Coinciding with diversity in the phenomena, "Congregational studies" literature is maturing in American religious studies and related fields. This literature stems from a variety of agendas but has a common focus on the congregation as a site of significant religious and social processes. Participants will be assigned to read a sample of this literature prior to the seminar. The methodological starting point of most qualitative studies is the public worship of congregations. A consistent finding of quantitative studies is that worship is the most central activity of congregations, the point from which other activities flow. Accordingly, the seminar will feature site visits to two or three occasions of congregational worship.
The object of the seminar is to equip participants to contribute to, learn from and/or teach this new literature. Participants will study congregational studies literature, engage the ethnographic methods employed in the research, and produce and receive feedback on their written work. Thus, the seminar has a reading component, a site visit component and a writing component, each of which will be facilitated by a distinguished guest participant.
For further information contact:
- Seminars in Christian Scholarship
- Calvin College
- 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE
- Grand Rapids MI 49546-4402
- 616.526.8558
- fax 616.526.6682
- seminars@calvin.edu