Mission: The thoughtful study of the arts and literature can bring to life a wide array of issues, experiences, and themes that are central to Christian life, in a way that engages our emotions, imagination and spirit in the experience of faith. Courses in this discipline complement those in other disciplines - bringing different approaches and perspectives to help us reach a deeper understanding of God.

Core: Creative Writing.

200 level: Courses address themes, ideas, issues within a particular artistic medium (literature, visual art, drama, etc.).

300 level: Courses focus on the work of a particular artist, author, or movement.

Theme Courses marked with this symbol (at left) are directly related to the theme for the 2007 - 2008 year Changing Times...Changing Seasons, which focuses on Daniel 2:21.

Literature and the Arts Courses: 2007 - 2008
100 Level
Creative Writing

200 Level
Christology in Film
A Biblical Tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On: How Music Changes Lives

300 Level
C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Short Fiction
Rabbit Run: A Uniquely American Quest for God
Nietzsche’s Morality: an Examination of On the Genealogy of Morals

TERM 1
(Click to print Term 1 Registration Form)

LA101 • Creative Writing
Emily Dunlap
Second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
September 11, 25 and October 9, 23

This creative writing class provides students with an opportunity to explore their creative gifts through writing. Assignments are given at each session and students are encouraged to share their work in class. Emphasis is on listening to your own creative voice. Aspects of creative writing such as description, use of metaphor, style, and voice are explored. Students are encouraged to enroll in the class and continue throughout the year. The class is out of sequence with the other CCS classes and meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month throughout the year. Space permitting, students may enter after the class has begun with permission of the instructor prior to registration but they should note that material already covered will not be repeated. All new students must contact the instructor prior to registration.

Class is limited to 12.

One fee for the year: One material fee is charged whether entry is in September or April.

LA239 • Christology in Film
Bob Brennan and Jacob Bolton
Tuesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 18 to October 16

Christology is the field of study within Christian theology that is concerned with the nature of Jesus the Christ, particularly with how the divine and human are related in His person. This class will examine Christology in films, from actual portrayals of Christ to Christ-like characters as seen in films such as “Godspell,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Babette’s Feast,” “Chocolat,” and others.

LA383 • C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces
James Como
Mondays, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
September 17 to October 15 (4 weeks)

C. S. Lewis wrote only one formal autobiography, but four other works are profoundly autobiographical. The masterpiece among these - and among fictional confessions generally - is Till We Have Faces, the only real novel Lewis ever wrote. We will examine this book in light of its literary merit, its place within Lewis’ thought and body or work (particularly the other autobiographical works), and especially as spiritual confession - Lewis’ and our own.

Book: C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces, Harcourt Publishers. 1980, $13.

LA384 • Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Short Fiction
Roosevelt Montás
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 19 to October 17

Nathaniel Hawthorne was constantly preoccupied with the dark side of human psychology and with his own Puritan ancestry. His stories are keen examinations of themes such as monomania, sin, isolation, death, anxiety, obsession, and reason. This course will examine a selection of Hawthorne’s short stories. His short stories are works of great literary craft and linguistic mastery. Their brevity will afford us the opportunity for careful scrutiny and discussion.

Class size: 20

TERM 2
(Click to print Term 2 Registration Form)

LA101 • Creative Writing
Emily Dunlap
Section I: First and Third Tuesdays, 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
November 6 and 20

Section II: Second and Fourth Tuesdays, 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
November 13 and 27

Continuation of the course begun in Term 1 (see here).

Class is limited to 12.

TERM 3
(Click to print Term 3 Registration Form)

LA101 • Creative Writing
Emily Dunlap
Second and Fourth Tuesdays, 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
January 8, 22 and February 12
Continuation of the course begun in Term 1 (see here).

Class is limited to 12.

One fee for the year: One material fee is charged whether entry is in September or April.

LA240 • If Music Be the Food of Love, Play on: How Music Changes Lives
Eugenia Oi Yan Yau
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
January 16 to February 13

This class will explore all kinds of music that surround us locally as well as globally. Discussions will focus on how music moves and changes through time and place, and how it connects with human experiences such as ritual, politics, and identity.

Class Size: 20

TERM 4
(Click to print Term 4 Registration Form)

LA101 • Creative Writing
Emily Dunlap
Second and Fourth Tuesdays, 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
February 26 and March 11
Continuation of the course begun in Term 1 (see here).

Class is limited to 12.

One fee for the year: One material fee is charged whether entry is in September or April.

LA386 • Nietzsche’s Morality: An Examination of On the Genealogy of Morals
Roosevelt Montás
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
February 27 to April 2

Nietzsche’s challenge to conventional Judeo Christian morality has proved enduring and persistently disturbing. This course will be an examination of Nietzsche’s project in On the Genealogy of Morals. Our aim will be to grasp in broad outlines Nietzsche’s account of the origin, meaning, and danger of  morality. Discussion will center on the three essays in the volume: Essay I: “Good and Evil, Good and Bad”; Essay II: “Guilt, Bad Conscience, and the Like”; and Essay III: “What Is the Meaning of Ascetic Ideals?”

Class size: 20

TERM 5
(Click to print Term 5 Registration Form)

LA101 • Creative Writing
Emily Dunlap
Second and Fourth Tuesdays 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
April 8, 22, and May 13
Continuation of the course begun in Term 1 (see here).

Class is limited to 12.

One fee for the year: One material fee is charged whether entry is in September or April.

LA218 • Biblical Tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Gordon Franz
Saturday, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
April 19

Have you ever wanted to go back in time to see what life was like in Biblical times? Here is your chance. This one-day tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will emphasize the Biblical material in that museum. The excellent Egyptian gallery will show the world of Joseph and Moses. Objects from other lands of the Bible, including Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Judah, Greece and Cyprus will illustrate events and places from both the Old Testament and New Testament.

Class size: 25

Notes will be handed out at the beginning of the tour. In addition to the course fee there will be a $10 fee for the museum entrance, even if you are a member or your corporation is a sponsor.

LA385 • Rabbit Run: A Uniquely American Quest for God
Richard Laine
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
April 23 to May 21

John Updike’s novels portray a Christian sensibility. In his early novel Rabbit Run, Updike explores how conflicting values in American culture seemingly promote, but ultimately may conflict with, Christian values. This theme of the impact of individualism versus social responsibility on the Christian message will be further amplified by reading Jean-Paul Sartre’s short play, No Exit, and through discussion of the writings of several other writers. These writers include: Ralph Waldo Emerson; Walt Whitman; several philosophers and theologians, including Soren Kierkegaard and William James, St. Augustine and Karl Barth; Robert Bellah; and several literary critics, including Harold Bloom.

Class Size: 15

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