Establishing and developing of youth work in a postmodern context.
Description
If we as a church wish to communicate the gospel within the youth culture, in a way that will give meaning, trust and the desire of following of Jesus, it is very important that we try to:
• Understand the most simplistic youth history and specific needs, values, ways of expression and the need that is expressed within the local youth culture. Together with understanding the societies mainstream thinking that borders the lives of young people.
• Understand the historical flows that have contributed to our current way of thinking and practice in youth work, together with giving us competence - a special ability to ask the "right" questions - that makes us able to navigate and draw new maps in a context which is outside of the distinctive reaches.
Goals
The course has as goal to give the students a basic introduction in the current lives of today's youths, through the following introductions:
• The notion of youth culture, culture analyzing and current flows within the youth culture.
• Societies mainstream thinking that borders the lives of young people.
• The values of young people, the interpretation of life and strategies.
• The flows that have contributed forming the current thinking and practice in teenager and youth work in a Norwegian church concept.
• The principle considerations around teenager and youth work placing and organizing within the local congregation, under an introduction to different models.
• The principle considerations around building an "extrovert" teenager and youth work.
Study form:
Lectures, study groups, groupwork, study plans, fieldstudies and conversations.
Evaluation:
Continuing evaluation:
With a starting point in specific problem situations, students shall through a log-book show their ability to understand and analyze his/her current thinking and practice in teenager and youthwork.
End evaluation:
A 4-6000 word assignment where students - with starting point the read literature and fieldstudies - describe and analyze current thinking and practice in the youthwork the students is engaged in, and put forward a grounded proposal for changes that make this specific work relevant and authentic in connection to the current flows in the youth culture.
Volume
Points: 10 study points
200-level
Curriculum volume: ca. 900 pages
Curriculum literature
· Andersen, Johannes: Mellem hoved og krop. Om ungdomskulturer. Systime, Århus 2001. (128 pages)
· Brundstad, Paul Otto: Ungdom og livstolkning. En studie av unge menneskers tro og fremtidsforventninger. Tapir, Oslo 1998 (292 pages).
· Jones, Tony: Postmodern Youth Ministry. Youth Specialties, Grand Rapids 2001. (238 pages)
· Senter, Mark (ed.): Four views in Youth Ministry and the Church. Youth Specialties, Grand Rapids 2001. (163 pages)
· Ward, Pete: Growing up evangelical. Youthwork and the making of a subculture. SPCK, London 1996. (242 pagesr)
Literature specific to the different countries:
Danish literature:
· Andersen, Johannes. (2001). Mellem hoved og krop - Om ungdomskulturer. Århus: Systime. (128 pages)
· Skaårhøj, Rie & Østergaard, Søren: "Generation Happy?" - et studie i danske teenageres hverdagsliv, værdier og livstolkning, København, Unitas 2005.
Norwegian literature:
· Brundstad, Paul Otto. (1998). Ungdom og livstolkning - En studie av unge menneskers tro og fremtidsforventninger. Oslo: Tapir. (292 pages).
Swedish literature:
· Lalander, Philip & Johansson, Thomas. (2002). Ungdomsgrupper i Teori och Praktik. Lund: Studentlitteratur. (27-186 pages)
· Talande tro Lund: Studentlitteratur... har ej ref . på kontoret.
Teacher
Richard Passmore, Center for Youth Ministry in Bristol
Date
Course is offered in the autumn of 2006 |
