CEA 3993 - Faith & Vocation in the Arts

This course provides an introduction to the ways in which Christian theology can illuminate and be illuminated by the arts. Covering a wide variety of art forms, it seeks to show both how the Christian faith can transform the way we experience and create art, and also how the arts can enrich and enliven our practice of the Christian faith. We will take an in-depth look at the disciplines, habits, patterns, preferences, studies, and work of artists across a variety of genres with an eye towards what it means to understand art as a vocation, a calling, and how the work of imagination and interpretation can be valuable for people of faith today. There will also be an artistic encounter in which we will study aesthetic forms in the classroom such as beauty, pleasure, and criticism, and their relationship to a life of Christian faith as, concurrently, we will experience multiple artistic and aesthetic events outside of the classroom at a variety of settings in Nashville. Reflection on the meaning, success, and possibilities of the various excursions in the light of our faith will train students for fertile cultural engagement. This course is for CEA students.