ME515/615: Communicating Christ through Narrative and Song (4 units)

Roberta R. King, Associate Professor of Communication and Ethnomusicology
Spring 2008 Pasadena

DESCRIPTION:

The whole world communicates! And not only in written form. In an age of electronic media, communicators rely heavily on oral communication forms, the soft media. Communicating to predominantly oral peoples, whether literate or non-literate, requires investigating oral communication technologies, among them storytelling, songs, and proverbs. These are investigated with four goals in mind: to understand our audience and their perceptions of the world, to discover effective ways to communicate to oral peoples, to create and develop oral resources for communicating Christ, and to design strategies for doing oral communication in Christian witness.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. Gain understanding of the impact and role of orality among literate, semi-literate, and non-literate peoples.
2. Develop skills in discovering, analyzing and interpreting oral communication forms within varying cultural contexts.
3. Explore ways of using proverbs, story, and songs in Christian worship, witness, and spiritual formation.
4. Learn a method for working with groups to develop appropriate and relevant oral forms, i.e. composing songs in groups, for communicating the Gospel.
5. Design and present a contextualized Christian event that communicates a biblical message through oral forms.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets one evening each week for 3 hour sessions. Lectures, in-class group presentations, audio and videoclips, and class discussions create an interactive class format.

REQUIRED READING: If you have read any of the required texts for another course, please select an alternative text from the recommended reading list or a book approved by the instructor.

1. Healey Joseph, MM and Donald Sybertz, MM Towards an African Narrative Theology. Nairobi, Kenya: Paulines Publications, Africa, 1996.
2. King, Roberta R. A Time to Sing: A Manual for the African Church. Nairobi, Kenya: Evangel Publishing House, 1999.
3. King, Roberta R. Syllabus and Readings in Oral Communication. Pasadena, CA: Fuller Theological Seminary, 2000.
4. Klem, Herbert. Oral Communication of the Scriptures. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1978.
5. Steffan, Tom A. Reconnecting God’s Story to Ministry: Crosscultural Storytelling at Home and Abroad. La Habra, CA: Center for Organizational and Ministry Development, 1996.

RECOMMENDED READING:

1. Boomershine, Thomas E. Story Journey: An Invitation to the Gospel as Storytelling. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1988.
2. Finnegan, Ruth. Literacy & Orality: Studies in the Technology of Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
3. Graham, William A. Beyond the Written Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in the History of Religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
4. Ong, Walter J. Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. New York: Routledge, 1988.
5. Rhoads, David. Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel. 2nd Edition. Fortress Press, 1999.
6. Sample, Tex. Ministry in an Oral Culture: Living with Will Rogers, Uncle Remus, & Minnie Pearl. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Four critical evaluations of various oral communication formats: 500 words each.
2. Group project.
3. 3000 to 3750 word term paper or project.
ThM Students: Term paper or project will be 3750 to 5000 words.

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective. Course fits well into the anthropology or communication concentrations, as well as the postmodern, urban areas, and children-at-risk. Required for the Global Worship Concentration.

FINAL EXAM: None.

Note: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design, but is subject to modification. Last Date Edited: 8 January 2008