocation in Community" (IPVC) cultivates students’ ability to engage in social and theological analysis about social structures, ideologies, and embodied practices that lead to domination or oppression. It facilitates critical thinking about social locations, power and privilege, and what effect these have on students' vocational paths. The course takes the perspective that this sort of analysis, engaged in community and supported with spiritual practices, is crucial to serving effectively in today’s complex social environment. It encourages students to deepen their commitment to dismantling privilege and oppression at individual, institutional, and societal levels.

Overview and Objectives

Evaluation