Course offered Doing Theology in a Fair Country

Faculty of Theology 1B03

University of Winnipeg 786-9857

ch.wells@uwinnipeg.ca

Contextual Theologies: Doing Theology in a Fair Country

TTHCH-7277/3SCW

Location

University of Winnipeg: Convocation Hall and 2B13 Faculty of Theology.

Meeting Times

Monday, May 3 - Friday, May 7. 9am-5pm.

Mon-Wed. Attending “Doing Theology in a Fair Country Conference” UofW

www.ccteconference.ca

Th & Fri with Professor in 2B13

NB - This course is available on-line, but only the last two days. Attendance at the University of Winnipeg on the first three days is compulsory. There will be an additional $100 student conference fee on top of tuition fees. Contact the Professor if you want more information about on-line accessibility.

Required Textbooks

Books available at UofW Bookstore, or on-line at Amazon, etc. Articles, or additional readings will be available on-line.

Saul, John Ralston. A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2008.

Kidwell, Clara Sue, Homer Noley, George Tinker, eds. A Native American Theology. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2001.

Ladd, George van der Goes. Shall We Gather at the River? Toronto: canec (United Church of Canada), 1986.

Carter, Sarah [St. John's College, UofM] “St Peter's and the Interpretation of the

Agriculture of Manitoba's Aboriginal People” Manitoba History 18 Autumn,

1989. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/18/manitobaaboriginalagriculture.shtml

Course Description

“Contextual Theologies” in the Faculty of Theology Calendar describes this course in the following way: “An introduction to the issues and methods involved in constructing theologies in Canadian contexts, with special emphasis on the First Nations of Canada.”

“Doing Theology in a Fair Country” is the name of a Churches' Council on Theological Education in Canada conference at the University of Winnipeg, May 3-5, 2010. They based their conference name on the keynote speaker's (John Ralston Saul) book, A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada.

This course includes the registered and full participation in this event along with meeting as a class with the Professor, both before and after the conference. NB Registration costs for the conference are not included in your tuition fees. You may, of course, apply for a bursary to assist in paying for your tuition.

Learning Objectives (goals, outcomes)

Professor's Goals:

1. That the students understand John Ralston Saul's thesis in A Fair Country and write a critical book review engaging his thesis.

2. That the students understand what doing contextual theologies in Canada means.

3. That student's become more aware of the deep and rich wisdom found in Aboriginal spiritualities, theologies and stories.

4. That the issues raised at this conference be considered in the students' own construction of a theology.

5. That the students become aware of the experiences of Chief Pequis and his people and their treatment by the dominant Canadian cultural powers.

Student's Goals:

1.

2. (etc.)

Evaluated Assignments

1. Critical book review of A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada, by John Ralston Saul. 5 pages: Due May 7 (You should read this book before May 3) 25%

2. An academic paper which explains how you construct your theology and how the issues raised during the week of the course have effected your theology. 15 pages: Due June 30 - 50%

1. Attendance at class and conference events 2% per day - possible 10%.

2. Class presentation. Due May 6 or 7 - 15%

Students are free to hand in their written assignments as an e-mail attachment as long as it is MS Word format.

Schedule of Topics and Readings

Monday, May 3:

10am-12pm - First class in 2B13, Faculty of Theology, U of Winnipeg. Required Reading: Students should have read A Fair Country and prepared to discuss it in

class. 4pm-10pm - Attend first day of conference

Tuesday, May 4

9am-9pm - Attend second day of conference

Wednesday, May 5

9am-1pm - Attend third day of conference

Thursday, May 6

9am-5pm - Classroom, 2B13. Lecture, discussion and student presentations Required Reading: A Native American Theology

Friday, May 7 9am-5pm - Classroom, 2B13 Lecture, discussion and student presentations Required Reading: Shall We Gather at the River?, and “St Peter's and the Interpretation of the Agriculture of Manitoba's Aboriginal People”

Form and Style in Academic Writing

The Faculty of Theology requires the use of the latest edition of Chicago Style in written assignments. Times New Roman, 12pt font. Footnotes, not endnotes. Our Style guide is the most recent edition of Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Thesis, and Dissertations. The most recent edition is the 7th .

