Week 1:
Overall Research Framework
| Pre-class readings |
Preclass Activities
Overall framework With each reading in the course, enter it into Endnote or Soteiro, with keyword, "Thesis" and the topic of the article. In the notes, include a 4-6 line summary, so you can easily do an annotated blbliography at the end of your research. The following are some approaches to action-based theological research that we have discussed previously. Read any you have missed. Then read the chapters in Doing Development research. They are short.
Social Theory (Make sure you read these required texts)
Citywide Church Growth Research If you are planning on church growth research read the following:
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Online Discussion |
Towards a Biblical Theology of ResearchOne third of the Old Testament is Wisdom Literature. Is the knowledge of God found through wisdom? or through piety? or through walking with him in justice-making? This was the theme of TUL530 on Urban Spirituality. There are whole streams of Judaism, Christianity and Islam committed to this wisdom tradition. Preceding these, is the Buddha, who taught the way of enlightenment, and Socrates, Plato, Aristotle arose in a similar era, defining the framwework of Western thought about how to "know truth". So there appears to be a universal human understanding that the knowledge of God is implanted within us, but we must reflect on it, and search it out. Having said that, Solomon indicates limits to wisdom in Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 and 8:16-17. This course introduces you to the academe, gives you initial skills, and some theoretical basis as you engage in a limited study. But keep it limited. Do well within those limits. But do not be overly ambitious. Planning Slum-based Participatory Research The research we undertake within urban poor communities has a particular character that can be described as community-based, participatory, and action-oriented. Rather than merely obtain knowledge for knowledge’s sake, our research aims to contribute to the practical concerns of urban poor residents in their immediate community or problematic situation through by a collaborative process and within a mutually acceptable ethical framework. As a by-product, it also contributes to the goals of social science. The relationship between researcher and researched is fundamentally changed to recognize the unique strengths that grassroots organizations bring to social change efforts.
What community organization we elect to affiliate with depends, to a large extent, on the particular issue or topic we decide to focus our research on. The range of potential topics is as broad as social experience. Nevertheless, nine challenges closely correlate with the everyday life of urban poor groups: (1) inadequate income which gives rise to inadequate consumption levels of basic life necessities, (2) low educational attainment, (3)inadequate shelter (poor quality, overcrowded and insecure), (4) inadequate provision of “public” infrastructure (piped water, sanitation, drainage, roads, footpaths, etc.), (5) inadequate provision of basic services (daycare centers, schools, vocational training centers, health-care clinics, public transport, law enforcement, etc.); (6) inadequate protection of marginal groups’ rights through the operation of the law, (7) voicelessness and powerlessness of poorer groups within political systems and bureaucratic structures, (8) low levels of moral-spiritual integrity reflected invision, values, affections, habits, and ways of thinking; and (9) inadequate accountability from aid agencies, NGOs, public agencies and private utilities. Carefully consider what quality-of-life issue you wish to research, along with the assets of prospective urban poor organizations addressing that challenge.
Engage as directed throughout weeks 2 and 3 with both forum analyses and presenting this in class with brief bullet points each week. Transformational Conversations as Research to begin discussion. It is based on a Definition of Conversations Read Slimbach's Real World Research, and begin to work though the items in appendix C: the Project Plan This course is a seminar, responsive to your needs as you do your research, as against a methods course. The reason is that in each course of the degree there is one or more research methods developed. Go back through your various classes and identify the research methodologies you have learned across the degree. We have reviewed most of them in the previous classes this semester. Here we will simply integrate what we have learned:
In two of these courses you were assigned an annotated Bibliography. In two you were assigned a literature review process. Please go to the page on the MATUL as a Research Degree and fill in the gaps based on your experience, then submit to the evaluation in the assignments. |
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ForumsAssignments |
Select Forums from the Course Links navigation menu and then Topic 1: Planning Slum-based Participatory Research. Go to assignments and look at assignment 1. |