Distance Courses

NEWS
ICS Launches Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics

INTERDISCIPLINARY
CONFERENCE
TRUTH MATTERS
Toronto, August 18–20

Distance Learning

In keeping with ICS's commitment to education that is truly globally accessible, ICS is working to offer an increasing number of courses in distance mode. Distance Education provides the opportunity to structure graduate study in a flexible manner, even when a person is working full-time. Study preferences are individual, and students can adapt a course to suit their own favoured approaches. The courses employ a mix of print-based materials and online support. Check our Distance Learning FAQ for more information.

Click here to register for a distance course.

Beginning September 2010
Biblical Foundations ICSD 1108AC/2108AC F10 Instructor TBD (MWS, MA, PhD)	This course will explore the Bible as the ongoing story of and for God and creation, paying special attention to the way in which God's story is intertwined with that of humanity and the world. In asking whether and in what way the Bible is also our story, we will attempt to identify which hermeneutical methods might help us discern its significance for present day life, including the academic enterprise.
Ways of Learning ICSD 120305/220305 F10 CSTC 1540 Dr. Doug Blomberg (MWS, MA, PhD)	Participants in the course will investigate and evaluate significant perspectives on the learning process in order to understand the assumptions of various theories and to interpret these from a biblically-informed standpoint. They will review current research into child development and learning (e.g. brain research, cognitive processes, multiple intelligences, learning styles) in seeking to develop a coherent understanding of the relationships between various learning theories, on the basis of a Christian view of the person and of knowledge. An action research project will enable participants to test an approach to learning in the context of their own classrooms.
Beginning January 2011
Curriculum: Organising the World for Learning ICSD 120307/220307 W11 CSTC 1531 Dr. Doug Blomberg (MWS, MA, PhD)	Curriculum is the selection and organisation of experience for pedagogical purposes. The criteria that determine what is selected and how it is organised articulate fundamental values about the nature of the world and our calling in it. This course will encourage critical evaluation of the criteria that are commonly employed and of how the curriculum can be shaped to better reflect a Christian worldview. Curriculum is conceived not as a static collection of materials, but as a dynamic plan that directs the learning process and governs the organically developing relationship between teachers and learners. Teachers are curriculum workers, charged with reflective responsibility as they conduct themselves in their profession. Whether adopting and adapting an externally prescribed curriculum or designing a curriculum from its inception, Christian teachers have a responsibility to ensure that the curriculum reflects a biblical worldview, in structure as well as in content, and that learners are invited to respond from their hearts in obedience to the call of God in Christ, Scripture and creation.
Beginning September 2011
Wisdom and Schooling ICSD 120306/220306 F11 CSTC Area II Dr. Doug Blomberg (MWS, MA, PhD)	This course explores a biblical understanding of wisdom as an alternative to the theory into practice paradigm, which has dominated the way in which schooling is conducted at virtually all levels. According to the theory/practice story, schooling is the process by which theoretical insight and abstract academic understanding lay the foundations for an abundant life. The Christian gospel proclaims, however, that walking in the way of Jesus is truth and life. The challenge to the Christian school and the Christian teacher is how to be in the world of schooling while not being in it. The implications of a wisdom perspective for schooling in general will be considered; however, as learning and the curriculum are the foci of other courses, this course attends more closely to issues related to teaching.
Beginning January 2012
Leadership: Vision and Mission ICSD 120301/220302 W12 CSTC 1560, Area II & IV Dr. Doug Blomberg (MWS, MA, PhD)	This course is designed to enable participants to understand, develop and encourage faithful leadership in Christian schools. School leaders are a vital link in the translation of parents' hopes and priorities into the life of classrooms. The vision of Christian schooling that leaders seek to sustain, is not simply their own, but that of the supporting community. This is both exciting and challenging. Where does the vision come from? What are the components of an educational vision? How is a vision articulated? How does a vision inform the educational agenda? How does a vision grow and flourish through generations of parents, teachers and students? Christian schools have developed a variety of management structures to support their vision for Christ-centered education. This gives participants the opportunity to examine these structures critically in the light of: the school's and their own educational focus and values the need to nurture Christian community the need to sustain a dynamic vision for Christian schooling.
Past Courses
January 2010
Christianity & Ecological Crisis ICSD 1545/2545 S10 CSTC Area IV (Advanced PhD candidate-Chris Allers)	Christian culture is often critized for its perceived silence concerning (and even its contribution to) the global ecological crisis. Examining the work of several Christian thinkers who have sought to address this perceived gap in Christian practice and reflection, seminar participants will be asked to consider what role a strong environmental ethic should play in Christian faith.
Leadership: Vision and Mission ICSD 1332/2332 S10 CSTC 1560, Area II & IV Dr. Douglas Blomberg	This course is designed to enable students to understand, develop and encourage faithful leadership in the setting of schools committed to Christ-centred education. School leaders are a vital link in the translation of parents' hopes, dreams and priorities into the life of classrooms. The vision of Christian schooling they support and sustain is not to be simply their own, but rather the vision of the supporting school community. What are the components of an educational vision and how does it inform the educational agenda? How does a vision grow and flourish through generations of parents, teachers and students? Christian schools have developed a variety of management structures that might support a vision for Christ-centred education. This course gives the opportunity for students to examine critically these structures in the light of the central educational focus of the school, the need to nurture Christian community and to sustain a dynamic vision for Christian schooling.
September 2009
