CHET 60013 Introduction to Contemporary Theological Ethics
3 semester hours, Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, Texas, Spring 2018
Friday, 9:30-12:00, Moore 309

Instructor: Charles Bellinger c.bellinger@tcu.edu 817-257-7668

Prerequisites: none.

Description of Content: This course will survey the major methodological questions of theological ethics since the early 20th century, its thematic subdivisions, and the schools of thought and individual authors who have shaped the discussion of ethical questions within the theological world. Topics addressed will include: the Bible and ethics, moral discernment, violence and war, gender and sexuality, natural law, virtue, social justice, ecology, and liberation.

Course Objectives:
1. Students will be introduced to key vocabulary terms in theological ethics.
2. Students will read and respond in writing to some of the key authors, topics, and schools of thought in contemporary theological ethics.
3. Students will develop critical thinking skills at the intersection of theological anthropology and ethics.


Course procedures
:
1. Lectures.
2. In-class discussions.


Requirements and grading
:
1. Class participation and comments* on reading assignments (10%).
*By midnight on the day before a class meeting, each student needs to email me three (one sentence) statements and/or questions related to the reading assignments for that week.
2. Vocabulary quiz (10%).
3. Four take-home exams, 5-6 pages [double-spaced, include page numbers, no separate title page needed] (80%). [Note: there are five exams on the schedule; students may choose, if they wish, to skip one of those exams, or to do all five and have the one with the lowest grade removed from the final grading calculation.]


Texts
:
Alison, James. Faith Beyond Resentment: Fragments Catholic and Gay. New York: Crossroad, 2001. ISBN: 9780824519223, $30

Bellinger, Charles. The Trinitarian Self: The Key to the Puzzle of Violence. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick, 2008. ISBN: 9781556352324, $19

Gill, Robin, ed. Cambridge Companion to Christian Ethics, 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780521164832, $25

Parsons, Susan. Feminism and Christian Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. ISBN: 9780521468206, $29

optional: Floyd-Thomas, Stacey M., and Miguel A. De La Torre, eds. Beyond the Pale: Reading Ethics from the Margins. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2011. ISBN: 9780664236809, $25

 

There will be additional readings assigned by the instructor during the semester. Students must have the ability to check their TCU email account and do so regularly, because I will communicate with you in that way regarding reading assignments and other course matters. See:

http://lib.tcu.edu/staff/bellinger/60013/60013_2018_links.htm

 Schedule

 

 

 

lecture/discussion topics

reading assignments

Week 1

Jan. 19

Introduction to course

Girard, “The First Stone”
Alasdair MacIntyre, excerpt from After Virtue

Week 2

Jan. 26

Aquinas

David Bentley Hart, excerpts from Atheist Delusions
excerpts from Aquinas
Gill: ch. 2 (traditions), ch. 6 (natural law)
optional: excerpts from Beyond the Pale [Aristotle, Aquinas]

Week 3

Feb. 2

vocabulary quiz

 

SK

Gill: ch. 4-5 (NT)
Excerpts from Kierkegaard
Bellinger: 14-26

Week 4

Feb. 9

Ministers Week, no class



Week 5

Feb. 16

Barth and Bonhoeffer

paper due (9am)

excerpts from Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer

optional: excerpt from Beyond the Pale [Bonhoeffer]

Week 6

Feb. 23

Bonhoeffer and MLK

excerpts from Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Week 7

March 2

war


paper due
(9am)

Gill: ch. 13 (war)
excerpts from Reinhold Niebuhr, John Howard Yoder, and Stanley Hauerwas
optional: excerpts from Beyond the Pale [Niebuhr, Yoder, Hauerwas]

Week 8

March 9

dimensional anthropology

Bellinger: ix-13, 27-82
King: “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life”

Week 9

March 16

Spring Break, no class

Week 10

March 23

paper due (9am)

Gill: ch. 7 (virtue)
Bellinger: 82-156

Week 11

March 30

Good Friday, no class

Week 12

April 6

Alison and Girard

Gill: ch. 19 (sexuality)
Alison: Intro., ch. 1-4

Week 13

April 13

paper due (9am)

Gill: ch. 9 (liberation)
Alison: ch. 5-7, 9

Week 14

April 20

Parsons and the paradigms of feminism

Gill: ch. 8 (gender)
Parsons: 1-120

Week 15

April 27

paper due (9am)

Gill: ch. 16 (ecology)
Parsons: 121-242
womanist reading TBA

Week 16

May 4

no class

 

Week 17

May 11

[Finals Week, no final]

 


Email Notification
:

Only the official Brite student email address will be used for all course notification. It is your responsibility to check your email on a regular basis.


Late Work Policy
:

Work turned in up to 24 hours after the deadline will receive a one grade notch reduction (from A- to B+, for example); work turned in 24-48 hours late will receive a two notch reduction; work turned in 48 hours to one week late will receive a three notch reduction. After that, no credit will be given. If a student has special extenuating circumstances, he or she can request an extension of the deadline by contacting the instructor.

Nondiscrimination and Inclusion Statement:

Brite Divinity School is an institution that values diversity and challenges structures that intentionally or unintentionally encourage discrimination. As such, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, social class, age, disability status, citizenship status, membership or application for membership in a uniformed service, or any other category protected by applicable law. Where there are discrepancies with Federal and State policies, they supersede Brite’s policies.

Practices that Support Inclusion:

Brite is committed to promoting a diverse and just environment, in which language and practices support the achievement of inclusion. Specifically, Brite seeks to remove all barriers to the maintenance and aspirations of its Mission Statement and NonDiscrimination Statement in the following ways:

           Brite Divinity School promotes the intentional use of Inclusive language. This includes reference to such matters as language about God and humanity as noted in our Nondiscrimination and Inclusion Statement. Inclusive language in the classroom, chapel, and in common discourse is expected of students, staff, and faculty.

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Brite Divinity School complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact TCU’s Coordinator, Student Disabilities Services, located in Sadler Hall 1010. Accommodations are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from Student Disabilities Services, Sadler Hall 1010, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at 817-257-6567.

Academic Misconduct (Sec. 5.14 of the Student Handbook):

Any act that violates the academic integrity of the institution is considered academic misconduct. The procedures used to resolve suspected acts of academic misconduct are available in the Student Handbook and the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

TCU Campus Resources for Students:

Many resources exist on the TCU campus that may be helpful to students: Mary Couts Burnett Library (817-257-7117); Student Disabilities Services (817-257-6567, Sadler Hall 1010); the William L. Adams Writing Center (817-257-7221, Reed Hall 419; and 817-257-6520, Library Annex); Student Development Services (817-257-7855, Brown Lupton University Union 2003); and The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (817-257-7830, Jarvis Hall First Floor).

Brite Divinity School Mission Statement:

Brite Divinity School educates women and men to lead in the ministry of Christ’s church, the academy, and public life as witnesses to God’s reconciling and transforming love and justice.