DRAFT: Still under consideration
Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology
Course HX 7365
United Methodist History
Ted A. Campbell, Instructor Summer Semester 2017 (Hybrid Online/On-Campus Format)
Course Objectives
The principal objective of this course is to form students in the practice of critical reflection on the history and distinctive identity of The United Methodist Church. A secondary objective is to form students in the traditions and lore of the Methodist movement. The course examines both formally sanctioned materials (e.g., hymns, liturgies, writings of John Wesley) as well as materials reflecting popular religion (testimonies, autobiographies) in pursuing the goal of forming students in the practice of critical reflection on the history and distinctive identity of The United Methodist Church. This course counts as 3 semester hours and it complements Perkins courses in United Methodist polity (1.5 semester hours) and doctrine (1.5 semester hours) as fulfilling some of the ordination requirements for deacons and elders in The United Methodist Church.
Course Components
Assigned Reading and Viewing. Students will read from specific texts and view one contemporary film. These are as follows:
Film “Bernie” (2011), directed by Richard Linklater, written by Richard Linklater and Skip Hollandsworth, starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey.
Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 2 Ted A. Campbell, Encoding Methodism: Telling and Re-Telling Narratives of Wesleyan Origins. A draft manuscript that will be made available to students and will serve as a secondary textbook for the course. (See also the optional readings by Heitzenrater and by Richey, Rowe, and Schmidt listed below).
______, ed., “Methodist Testimonies on The ‘Way of Salvation’ in the Nineteenth Century.” *This document will be made available as a PDF file and does not need to be purchased by students.
Robert Stewart Hyer, “The Purposes and Ideals of a University.” Ed. Ted A. Campbell. Published on the SMU Digital Repository. *This document will be made available as a PDF file and does not need to be purchased by students.
Albert C. Outler, “Visions and Dreams.” Sermon preached at the Uniting Conference of the United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas, April 23, 1968. *This document will be made available as a PDF file and does not need to be purchased by students.
José Policarpo Rodríguez, “The Old Guide”: Surveyor, Scout, Hunter, Indian Fighter, Ranchman, Preacher: In His Own Words. Originally published: Nashville, Tennessee and Dallas, Texas: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1898. *This document will be made available as a PDF file and does not need to be purchased by students.
William Stevenson, The Autobiography of William Stevenson. Dallas: Bridwell Library, 2015. *This document will be made available as a PDF file and does not need to be purchased by students.
The United Methodist Hymnal. Nashville: United Methodist Publishing House, 1989.
John Wesley, A Wesley Reader (ed. Ted A. Campbell; Dallas, Texas: Tuckapaw Media, 2009). *This document will be made available as a PDF file and does not need to be purchased by students although a hard-copy version is available for purchase.
[Selected additional documents to be distributed by the instructor.]
Optional Secondary Readings:
Richard P. Heitzenrater, John Wesley and the People Called Methodists. Nashville: Abingdon Press, second edition, 2013. Referred to in the schedule following as Heitzenrater, JWPCM”.
Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 3 Russell E. Richey, Kenneth E. Rowe, and Jean Miller Schmidt, American Methodism: A Compact History; Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2012. Referred to in the schedule following as “Richey, Rowe, Schmidt, AMCH”.
Classroom Attendance and Participation. Students are expected to attend on- campus class sessions (see note on attendance below), to take notes on lectures and to participate actively in discussions. I would greatly desire, moreover, that they would sing well (in parts).
Use of Turnitin.com for Examinations and Short Research Papers. The mid- term exam, final exam, and short research paper will be submitted via turnitin.com through the course’s Canvas web site. Turnitin.com will check for content that matches internet content, content from other students, and other available content (e.g., books and articles). It will almost always flag direct quotations. These are acceptable if the student appropriately marks (by quotation marks or block format) the material quoted and gives appropriate attribution. However, the instructor regards quotation as the weakest form of academic work, and a high similarity score via Turnitin.com will count against your score for your work even if directly quoted material is appropriately marked and attributed. You may write your exam essays and short research paper in English or Spanish.
Responses to On-line Lectures. Students are required to respond to each lecture by way of questions posted in the Canvas system. Students are expected to respond to each question with at least two sentences, and then to pose a further question. This is a pass-fail assignment to demonstrate that students are viewing and thinking about the lectures and the questions posed about them.
