Enrique Dussel and the Philosophy and Ethics of Liberation

Dubbed the “Hegel of Coyoacán,” referring to the Nahuatl name for a neighborhood in Mexico City, Enrique Dussel (1934-2023) produced an impressive body of work in dialogue with a wide range of philosophical, theological, and other voices across history and geography. Thinking from the context of Latin America, Dussel grounds his philosophy and ethics in the materiality of human beings, specifically those who are excluded from the world system of capitalist globalization, modernity, and Eurocentric epistemology. Critically engaging traditions from phenomenology and Critical Theory to pragmatism and communitarianism, Dussel consistently identifies how European and Anglophone philosophy, even in its progressive and radical voices, routinely fail to account for colonialism as a distinct, world-defining process, holding back their ability to authentically understand or philosophize about the realities of people outside their geographical contexts, the majority of the global population. For Dussel, philosophy must contribute to the liberation of oppressed people, dismantling systems of domination and contributing to material alternatives. This course explores two foundational texts in Dussel’s oeuvre, Philosophy of Liberation, published in 1977 shortly after his exile from Argentina to Mexico, and Ethics of Liberation, his magnum opus, both of which provide opportunities to also critically examine other philosophers including Karl Marx, Rosa Luxemburg, Charles Taylor, Emmanuel Levinas, Alisdair MacIntyre, and more.

Dr. Dean Dettloff
122904/222904
Online Intensive
Dates TBA
Mondays and Wednesdays; 7-9pm ET
(MA-PhD, MWS)

Syllabus

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. (Note that the first class for this course takes place on -). Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

Christian Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practise

Christian Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practise is a course that seeks to help Christian educators develop their understanding and application of deeper learning. We will consider what it means to be image-bearers of God called to care for our neighbours and to be engaged in real work that is part of God’s story. Considering these ideas will inform classroom practices and signature pedagogies in apparent, unintended, and even transformative ways. Together we will examine the importance of global citizenship as a form of Christian Deeper Learning and the impact it has on developing a caring and just world.

Dr. Edith van der Boom

260004 S26*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous/In-Person Intensive)

(MA-EL, MWS)

Syllabus

Required Books:

1. Crouch, A. (2008). Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling. InterVarsity Press.

Google Books sells it as an eBook

Students can buy the book directly through the publisher, InterVarsity Press.

Barnes and Noble also sells the book.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. (Note that the first class for this course takes place on - ). Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 3 of the CSTC

What's Christian About Christian Education?: Reformational Philosophy

This course will offer you an opportunity to reflect about what it means to teach or educate “Christianly.” It will situate a Reformational understanding of Christian education within two distinct types of “context”: first, the “spirits of the age” that are at work influencing our shared modern, Canadian society; and second, the local context of the school you work at. The ‘spiritual’ context will help us see Christian education as an alternative, not simply to “secular” education, but to other patterns of spiritual formation, like consumerist education or workaholic education. The ‘local’ context will then allow us to discuss how Christian education can be ‘put to work’ in your day-to-day activities as a teacher or administrator. The goal is to give you time, space, and resources to develop a clearer understanding of how faith impacts education in general, and how your faith shapes what you do as an educator more specifically.

Dr. Neal DeRoo

1107AC / 2107AC S26

Remote (Online Synchronous)

Dates/Time TBA

(MWS, MA-EL)

Syllabus

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register April 17, 2026. Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 2 of the CSTC

Called to Teach: Formation and Learning

Called to Teach is designed to inspire and support K-12 educators in their personal and professional journey of teaching and learning. Through this course, participants will explore their vocation as educators, reflecting on their teaching practice in the context of faith and spiritual disciplines. This inner journey invites educators to seek refreshment and renewal in their work while considering the formation and learning of their students.

The course aims to address these key questions:

• What is my calling as an educator?
• How can I intentionally live out my calling in teaching and leadership?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

260001 S26*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MWS, MA-EL)

Syllabus

Required Books

1. Palmer, P. J. (2017). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. Jossey-            Bass

2. Smith, D. I. & Felch, S. M. (2016). Teaching and Christian imagination. Eerdmans.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register April 17, 2026. Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 4 of the CSTC

Lead From Where You Are: Making a Difference in the Face of Tough Problems, Big Questions, and Organizational Politics

Leadership is not about personality, authority, position, influence, or power as such. Leadership is an art, a craft, a practice, to which everyone is called sometime or other, in widely different situations. Leadership can be practiced with varying degrees of authority, from any position, at varying scales of influence, and with varying access to different sources of power. Leadership is the work of motivating a group of people to act in certain ways as they shape what they share. 

In this course we will explore how to contribute leadership when we have a particular, recognized position of authority in a group, and also regardless of our position in a group. We will learn how to contribute leadership when our group has clear, commonly agreed-upon procedures and goals, and when there are not (or not yet) clear, commonly agreed-upon procedures and goals (so that we must practice imaginative discernment). We will learn how to contribute leadership both to make beneficial change happen and to ensure needed maintenance.

Dr. Gideon Strauss

132504 / 260003 S26*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MWS, MA-EL)

Syllabus

Required Books

1. Crouch, A. Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk & True Flourishing.

2. Heifetz, R.A., Grashow, A. & Linsky, M. The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. 

3. Lencioni, P. The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business. 

4. Williams, D. Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register April 17, 2026. Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 2 or 4 of the CSTC