Course Archives
Spring 2012 Courses
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THEO 20103 - Section 01: One Jesus & His Many Portraits (CRN 28465) |
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Course Description: This course explores the many different faith-portraits of Jesus painted by various books of the New Testament: e.g., from suffering servant abandoned by God through high priest interceding with God to Godself. In each case, the course will ask how this particular portrait did or did not have an impact on subsequent Christian faith and what it may say to faith in Christ today. The course will combine a lecture format with discussions, readings, and reflections on the readings. |
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THEO 20206 - Section 01: U.S. Latino Spirituality (CRN 22109) Professor Dan Groody and Professor Virgil Elizondo |
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THEO 20233 - Section 01 and 02: Called to Holiness:Santctn (CRN 28467) |
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Course Description: "Be holy, as I am holy" (Lv 11: 45): God calls human persons, created in the divine image but damaged by sin, to become holy and so to share in the happiness of God's own life. What is holiness, and how does God call and sanctify human beings? What kind of personal transformation is required? And, how have Christians over the ages responded to God's call? This course will explore the Church's understanding of sanctification in its varied expressions from Scripture through patristic, medieval and Reformation periods, to Vatican II and post-conciliar papal teaching. Ways in which Christians have lived out the call to holiness will be examined (e.g., martyrdom, monasticism, ministry), while sanctification itself will be considered in relation to central aspects of Christian doctrine: the Trinity, Christ and his sacraments, theological anthropology, grace and justification, ecclesiology, and eschatology. A primary goal of the course is to offer students the opportunity to reflect in a theological way on God's call to sanctification in their own lives, in conversation with Scripture and the writings of holy men and women through the ages. |
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THEO 20244 - Section 01: Monastic Way in Hist of Chrsty (CRN 28469) |
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Course Description: In the history of the eastern and western churches, male and female monastics have composed a long and elaborate tradition of their collective life based on the imitation of Christ. A selection of the written sources attesting to the variety of the forms of monastic life and prayer, and theology and mysticism will form the syllabus for this class. It will explore the modes of life of the solitary monastic as well as those of monastic communities, from earliest Christianity through the present, by reading works from and about this form of life. It will discuss, among other themes, those of discipline, the meaning of the body and its labor, penance, suffering, humility, study and learning, the love of human beings, the love of God, union with God and participation in the life of God within the limits that the monastic life imposes. |
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THEO 20249 - Section 01: Eastern Churches (CRN 25913) |
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Course Description: The course provides an overview of the variety of the Eastern rite Churches belonging to different cultural traditions of Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean world. The students will be introduced to the theological views and liturgical life of the Eastern rite Christians, i.e., Orthodox, Oriental and Eastern Catholic, and their fascinating history. In the second part of the course we shall explore the Byzantine rite Churches in more detail, and discuss the challenges their theology and history present to the Christian world at large. Special attention will be given to Slavic Christianity and especially Russian and Ukrainian religious history. Reflection on the diversity of Christian traditions will lead to important insights into theological topics of central importance for today such as theology of culture, ecclesiology, sacramental theology and theology of history. |
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THEO 20251 - Section 01: The Catholic Faith (CRN 26520) Professor John Cavadini |
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Course Description: This course is a theological introduction to the basic teachings of the Catholic faith. The primary text is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This will be supplemented by theological source readings from all periods. The emphasis will be on the coherence of the system of basic Catholic teaching as a whole. The argument is that the coherence is located in the love of God which lies at the heart of all Christian mysteries. "Love alone is credible" in the words of one famous theologian of the twentieth century and it is that love, and that credibility, that we will set ourselves the task of investigating. |
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THEO 20401 - Section 01: Church and Worship (CRN 28902) Professor Michael Driscoll |
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Course Description: An analysis of the church as a community of believers and a social institution, and a study of church liturgy and sacraments. This course will center around three key areas, namely (1) Anthropology: As humans, why do we feel the need to express ourselves and our relationship to God through ritual activity? (2) Theology: What are the Christological and ecclesiological underpinnings for the sacraments? (3) History: What is the historical development of each of the seven sacraments? What has remained constant in spite of the historical mutations? |
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THEO 20605 - Section 01: Intro to Catholic Moral Theo (CRN 24946) Long Title: Introduction to Catholic Moral Theology Professor David Clairmont |
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Course Description: This course will be structured into three sections, addressing respectively, biblical foundations, fundamental topics, and selected contemporary ethical questions. The biblical section of the course will study some of the key ethical perspectives and teachings of the Scriptures, primarily the Gospels and the Pauline letters. This section will be followed by an introduction to several fundamental topics in moral theology including (1) the theology of grace; (2) the orientation of ethics toward the achievement of happiness; (3) the development of the moral and theological virtues as capacities that enable us to act well; (4) the relation between moral truth and authentic human freedom; (5) the natural law, and (6) the stages and analysis of moral action. The third section of the course will consider some contemporary ethical questions in the context of this biblical and systematic framework. The course will draw primarily upon the classical Catholic tradition, as represented especially by St. Thomas Aquinas. We will also read selected sections of recent encyclical letters by Pope John Paul II including his "Veritatis Splendor (On the Splendor of the Truth), Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)" and "Fides et Ratio (On Faith and Reason)." Students will be expected to write a summary of a short reading for each class, write one five-page paper for each of the first two sections of the course, write a final 10-page paper applying what has been studied to a particular ethical question, and present a summary of this paper to the class. |
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THEO 20616 - Section 01: Theo, Ethics & the Environment (CRN 28903) |
