2009-2010 Online Courses
Updated: 10/26/09
Please note: Early Registration is strongly advised.
- Spring 2010 Early Registration: Nov. 9-20, 2009
Click for Starr King course fees.
Click here to scroll down to Starr King's Spring 2010 course offerings.
Summer 2009
Children's Literature: A Religious Education
Course Closed: Course has ended
May 25-September 4, 2009
Keith Kron
A spider saves the life of a pig. A teenage girl integrates a high school in the South. Children make cranes for a sick classmate. A mouse holds memories for its community. A boy learns about the differences between his choices and his abilities. “Charlotte's Web,” “Warriors Don't Cry,” “Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes,” “Frederick,” “Harry Potter.” These books for children and many others contain the stories of meaning, of life, of death. Immersing ourselves in the words and pictures of books for and about children, this course will examine the religious, theological and pastoral themes found in the wide world of children's literature and how these might be of use in ministry to others. Participants will be asked to read several children’s books a week, participate in online discussions, and complete reflection papers and projects. / The Rev. Keith Kron is a Starr King graduate and Director of the UUA's Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Concerns.
Course Closed: Course has ended
ED-8461 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 24 PIN Required
Click for Syllabus
Fall 2009
Anti-Oppression, Pastoral Care and Aging ~NEW!!~
Devorah Greenstein
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
This online course will explore the complexities of growing old in our contemporary United States. Course readings and discussion will include topics from the personal to the societal: from individual pastoral issues, to community involvement, to institutional and societal oppression. Using an analytic framework of ageism and its manifestations, we will study aging and: spiritual development; congregational support structures; pastoral relationships with caregivers and elders who have disabilities; implications of role changes (e.g. role loss associated with retirement); movement from independence to dependence/interdependence. We will seek strategies we can use to help elders successfully navigate these age-related changes. / The Rev. Dr. Devorah Greenstein serves the Unitarian Universalist Association as the Program Coordinator in the Office of Accessibility Concerns in the Identity-based Ministries staff group. In this capacity, she educates and provides resources for religious professionals, lay leaders, and other individuals and groups who are engaged in anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multicultural transformation work. She also develops resources and educates congregations, districts, and the UUA about how to confront institutional and cultural ageism, ableism, racism, classism, and heterosexism. Her educational training, which includes a a M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry; M.S. degree from Cornell University in Family Studies; Ph.D. from Cornell University in Developmental Psychology; and a M.S. degree from Syracuse University in Counseling, has given her a contextual theoretical perspective in which she grounds her anti-oppression work. Her work has always been along side of, and on behalf of, people from historically marginalized communities ~ at different times working with elder communities; farm-worker families; people with disabilities.
PS-8420 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 20 PIN Required
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009 ~NEW!!~
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Multigenerational Ministries and Religious Education ~NEW!!~
Helen Bishop
Course Closed: Course has ended
According to the “Western,” European calendar, we are in the first decade of the 21st century. Other cultures and communities have different ways of measuring time, depending on the starting point, but most individuals agree that the life of an individual can be described in terms of a journey. In faith communities, people ranging in chronological age from a few days old to living in the 9th or 10th decade form a religious organization in which all stages of life are included. In this class, we will explore ways in which to make a full range of worship and educational experiences available, as well as structures and processes that add value to multigenerational experiences. References and examples of working to counter oppressions systemically are foundational to this course. / Dr. Helen Bishop holds an Ed.D in organizational leadership and has an extensive background working with Unitarian Universalist congregations, districts and affiliated organizations. She has designed, developed and taught online courses related to all aspects of lay leadership and congregational studies, including a pilot project for Unitarian Universalist lay leaders. She also served as director of The Mountain Learning Center for Leadership in Highlands, N.C., and as District Executive for Congregational Services for the UUA’s Central Midwest District. She received the Angus MacLean Award for Service to Religious Education in October, 2008.
