Trinity International University: 3 semester units

CM 450z (undergraduate) – Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
ME 5050 (graduate) – Perspectives on the World Christian Movement

Geneva College: 3 semester units
      ANT 219 (undergraduate) – Perspectives on the World Christian Movement

Professor of Record:    

Trinity International University: Robert Brown
Geneva College: Francis Patt

Website: www.perspectives.org – find your local class web site. After you log in, go to the Student Center at your local class web site to find student resources.

Course Description:

A biblical, historical and cultural analysis of the impact of the world Christian movement, with specific attention given to strategy and the imperative of bringing the gospel to groups that have yet to initially receive it.

Course Objectives:

The Perspectives course is an introductory course that aims to help believers see themselves and the world around them the way Jesus does. At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Explain the biblical rationale and imperative for world evangelization.
• Trace and understand lessons from the expansion of the Christian movement across the world, from the time of Christ to the present, and describe the task yet to be accomplished.
• Identify the unique problems and skills involved in communicating the gospel cross-culturally.
• Evaluate the strategic nature of opportunities for obedience to God’s imperative for involvement in his global purposes at home or abroad in light of the task yet to be accomplished.
• Integrate and use the Biblical direction, lessons from history, cultural considerations, and strategic principles to envision and begin planning how a people group might be reached with the Gospel of Christ.

Texts:

• Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, Fourth Edition, Edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, William Carey Library, © 2009

• Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Study Guide, 2009 Edition, by Steven C. Hawthorne, William Carey Library, © 2009

Requirements:

Credit – Complete credit readings, reviews, personal responses, exams, and the integrative project. Graduate students are required to demonstrate a greater comprehension of course material on exams and projects.

Certificate – Complete certificate readings, reviews, personal responses, and the integrative project.

Key Reading – Complete key readings and personal responses.

Students at all levels will track their progress with the ‘Perspectives Bookmark’, which they receive the first week and will turn in at the end of the class.

Academic Calendar

Grading:

Certificate & Key Reading

Certificate – 75% required to earn certificate of completion

Key Reading – 12 of the 15 reading assignments and 4 of the 5 personal responses must be completed to receive a ‘complete’ status.

Credit

Adding & Dropping
Students are permitted to enroll through the second class session, and drop through the third class session. After registration has been completed, credit students need the professor of record’s approval to add or drop. Between the third and ninth week, withdrawing from the program will leave either a "W" (withdraw passing) or a "WF" (withdraw failing) on the student’s permanent record.  And after the ninth week, a student who withdraws will receive an "F.”

Refunds
Students who drop will not be refunded the registration fee. If they drop by the second week of class, they will receive a full refund minus the registration fee. If they drop on the third or fourth weeks of class, they will receive a 50% refund minus the registration fee. After that no refund will be given.

Extensions
Extensions will not be granted under normal conditions.  If an emergency occurs which hinders a student from turning in all assignments and exams by the final due date, the coordinator may grant an extension based on the legitimacy of the request.  Due to the timeframe the coordinator has to submit grades, student must comply with the extension date, otherwise he/she will receive a failing grade.  Extensions usually will not be granted for more than two weeks.

Personal Responses
A personal response page follows lessons 5, 8, 9, 11 & 14. They are designed to help you integrate, apply and discuss what you are learning and any questions you may have. All students should complete the personal responses, which are due the week following the lecture for the above lessons. These will be graded on a pass/fail scale for Certificate students, based on completion and thoughtfulness of the response. Key Reading students must complete at least four to finish the semester with a ‘complete’ status. They can be found after you log onto your local class website in the Student Center.

Reviews
Reviews are the weekly homework for each lesson and are “open book” – you may use your texts and Bible to complete them. They are due the week of the lecture for that lesson.   They can be found after you log onto your local class website in the Student Center.

Exams
Exams (Credit students only) will be given to you the lesson before they are due. They are to be completed on a “take home” basis, but this does NOT mean they are “open book.” They are to be completed without aid of either textbooks or notes. A Bible may be used. With each exam you will be asked to sign an honor pledge. Review sheets for the exams can be found after you log onto your local class website in the Student Center.

Integrative Project

Envisioning the Formation of a Movement within a People: This is the required project for all Credit students, and one option for Certificate students. This project is divided into six sections that build progressively through the course. It will help you integrate and apply principles from the lessons and complete the project section by section over several weeks. Late work will be penalized. You may work in teams of 2-3 people. Each team will submit one paper. The total number of pages required is:

International Interview Project: This project is the other option for Certificate students only. This project involves interviewing an international student or recent immigrant and writing a paper that reflects on the interview and principles from the course to envision what might be done to reach the people group the individual represents locally. This project will be done individually and will be 4-6 pages.

Discussion about both projects will take place February 13. You can find guidelines and resources after you log onto your local class website in the Student Center.

Instructors
Class will be led by a facilitator/coordinator who will give academic guidance and enrich the learning experience. Alongside the facilitator, a trademark of Perspectives is the variety of guest Instructors that will teach the class. Each week a different person will present  the topic that students are reading about. Perspectives instructors are experts in their fields – Biblical scholars, cultural experts, students of history, and men and women who study global trends.

Section Descriptions
The material covered in Perspectives follows four sections:

1. Biblical – Study of the Bible exploring God’s eternal three-fold purpose of kingdom victory against evil, redemption and blessing for the nations, and global glory and worship for Himself.
2. Historical – Study of how God’s purpose has moved relentlessly from Abraham’s day until the present moment. Looks at different eras of history, pioneers of the world Christian movement, and the task remaining.
3. Cultural – Study of how culture interfaces with the spread of the gospel and of the incarnation as a model of missionary humility.
4. Strategic – Study of current world need, and the goal of spontaneous multiplication of churches in unreached areas of the world. Looks at what it means to live a life integrated with Christ’s global purpose.

Academic Integrity

Perspectives students at all levels are expected to conduct themselves with academic integrity. Students are welcome and encouraged to read and study together and discuss questions on weekly Reviews and Personal Responses, but the answers must be in the students’ own words and reflect their thoughts. Plagiarism and cheating are not acceptable. Plagiarism, whether intentional or indirect, gives the impression that the words or ideas in a person's writings are one’s own, whereas in reality they are taken from someone else’s written or oral presentation(s). Both the sharing and the copying of work are unethical. Cheating is an expression of fraud and deception, as the student gives the impression of doing better on assignments than he or she deserves. If students are caught plagiarizing or cheating, consequences will result. Credit students may receive a failing grade, and the credit institution will be contacted. Certificate students will be required to re-do their work or may receive a failing grade. Avoid plagiarism and cheating at all costs. If students have questions about what plagiarism or cheating includes, it is their responsibility to speak to the coordinator.

Due Dates: