VST Summer School
July 5th to 16th, 2021
Vancouver School of Theology is pleased to announce its plans for July summer school online programming. All courses will be taught in virtual classrooms using Zoom, which allows for easy face-to-face interactions with teachers and classmates.
Vancouver School of Theology has been using Zoom with great success with it’s growing number of distance students, and is pleased to extend this opportunity to its summer school participants.
Public Lectures
Link: https://vst.edu/event/debt-of-gratitude-how-not-to-be-grateful-to-god/
Debt of Gratitude? How (not) to be grateful to God
Speaker
Miroslav Volf
July 6th, 2021 at 7pm
Link: https://vst.edu/event/come-dance-in-the-water-of-life-thomas-mertons-call-to-joy/
Come, dance in “the water of life:” Thomas Merton’s Call to Joy
Speaker
Christine Bochen
July 8th, 2021 at 7pm
Link: https://vst.edu/event/the-hidden-side-effects-of-covid-19/
The “Hidden” Side Effects of COVID-19: Moving towards a prophetic spirituality of lamentation, justice and peace
Speaker
John Swinton
July 13th, 2021 at 7pm
Courses
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/created-for-joy-thomas-mertons-spirituality-of-awareness-and-witness/
Created for Joy: Thomas Merton’s Spirituality of Awareness and Witness
Instructor
Christine Bochen
Week 1: Morning (9am – 12pm)
July 5th – 9th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/the-deeply-formed-life-spiritual-formation-for-a-new-generation/
The Deeply Formed Life: Spiritual Formation for a New Generation
Instructor
Rich Villodas
Week 1: Morning (9am – 12pm)
July 5th – 9th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/is-the-bible-still-relevant-today/
Is the Bible Still Relevant Today?
Instructor
Gerbern Oegema
Week 1: Morning (9am – 12pm)
July 5th – 9th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/the-home-of-god-a-brief-story-of-everything/
The Home of God: A Brief Story of Everything
Instructor
Miroslav Volf
Week 1: Morning (9am – 12pm)
July 5th – 9th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/tikkun-olam-a-jewish-tradition-of-world-repair/
Tikkun Olam: A Jewish Tradition of World Repair
Instructor
Rabbi Julie Danan
Week 1: Afternoon (2 – 5pm)
July 5th – 9th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/the-unexpected-surprising-wisdom-in-the-parables-of-jesus/
The Unexpected: Surprising Wisdom in the Parables of Jesus
Instructor
Steve Black
Week 1: Afternoon (2 – 5pm)
July 5th – 9th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/theologizing-in-the-time-of-covid-revelations-from-the-plague/
Theologizing in the Time of COVID: Revelations from the Plague
Instructor
Donna Bowman
Week 1: Afternoon (2 – 5pm)
July 5th – 9th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/trauma-and-theology-intersectional-narratives-of-healing/
Trauma and Theology: Intersectional Narratives of Healing
Instructor
Septemmy Lakawa
Week 1: Evening (6 – 9pm)
July 5th – 9th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/job-through-the-centuries/
Job Through the Centuries
Instructor
Jin H. Han
Week 2: Morning (9am – 12pm)
July 12th – 16th, 2021
Crossing the Generation Gap: Understanding Young Adult Faith in Complicated Times
Instructor
Ruth Perrin
Week 2: Morning (9am – 12pm)
July 12th – 16th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/living-faithfully-with-mental-health-challenges-why-theology-matters/
Living Faithfully With Mental Health Challenges: Why Theology Matters
Instructor
John Swinton
Week 2: Morning (9am – 12pm)
July 12th – 16th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/pilgrims-together-forging-an-inter-generational-ecclesiology/
Pilgrims Together: Forging an Inter-generational Ecclesiology
Instructor
Holly Catterton Allen
Week 2: Afternoon (2 – 5pm)
July 12th – 16th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/gospels-according-to-musical-theatre-race-and-redemption/
Gospels According to Musical Theatre: Race and Redemption
Instructor
Peter Gordon Elliott & Nathan LeRud
Week 2: Afternoon (2 – 5pm)
July 12th – 16th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/loosening-the-tongue-the-practice-of-preaching-with-few-or-no-notes/
Loosening the Tongue: The Practice of Preaching with Few (or No) Notes
Instructor
Melissa Skelton
Week 2: Afternoon (2 – 5pm)
July 12th – 16th, 2021
Link: https://vst.edu/courses/mary-for-protestants/
Mary for Protestants
Instructor
Tim Perry & Jason Byassee
Week 2: Afternoon (2 – 5pm)
July 12th – 16th, 2021
Tuition
Audit & Certificate Tuition
Regular Registration: $270/course
For Continuing Education Certificate credit, tuition is an additional $75/course.
Degree Tuition
Degree tuition follows the regular tuition rates set for the 2020-2021 academic year. Each 15-hour class earns 1.5 degree credit hours. Do not register online if you need degree credit.
Please contact the VST Registrar to register for degree credit.
Summer School Information
Course Expectations
- Summer courses are open to all interested participants. There are no prerequisites or theological training needed to audit a course. Auditors attend and participate in the course but are not required to submit any assignments for grading. It is our hope that all summer school students will be able to participate in real-time in the virtual classrooms, although an asynchronous option for auditors is available if necessary. All degree and certificate students are required to be synchronous.
Equipment Requirements for Synchronous Distance Learning
- A relatively recent laptop, desktop, or mobile device (smartphone or tablet)
- If using a desktop computer, an external webcam will most likely be required.
- A headset with built-in microphone, or a pair of headphones and your device’s built-in microphone (i.e. laptop mic). Headphones are required for the best audio experience.
Continuing Education Certificate Credit
If reading and writing help you engage more deeply with course material, you may want to consider taking a class for Continuing Education Certificate credit. Work expectations include preparation and reading before the start of the course with a graded reflection paper following.
Degree Credit
Most Summer School courses are also available for 1.5 credits of either basic or advanced graduate degree credit. If you are interested in taking a course for degree credit towards your VST degree program, or to transfer into a comparable theological degrees elsewhere, please email registrar@vst.edu. (Do not register online.)
Course Outlines & Required Readings
Course outlines and required reading texts will be posted online as they arrive (likely by end of April). Please refer to each individual course above to find course outlines and required reading.
Textbooks
Please make your own arrangements for acquisition of the Required Texts for your course through your local bookstores. Online bookstores such as Indigo.ca or Amazon.ca have competitive prices with fast shipping to your neighbourhood.
Financial Aid
The H.R. MacMillan Fund for Clergy Continuing Education provides funding for Clergy continuing education in British Columbia, or for any clergy person taking courses at Vancouver School of Theology.
Course Cancellation
In the event of low registrations, some courses may be cancelled. Please register early to avoid disappointment. Information on course cancellation will be available on our website in early June. If VST has to cancel a course, you will be given a full refund.
Withdrawal Policy
If you withdraw from a course, notification must be received in writing to the Registrar by the dates below, in all cases $25/course will be non-refundable. Of the remaining fees, the following are refunded depending on the date of withdrawal:
• 100% refunded if notification received 7 days prior to the 1st day of classes;
• 80% refunded if notification received between 7 days and the 1st day of classes;
• 40% refunded if notification received by the 2nd day of classes;
• After the 2nd day of classes, no refund can be given