Need help deciding assignments/grades for Apologetics course

[bobbeym]

I'm creating a 1.0 credit Christian Apologetics curriculum. Turns out my desire to do this is much more ambitious than my own faith in my ability to create a decent curric. Here are the novels I plan to use, along with other available resources and potential assignments. I also include the length of time to cover each novel, including our routine break weeks and holidays (30 weeks planned over 39 weeks total). Book timeframes are based on an avg of 100-150 pages read per week.

 

Please help me figure out if I'm on the right track, need to expand, cut, etc. and how I should divide up grades.

 

I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler + student workbook -- Workbook includes deductive/inductive reasoning questions and research/writing assignments for each chapter of the novel. (16 weeks + 4 weeks break)

 

On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig -- Study guide available but I've been unable to find a sample to review. I emailed requesting one. Read and discuss weekly over coffee. (3 weeks + 2 weeks break)

 

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel -- Free study guide for teens available here, set up like a court trial. I'd have them journal the "deliberation" questions and give a final verdict backing up their delibrations. We also have the DVDs if they want to watch it after they read the book. Or should they watch the DVD with the study guide and skip reading the book? (2 weeks + 1 week break)

 

Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics by William Lane Craig -- Website offers lectures, debates, podcasts and weekly Q&A topics, plus I found a free study guide. There's also a local chapter that meets monthly that we could visit if we want. Assignment would be to discuss the study guide questions and journal the practical application questions. (3 weeks + 1 week break)

 

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary R. Habermas -- Book includes interactive CD in game show type format. Read and discuss weekly over coffee. (3 weeks + 1 week break)

 

The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ by Gary R. Habermas -- Unable to find additional resources. Read and discuss weekly over coffee. (3 weeks)

 

If this was my literature course, I would give grades based upon review questions and writing assignments. But since the work load isn't remotely even between the books, I don't really feel like that works in a general sense. Yes, I know how I grade is entirely up to me, but I still want some guidance pls. So does this sound logical?

 

Faith...Athiest = 40%, based on reading, workbook questions, and writing assignments

Reasonable Faith = 25%, based on reading, discussion, and practical app journal

Case for Christ = 20%, based on reading and deliberation journal

Other 3 books = 15%, based on reading and discussion

I don't want to bog the kids down with writing assignments and study guides for everything, but I want them to do enough that I know they're getting something out of the material.

[Mountainmama]

Have you considered letting kids grade this subject for themselves? As in - part of the introspective experience...

[bobbeym]

Have you considered letting kids grade this subject for themselves? As in - part of the introspective experience...

 

 

I'm all for that, and I have no problem whatsoever letting them decide what their grade will be. Their own grades will be just as subjective as mine would since this isn't a course we have clearly defined answers for.

 

I still have to set some sort of expectation for how their grade should be composed though. Otherwise they'll give themselves a 100% and never do the work.

[Mountainmama]

what is your ultimate goal in them taking apologetics - what head, heart, social knowledge do u hope they will uncover or embrace. pick out the top items and focus on those. we are using balancing the sword and cat and dog theology. I've outlined what I hope will be discovered - most items are not intellectual. I've written out questions based on those learning outcomes - my ds will write a short response to each of those questions - that are designed to purposely pull out of him his true position spiritually - and of course his answers will appear to him fully legitimate. My intention is to have him answer those same questions twice more - mid-year and end of year. Then, he task is to compare his answers and to consider his position spiritually/morally for all three answerings. From this, I will ask him to determine how much change he sees between the answers content, the depth of those answers, and the writing itself as a whole. 10 would be a huge change positively - 1 small change -- 0 no change -- and he might even use minus if he determines that the difference between his answers has degraded over time (esp. in regards to detail and writing). I intend to use this as the basis for his grade. No doubt, this is not a perfect way to do it - but maybe it might give you some ideas of your own - hugs

[Mountainmama]

Oops - I should probably note that he is primarily teaching himself, except for 1 hour 4 times a week in which we will be discussing philosophy and theology - with the focus on right thinking leading to right action, rather than actually teaching the items I am hoping he discovers/experiences.