ED-8464 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 20 PIN Required
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009 ~NEW!!~
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Queers (BGLTQ), Religion & Ministry
Vilius Rudra Dundzila
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
This online course explores queer theory, sexual orientation, and gender identity in religion and ministry. It studies the lives and theologies of bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender and questioning (BGLTQ) people, their religious history, and their current situations. It focuses on the major western religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and includes Buddhism, Hinduism (Yoga), Paganism, and Native American traditions. It incorporates African American and Hispanic American religious experiences. ALL religious leaders will develop resources for ministry with BGLTQ congregants. BGLTQ people will explore their sexual orientation/gender identity impact on their ministries. The course will wrap up with broader conversations about inclusion, welcoming, sexuality, and pastoral care. Course requirements include weekly discussion forum postings and participation, an interview with the BGLT minister on their religious and ministerial journey, a mid-term short paper developing and defining queer theology for the student, and a longer final paper on the service of ministry with BGLT people. / Dr. Vilius Rudra Dundzila is a Unitarian Universalist minister in preliminary fellowship and Professor of Humanities and Comparative Religion for Harry S. Truman College (City Colleges of Chicago). He has conducted spiritual direction, groups, and retreats for Gay men. He currently serves as the director of the Illinois Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry.
ST-8450 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 15 PIN Required
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Unitarian Universalist History
Susan Ritchie
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
The course begins with an examination of the (alleged) antecedents to Unitarianism and Universalism in pre-Reformation Europe. We move on to trace the theological and then institutional emergence of Unitarianism out of the Radical Reformation. The Unitarian churches in Poland, Transylvania, and England will be considered in detail with attention to issues of sameness and difference in their development and declines. Special focus will be given to the relationship of these communities to their Jewish and Islamic contemporaries. We will also look at the universalism of 18th century England, and the current state of Unitarianism in Europe. Then we cross the ocean to examine the emergence of Unitarianism from developments within Puritan Congregationalism. We explore the uniquely North American institution of Universalism as response to the same cultural setting. Next: the major themes and developments of North American Unitarianism through its classical age, the Transcendentalist development, and the various crises of identity and purpose that develop into and through the late 19th and 20th centuries. Then we turn our attention to Universalist ascendency, decline, and then consolidation with Unitarianism (perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of Unitarian/Universalist history). Careful attention will be paid throughout to the Unitarian/Universalist social location in relationship to class, race, and gender identities, and how these sometimes enabled and sometimes impaired social justice advances. / The Rev. Dr. Susan Ritchie has served as the minister of the North Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Lewis Center, Ohio since September of 1996. During that time, the congregation has more than doubled in size, purchased not only its first building but a religious education center, and added three professional staff positions. Ritchie is published widely on the topic of Unitarian Universalist history and identity, and also religious cultural studies. Her research demonstrating religious toleration to be an outgrowth of Islamic-Unitarian cultural exchange has been published in the Journal of Unitarian Universalist History, the Journal of the Zaytuna Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, and has been republished in Turkish. Ritchie’s work on “The Promise of Postmodernism for Unitarian Universalist Theology” was published by the Journal of Liberal Religion, and was also translated into Hungarian.
HS-8423 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 26 PIN Required
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Organizational Systems Thinking for Religious Leaders
Helen Bishop
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
This online course is designed to promote understanding among religious leaders of how organizations operate on the systems level. “Systems thinking” is a methodology linking understandings of how individuals, small and large groups of people interact with the structure, policies, practices, and culture of an organization. Participants will read materials on various aspects of organizational life, examine the ways in which components interact, discuss emotional and family systems theories and their implications for congregational systems, use systems analysis and thinking to investigate congregational leadership, analyze case studies for evidence of organizational frames, and prepare a case study demonstrating systems thinking. References and examples of working to counter oppressions are foundational to this course. / Dr. Helen Bishop holds an Ed.D in organizational leadership and has an extensive background working with Unitarian Universalist congregations, districts and affiliated organizations. She has designed, developed and taught online courses related to all aspects of lay leadership and congregational studies, including a pilot project for Unitarian Universalist lay leaders. She also served as director of The Mountain Learning Center for Leadership in Highlands, N.C., and as District Executive for Congregational Services for the UUA’s Central Midwest District. She received the Angus MacLean Award for Service to Religious Education in October, 2008.
