{"id":5830,"date":"2021-02-15T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T13:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/?p=5830"},"modified":"2021-02-12T16:03:35","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T21:03:35","slug":"pittsburgh-social-religious-ecology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/pittsburgh-social-religious-ecology\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the PTS Curriculum: Pittsburgh Social &#038; Religious Ecology"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The \u201cInside the PTS Curriculum\u201d series gives you an inside look at what students are learning in their courses at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Each article focuses on one class, its subject matter, what students can expect to learn, the required texts, and the kinds of assignments students can expect. We\u2019ll let you know whether the course is required or available for the\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/master-divinity\"><em>Master of Divinity (MDiv)<\/em><\/a><em>, the\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/ma-pastoral-studies\"><em>Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS)<\/em><\/a><em>, or\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/ma-theological-studies\"><em>Master of Theological Studies (MTS)<\/em><\/a><em>. Each article will include the professors\u2019 bio.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This week\u2019s course is: \u201cPittsburgh Social and Religious Ecology.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>About Pittsburgh Social and Religious Ecology<\/h2>\n<p>During this term, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary students will be learning from the Rev. Dr. R. Drew Smith about class \u201cPittsburgh Social and Religious Ecology.\u201d This course is available for students in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree, Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS) degree program, and open to students in the Master of Theology (MTS) degree program.<\/p>\n<p>This course will examine the Pittsburgh metropolitan region, which has embodied in important ways America\u2019s early settler adventures, difficult race relations, industrial revolution, labor strife, urban decline and redevelopment, and an evolving religious culture. Utilizing historical, sociological, and theological readings as well as lectures from key, local experts and informants, the course explores Pittsburgh\u2019s metropolitan ethos and the role of churches in the formation and maintenance of metro-Pittsburgh\u2019s social and religious culture. Observational and analytical tools acquired in this course will readily transfer to interpretation and analysis of local social and religious contexts beyond the metro-Pittsburgh context.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the course, students will be able to undertake systematic examinations of metro-Pittsburgh\u2019s socio-historical and religious formation and conduct theological and social analysis of select historical and contemporary events and social problems. They will learn strategies for effective ministerial and social responses to these social problems and reflect on the role of ministers as social analysts and activists and on boundaries between prophetic and priestly obligations. They will grow in their ability to delineate and critique contemporary activist ministry frameworks and their underlying definitions of community and of Christian calling. The course will also provide students with direct (in-person) and indirect (literary) exposures to contemporary embodiments of socially-engaged ministry.<\/p>\n<p>Assignments include class attendance and participation, along with four discussion papers. Required reading includes Samuel P. Hayes, <em>City at the Point: Essays on the Social History of Pittsburgh<\/em>; John E. Bodnar, Roger Simon, and Michael P. Weber, <em>Lives of their Own: Blacks, Italians, and Poles in Pittsburgh, 1900-1960<\/em>; W. Trotter and N. Day, <em>Race and Renaissance: African Americans in Pittsburgh since World War II<\/em>; and R. Drew Smith, Stephanie C. Boddie, and Ronald E. Peters, eds., <em>Urban Ministries Reconsidered: Context and Approaches<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>About the Instructor<\/h2>\n<p>Both a political scientist and a clergyman, the Rev. Dr. R. Drew Smith has initiated and directed a number of projects related to religion and public life which have collected research data on political involvements, community development activities, and outreach ministries of churches, especially African-American churches. He has also conducted similar research in South Africa, including while serving in 2005 as a <a href=\"https:\/\/eca.state.gov\/fulbright\/information\/faculty-members-and-professors\">Fulbright professor<\/a> at the University of Pretoria. His overseas involvements additionally include serving in 2009 as a Fulbright senior specialist at Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Cameroon and lecturing in many international venues including as part of the U.S. State Department\u2019s Speakers Bureau. He has served since 2010 as co-convener of the <a href=\"https:\/\/religionandrace.org\/\">Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race<\/a>, an initiative that convenes scholars, religious leaders, and community activists from across the transatlantic region for purposes of advancing progressive approaches to persistent racial problems in various contexts. An ordained a Baptist clergyman, Professor Smith is a graduate of Indiana University and Yale University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cInside the PTS Curriculum\u201d series gives you an inside look at what students are learning in their courses at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Each article focuses on one class, its subject matter, what students can expect to learn, the required texts, and the kinds of assignments students can expect. We\u2019ll let you know whether the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[358],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-5830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inside-the-pts-curriculum"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>Inside the PTS Curriculum: Pittsburgh Social &amp; Religious Ecology - Pittsburgh Theological Seminary<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Students at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary study the city&#039;s social and religious ecology with the Rev. 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