Your semester in this class should ideally build on your past, expose you to the work of people in and out of your own church circles, correct any consequential misunderstandings, and equip you to become a full participant in our grand theological tradition, and especially in the local tradition that helped raise you.
To encourage this, I am asking you to identify an elder to serve as a 'mentor' this semester. Your mentor needs to be someone at least four years older than you, whom you know and respect: an immediate or extended family member, pastor, godparent or family friend, or teacher. He or she will need to read one of our course books and have a few conversations with you over the semester regarding the book and the course as a whole. I highly recommend that you not choose someone at Westmont (faculty or staff), since they tend to get many of these requests as the years go by. I highly recommend instead that you choose someone from your life outside and before Westmont.
You may choose from among any of the books assigned for this course that you are already reading. If you choose someone with no formal background in theology, then I recommend a more accessible book. Someone with a formal theological background might prefer a more technical one. Any could be right for a teacher. At any rate, you know these people better than I do; try to arrive at a combination that will be rewarding and instructive for both of you.
In the past, some mentors have turned out to be too busy to read and discuss the book effectively. Please make absolutely sure your mentor really has the time to devote to this by the time you are due to finish the book yourself.
Here are the details of this assignment:
Early in the semester, find a mentor who agrees to read one of your books with you. Note who that person is, his or her contact information (e-mail or phone, preferably e-mail), and what book he or she is reading.
Over the semester, have at least three conversations, commenting about each when you submit your completed assignment:
- Early in the semester, have a conversation with your mentor about the course in general. You might wish to ask about a few of your responses in your entrance exam, or the shape of the course, or the readings you're doing. Summarize one or more things that you or your mentor took away from that conversation. I'm not looking for a lengthy entry, let alone a transcript; spend the time talking with your mentor.
- Schedule a time after you both will be at least halfway through your book to have a conversation about it. In your assignment, describe your mentor's assessment of the book and summarize what either or both of you have learned in the course of reading and discussing it. This is the most important entry. It can still be brief.
- Near the end of the semester and after you both finish your book, have another conversation about the course in general and how it might pertain to life beyond college. Summarize, again briefly, at least one 'takeaway' from that conversation.
Where you refer to any course materials, you will of course need to cite them properly. I also still want to see proper style, clear writing, a thorough answer to the question, and explicit citations of course materials. I hope you come away with not only a better understanding of the book, but especially with a new understanding of one another!