ECO6730EN - Issues in Resilience Reflections and Applications

Course description

This course reflects on how resilience thinking-related theories and methods are applied to social-ecological systems. The course is project based, and students formulate individual research proposals. The proposed projects must fall under one of the socio-ecological resilience core research themes and should be for a 1-year study that suits a thesis in socioecological resilience.

How this course benefits students

The course provides the student with an introduction to issues in resilience reflections and applications in the context of caring for creation. The course introduces a basic understanding of the same and examines case studies on this topic. This course provides the necessary skills and a conceptual framework to understand and evaluate issues in resilience reflections and applications as it pertains to the creation care and engages in a constructive and missional dialogue.

Why this course is important

The missional perspective in issues related to resilience reflections and applications is one in which the kingdom of God is realized within the framework of the care of creation on earth, and how the people of God help to shape and transform the natural-, social-, built- and virtual-environments. This course teaches the practical process of analyzing issues in resilience reflections and applications while caring for creation in everyday reality and practice within the body of Christ.

Credit hours
3 hours
Subject area
Ecology Studies
Educational level
Master
Learning type
Instructional
Prerequisites
None
Upcoming terms
Pending
* Schedule subject to change. Please contact the Registrar's office with schedule questions.
Professor
Dr. Stephen Latham, Professor of Environmental Mission

How this course relates to missional core values

Biblically based

This course focuses on issues in resilience reflections and applications with the scriptures as the foundation for both faith and practice. The student does not just study basic bible truths and learn about issues in resilience reflections and applications, but also studies the text to learn how it speaks to him/her within their cultural context to inform their ministry and missional practices. A missional perspective of the Bible provides the theological framework for missional and ministry practice in light of the natural-, social-, built- and virtual-environments. This course and program builds on the implications of a theology of mission through issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care.

Missionally driven

This course is driven by the concept that Christian believers should become part of the Missio Dei — the mission of God in this world, which seeks to join in with God where he is at work — in homes and communities — so that we may see the spiritual transformation of people and communities through issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care. Students taking this course value a missiological understanding of the Missio Dei (the mission of God) that enables believers to discern where God is at work among peoples in the community and join in God’s mission in the world. This course and program identifies implications of the Missio Dei in relation to missional and ministry practice as it pertains to issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care.

Contextually informed

Through various resources, students will conduct research to be exposed to demographic and sociographic data for their local communities to enable them to develop missional approaches for their local contexts according to issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care. The student values various forms of cultural research that inform both the student’s understanding of the natural-, social-, built- and virtual-environmental contexts within their communities and their missional and ministry practice. This course and program incorporates contextual information as foundational for the delivery of missionally-driven implementation according to issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care.

Interculturally focused

This course celebrates the cultural diversity that exists in this world as a reflection of the creative nature of the image of God in humanity. We desire that all peoples would have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We desire that Christian believers learn how to express their faith in their own social context in culturally-appropriate ways, as informed by issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care. We value embracing diverse cultures and fostering authentic, culturally-appropriate faith expressions among each cultural group. This course and program embraces culturally-appropriate missional and ministry practice according to issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care in the natural-, social-, built- and virtual-environments.

Practically minded

This course calls upon the student to engage individuals, families, groups, organizations and/or communities of the people of God in issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care. Also, it requires students to function professionally while they research and apply their learnings in issues related to resilience reflections and applications and creation care. Finally, the student is expected to develop abilities that allow him/her to integrate practice with research inquiry as it relates to issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care in the natural-, social-, built- and virtual-environments.

Experientially transformed

Integrated throughout this course is an experiential orientation including “field practice” where concepts that are discussed in class are lived out in the real world according to issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care. Reflection, integration and collaboration flow out of the relationships that are formed between students and faculty. This experiential learning has transformative power to equip students with ministry and missional skills. We value theological and missional reflection conducted within a community of missional and ministry practice that informs and interprets those experiences. This course and program interprets missional and ministry practice by reflecting biblically, theologically and missionally on issues in resilience reflections and applications and creation care in the natural-, social-, built- and virtual-environments.