	No distance courses offered this term.
January 2009
Biblical Foundations ICSD 1215/2215 S09 CSTC Area I Nik Ansell	This course will explore the Bible as the ongoing story of and for God and creation, paying special attention to the way in which God's story is intertwined with that of humanity and the world. In asking whether and in what way the Bible is also our story, we will attempt to identify which hermeneutical methods might help us discern its significance for present day life, including the academic enterprise.
Wisdom & Schooling ICSD 1324/2324 S09 CSTC Area II Doug Blomberg	This course is only available through distance learning. This course explores the thesis that a biblical view of wisdom provides a legitimate alternative to the theory/practice paradigm, which has dominated the practice of schooling at virtually all levels. It considers the implications of this for how we address epistemological issues and for how we conceive of learning, teaching and the curriculum. An integral epistemology is proposed, in which knowing is construed as a process of immersion, withdrawal and return. This translates into a curricular rhythm of play, problem-posing and purposeful response.
Faithful Thinking as ‘World’ Orientation: Augustine, Aquinas, Dooyeweerd, Olthuis ICSD 1441/2441 S09 CSTC Area IV Robert Sweetman	This course is designed to explore the challenges and choices that face Christian thinkers in their confrontation with non-Christian philosophical thought. It examines four thinkers, one from each of the eras of western Christian experience, in their encounter with dominant philosophical figures of their world. It looks at their struggle to be both sensitive to those figures and integrally Christian in their thinking as a mirror in which we today can examine our stuggle for Christian integrity in our scholarly work as well.
September 2008
Curriculum: Organizing the World for Learning ICSD 1322/2322 F08 CSTC Area III Doug Blomberg	Curriculum is the selection and organization of experience for pedagogical purposes. The criteria that determine what is selected and how it is organized articulate fundamental values about the nature of the world and our calling in it. This course will encourage critical evaluation of the criteria that are commonly employed and of how the curriculum can be shaped to better reflect a Christian worldview. The curriculum is conceived of not as a static collection of materials, but as a dynamic plan that directs the learning process in the context of an organically developing teaching/learning relationship. There will thus be a concern throughout with the concrete impact of various curricular perspectives on how effectively teachers teach and how well children learn
Religion, Life and Society: Reformational Philosophy ICSD 1715/2715 F08 Tricia Van Dyk Groenewold	An exploration of central issues in philosophy, as addressed by Herman Dooyeweerd, Dirk Vollenhoven, and the “Amsterdam School” of neoCalvinian thought. The course tests the relevance of this tradition for recent developments in Western philosophy. Special attention is given to critiques of foundationalism, metaphysics, and modernity within reformational philosophy and in other schools of thought.
Spring 2008
Christianity & Ecological Crisis ICSD 1545/2545 S08 CSTC Area IV Ron Kuipers	Christian culture is often criticized for its perceived silence concerning (and even its contribution to) the global ecological crisis. Examining the work of several Christian thinkers who have sought to address this perceived gap in Christian practice and reflection, seminar participants will be asked to consider what role a strong environmental ethic should play in Christian faith.
Leadership: Vision & Mission ICSD 1324/2324 S08 CSTC, Area II & IV Professor: Dr. Lee Hollaar	This course is only available through distance learning. This course is designed to enable students to understand and develop faithful leadership in the school setting. It requires critical reflection on educational and leadership values, in the light of the central educational focus of the school and the need to nurture Christian community while sustaining a dynamic vision for Christian schooling.
Fall 2007
Worldview Foundations ICSD 1915 F07 CSTC 1020 Area IV Kenn Hermann	This course is only available through distance learning. In this course we will begin to locate the reformational tradition as part of the larger reformed tradition, in its continuities and distinctiveness. We will also examine some characteristic features of this tradition, particularly those that inform our view of God’s world and our attempts to live out all aspects of our calling in all aspects of God’s world. We will examine the role of philosophy within a reformational worldview and also look at some of its larger contours in a variety of Christian organizations.
Spring 2007
Biblical Foundations ICSD 1215/2215 S07 CSTC, Area I Nik Ansell	This course will explore the Bible as the ongoing story of and for God and creation, paying special attention to the way in which God's story is intertwined with that of humanity and the world. In asking whether and in what way the Bible is also our story, we will attempt to identify which hermeneutical methods might help us discern its significance for present day life, including the academic enterprise.
Wisdom & Schooling ICSD 1324/2324 S07 CSTC, Area II Doug Blomberg	This course is only available through distance learning. This course explores the thesis that a biblical view of wisdom provides a legitimate alternative to the theory/practice paradigm, which has dominated the practice of schooling at virtually all levels. It considers the implications of this for how we address epistemological issues and for how we conceive of learning, teaching and the curriculum. An integral epistemology is proposed, in which knowing is construed as a process of immersion, withdrawal and return. This translates into a curricular rhythm of play, problem-posing and purposeful response.
Fall 2006
Ways of Learning ICSD 1323/2323 F06 CSTC, Area III Doug Blomberg	This course is an investigation and evaluation of current understandings of the learning process in the classroom situation, with special attention to the diversity of ways of learning and the influence of worldviews in shaping various theoretical positions and educational practices. An extended action research project enables testing of theoretical concepts in concrete contexts.
Religion, Life and Society: Reformational Philosophy ICSD 1215/2215 F06 Lambert Zuidervaart	An exploration of central issues in philosophy, as addressed by Herman Dooyeweerd, Dirk Vollenhoven, and the "Amsterdam School" of neoCalvinian thought. The course tests the relevance of this tradition for recent developments in Western philosophy. Special attention is given to critiques of foundationalism, metaphysics, and modernity within reformational philosophy and in other schools of thought.