Critical examination of the rise of ideological thinking and its consequences for political and economic institutions.

The class is intended to prepare the student to critically engage with a dominant and increasingly influential family of philosophical, political, social, and legal theories broadly categorized as “Leftist” and “Progressive.” The student will be exposed to multiple texts and perspectives in order to be able to compare and contrast Progressive ideas with the biblical Christian worldview. The goal is to introduce the student to the thinkers and original texts that have originated these views while simultaneously and continuously exposing them to Christian appraisal and thereby to develop in the student a robust Christian response that is adequate to equip him/her for engagement with the American culture. This will produce a powerful defender of the biblical Christian worldview in academic, legal, political, and social spheres.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will read the prompt and submit an initial thread of at least 300 words to the Discussion assignment during the appropriate Module: Week. The student must then respond to another thread in at least 200 words.

Short Response Essay Assignments (3)

The student will complete the assigned readings and then follow instructions to complete a short response essay of at least 500 words. All essays must adhere to current Turabian style.

Research Paper Assignment

The student will select from a list of topics/research questions, conduct library research uncovering 10-15 scholarly sources, and use those sources to describe the contemporary conversation on the topic before presenting a penetrating analysis and critique. The paper will include comparison between contemporary secular and Christian worldviews as the central focus and goal. The paper should be between 2500-3500 words or 10-15 pages in length. Current Turabian style is required.

Reflection Essay Assignment

The student will apply the concepts learned throughout the course in a brief analysis/critique to a pivotal legislative act from the past. The finished paper should be no less than 500 words and adhere to current Turabian style.

Quizzes (8)

Each module will have a quiz that covers the reading assignments for that Module: Week. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, will be limited to 2 hours, will allow 1 attempt, and will contain multiple-choice and true/false questions.