FT-8404 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 20 PIN Required
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Contemporary Hinduism
Manish Mishra
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Arguably the world’s most ancient contemporary religion, tracing its roots back at least 3500 years, Hinduism is also the world’s third largest faith in practice today. It is an increasing segment of the American religious landscape, and many non-Hindu practitioners have found in it beliefs and spiritual disciplines that resonate with their own. This online course will provide a graduate-level survey of the Hindu faith, examining its history, theology, sacred texts, spiritual practices, social organization, and politics. / The Rev. Manish K. Mishra serves as Senior Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg, Florida. He brings to his teaching a professional background in ministry, education, and diplomacy. He has previously taught religious studies at Northfield Mount Hermon School and Milton Academy. As a former American diplomat, Rev. Mishra has served in Oman and Finland, and at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. He has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Commission on Appraisal, the Editorial Board of Skinner House Books, and President of DRUUMM, the Unitarian Universalist people of color organization. Rev. Mishra holds a B.Sc. from Georgetown University, and a M.Div. from Harvard. As a Unitarian Universalist of Hindu origin, Rev. Mishra brings to Starr King a valuable perspective on the Hindu faith, its culture, and its people.
HR-8475 3 units
Minimum 8 Limit 20 PIN Required
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Islam, Human Rights and Shariah
Ghazala Anwar
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
This course proposes to develop an Islamic concept of human rights and a concept of Shariah as a defender of human rights. It bases both human rights and Shariah law within the context of the spiritual development of a seeker unto God and investigates the interconnection of Shariah (law and ethics), Tariqa (personal intuitive discipline), Maarifa (intuitive knowledge of God) and Haqiqa (being in the presence of God). It includes a section on al-Asma ul-Husna (The ninety nine Beautiful Names or attributes of God) as elements of the quintessential theology that informs both the outer and inward existence of a Muslim. The topics discussed in the course include issues related to the rights of women and religious minorities, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience and sexual ethics. / Dr. Ghazala Anwar joined the Religious Studies programme at Canterbury in 2000 after teaching at a number of universities in the United States, including Temple University, where she completed her PhD in Religion in 1993. Prior to that she took her first MA in English Literature at Aligarh Muslim University in India, and her second MA in Humanities at the University of Chicago. Her research and teaching interests include Islamic jurisprudence and Sufism, as well as the exploration of issues of healing, gender and sexuality in Islam. She also participates frequently in national and international colloquia on interfaith dialogue and other current issues relating to Islam.
CEHR-8428 3 units
Minimum 5 Limit 40 PIN Required
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Our Theological House: An Introduction to Theology for Unitarian Universalists
Holly Horn
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Traversing the classical topics of systematic theology (the nature of God, humanity, Christ, Spirit, sin and salvation, and the purpose of the church), this course will introduce Unitarian Universalists and interested fellow travelers to the distinctive theological perspectives that give our theological house its shape and character. The course will include readings in the history of theology and contemporary sources, combined with online discussions and reflection papers. The goal is to deepen Unitarian Universalist theological competency and creativity in our emerging post-modern context. This course, developed by Starr King President and Professor of Theology Rebecca Parker, is open to Unitarian Universalist seminarians enrolled in schools outside the Graduate Theological Union, ministers, lay professionals and interested lay people. / The Rev. Dr. Holly Horn has served Unitarian Universalist congregations in Berkeley and Vallejo, CA, Collegeville and Philadelphia, PA as a parish minister. She has a Master of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union. She is currently pursuing research for a book in feminist theology.
