DPLS 775su08 - Leadership, Discernment, and Vocation

DPLS 775 - Leadership, Discernment, and Vocation
Summer                                                           3 Credits

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance
We should not fix our desires on health or sickness,
Wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one.
For everything has the potential of calling forth in us
A deeper response to our life in God. St. Ignatius of Loyola
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/prs/stign/prayers.html

One is asked, then, to accept the human condition, its sufferings and its joys, and to work with its imperfections as the foundation upon which the individual will build wholeness through adventurous creative achievement.  For the person with creative potential there is no wholeness expect in using it.  And, as Camus explained, the going is rough and the respite is brief. (Greenleaf & Spears, 1977)

These two quotes form the foundation for this class.   It is designed to function as a spiritual retreat based on the Ignatian principle of discernment through awareness of the holy in one’s life.   The core beliefs of this class are:

·         Each person has creative potential

·         Leaders have a responsibility to strive toward wholeness. 

·         Leaders must have a firm foundation, a faith stance that provides the inner stability required to lead in difficult times.

·         The process of becoming whole includes study and reflection, science and creativity, silence and work in the world. 

·         Leadership is built on relationships that enhance the well-being of all.  The relationships to nurture are:   self to self, self to others and self to the Divine.

One of the many ways to listen to the deep call of vocation/Spirit is to engage deeply in contemplation of one’s role in the world through art, music, dance and prayer in community.  Thus, class time is dedicated to the experience of discernment in a living community that supports and sustains each student’s vocation.

The goal of the readings is to prepare students for forming their personal theologically based spiritual practice which will inform their praxis of servant-leadership. 

Course Assignments and Assigned Readings

Complete all pre-course written assignments and email them to me at behrend@gonzaga.edu one week beforethe first day of class.

Dorothy Sayers.  The Mind of the Maker (San Francisco: Harper1941).   Sayers lays out an understanding of the Trinity as inseparable, interconnected and interrelated aspect of human creativity whose impetus is love.  Assignment:  articulate your understanding of this theology of creativity in a 3-5 page paper.

Silvia Behrend The art of community, the community of art.  (Unpublished Doctor of  Ministry dissertation, Meadville/Lombard Theological School 2005)   available as a reader on Blackboard.  Behrend describes the tenets of process theology and its relationship to creativity. Assignment:  articulate your understanding of this theology of creativity in a 3-5 page paper.

John Tolley. Art and religion: twin manifestations.  (Unpublished Ph. D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 1992).  Available on Blackboard.  Tolley discusses the three criteria of religious art: teach social morality, engage in the creative event, and transcend isolation.  Assignment:  articulate your understanding of this theology of creativity in a 3-5 page paper.

James Wakefield. Sacred listening: Discovering the spiritual exercises of Ignatius Loyola . Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books. (2006).  Wakefield presents a cogent and easy to follow spiritual practice based on Ignatius of Loyola.  Assignment:  Complete Units 2 and 3.  We will make use of these charts sometime during the class.

Parker Palmer.  A hidden wholeness: The journey toward an undivided life. San Francisco. (2004). Write a 3 page paper exploring your understanding of the role/soul relationship and how it functions in your life. 

Final assignment:  Based on the readings and the class experience, write a 10-12 paper that answers the following questions:

·                     What is your theological belief system?

·                     How does your theology inform your spiritual practice?

·                     How does the above affect your understanding of the praxis leadership?

·                     How do you plan to incorporate a spiritual dimension to your work, both as a doctoral student and as a leader in your field of work?

Grading and Attendance

There will be two grades given in this class:  An A or an Incomplete. 

To receive an A students must:

·         Complete and send in all assignments on time. All pre-course work is due at least one week before the first week/day of class. 

·         Final assignment must be sent NO LATER than two weeks after the class ends

·         Attendance and participation in all aspects of class work

Failure to hand in assignments and/or unexcused or excessive absences will result in an Incomplete.

There is a $50.00 materials fee payable to Silvia Behrend for art supplies.

References:

Greenleaf, R., & Spears, L. C. (Eds.). (1977). Servant leadership:  A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness (25th Anniversary Edition ed.). Mahwah: Paulist Press