Field Education

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Courses

5006: Supervised Ministry and Seminar (6 credit hours)

This two-semester course (fall/Spring) is required of all M.Div. students, and is pre-requisite for most other Field Education courses. This course has two tracks which embody the action-reflection pedagogy employed in Field Education:

• 8-10 hours a week of engagement in ministry at a Field Education placement (congregation, social service agency, etc)
• Weekly on-campus Seminar on Ministry

See syllabus.

5007: Clinical Pastoral Education (6 credit hours)

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is interfaith professional education for ministry. It brings theological students into supervised encounters with persons in crisis. Elements of CPE include the actual service of ministry to persons in crisis, theological reflection on that service, and the opportunity for growing in confidence around issues of pastoral practice in the context of peer group learning. CPE programs are offered in hospitals, mental health facilities, correctional institutions, prisons, geriatric care centers, and even some parishes.

(Students apply to and select CPE sites on their own. Copies of a directory of CPE centers and CPE application forms are available in the Field Education Office. Applications should be completed by early January for a summer experience.)

CPE units are typically full-time for ten weeks during a summer or part-time during an academic semester.

To learn more about CPE, go to this web site: www.acpe.edu

5008: Summer Intensive in Field Education (6 credit hours)

Pre-requisite: 5006 (Supervised Ministry and Seminar)
Students are engaged in an approved placement, with supervision, for a period of 40 hours a week for 10 weeks during the summer. The purpose of this course is to provide a short-term full-time experience in a new context/placement in order to enhance one's capacity to reflect theologically about the events of ministry, as well as to continue to grow in one's self-understanding in ministry. Responsible work, reporting procedures and evaluations are required.

See syllabus.

5010: Year-Long Internship (6-9 credit hours)

Pre-requisite: 5006 (Supervised Ministry and Seminar)
Students may engage in full-time or nearly full-time work in a parish or agency for a minimum of nine months. A reduced course load is necessary, and many students opt to engage in this internship for a year in lieu of taking courses on campus. The intention is to gain full-time, sustained experience in ministry in an approved setting. The internship requires a focused proposal, trained supervision, reporting procedures and systematic evaluation.

5011: Advanced Supervised Ministry (6 credit hours)

Pre-requisite: 5006 (Supervised Ministry and Seminar)
Similar to the design of Div 5006 (Supervised Ministry and Seminar), students are engaged in ministry at an approved setting for 8-10 hours a week. A two semester course, it includes a weekly on-campus Seminar on Ministry with peers. Responsible work, supervisory conferences, case studies and evaluation are required.

See syllabus.

5012: Special Project in Field Education (1-6 credit hours)

Pre-requisite for M. Div students: 5006 (Supervised Ministry and Seminar) This course allows us a vehicle through which we can accommodate particular needs of the student and/or placement. A Field Education experience can be fashioned to earn between 1-6 hours of credit. In order to gain nominal experience in Field Education, M.T.S. students may take this course with the permission of the Field Education faculty. Responsible work in a placement, case study reflection, supervision and evaluation are components of this course.

5014: Short-Term Ministry Encounter (3 credit hours)

Pre-requisite: 5006 (Supervised Ministry and Seminar)
This is a course for students who are engaged in ministry at an approved placement for at least 20 hours per week for at least 10 weeks. This may be taken in the summer or an academic semester. Responsible work in a placement, case study reflection, supervision and evaluation are components of this course.

See syllabus.

4116: Cross-Cultural Travel Seminar (3 credit hours)

Once a year, usually in May, the Field Education faculty conducts a concentrated, experiential learning experience in a cross-cultural context. The goal is to enhance awareness of cultural, economic, religious, political and social issues facing a particular people, and to reflect on how religious leadership might engage those issues. This course usually involves 9-14 days of travel, some pre-trip and post-trip classroom instruction, reading, writing and reflection. Some examples of previous cross-cultural seminars include:

• Ministry with the Rural Poor (Appalachia)
• Ministry in the Inner City (Providence, RI)
• The Church and Social Change in Mexico (Cuernavaca, Mexico)
• Where First and Third Worlds Meet: The U.S./Mexico Border (Tucson, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico)
• Planned for May 2002: Ministry in the Urban South (Nashville)