ST-8402 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 15 PIN Required
Click for Preliminary/Sample Syllabus
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Tibetan Buddhism
Laura Harrington
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
TIBETAN UNDERSTANDINGS OF TANTRA. For centuries Tibet and Tibetan Buddhists have held an allure and mystique in the minds of westerners and others that is akin to that of the magical kingdom of Shangri-La. This seminar will explore both core philosophies and practices of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the ways in which Tibetan Buddhism has been mythologized by Tibetans and non-Tibetans alike. We will begin with a review of Indian Mahayana Buddhism, placing particular emphasis on Tantric thought and practices. Drawing on careful analyses of key histories, myths, poems, images, biographies and religious discourses, we will then focus on the subsequent development and core practices of Tibetan Buddhism’s key schools. In closing, we will consider the intersection of Buddhism and politics in the context of present day Tibet, exploring periodicals and literature to apply our insights to the analysis of contemporary realities. A summary reflection paper of approx. 20+ pages will be required at the end of the semester. Course format: Online discussion. Evaluation method: Participation/term paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8301 3 units
No Limit NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Topics in Buddhist Traditions of the West: Globalization
Scott Mitchell
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
The rapid increase in global communication and commerce, tourism and migration, has had a profound impact on Buddhism in the modern era. This course will utilize globalization and transnationalism as methodological lenses with which to study the spread and development of Buddhist traditions in the modern era. We will focus primarily, though not exclusively, on Buddhisms in North America with an eye to how North American Buddhism is participating in, influenced by, and changing world-wide Buddhist trends. The course will be divided into three areas of study: (1) What is globalization? What is transnationalism?; (2) a survey of both historical and contemporary examples of globalized Buddhism; and (3) adaptations and consequences, or how globalization effects contemporary Buddhist thought and practice. This course fulfills the IBS “Buddhism in the West” or “Buddhism in America” requirement. Previous Buddhist Studies experience helpful but not required. Format: online course with weekly reading and reflection papers. Evaluation: Response papers, final research paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8344 3 units
No Limit NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
History of the Pure Land Tradition
Galen Amstutz
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Devotion to Amitabha and Amitayu Buddhas originates in medieval India, and is an integral part of Mahayana religious culture. Today, such devotional practice forms one of the most popular forms of Buddhism, and is found in Tibet, China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan and the West. Course topics include the textual sources, major figures, and key institutions. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8350 3 units
No Limit NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: August 31-September 4, 2009
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
Dynamic Youth Ministry
Megan Dowdell & Betty Jeanne Rueters-Ward
This lively and interactive course grounds participants in philosophical, psychological, programmatic, ethical and theological aspects of youth ministry. Geared particularly toward Unitarian Universalists, this course seeks to embody a vision of youth ministry that is a vibrant, robust, and flexible part of every congregation. Topics of instruction include leadership and spiritual development, professional support for youth advisors, denominational polity, adolescent life issues, building intergenerational community, and a critical analysis of different models of youth ministry and programming. Recommended for all religious leaders, both new and old to youth ministry.
EDFT 4034 3 Units
Minimum: 1 Limit: 25 No PIN required
Course Closed: Late registration has ended
HIV/AIDS Ministry ~NEW!!
Vilius Rudra Dundzila
A Unitarian Universalist perspective will be used to address the pastoral, ethical, political, religious, and spiritual challenges of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The course will include local, national, and global points of focus. It will look at HIV/AIDS-related social justice issues such as stigma, poverty, racism, homophobia, sexuality, disenfranchisement, and classism, as well as pastoral care concerns of grief, suffering, disease, and death. Students will formulate their own informed responses to HIV/AIDS and create a project for their area ministerial concern. / Dr. Vilius Rudra Dundzila is a Unitarian Universalist minister in preliminary fellowship and Professor of Humanities and Comparative Religion for Harry S. Truman College (City Colleges of Chicago). On a volunteer basis, he has served various HIV/AIDS service organizations for most of his adult life, both in the United States and in Europe. This includes the now defunct AIDS Pastoral Care Network of Chicago, co-sponsored by the UUA Central MidWest District. Dr. Dundzila wrote his Doctor of Ministry project on HIV/AIDS pastoral care at Meadville Lombard. It documented a Hindu-based, interfaith HIV/AIDS ministry called The River Fund in Sebastian, FL. It is the only Hindu HIV/AIDS Service Organization (ASO) in the country.