Inclusive Language

The policy of the Faculty of Theology is to encourage inclusive language in classroom discussions and in academic writing. Inclusive language is that which does not discriminate based on characteristics of gender, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, disability, religion, or minority.

Academic Policies

Students must familiarize themselves with the University of Winnipeg's policies on appeals and academic misconduct such as plagiarism or cheating. See the Faculty of Theology Calendar, http://theology.uwinnipeg.ca , for more information

Withdrawal

A student who is considering withdrawing from the course is requested to speak with the instructor and check the last date to withdraw without academic penalty in the calendar or by contacting the Faculty of Theology office (786-9390/9320).

Disability Services and Resource Centre

Information about services and academic accommodations for disabilities is available on-line at http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/services-disability. All information about disability is confidential.

Security and Community Ambassador Services

The phone number for UW security guards is 6666 on campus and 786-6666 off campus. In emergencies, police, fire, and ambulance services can be reached by dialing 8-911 on campus. During the Fall and Winter there are Safe Walk and Safe Ride programs. Both can be contacted by phoning 9272 on campus and will escort faculty, staff, and students to their cars. More information and a personal safety brochure are available at www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/security-index. The UW Security & Community Ambassador Services seeks to guarantee the safety of students, faculty, staff, visitors and other users of University of Winnipeg facilities, while preserving a philosophy of unhindered community access. This section could be adapted for specific schools.

Recommended Readings

Cardinal, Harold. “Okimaw Win and Post-colonial Nation-building.” Intersecting Voices:

 Critical Theologies in a Land of Diversity, eds. Don Schweitzer and Derek

Simon, 192-199. Toronto: Novalis, 2004.

Deloria, Jr., Vine. God is Red. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1973

Dickason, Olive Patricia. Canada's First Nations: A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002

Grant, John Webster. Moon of Wintertime: Missionaries and the Indians of Canada in Encounter since 1534. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984,

Herriot, Trevor. Jacob's Wound: A Search for the Spirit of Wildness. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2004.

King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2003.

Ladd, George Van Der Goes. Shall We Gather At the River? Toronto: United Church of Canada, 1986.

McKay, Stanley and Janet Silman, “A First Nations Movement in a Canadian Church,” The Reconciliation of Peoples ed. Gregory Baum and Harold Wells, 172-183. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1997.

Miller, J. R. Skyscrapers Hide the Heavens: A History of Indian-White Relations in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991 (revised).

Ross, Rupert. Dancing With a Ghost: Exploring Aboriginal Reality. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2006.

_______ . Returning to the Teachings: Exploring Aboriginal Justice. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2006.

Silman, Janet and Stan McKay. The First Nations: A Canadian Experience of the Gospel-Culture Encounter. Geneva: WCC Publications, 1995

Starkloff, Carl F. "Aboriginal Cultures and the Christ," Theological Studies 53, no. 2, 1992,: 288-312.

Sutherland, Donna. Peguis A Noble Friend. St. Andrews, MB: Chief Peguis

Heritage Park Inc., 2003.

Tinker, George E. Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and Native American Cultural Genocide. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1993.

Treat, James, ed. Native and Christian: Indigenous Voices on Religious Identity in the

United States and Canada. New York: Routledge, 1996.

Wiebe, Rudy and Yvonne Johnson. Stolen Life: The Journey of a Cree Woman (Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 1998).

Winkler, Daryold Corbiere. “Hope for the Seventh Generation.” Intersecting Voices: Critical Theologies in a Land of Diversity, eds. Don Schweitzer and Derek Simon, 200-222. Toronto: Novalis, 2004,

Wright, Ronald. Stolen Continents: The New World Through Indian Eyes Since 1492. London: Penguin Books, 1991