Mid-Term and Final Examinations. Each student will complete mid-term and final examinations that will involve composing essays in response to specific questions set by the instructor. The purpose of the examinations is to demonstrate the student’s general knowledge of United Methodist history in the period defined and to demonstrate the student’s ability to think critically and creatively about this history. Each exam counts as 35% of a student's grade for the course. The mid-term exam will be set on Wednesday 14 June 2017 and will be due by 5:00 pm that day. The final exam will be set on Friday 30 June 2017 and will be due by 5:00 pm on that day. The final exam is not cumulative. Short Research Paper. Each student will present a short research paper documenting some specific aspect of United Methodist history (including the history of predecessor denominations of the UMC) with reference to primary historical documents, i.e., documents that date from the period being studied. The purpose of the short research paper is to demonstrate the student’s ability to carry out focused research in a specific area of United Methodist history. A proposal for the short research paper should be submitted by Friday 16 June 2017. The proposal for the research paper should indicate a) the question to be examined, b) a hypothesis concerning this question, and c) a bibliography of sources to be utilized, including Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 4 primary historical documents. Short research papers should be roughly 8-10 pages in length (using double-spaced text and a reasonably sized font, e.g., 11-12 points, with one-inch margins). Papers may not exceed twelve pages in length. The papers should be documented according to standard formats for research documentation (Turabian, Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations). I expect to see substantial use of primary historical documents in these papers. Credit will be given for the study and use of relatively rare materials (e.g., unpublished manuscript sources or congregational records, as contrasted with published materials available readily online or in published annual conference journals). The short research paper counts 30% of a student's grade in the course and is due on Friday 7 July 2017.
Class Procedures
Grading. The course grade is based on the instructor’s evaluation of the mid-term examination, the final examination, and the short research paper. The mid-term and final exams each count for 35% of the student's final grade for the course. The short research paper counts 30% of a student's grade for the course. Failure to participate in the on-going work of the course including posting in response to questions on the lectures constitutes grounds for failure of the course as a whole, and grades may be adjusted based on classroom and on-line participation or the lack thereof.
Absences. Students may not miss more than one-seventh of the total number of class sessions. For this course, this means that students may not miss more than three hours of class sessions. An absence beyond that amount of time may be granted in exceptional circumstances unforeseen at the beginning of the semester, by permission of the instructor.
Communications. The instructor may be reached in the following ways:
Ted A. Campbell Office: 100 Selecman Hall Office Telephone with voice mail: 214-768-4885 Office Fax: 214-768-1042 Email: [email protected] Office Address:
Perkins School of Theology Southern Methodist University PO Box 750133 Dallas, TX 75275-0133
Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 5 Course Schedule
All on-campus class session meet in Prothro Hall room 206. Morning sessions are 9:00 am to 12:00 m. Afternoon sessions are 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Evening sessions are 5:00 pm through 9:00 pm.
Thursday-Friday June 1-2: (morning, afternoon, evening on Thursday, morning on Friday).
In the interim period, students watch UM history videos and work on paper proposals at home. They should study the material for course segments 1 and 2 (in the course outline below).
Wednesday, June 14: Students take mid-term exam at home and turn in the exam and paper proposals by 5:00 pm on Friday. The mid-term exam covers course segments 1 and 2.
Monday-Tuesday, June 15-16: Students meet in Dallas all day Monday (morning, afternoon, and evening) and Tuesday morning (12 hours total).
In the interim period, students watch UM history videos and work on their final papers at home. They should study the material for course segments 3 and 4 (in the course outline below).
Friday, July 30: Students take final exam at home and turn in the exam online. The final exam covers course segments 3 and 4 – it is not cumulative.
Friday, July 7: Students turn in short research papers by 5:00 pm.
Course Outline
Introduction. Topics: Introduction to the course and to the study of United Methodist history. Assigned Readings: none.