RSPS 8401
3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 15
Click for Sample Syllabus
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009 ~NEW!!~
Our Theological House: An Introduction to Theology for Unitarian Universalists ~NEW!!
John Buehrens
Many progressives do not realize that they even have a theology, much less that there is a systematic theological worldview that is characteristic of the liberal/progressive tradition. This course, developed by Starr King President and Professor of Theology Rebecca Parker, has now resulted in a book, to be published in early 2010, co-authored with the instructor of this course, John Buehrens. Students will have access to advance copies of A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion [Beacon, 2010]. Using readings from the history of American liberal theology and contemporary progressive sources, those enrolled ~ ministers, lay leaders, and seminarians ~ will have a chance to deepen their theological competency and creativity, to reflect on the emerging post-modern context, and to engage in online discussion with others exploring a progressive approach to the classic issues of systematic theology (from the nature of religious community to its mission, from issues of salvation to worship, God and humanity, Christology and Spirit). / The Rev. John A. Buehrens is Minister of the First Parish in Needham, MA. President of the Unitarian Universalist Association from 1993 to 2001, he is author of Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals [Beacon, 2004] and co-author, with Forrest Church, of A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism [Beacon, 1989, 1997]. He was a Visiting Professor of Ministry at Starr King in 2001 and is currently an adjunct instructor and counselor at Harvard Divinity School.
ST 8402 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 15 PIN Required
Click for Preliminary/Sample Syllabus
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009 ~NEW!!~
Unitarian Universalist History ~NEW!!~
Emily Mace
The course begins with an examination of the (alleged) antecedents to Unitarianism and Universalism in pre-Reformation Europe. We move on to trace the theological and then institutional emergence of Unitarianism out of the Radical Reformation. The Unitarian churches in Poland, Transylvania, and England will be considered in detail with attention to issues of sameness and difference in their development and declines. Special focus will be given to the relationship of these communities to their Jewish and Islamic contemporaries. We will also look at the universalism of 18th century England, and the current state of Unitarianism in Europe. Then we cross the ocean to examine the emergence of Unitarianism from developments within Puritan Congregationalism. We explore the uniquely North American institution of Universalism as response to the same cultural setting. Next: the major themes and developments of North American Unitarianism through its classical age, the Transcendentalist development, and the various crises of identity and purpose that develop into and through the late 19th and 20th centuries. Then we turn our attention to Universalist ascendency, decline, and then consolidation with Unitarianism (perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of Unitarian/Universalist history). Careful attention will be paid throughout to the Unitarian/Universalist social location in relationship to class, race, and gender identities, and how these sometimes enabled and sometimes impaired social justice advances. / Emily Mace is a doctoral candidate in religious studies at Princeton University, where she specializes in the Religion in America subfield. Before coming to Princeton, she received her MTS from Harvard Divinity School and her BA from Amherst College. Her work focuses on religious liberalism in ways that move beyond Protestant theology towards issues of practice, ritual, gender, and pluralism. Her dissertation, “Cosmopolitan Communions: Practices of Religious Liberalism in America, 1880-1930,” explores how radical religious liberals sought to embody cosmopolitanism in their religious practices, looking a dedication ceremonies, religious education courses, holidays, and compiled bibles. For the year 2008-9, she received a Unitarian Universalist Scholars’ grant from the UUA’s Panel on Theological Education in support of her dissertation research.
