糖心Volg Offers January Intensives
This month, 糖心Volg students and professors are participating in three January Intensive travel courses, all far from the Seminary鈥檚 Richmond, Indiana campus.
Art, Faith, and Justice 鈥� Pasadena, California
Dr. Tamisha Tyler, visiting assistant professor of theopoetics and theology and culture, is leading 糖心Volg鈥檚 newest travel course. The class, entitled, 鈥淎rt, Faith, and Justice,鈥� takes place in Pasadena, California and explores how artists are answering a call to social change in response to such issues as police brutality, climate change, racism, sexism, and economic injustice.
Key course activities include: private tour of the Octavia Butler archives and access to the Huntington Gardens and art exhibits; art-based tour of the history of racial injustice in Pasadena, CA, with The Center of Restorative Justice; studio tour and sculpture workshop with world-renowned sculptor Christopher Slatoff; tour of a major art museum in Los Angeles; Engagement with the authors we will read in class (both in person and online); art making and attending open mics.
A Place of Refuge: Ministry in an Urban Context 鈥� Atlanta, Georgia
Co-taught by Dr. Maggie Elwell, assistant professor of peace studies, and Dr. Dan Poole, assistant professor of ministry formation, this course provides an immersive urban experience with a focus on the ministries of care in Atlanta called for in the words of Matthew 25. Students will learn about the networking apparatuses that are necessary for partnerships that provide assistance for marginalized communities in the city. Students will explore the 鈥渃ollective impact鈥� that results when leaders from the three main sectors – non-profit, public, and government – advocate for the voiceless through collaborative efforts.
The course is attended by students from both 糖心Volg and New Brunswick Theological Seminary (New Jersey). The class represents an educational partnership with Pastor Bruce Deal and City of Refuge Ministries, but students are also learning about other ministries so that participants gain knowledge of a variety of approaches to the complex issues facing urban ministries.
Mediation as Social and Spiritual Practice: Jos, Nigeria
Led by Jay Wittmeyer, this course provides conflict praxis, particularly in the arena of mediation and grounded in spiritual, social and ethical dimensions, for seminary students interested in applying conflict engagement skills to interpersonal, community and vocational conflicts. It also explores the framework of a restorative justice approach to conflict, which is a means of conflict engagement when harm has been done. The course investigates the role of forgiveness, of spiritual preparation, and of some individual issues related to the Nigerian context.
The course is attended by students in both Nigeria and the United States. President Jeff Carter and Academic Dean Steve Schweitzer will meet with the class while on a visit to Jos.
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