Housing Justice Course at Denver Seminary, June 22-July 2, 2015

You are invited to take part in a ground-breaking course dealing with America’s growing housing crisis. Learn how this crisis is being addressed by experts in the field.  What role do churches play in helping to create affordable housing and changing policies so that there is sufficient affordable housing for all–from the homeless and very low-income to those who cannot afford to live in the communities where they work. Dr. Jill Shook, nationally known as an advocate for housing justice, has helped to create hundreds of affordable units in her city and has written a book on affordable housing used as a text in college course and also by advocates across the nation. She has taught doctoral courses at Azusa Pacific, Bakke Graduate School and given workshops for the past 15 years at the Christian Community Development Association and elsewhere. Her work has been translated into Spanish and is being shared with pastors not only in the United States but also in Latin America.

This course will not simply be academic. It will take students into areas of Denver where Christian housing developers and visionaries are transforming their community through housing. Come and see how God is at work in this beautiful city!

Denver Seminary offers a unique Master of Arts degree in Justice and Mission, with courses on social issues like immigration, health justice—and now, housing justice. Housing Justice is a new course that will be offered June 22-July 2, 2015.  Dr. Jill Shook will be teaching this two-week intensive.

This course is open to anyone, not just Denver Seminary students. Note the registration dates however, the registrar needs a count on the number of students by May 10. International students will need to be register by March 15. So if you or someone you know is interested, please enroll soon.

Course Description

Housing Justice: Theological and Practical Foundations (JM 645): Develops a theological and practical understanding of how housing justice is part of God’s mission. It provides a comprehensive look at ways to house communities in light of biblical land use laws and the just and fair distribution of land and housing. Case studies are examined, which includes how churches and Gospel-driven visionaries are addressing the housing crisis, creating affordable housing, and transforming people and communities. Interactive assignments and site visits provide first-hand experience to engage with affordable housing developers and best practice models. Two hours.

To further pique your interest, here’s the reading list for the class – some really powerful and inspiring works!

Required Reading

• A Decent Home: Planning, Building, and Preserving Affordable Housing, Allan Mallach
• Making Housing Happen: Faith-based Affordable Housing Models, 2nd Edition, Jill Suzanne Shook
• Streets of Hope: The Fall and Rise of an Urban Neighborhood, Holly Sklar
• The Biblical Vision of Sabbath Economics, Ched Myers (available on Ched’s website)
• The Land: Place as Gift, Promise, and Challenge in Biblical Faith, 2nd Edition, Walter Brueggemann

Suggested Reading

• A Theology As Big As the City, Ray Bakke
• A Theology of the Built Environment: Justice, Empowerment, Redemption, Timothy J. Gorringe
• City of God, City of Satan: A Biblical Theology of the Urban Church, Robert C. Linthicum
• Real Hope in Chicago: The Incredible Story of How the Gospel Is Transforming a Chicago Neighborhood, Wayne Gordon
• Roots for Radicals: Organizing for Power, Action, and Justice, by Ed Chambers
• Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith, Eric O. Jacobsen
• The Theology of the Hammer, Millard Fuller
• Theirs Is the Kingdom: Celebrating the Gospel in Urban America, Robert Lupton

A link to the course and all books are available through the Denver Seminary bookstore website under Summer 2015.

Course Registration

All applicants must apply for admission through Denver Seminary. To begin the application process, please visit this site: http://www.denverseminary.edu/admissions/admission-application/. There are several ways to register:

1) If you’d like to take the course for earned credit, you’ll need to apply for admission. You can apply as a non-degree student, which is a much quicker process than for degree applicants. For more information, contact: admissions@denverseminary.edu. The cost is $540 per credit hour and please register as soon as possible.

2) For auditing, there are two options

a. Audit with record: You’ll receive a transcript of your course audit. This requires a brief application process – contact admissions@denverseminary.edu. The cost is $175 per credit hour.

b. Audit without record: No transcript will be provided. This option is just $35 but applicants need to meet one of the following criteria:

• Denver Seminary graduate
• Mentor of a current student or of the student’s spouse
• Spouse of a currently enrolled student
• Full-time employees of Denver Seminary and their spouses/children
• Denver Seminary board members
• Individuals ages 65+ years
• Full-time Christian employees of non-profit Christian organizations

To audit without record, contact the registrar’s office (registrar@denverseminary.edu) and apply at least a month before the course begins. Seating is limited to 10% of the class enrollment and is first come, first served, so apply early.

3) Visiting Student Applicant (The cost is $540 per hour)

Students from other accredited graduate schools are welcome to study on a limited basis. A visiting student may not become a degree-seeking student unless they complete the requirements outlined for a transfer student. Application procedures for a visiting student are as follows:

1. Submit a completed application along with a $35 application processing fee.

2.Submit a letter from the chief academic officer indicating that the applicant is a student in good standing and authorizing the courses in which the applicant will enroll.

3. Official transcripts from current school, if requested.

Please feel free to share this information with anyone who might be interested, especially those in the Denver area. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at jill@makinghousinghappen.com. I hope to see you in June!