HS 8423 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 18 PIN Required
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009 ~NEW!!~
Promised Lands and Immigrants
Hugo Córdova-Quero
This online course will focus on the cases of Latina/o immigrants in the United States and Japan in relation to their experiences of faith, ethnicity and gender. The approach is interdisciplinary as we will draw from several fields for the analysis of the class topics. The goal of the course is to provide grounds for students to acquire tools for understanding the different realities of immigrants. Issues of faith, race/ethnicity, gender and migration will be constantly connected to pastoral reflection throughout the course, especially since our world is increasingly becoming multicultural, multiethnic and multi-religious. / Hugo Córdova Quero holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is also visiting researcher at the Center for Lusophone Studies at Sophia University, in Tokyo. He has worked both pastorally and academically in Argentina, United States, Hong Kong and Tokyo. During 2006 to 2008 he conducted fieldwork in seven Roman Catholic parishes, interviewing Japanese Brazilian migrants who are currently residing in Tokyo Metropolitan Area. He has published in several journals and books, and he is currently editing books in the areas of migration and theology, gender, queer theology and queer theory.
RSHR-8427 3 units
Minimum: 5 Limit: 15 PIN Required
Syllabus forthcoming
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
World Religions
Tawna Nicholas Cooley, et. al.
This online World Religions course is focused on major living religions. A scholar/practitioner in each religion will teach most sections, so students will learn from the experience and expertise of several professors in this course. After an introduction to the study of world religions, we will explore Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto and Sikhism, including multiplicities within traditions. Due to wide availability of other courses, Christianity is not included. We will discuss the lens we bring in encountering world religions. Weekly participation in online discussions required. / The Rev. Tawna Cooley, a Starr King School graduate, is overseeing this online course, and will be present for students throughout the semester.
HR-8400 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 15 PIN Required
Click for Sample Syllabus and Booklist
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
Congregational Polity
Mark W. Harris
This is an online course in the history and development of Congregational Polity in the Unitarian Universalist tradition. How did Congregational Polity evolve and what were the differences in the Unitarian and Universalist approaches to governance? How have we handled issues of centralized authority and bureaucracy? We'll look at how religious communities make decisions, support their leaders and define ministry. With ministry we will ask about power, gender and ethics, the call, and the meaning and context for worship and rites of passage. / The Rev. Mark Harris is a 1978 graduate of Starr King. He has served congregations in Palmer, Milton, and currently Watertown, MA, and has had brief acting ministries in Sheffield and London, England. He also teaches at Andover Newton Theological School. He is a former Director of Information for the UUA, and is the author of the Historical Dictionary of Unitarian Universalism.
FT-8420 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 15 No PIN Required
Click for Tentative Syllabus and Booklist
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
Introduction to Liberal Religious Education
Sheri Prud’homme
This online seminar course provides a broad introduction to the theory and practice of liberal religious education, with an emphasis on Unitarian Universalist congregations. Topics include the philosophy of UU religious education, teaching and learning, developmental theories, the congregation as an educating community, social justice visions for religious education, current approaches and innovations in religious education for all ages, collegial relationships and professional standards for religious educators, and curriculum resources. The course draws from on one by the same name developed by Betty Jo Middleton, Roberta M. Nelson, Eugene B. Navias, and Judith Mannheim with support from a grant by the St. Lawrence Foundation. / The Rev. Sheri Prud'homme is a Unitarian Universalist Minister of Religious Education. Her professional experience includes serving the Pacific Central District (UUA) as the Lifespan Religious Education Consultant, working with congregational leadership throughout the district to broaden their vision and strengthen their capacity in religious education and ministry with children and youth. She has served two interim ministries in religious education at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland and at the Davis Unitarian Universalist Church. For the past five years, she has taught one of two courses annually at Starr King, “Topics in Liberal Religious Education” and “Ministry When Children and Youth Are Part of the Community.” This will be her third time teaching online. She is the co-creator of Chalice Camp I and II, two week-long summer day camp curricula that teach elementary children UU history, theology, and spiritual grounding for anti-racism and anti-oppression work. The development of both curricula was funded by the Fund for Unitarian Universalism and both are implemented throughout the country by congregations and districts.