[Mountainmama]

BTW -- I love your reading/weekly plan - I plan to follow yours the following year - THANKS!

[bobbeym]

what is your ultimate goal in them taking apologetics - what head, heart, social knowledge do u hope they will uncover or embrace. pick out the top items and focus on those. we are using balancing the sword and cat and dog theology. I've outlined what I hope will be discovered - most items are not intellectual. I've written out questions based on those learning outcomes - my ds will write a short response to each of those questions - that are designed to purposely pull out of him his true position spiritually - and of course his answers will appear to him fully legitimate. My intention is to have him answer those same questions twice more - mid-year and end of year. Then, he task is to compare his answers and to consider his position spiritually/morally for all three answerings. From this, I will ask him to determine how much change he sees between the answers content, the depth of those answers, and the writing itself as a whole. 10 would be a huge change positively - 1 small change -- 0 no change -- and he might even use minus if he determines that the difference between his answers has degraded over time (esp. in regards to detail and writing). I intend to use this as the basis for his grade. No doubt, this is not a perfect way to do it - but maybe it might give you some ideas of your own - hugs

 

DS wants to dig deep and better understand the hows and whys of his faith. He feels called to reach out to others but doesn't feel he has enough true understanding to answer questions. DD gets to take the course by default b/c she didn't want to come up with her own Bible course and said she'd do whatever DS did.

 

I like your idea of the questions. I think I'm going to borrow that and have them write out their own questions for the course.

[bobbeym]

:lurk5:

Anyone else want to chime in?

[Julie in MN]

DS wants to dig deep and better understand the hows and whys of his faith. He feels called to reach out to others but doesn't feel he has enough true understanding to answer questions. DD gets to take the course by default b/c she didn't want to come up with her own Bible course and said she'd do whatever DS did.

I probably shouldn't chime in since I'm not familiar with any of the authors except Strobel (whom I think is fairly simplistic or for beginners, but that might be me since I know several who love his work).

 

My worry when I read your list is that it's too much of the same thing. The point that Christianity has better answers is a good one and strongly defendable. But if it's a year-long course, I wonder if you might want to move beyond those types of authors (if they are indeed all similar as I suspect) and start examining a few short pieces that disagree (or conversing with a person or two who is willing to discuss their own disagreements), and experimenting with writing (or speaking) an apologetics of the student's own, allowing him to make mistakes during the class before he's in the company of real people :)

 

Just an idea for a year-long course.

Julie

[bobbeym]

I probably shouldn't chime in since I'm not familiar with any of the authors except Strobel (whom I think is fairly simplistic or for beginners, but that might be me since I know several who love his work).

 

My worry when I read your list is that it's too much of the same thing. The point that Christianity has better answers is a good one and strongly defendable. But if it's a year-long course, I wonder if you might want to move beyond those types of authors (if they are indeed all similar as I suspect) and start examining a few short pieces that disagree (or conversing with a person or two who is willing to discuss their own disagreements), and experimenting with writing (or speaking) an apologetics of the student's own, allowing him to make mistakes during the class before he's in the company of real people :)

 

Just an idea for a year-long course.

Julie

 

 

Julie, that's a good idea for us to consider adding. If these books don't approach the subject of what types of questions and arguments non-Christians will make, they certainly should read something that will give them that information. Both kids are very secure in their faith, so I'm not worried that they'll read something that will convince them otherwise, but they do want to be prepared to speak appropriately to others.

 

Anyone know of some books that might be good for the disagreement POV?

[amy58103]

Anyone know of some books that might be good for the disagreement POV?

