Calvin Seminars in Christian Scholarship - Kierkegaard: A Man for All Disciplines

Course Description: Kierkegaard's writings are relevant to scholars in many different disciplines. He was a philosopher, theologian, psychologist, literary theorist, communications theorist, and writer of fiction, among other things. In all areas there is a clear Christian vision and agenda that lends coherence to his work and challenges both "modernist" and "postmodernist" assumptions about human knowledge and action. This seminar will look at sections from both his pseudonymous or "esthetic" writings and his non-pseudonymous, religious writings. Discussion will cover such topics as the relation between indirect and direct communication, the role of fiction in communicating moral truth, the role of the emotions in religious knowledge, the relation of faith to reason, and the role of the mysterious in theology. Issues to be examined will include the nature of masculinity and femininity, the relation between "natural" human forms of love and Christian "neighbor-love," and the impact of sin on the human self. The seminar will be valuable for psychologists, theologians, philosophers, literary theorists, and scholars of communication.

Program Description: This summer seminar is for faculty at Christian or church-related colleges and for advanced graduate students, and is held concurrently with other faculty summer seminars. Participants from all seminars are housed together, share a noon meal M-F, and participate in combined social activities. Personal research projects are not required, but participants are welcome to use the Calvin College library facilities and to engage the assistance of the seminar leader if they wish to pursue a research project while attending the seminar.

Stipends: Free lodging and noon meals are provided. Participants are encouraged to seek supplementary stipends from their home institutions. Limited travel assistance is available for graduate students.

Facilities and Services: The seminar staff will make all logistical arrangements for participants. Lodging is provided free in campus housing. Limited space in two-bedroom apartments is available for spouses and children at a modest cost, but campus housing does not permit family pets. Many activities for children are available on campus. A variety of group activities and excursions are offered. Full kitchen and free laundry facilities add to the family-friendly nature of the accommodations.

Sponsors: Calvin College seeks to influence the academy by promoting high quality scholarship that reflects a Christian perspective. The Faith and Learning Program at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois supports the ongoing theological and intellectual development of Christian scholars. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship challenges Christian graduate students and faculty to pursue academic vocations within the framework of Christian commitments.