Drew University Moodle

WESM-600-QM-United Methodist History and Mission
Fall 2022 / Course meets on-line (Zoom) on Mondays, 7:05 pm - 8:20 pm
Drew University
Dr. Nick Petrov
npetrov@drew.edu

Course Description and Objectives:
A study of origins, organization, outreach, religious life and key ideas, issues, events, and figures in the development of United Methodism. Will enable students to understand and evaluate United Methodism in light of its antecedent organizations, the broader historical context of the history of Christianity, and especially its engagement in mission.

Goals of this Course:
This course is a study of origins, organization, outreach, religious life and key ideas, issues, events, and figures in the development of United Methodism. There are five primary goals:
1. To enhance your understanding of the origins and development of Christian thought and organizing that has led to the emergence of the United Methodist Church.
2. To enhance your ability to read, understand, and discuss primary texts produced by historical figures in this tradition.
3. To help you articulate the value of historical studies to your vocation as a minister-scholar-teacher
4. To provide you with skills and practice in the evaluation of research resources, and provide opportunities to reflect on those in light of your religious leadership and begin to articulate the relationship between history and the present.
5. To articulate a concept of Mission from a Wesleyan perspective.

Student Outcomes:
1. To understand and evaluate United Methodism in the light of its antecedent organizations and the broader context of those traditions historically related to the Methodist movement by deep weekly reading in primary sources, regular and sustained conversation with peers and the instructor, and engaging in the ongoing historical conversation about the nature of the denomination through the struggle with its narrative.
2. To engage in responsible participation in the life and leadership of the United Methodist Church, to communicate effectively the tradition, and to participate perceptively in ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue by interpreting primary sources and presenting those interpretations in class, and writing a reflection on the relationship between the study of history and vocational calling.
3. To be familiar with the history of missionary activity within the predecessor groups to The United Methodist Church.