Kuyper College Spring Session

May 5 - May 23  

Kuyper College is offering eight intensive, three-week courses in May. Spring Session offers a great opportunity for full-time students to shift gears and focus on just one course for three weeks.  Five classes will meet on campus Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Three of the courses will travel to Colorado, Guatemala, or the Dominican Republic. These courses are also open to the general public, either for credit, for personal enrichment, or as an auditing student.On-campus courses may be taken for personal enrichment at a cost of $150 per course, or for audit at a cost of $255 per credit hour. Four-year students may take two Spring Session courses at no additional cost. Students in two-year programs may take one Spring Session course at no additional cost. Room and board will be available for the three weeks at a cost of $500. 

Students can register for Spring Session online through the student portal during registration for Winter semester (October 15-24), or during Fall semester registration in March. After online registration is closed, students need to register in person at the Academic Office.  Interested persons from the community can register by calling the Academic Office at 616-988-3639.

Bible/Theology Department

BI 454 Revelation
Professor Dan Kroeze • 3 credit hours

This course interprets the New Testament apocalypse, Revelation, examining a variety of interpretations of the book. It explains the purpose and structure of the book and discusses and applies its major themes from a historical, expositional and theological perspective for today’s church and culture. Emphasis will be on knowing the narratives, visions, and other religious material contained in the text itself. The course will also cover questions of introduction and background, as well as an examination of the characteristics of apocalyptic writings.

This course fulfills the New Testament elective requirement for the Bible and theology major.

TH 255 Apologetics
Professor George Kroeze • 3 credit hours

This course explores the major intellectual challenges that Christianity faces at the turn of the 21st century. It attempts to give reasoned responses to these objections to biblical truth for a lay audience of doubters and unbelievers. This study will include a survey of the way Christians have defended the faith throughout the history of the church, and develop a biblical strategy for defending the basic teaching of historic Christianity in our own generation.

The assignments and class discussions will address questions related to the existence of God, the problem of evil, the resurrection of Christ, the possibility of miracles and the exclusive claims of the Christian worldview in a world of relativism where there are many religions. The course gives the students a beginning point for addressing these large issues.

This ability to humbly defend the Christian gospel is extremely relevant for Christians as they increasingly find themselves in a secular environment that is hostile to the Gospel. In addition, individual and corporate Christian growth involves facing opposition to Christian truth in a compassionate and honest manner.

We will respond to the clear command of scripture "…always be prepared to give a reason for the hope you have…" 1 Peter 3:15

This course fulfills the theology elective requirement for the Bible and theology major.

General Education Department

HI 317 Jewish Life, Literature, Culture and History
Professor Mel Flikkema, Rabbi Albert Lewis and Dr. Shirley Lewis - 3 credit hours

This course will introduce the student to the richness and variety of the Jewish experience from the Biblical period to the present. Rabbi Lewis will lead the students from Ur of the Chaldees to twenty-first century America and will explore Jewish traditions, life cycles, history and philosophy.

Participants will be exposed to Jewish literature from Genesis through contemporary writers (Dimont, Wiesel, Wouk, and Lawrence Kushner) and will visit the Holocaust Museum in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Students will also visit a ritual bath (Mikvah) in the Detroit area, and Temple Emanuel in Grand Rapids for a Shabbat worship service and tour. Dr. Shirley K. Lewis will provide an intensive and challenging four-session series on the Holocaust.

Through readings, written reflections, discussions, lectures and field trips, students will gain an understanding of their Jewish roots and a deeper appreciation of their own Christian beliefs.

Dr. Lewis serves as the director of the Aquinas Emeritus College. He is a well known newspaper columnist. Dr. Shirley K. Lewis, Dean of Arts and Sciences Emerita at Aquinas College, has lectured extensively about the Jewish Holocaust.

SC 205 Field Ecology
Professor Ray Gates • 4 credit hours

In this class we will explore the ecological gems of Michigan. It will be a hands-on experience into a variety of different ecosystems. Several field trips will be taken to study our streams and wetlands, including a trip to a bog, a forest, and sand dunes. We will focus on the animals and wildflowers which make these places special. We will also look at our role as Christian caretakers of God’s creation.

(Note: This class is strongly recommended for students intending to study at Calvin Theological Seminary, since at least one of the two required science courses must have a lab component. This class fulfills that prerequisite for admission to the seminary. While this course is open to all students, social work majors should be mindful that this course does NOT fulfill the science requirement for the social work program.)

CO 213 Literature from the Renaissance to the Present
Professor Lois DeVries • 3 credit hours

Have you ever wanted to read Shakespeare with someone who loves Shakespeare’s plays? Join us to study a Shakespearean comedy and a tragedy (probably Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet), one or two American novels, and some poetry. This course requires the ability to read well, to participate in vigorous discussion, to cooperate with others in group work, and the willingness to read short papers to the rest of the class. This course fulfills a literature requirement for graduation.

Professor Lois DeVries loves literature and loves teaching. She has taught for literature for many years, primarily at Grand Rapids Christian High but also at Calvin College; she is now looking forward to joining us at Kuyper.

Professional Education Department

MI 200 Ministering Cross-Culturally
Professors Teresa Renkema and Gary Teja • 3 credit hours

This is an opportunity to explore the history, culture and language of Guatemala and the role these factors play in present day poverty, exploitation and emigration. Students will be housed in Guatemala City and led by veteran youth minister, Joel Van Dyke, and Kuyper College professors, Renkema and Teja. The course will include a variety of vision trips focusing on incarnational ministry to street gangs and young people living on the streets and garbage heaps of Guatemala. A visit is also planned to a Mayan Indian village in the Guatemalan highlands to learn about village and rural life in Guatemala, as well as an exploration of the effects of the civil war in Guatemala during the 1980’s. The first week will be on-campus for pre-departure orientation in cross-cultural living. Two weeks will be spent in Guatemala.

Additional cost for this course will be approximately $1,400. This course fulfills a Global Awareness elective or a general elective. It also satisfies the YM 423 Issues in Youth Ministry course requirement for Youth Ministry majors.

SW 400 The Dominican Republic: A Cultural Immersion Experience
Professor Greg Scott • 3 credit hours

This course will introduce students to the cultural, social, political, economic and spiritual diversity of the vulnerable populations. This course is a concentrated learning experience where students understand and appreciate a culture unlike their own. Generalist social work practice will be utilized with varied and vulnerable populations. Students will become aware of the particular issues of poverty, gender, AIDS, economic strife, health care and political equality within the social strata of the Dominican Republic. Trips are planned to an orphanage, leper colony, group home, school, hospital, ghetto, street ministry, market and university

The total estimated cost for this course is $2000. Students interested in this course must fill out an application which can be obtained from Professor Scott. Enrollment is limited to 12.

This course fulfills the Cultural Anthropology requirement for social work majors and can be used as a Global Awareness elective.

ED/YM 411 Christian Camping, Conference and Retreat Ministries
Professor Brian Telzerow • 3 credit hours

ED/YM 411 is a practical course designed to introduce students to the theology, philosophy, and methodology of utilizing camps and retreats as well as wilderness settings in ministry to youth. Students will explore this subject through readings, instruction, discussion, and most importantly through guided experiential involvement at local camping properties and in the Colorado backcountry. Personal journaling and a solo experience are both important parts of this course.

This course will take place during the first three weeks of the May-term schedule (including a weekend between) with travel to four camps in the area and to Colorado. Travel time to and from these camps accounts for the first week of the May-term schedule. Space will be limited to the first 10 educational ministries and youth ministry juniors and seniors.  Cost for this course will be an additional $425.