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Appendices C and DAppendix C. The Case
Study Approach William
James, in his book, The Varieties of
Religious Experience, gives an example of the use of the case study approach. His book may have become a classic because
he used the case study approach to make evident to his readers the points he
was making. "The New Testament
scholar, Krister Stendahl, of Harvard says that 'the Bible is actually a case
book'" (Robert A. and Alice F. Evans and Lewis and Carolyn Weeks, Case Book for Christian Living, John
Knox Press, 1977:28). Much of what we study from a religious or theological
perspective does not lend itself well to experimentation and pure forms of
scientific research. However,
nearly everything that we study can be demonstrated in a case as an example of
what we are stating. The case study
helps to make the particular point more vivid by providing an actual example of
such a phenomenon. It is a very helpful
teaching device and a means of sharing information with one another. The
primary limitation of the case study is that one example of a particular
phenomenon should not be assumed to be generalizable to the whole
population. It only demonstrates that a
particular phenomenon occurs in this particular case. One's argument gains more validity when one can state several cases
where the item being studied is being demonstrated. Since
the case study approach involves live examples of people and their life
settings, it lends itself well to discussions. Each case allows for several
alternative ways of viewing what is taking place. The best case studies are those which are left open for
discussion. The discussing of the case
helps those involved in the discussion to learn more readily from each other.
When a case is presented in a paper the author can offer a particular
explanation or observation concerning the case. This observation or interpretation of the data is subject to
debate. A
case study is valuable to the degree that the person who presents it provides
the reader or listener with adequate information and descriptions to obtain a
clear viewpoint of the situation. Thus,
it is important for the presenter of a case to provide objective and clear
details. The interpretation of the case
material should be left for a separate section in which the presenter offers
his/her opinion of what the case means.
The primary function of a case study is to show a particular example of
the point that the author is making. It
is successful to the degree that the case actually fits the point that the
author says is being demonstrated in the case.
Writing which does not include case examples is far less interesting and
the reader is likely to miss some of the points that the author is making. —Theodore A. Stoneberg
Appendix
D. Historical Studies – A Valuable Tool of Enrichment The
study of history grows naturally out of our condition as humans; we are finite
yet capable of becoming enriched by the knowledge of ideas, people, and events
prior to our lifetime. Even though we cannot experience directly the realities
of the ages before we were born, we can mentally live in those days by reading
about them. This makes writings about
earlier times extremely valuable.
Historical writing, therefore, is quite different from other genres of
literature. Historical writing is not a
report of personal experiences nor an account of creative imagination but a
description of the past based on historical records. Records of the past—usually written documents—are studied to
learn about their content and then are analyzed and interpreted to provide
comprehension. Initially the
investigation is usually very objective and rigidly scientific, but soon it
becomes quite subjective and truly artistic. Not only content but also method
is of crucial importance in the process. The end product of writing down what
happened in the past, why and how it happened, and what results this had—all of
this is historical writing. Any
past phenomenon can be the subject matter of historical writing. The history of
Christianity has attracted the attention of people throughout past ages,
especially of those who were its supporters.
Any Christian who wants to understand Christianity better will soon be
drawn into the study of its past. Keeping
in mind the unique enrichment possibilities provided by historical writing,
anyone desiring to add to this genre of composition might benefit from a few
basic and general guidelines. These are certainly not exhaustive. First,
in the investigation, primary sources are more valuable than secondary
sources. A primary source is a document
or witness which reflects as closely as possible the original happening. A secondary source is a product that has
emerged from the primary source, such as another investigator's exposition of
the subject matter. Every historian
generally produces such secondary material.
Even a translation of an original document into another language is
already necessarily an interpretation and thus moves the document towards being
a secondary source. No single record of
the past can provide a complete and full picture. Consequently, the greater the number of sources from as many
different vantage points as possible, the better the understanding about the
past can become. However, a primary
source should be the basis of all later historical investigation. Second,
in historical writings, interpretation is more important than the enumeration
of facts. Even though any study of
history is based on the facts of past events, ideas, and people, such an
investigation soon becomes confusing unless an overriding order or explanation
emerges. The multiplicity of so-called historical facts demands that they be
viewed in relationship to each other. Such a perceived relationship of the many
historical facts has to be as self-evident and natural as possible. This is the
interpretation that allows any student of the past to evaluate the significance
or lack of importance of any historical facts. In good historical writing the
interpretation of the facts stands out more prominently than the many
individual facts themselves. The interpretation in historical writing is like
the overall impression of an involved discussion or like the general climate of
a large family. It is the theme that provides the meaning to the reader and
allows him or her to relate the past to be an enriching element for his or her
current life. Third,
in writings about the past the order of proceeding from generalization to
details enables the reader to comprehend the subject matter more easily. Any historical writing is only valuable if
its information is communicated clearly.
Consequently, the material should be well organized, with major points,
sub points, and details appearing in proper sequence. Generalizations are not
convincing when they lack supporting evidence. The depth of detail often
depends upon the availability of source materials. Good historical writing
never overwhelms the reader by unsupported generalizations nor does it confuse
the reader by unorganized details. All of
these basic guidelines should help in making writings about history into an
important tool for our enrichment. Since we are finite beings capable of
benefiting from influences that existed before our life time, the better the
historical writing the greater the possible enrichment will be. — Walter
Froese |