Course Description

In the ‘Christian world’ of our modern culture, the artist is often put aside as irrelevant; however, God has created the artist to be a vessel of His own creativity, revelation and beauty.  This course will bring you closer to God with an understanding of His purpose for the artist as a communicator of His message in the creative arts (music, literature, film, drama, dance and the visual arts).

Course Policies

Attendance
This is a 16-week course.  Its requirements include assignments and a final project which you will complete and submit via the Internet.  You will also engage in discussion of course material, which will enable you to have regular contact with your instructor and other classmates.

I will be available for you to answer any questions, engage in discussion and provide assistance as needed.

Your assignments should be submitted as file attachments in either Microsoft Word or HTML format. Each assignment will be evaluated, graded, and returned with feedback. Values for each assignment and the final paper/project are provided in the grade components below.

Time Management
Please be sure to manage your time for your assignments so that you have adequate time to complete your work over the 16-week period.

Communication
Communication and discussion are important aspects to an effective online course because they will allow us to interact in a virtual environment. We will primarily communicate via e-mail. Please feel free to use my email address for questions, comments, concerns, etc. and I will do the same.

Evaluation Material

Assignments and Tests
There are 5 major assignments, plus a final project.

Grade Components

There will be a total of 1000 points for this course:

            900-1000=A

              800-899=B

              700-799=C

              600-699=D

   599 and below=F           

Individual assignments:  150pts. x 5=750pts. (75% of total)
Final Project:  250pts. (25% of total)

How to Take This Course

Assignments are posted on the Assignments page. Before you start working on assignments, please email me and introduce yourself. I would like to know more about you, your motivation for taking this course, perhaps your potential educational goals and what you hope to gain by the course. Once I receive your response, I will send one back to you.

To begin the course, please visit the Syllabus page, which includes course policies and the expectations for your work.  Please see the Assignments page for a detailed course agenda.

After you complete and submit assignments, I will evaluate them and provide feedback. Once you have completed the course assignments and the final paper/project, your work for the course is done and your grade will be submitted.

Please feel free to contact me at any time during the course.  If there are any issues with the course that you feel are unclear, please let me know and I will clarify them for you.  My desire is that any course you would take with me will be an enriching experience and that all course issues are completely clear for you so that you will be able to gain the greatest benefit from them.

I pray that the Lord will enlighten your heart in your search for creative expression and His purpose for your life.

NOTE:  ALL WRITING DONE FOR THIS COURSE MUST BE DONE ACCORDING TO MLA WRITING STANDARDS.  There are many websites available for reference.  I highly recommend you purchase the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi, which contains much information on college writing standards.

Further Resources for Learning and Exploration (These are great resources to look into for yourself) 

Books: (These can be purchased at a discount at Christianbook.com) 

The Creative Call: An Artist's Response to the Way of the Spirit by Janice Elsheimer

The Liberated Imagination: Thinking Christianly about the Arts by Leland Ryken

The Heart  of the Artist (Paperback) by Rory Noland 

Websites and Links: 

Act One, Inc. (http://www.actoneprogram.com)

Al Kasha (http://www.alkasha.com)

Arts & Entertainment Ministries (http://www.a-e-m.org)

Brehm Center-Fuller Theological Seminary (http://www.brehmcenter.com)

Christianbook.com (http://www.christianbook.com)

Gener8xion Entertainment, Inc. (http://www.8x.com)

Hollywood Jesus-Pop Culture from a Spiritual Point of View (http://www.hollywoodjesus.com)

Media Fellowship International (http://www.mediafellowship.org)

Reformation of the Arts and Music:  An Exploration of the Arts, Music, and the Christian Worldview (http://www.artsreformation.com)