GR101 – Introduction to Graduate School

Instructor: Stan Meyer, PhD
Dates:  October 27 – December 29, 2024 • Fall • 2024-2025
Location: Populi (https://mjti.populiweb.com)

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students to MJTI, its mission, and its approach to Messianic Jewish education. It explores essential graduate skills such as critical thinking, source evaluation, online research, academic writing, interaction with an online learning community, and effective time management. Students will reflect on who they are as scholars and members of a learning community, engaging with those of different perspectives and living with theological tension.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this course successfully, students will be able to:

• Describe the vision and approach of MJTI to Messianic Jewish education.
• Conduct online research, including locating and evaluating academic sources.
• Demonstrate graduate-level writing skills, properly format papers, cite in SBL format, and communicate using a scholarly tone.
• Positively engage an online learning community in civil discourse, preparing and presenting slide presentations.
• Think critically, theologically, interculturally, and Jewishly, and as a minister of the gospel.

RELATIONSHIP TO THE CURRICULUM
This course is a prerequisite for incoming students and is required for all MJTI programs of study.

RELEVANCE
Graduate learning is different from non-formal and undergraduate studies. It requires critical thinking, academic skills, time management skills, and scholarly writing ability. Messianic Jewish education requires thinking theologically and Jewishly. Moreover, Biblical thinking requires students to consider the implications for ministry. This course seeks to prepare students in all of these areas.

PREREQUISITES
No prerequisites.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
A computer, internet access, video conferencing equipment, Zoom, and access to MS Word.

COURSE FORMAT
This course meets once a week by Zoom for one hour for eight weeks from Oct 27 – Dec 20. The dates are to be determined based on student schedules.

REQUIREMENTS
This course will have weekly reading assignments, short videos, discussion board posts, quizzes, a 5-minute slide presentation, and one 2-page research paper.

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Shore, Zachary. Grad School Essentials: A Crash Course in Scholarly Skills. Oakland, California: University of California Press. 2016.. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520963269.
• Nogalski, Melanie & Nogalski, James. Student Supplement for the SBL Handbook of Style. 2nd Ed. SBL Press. 2015. https://www.sbl-site.org/

REQUIRED AUDIO-VISUAL OR ONLINE MATERIALS
The following are links to very short assigned online articles and videos. You will be assigned reading from this list.

• https://mjti.populiweb.com/
• https://www.mjti.org/about/ (5 pp)
• How to read a course syllabus (3 min)
• How I Organize My Busy Schedule, Student Ed. (6 min)
• The Learning Center. “How to Skim a Book”. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Dr. Meyer’s Writing Guidelines Checklist (1 p)
• Lopes Writing Center “The Writing Process”. Grand Canyon University.
• Student Success Center. “How to Cite Properly.” Grand Canyon University
• Harvard Guide to Using Sources. “Avoiding Plagiarism”. Harvard University. (sect. 1-4).
• How to Insert Citations in Word (Mac) (video)
• How to Add Citations in Word (Mac) (article)
• How to Insert Citations in Word (Windows) (video)
• How to Add Citations in Word (Windows) (article)
• How to Set Styles in Word (Mac) video
• How to set styles in Word (article)
• Making Better Slide Presentations (article)
• Creating Effective Slide Presentations for Class (slides)
• Center for Teaching Excellence. “Facilitating Effective Discussions”. The University of Waterloo.
• Hartney, E. “10 Basic Netiquette Rules”. Very Well Mind. 28 June 2023
• Iagoo, Krystal. “How to Cope with Zoom Fatigue”. Very Well Mind. 23 May 2022
• Anderson, Will. “Don’t Run from Tension”. The Gospel Coalition. 6 July 2022.
• Raymond, Erik. “Run Into the Tension”. The Gospel Coalition. 2018 Nov 29
• Schulten, Katherine. “Talking Across Divides 10 Ways to Encourage Civil Classroom Conversation On Difficult Issues”. New York Times. Sep 29, 2016.
• Stone, Howard. And Duke, James. How to Think Theologically 4th ed. Fortress Press, 2023.(Intro, Ch 1-4, glossary).
• Cottrell, Stella. Critical Thinking Skills.4th Ed. Bloomsbury, 2023. (pp. xi – 18)• ,” Kaplan (21 pp)
• Gutierrez, Juan Marcos. What is Jewish Thinking?, Amazon Publisher. 2019. (Ch 1-4)
• “Ultimate Jewish Questions,” Hoffman (1 page)

RECOMMENDED BIBLIOGRAPHY (OPTIONAL)
Adler, Mortimer and Van Doren, Charles. How to Read a Book. Touchstone Revised Ed., 1972.
Cottrell, Stella. Critical Thinking Skills.4th Ed. Bloomsbury, 2023.
Gutierrez, Juan Marcos. What is Jewish Thinking? Amazon Publisher. 2019.
Stone, Howard. And Duke, James. How to Think Theologically 4th ed. Fortress Press, 2023.
Wood, Charles, and Blue, Ellen. Attentive to God: Thinking Theologically. Abington Press, 2008.