 

 

 

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but here are some books that are on my reading list that examine atheism/agnosticism:

 

Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment

 

Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion

 

Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious

 

Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe

[regentrude]

Heretical question: do you have to assign grades? Are there objective academic criteria which you can apply for evaluation?

I only give grades for academic core subjects where I have a set of objective criteria. For other courses, i.e. electives, I give a grade of P for participation.

[bobbeym]

Thanks Amy. I'll look into those books in more detail.

 

Reg, I don't have to assign numerical grades, but DS does better when I do. Grades would be mostly based on effort; i.e., how much of the workbook and study guides did he answer, did he put a lot of effort into thinking about his answers and into the research and writing assignments, or just enough to "make do". It would probably help if I came up with some sort of rubric that he could see so he'd know what I'm basing the grade on rather than it being purely subjective depending on my mood that day.

[plansrme]

I did something similar with my daughter her last year as a homeschooler, and it was one of the best things we ever did. We used a study called On Guard (sorry for not italicizing on my phone) by William Lane Craig, a worldview study from Summit Ministries and several creation (old earth) resources. For grades, the Summit materials had tests, and I Googled for essays or blog entries for her to write response or counter papers. Finding online arguments for her to respond to was very simple, as you can imagine.

[Julie in MN]

Julie, that's a good idea for us to consider adding. If these books don't approach the subject of what types of questions and arguments non-Christians will make, they certainly should read something that will give them that information. Both kids are very secure in their faith, so I'm not worried that they'll read something that will convince them otherwise, but they do want to be prepared to speak appropriately to others.

 

Anyone know of some books that might be good for the disagreement POV?

Such great kids you have.

 

Well, it seems even more appropriate if your kids are secure and are asking to be prepared to speak, that they begin some baby steps towards that speaking during your year together. Some random things that come to mind:

 

- Respond to those who will say that the Old Testament is the same as any other ancient writings/beliefs by reading mythology and writing a comparison, without avoiding comparisons to supernatural and violent events. Or compare the New Testament to books from other major religions.

 

- Not sure if young earth is on your radar, but that is an easy one. You could do a google on the topic, but for specific materials directed at high schoolers I think Miller-Levine's website http://millerandlevine.com/controversy/index.html or some of the Howard Hughes free videos (one I could dig up specifically had a roundtable with young earth teens) http://www.hhmi.org/catalog/main?action=getCategoryListing&catId=2

 

- If he'd prefer debating evolution (rather than young earth), then Richard Dawkins is the classic one who loves to argue. Here's his "mission" according to his website: The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.

 

- If your student is already trying this, have him come up with some difficult questions he's already faced, and research answers he might give if he had the time to prepare.

 

Julie

[bobbeym]

I did something similar with my daughter her last year as a homeschooler, and it was one of the best things we ever did. We used a study called On Guard (sorry for not italicizing on my phone) by William Lane Craig, a worldview study from Summit Ministries and several creation (old earth) resources. For grades, the Summit materials had tests, and I Googled for essays or blog entries for her to write response or counter papers. Finding online arguments for her to respond to was very simple, as you can imagine.

 

The On Guard book is one that we'll definately be reading this year. I'm still undecided on the study guide for it b/c I don't know what it looks like.

The Summit Ministries curriculum set is high on my list of resources for next year's Worldview course. Does the student actually write in the student manual or could it be shared by 2 kids? The sample looks like it has blanks in the notes, but not for Q&A.

Another book that was recommended to me is Josh McDowell's Evidence that Demands a Verdict. It looks like it might be good for reference materials or essay topics.

 

Such great kids you have.

 

Thanks! I think they're pretty great too. :)

 

Well, it seems even more appropriate if your kids are secure and are asking to be prepared to speak, that they begin some baby steps towards that speaking during your year together. Some random things that come to mind:

 

Thanks for the suggestions, Julie.

 

I'm starting to think it might be better to swap courses and do Worldview this year, and then let them do a deeper dive into focus areas of Apologetics next year, based on their own personal interests.