Segment 1: Methodism in the Wesleyan Period (1739-1784). Topics: The period extends from John Wesley's organization of the first Methodist societies in Bristol (1739) to his actions that led to the establishment of the Methodist Episcopal Church (1784). We will also take up critical background to Wesley's life and thought, the role of Charles Wesley, and the identity of early Methodism as a “religious society” within the Church of England. Assigned Reading: Campbell, Encoding Methodism, chapter 1, “Wesleyan Narratives in the Wesleyan Period (Eighteenth Century)”; John Wesley, introduction and John and Charles Wesley writings, in A Wesley Reader, (all items). UMH hymns 57, 75, 82, 96, 173, 240, 332, 339, 342, 363, 372, 379, 384, 386-387, 410, 413, 479, 501, 550, 553, 554, 616, 627, 709, 718; Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 6 Optional Reading: Heitzenrater, Wesley and the People Called Methodists (all). View Lectures:
03a John Wesley’s Early Life (to 1738) 03b John Wesley’s Later Life (from 1738) 06 John Wesley and Methodist Connections 07 John Wesley’s Preaching Performance Style 08a and b The Theology of John and Charles Wesley
Some questions about John Wesley's published sermons. What was in the background of this sermon? What situation did John Wesley address in the sermon? What does he actually say or teach in response to this sermon? To what emotions does he appeal in the sermon? What outcome did he want to see from the sermon? What might be the relevance of the sermon to the continuing life of Methodist churches?
Some questions about hymns (through the course; not just in this course segment). Who wrote the words to this hymn? In what year were the words written or published? Who wrote the tune? In what year was it written or published? What situation might the author of the words have addressed in the hymn? What do they actually say or teach in response to this situation? To what emotions do they appeal in the hymn? How does the tune complement or detract from the meaning of the text (words)? How does the hymn (words and music) reflect a particular era in Methodist history? What be the relevance of this hymn to the continuing life of Methodist churches?
Segment 2: The Early Methodist Episcopal, Evangelical, and United Brethren Churches (1784-1845). Topics: This period runs from the establishment of the Methodist Episcopal Church (1784) through the first organizational conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1845). It will include the origins of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) churches, the origins of the United Brethren, the origins of the Evangelical Association, the origins of the Methodist Protestant Church, the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the division over slavery leading to the origins of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the organizational structures of early American Methodism (including the use of itinerancy) and early American Methodist life and ethos. Assigned Readings: Campbell, Encoding Methodism, chapter 2, “Wesleyan Narratives in the Age of Early Methodist Churches (Early Nineteenth Century)”; William Stevenson, The Autobiography of William Stevenson (all; this is the principal primary text for this course segment in addition to the hymns listed following); UMH hymns 295, 333, 378, 402, 404, 418, 492, 518, 520, 521, 529, 540, 618, 622, 722, 724. Optional Reading: Richey, Rowe, Schmidt, AMCH, pp. 1-80. View Lectures:
10 Early American Methodism and the Christmas Conference 12 Early American Episcopal Methodism Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 7 13 William Stevenson 15 Methodism and Popular Democracy 18 Early German Pietist Movements and Methodism 21 Black Methodists in the ME Church, Origins of AME and AME Zion 24 American Methodist Divisions, 1840-1870
Some questions about William Stevenson's Autobiography. When did William Stevenson write his Autobiography? What do you think was his purpose in writing it? How would you describe his writing style? How does this work reflect the life of Methodists in the Southern and Southwestern USA in the period of early Methodist churches? Are there any ways in which you see Stevenson using Wesleyan language? When was it published? What might have been the publisher’s intent in publishing the work?
Segment 3: The Period of Methodist Ascendancy (1845-1908). Topics: The period runs from the organizational conference of the ME South church (1845) to the founding of the Church of the Nazarene (11 October 1908, in Pilot Point, Texas). It will also include discussion of the origin of the Colored Methodist Episcopal (later Christian Methodist Episcopal, CME) church, the development of early Methodist mission-sending bodies, Methodist postmillennialism, divisions within the United Brethren and the Evangelical Association, the Holiness movement and the origins of the Church of the Nazarene. Assigned Readings: Campbell, Encoding Methodism, chapter 3, “Wesleyan Narratives in an Age of Methodist Ascendancy (Late Nineteenth Century)”; José Policarpo Rodríguez, The Old Guide; Campbell, ed., “Methodist Testimonies to the ‘Way of Salvation’ in the Nineteenth Century” (all); UMH hymns 98, 156, 170, 172, 297, 301, 322, 327, 337, 348, 354, 357, 369, 395, 407, 419, 452, 453, 467, 469, 512, 524. Optional Reading: Richey, Rowe, and Schmidt, AMCH, pp. 81-143. View Lectures:
30 The Ethos of American Methodism in the Mid-Nineteenth Century 33 The Holiness Movement 36 The Changing Character of Methodism in the Late-Nineteenth Century 39 American Methodist Missions in the Nineteenth Century 40 Methodism and American Society and Culture, Late 1800s Early 1900s
Some questions to ask about José Policarpo Rodríguez, “The Old Guide”. When did Rodríguez write the book? What do you think was his purpose in writing it and to whom do you think it was primarily addressed? How would you describe his writing style? How does this work reflect the life of Methodists in the Southwestern USA in the period of Methodist Ascendancy? How does Rodriguez describe his own ethnicity in relation to others? How does Rodríguez refer to Wesleyan traditions or Methodist history and customs in this work?
Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 8 Segment 4: Methodist and EUB Modernism (1908-1968) and United Methodist Postmodernism (1968-2012). Topics: The period runs from the founding of the Church of the Nazarene (1908) through the founding of The United Methodist Church (1968). Our discussions of this period will also cover Methodist involvement in the Social Gospel movement, Methodists and urbanization in the US, the formation of the Evangelical United Brethren church, and the formation of The United Methodist Church; the decline of the UMC and other old-line US churches in this period, signs of revitalization in the period including the revitalization of Wesleyan and Methodist studies, and issues facing General Conferences in this period. Assigned Readings: Campbell, Encoding Methodism, chapters 4, “Wesleyan Narratives in an Age of Methodist Modernism (Early Twentieth Century)” and chapter 5, “Wesleyan Narratives after Methodist Modernism (Late Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Centuries)”; Robert Stewart Hyer, “Purposes and Ideals of a University”; Albert C. Outler, “Visions and Dreams”; film “Bernie”; UMH hymns 64, 68, 87, 89, 99, 100, 123, 140, 171, 178, 206, 276, 367, 430, 431, 435, 436, 437, 439, 444, 519, 530, 547, 548, 560, 577, 578, 593, 643. Optional Reading: Richey, Rowe, and Schmidt, AMCH, pp. 145-259. View Lectures:
42 The Union of 1939 50 The Evangelical United Brethren 65 The Methodist Church in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s 70 Methodism and the Ecumenical Movement 75 Ethnic-Minority Groups in American Methodism 1939-1968 80 The Union of 1968 85 Methodist Theological Developments, 1890-1970 90 Issues facing General Conferences, 1970-2016
Some questions about Albert C. Outler’s sermon on “Visions and Dreams.” For what occasion did Outler write the sermon? What do you think his aims were in writing this sermon? How does he refer to Wesleyan, Methodist, and EUB traditions in the sermon? In what ways does he appeal to other Christian traditions in his sermon, and why would that have been important in 1968?
Some questions about the film “Bernie.” How does this film depict the life of a small-town United Methodist congregation in the late 1990s? To what extent do you think its depiction of life n this UM congregation is historically accurate? What larger issues about life in the UMC and in the USA does the film raise?
SMU Disability Accommodations
Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first be registered with Disability Accommodations and Success Strategies (DASS) to verify the disability and to establish eligibility for accommodations. Students Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 9 may call 214-768-1470 or visit http://www.smu.edu/ALEC/DASS to begin the process. Once registered, students should then schedule an appointment with the professor to make appropriate arrangements.
Religious Observance
Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence. (See University Policy No. 1.9.)
Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities
Students participating in an officially sanctioned, scheduled University extracurricular activity should be given the opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded assignments missed as a result of their participation. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination or other missed assignment for making up the work. (University Undergraduate Catalogue)
Minority Concerns and the Perkins Curriculum
In 1975 the Perkins Senate passed resolutions which bear on the relation of the Perkins curriculum to this school's common concern for the status of ethnic minority groups and of women both in education for ministry and in the ministry itself. The following statement summarizes these resolutions with respect to all courses except those in the area of Ministry.
1. Instructors and students alike are urged to use inclusive language, images and metaphors that will give full and positive value to both the past contributions and the future prospects of ethnic minorities and women in the church and in society at large.
2. Instructors and students alike are urged to give sensitive consideration to the role of images from a predominantly white and male culture in shaping both the language and concepts of Christian theology and the models and methods of Christian ministry that are widely current today.
3. Instructors are urged to make every effort to provide—in the syllabi, assignments and formats of their courses—opportunities (1) for women students and students from ethnic minority groups to pursue their study with special reference to their own status or tradition and (2) for all students to become acquainted with the special problems and conditions that affect women and ethnic minority groups in human society. Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 10
Perkins Regulations Regarding Incompletes
The grade of Incomplete is granted only in rare cases when a student is prevented by extraordinary circumstances of illness or other severe hardship, from completing some major portion of the required course work before the deadline for submission of grades for the term. Requests for a grade of Incomplete must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs no later than ***. For more information, see the Perkins Catalog, p. [36].
Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 11
Perkins School of Theology Course HX 7365: United Methodist History
Sample Mid-Term Exam Essay Questions
Write in response to two of the following questions. Submit your essays as a single word-processor file via email. Utilize specific details (names, dates, places, etc.) in your responses, and utilize primary texts and other course materials (including hymns) whenever possible, and demonstrate your knowledge of the contexts of these texts and events.
1. If you were to attend a Methodist preaching occasion in England in John Wesley's time (between 1739 and 1791), what might be the characteristic themes of preaching you would hear? What hymn texts might illustrate these themes? What would the preacher urge hearers to do? How would these texts illustrate what was happening more generally in Methodist history in this period? (You can elect to make this question more specific by focusing on a specific theme or occasion.) 2. If you were to attend a Methodist preaching occasion on the East Coast of the USA between 1784 and 1812, what might be the characteristic themes of preaching you would hear? What hymn texts might illustrate these themes? What would the preacher urge hearers to do? How would these texts illustrate what was happening more generally in Methodist history in this period? (You can elect to make this question more specific by focusing on a specific theme or occasion.) 3. If you were to attend a Methodist preaching occasion on the American frontier in the early nineteenth century (early 1800s), what might be the characteristic themes of preaching you would hear? What hymn texts might illustrate these themes? What would the preacher urge hearers to do? How would these texts illustrate what was happening more generally in Methodist history in this period? (You can elect to make this question more specific by focusing on a specific theme or occasion.) 4. Write an essay on the topic, “Camp Meetings: American or Methodist?” 5. How do John Wesley's sermons and Charles Wesley's hymns illustrate the “way of salvation”? 6. Why did slavery emerge as such a divisive issue for American Methodists in the early nineteenth century?
Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 12
Perkins School of Theology Course HX 7365: United Methodist History
Sample Final Exam Essay Questions
Write in response to two of the following questions. Submit your essays as a single word-processor file for this assignment within the prescribed time frame. Utilize specific details (names, dates, places, etc.) in your responses, and utilize primary texts and other course materials (including hymns) whenever possible, and demonstrate your knowledge of the contexts of these texts and events.
1. Write an essay on racial divisions as a key to understanding Methodist history from 1844 through the end of the 20th century. Be sure to utilize course readings (including hymns, if and when relevant) in your response. 2. A local Baptist congregation has agreed to participate with your United Methodist congregation in a joint revival service preceded by a time of fellowship and teaching. You have been asked to give a brief talk in which you definitively answer the question “Are Methodists Revivalistic Or Not?” Write out a sketch of your talk, with specific reference to course readings and your knowledge of Methodist church life, including hymns (if and where relevant). 3. Your United Methodist Women's group has invited you to give a talk on “Methodism and Social Reform.” Write out a sketch of your talk for them, with specific reference to course readings, including hymns (if and where relevant). 4. It is sometimes said that Methodist churches were less affected by the Liberal- Fundamentalist controversies of the early twentieth century than were other denominations (such as Presbyterians and Baptists). Does your study of United Methodist history confirm or refute this claim? 5. At one point in the 2004 General Conference in Pittsburgh, a leader of the Confessing Movement in the UMC proposed an “amicable separation” of conservatives from the denomination. What precedents for separation (amicable or otherwise) might be seen in the history of the UMC and its predecessor denominations in the period between 1865 and 2004? What were the issues involved and how were the issues resolved (if they were resolved)? 6. In what ways does Jose Policarpo Rodriguez’s The Old Guide reflect the ethos of Methodist missions in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century? In what ways does it reflect the distinctive situation of Methodism in the Southwestern USA in this period? Why do you think Southern Methodists published the book? 7. Scottish Anglican theologian John Macquarrie once commented that although a higher percentage of Americans (in the USA) attended church services in the late twentieth century than did British or European people, secular values had shaped the US churches in this Syllabus, UM History (Campbell), Summer (Hybrid) 2017 Page 13
period. To what extent does the history of United Methodism and its predecessor denominations in the twentieth century vindicate this claim? What specific moments from our history might illustrate (or refute) this claim?