Course Summary

A venture in compassion

The course consists of a project that demonstrates compassionate action. The project requires the student to engage in three separate tasks: research, execution, and assessment. The student chooses the area of concentration, time, place, beneficiaries, participants, and objectives of the project. The project may pertain to some benevolent benefit for the handicapped, incarcerated, orphaned, poor, sick, or widowed. The people benefited may be part of a local church or the community at large. The syllabus outlines three actions described in three modules: (1) Planning, (2) Execution, and (3) Evaluation.  3 graduate semester credits. Open only to M.Div. students near the end of their program.

Objectives

1. Design a project that fills a genuine need.

2. Execute a project that fills a particular need.

3. Evaluate the results of a service project.

Credit.  Credit for the course requires the student to spend 135 hours in development and implementation. The student's work shall be judged excellent (A), good (B), or pass (C), based on project design (50%) and assessment (50%).  Assessment requires a student prepared report following execution and a field supervisor's review of student performance. Credit can not be given for prior activity.

Resources. The only resources required are those that the student deems necessary to execute the project.  An e-book by Hines and McNeil, Doing the Truth in Love, can be accessed through the Electronic Collection.