ED-8465 3 units
Minimum: 8 Limit: 15 PIN Required
Click for Sample Syllabus and Booklist
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
Unitarian Universalist Identity/Identities?
Susan Ritchie
At numerable points in our history—one poignant example being right now—Unitarian Universalism has experienced extraordinary anxiety in relationship to its self-identity. This course will examine the historical and institutional currents that prompt such crisis, and the resultant attempts towards coherence. What is it that Unitarian Universalists share? We will examine the suggested and various answers: theology, ethical principles, class location, culture, polity, history, demographics, racial identity, political alliances, covenantal community, national identity, geography, personality, statements of faith, and affirmations of common principles. Special attention will be paid to the history of the profession of liberal ministry in this context. Ministers have oftentimes been in conflict with the larger movement’s understanding of identity, especially as it is played out in changes to the minister’s role.The ability to negotiate the connection between personal and collective religious identity is essential to effective ministry, and will be developed throughout this course. / The Rev. Dr. Susan Ritchie has served as the minister of the North Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Lewis Center, Ohio since September of 1996. During that time, the congregation has more than doubled in size, purchased not only its first building but a religious education center, and added three professional staff positions. Ritchie is published widely on the topic of Unitarian Universalist history and identity, and also religious cultural studies. Her research demonstrating religious toleration to be an outgrowth of Islamic-Unitarian cultural exchange has been published in the Journal of Unitarian Universalist History, the Journal of the Zaytuna Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, and has been republished in Turkish. Ritchie’s work on “The Promise of Postmodernism for Unitarian Universalist Theology” was published by the Journal of Liberal Religion, and was also translated into Hungarian.
FTHS-8425 3 units
Minimum: 1 Limit: 12 No PIN Required
Syllabus forthcoming
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
Buddhist Traditions of East Asia
Lisa Grumbach
Introduces the Buddhist Traditions as they originated in India and developed throughout South and Southeast Asia. Second half of the required year long introductory survey of the entire Buddhist tradition. Course format: Online Lecture. Evaluation method: Participation/Term paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8152 3 units
No Limit NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
Psychological Aspects of Buddhism I
Gordon Bermant
An examination of the development of psychological theories in the abhidharma, Yogācara and tathāgatagarbha systems of thought, particularly through the reading of primary sources in translation. May be repeated for credit when different primary texts are being studied. Course format: Online discussion. Evaluation method: Participation/term paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRPH-8320 3 units
No Limit NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
History of Shin Buddhist Tradition
Galen Amstutz
This course takes the history of the Shin Buddhist Tradition forward from the seven masters, examining the formation of tradition by Shinran and its revitalization by Rennyo, as well as further developments into the Tokugawa. Required of IBS ministerial aspirants. HRHS-3250 History of the Pure Land Tradition recommended as background. Class format: Online discussion. Evaluation method: Participation/term paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8370 3 units
No Limit No PIN Required
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
Topics in Japanese Religions: Buddhism and Landscape
Lisa Grumbach
This course explores Japanese Buddhism and kami worship (Shinto) through the theoretical lens of landscape. Topics will include: the influence of geography (islands, mountains, plains, oceans) on the conceptions of kami (gods) in early Japan; ideas about landscape and space in Japanese Buddhism; how Buddhist doctrine is taught trhough landsapce art; the practical and theoretical roles of temple and shrine architecture, grounds, and gardens; pilgrimage as movement through religious space/landscape; and changing ideas about religion and nature in modern Japan. Course format: Online Lecture. Evaluation Method: Participation/ Term paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8450 3 units
No Limit No PIN Required
Next Registration Period: November 9-20, 2009
Early Registration is strongly advised. Fall 2009 General Registration: Aug. 31-Sept. 4, 2009. Spring 2010 Early Registration: November 9-20, 2009. General Registration: Jan. 25-29, 2010.
Click for “How to Register for an Online Course.”
Click to see all 2009-2010 Starr King School for the Ministry courses.
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