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Course Description: What does it mean to think and act as a Christian in an age of environmental degradation and uncertainty? Although this may be a new query brought on by our current context, theologians have been reflecting upon the created order and the human place within that order for centuries. Focusing on the development of Roman Catholic thought while also drawing on Eastern Orthodox and Protestant sources, this course seeks to introduce students to primary texts in the Christian theological tradition from the patristic to the modern era and demonstrate their pertinence for addressing contemporary ecological problems. Students will gain an understanding of the central ecological issues of our day, develop a critical awareness of the assumptions and values of the mainstream environmental movement, and acquire the tools to think and act in ways that are creative, compassionate, and informed by centuries of theological reflection. |
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THEO 20619 - Section 01 and 02: Rich, Poor, and War (CRN 28470) Professor Todd Whitmore |
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Course Description: This course examines the interrelationships between economic injustice and violence. It begins by investigating the gap between rich and poor both in the US and worldwide. We also look at the history of Christian thought on wealth and poverty. We then address the ways in which economic disparity intersects with the problem of violence in both domestic (violence against women) and political realms (war and revolution). Next, we canvass Christian thought on the use of violence. This raises the question of whether Christianity itself contributes more to violence or to peace. Finally, we pose the question of whether forgiveness for violence is advisable or feasible. |
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THEO 20657 - Section 01: Ethics of War and Peace (CRN 28904) Long Title: The Ethics of War and Peace Josh Kaiser |
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Course Description: This course explores Christian understandings of the ethics of war and peace from thetime of the early church to the present. Through this historical survey, we will seek todevelop an account of various ethical positions on the use of force, particularly viewsrooted in pacifism and in the just war tradition. We will also consider how differenttheological convictions in the areas of Christology, ecclesiology, and eschatology (amongothers) have shaped Christian teaching on the nature of peace and the permissibilityof using violence. Finally, we will investigate the ethical implications of severalcontemporary issues related to the ethics of war and peace such as war crimes, sanctions,humanitarian intervention, and terrorism. |
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THEO 20822 - Section 01: What Catholics Believe (CRN 22794) Professor Gene Gorski |
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Course Description: A theological exploration of the basic content and practice of the Catholic faith. The focus is on the fundamentals that form the foundation of Catholicism and against which everything else is explained or judged. The aim of this course is not simply to educate students about Catholicism. Rather, it intends to facilitate their personal appropriation of the Catholic tradition: that is, to challenge and help them reason critically for themselves about the meaning and practical implications of their faith. Some of the questions students will ponder concern God, Jesus Christ, the church, Christian spirituality, and moral behavior. But since we raise these questions in an attempt to come to terms with the meaning of our own lives, we begin with the question of our own human existence: Who am I or who are we? The course is based on the conviction that all theological questions start with us as the ones who pose the questions in the first place. While the approach taken will be one that appeals immediately to critical reason rather than to conversion of the mind and heart, the aim ultimately is to help students discern, respond to, and be transformed by the presence of God in their lives, and to work for the continuing renewal of the world in light of this discernment of God. |
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THEO 20825 - Section 01 and 02: World Religns & Cath in Dialg (CRN 22486) Long Title: World Religions and Catholicism in Dialogue Professor Gene Gorski |
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Course Description: To explore Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and to examine the Christian theological appraisal of the other world religions. This course is a study in comparative theology and will enable students to gain a deeper understanding of Christianity by "passing over" into and experiencing as well as appraising the different major religious traditions of the world. |
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THEO 20828 - Section 01 and 02: Christianity & World Religions (CRN 22069) Long Title: Christianity and World Religions Professor Brad Malkovsky |
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Course Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the basic teachings and spiritualities of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. We will approach these religions both historically and theologically, seeking to determine where they converge and differ from Christianity on such perennial issues as death, meaning, the nature of the ultimate Mystery, the overcoming of suffering, etc. We will also examine some traditional and contemporary Catholic and Protestant approaches to religious pluralism. Our own search to know how the truth and experience of other faiths is related to Christian faith will be guided by the insights of important Catholic contemplatives who have entered deeply in the spirituality of other traditions. By course's end we ought to have a greater understanding of what is essential to Christian faith and practice as well as a greater appreciation of the spiritual paths of others. Requirements: Short papers, midterm exam, and final exam. |
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THEO 20860 - Section 01: Faith and Reason (CRN 25917) Professor Karl Hefty |
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Course Description: Nowadays thinkers from popes to professors to self-proclaimed apologists assume as their task to show how "faith and reason," "theology and philosophy," "religious belief and science," or some other such pair might be systematically connected. Perhaps the more pertinent question is how these binary groupings arose in the first place, that is, how "faith and reason" became systematically disconnected. This course examines that very question. It proceeds in four parts, with the bulk of the course being spent on the third part. First, a brief contemporary text provides orientation on the state of the question of "faith and reason." Second, selected texts from the Bible (Proverbs, Wisdom, Sirach, Romans, John), early Church (Justin Martyr, Augustine), and medieval period (Anselm, Aquinas) show the unity of what later thinkers will separate into "faith and reason." Third, early to late modern texts (Luther, Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger) indicate how "faith and reason" were systematically separated in the modern period. Fourth, late modern Catholic texts (Vatican I, Newman, Rahner, Benedict XVI) give a sense of how Catholics aim to heal the rift between faith and reason while critically assessing how this rift occurred. The course includes papers and a final examination. |
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THEO 20861 - Section 01: Rlgn & Visl Arts: Chrsnty, Bud (CRN 28471) Long Title: Religion and the Visual Arts, in Christianity and Buddhism Professor Rob Gimello |
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Course Description: A study of the ways in which religious ideas and values are conveyed in images as distinct from texts, focusing on major works of art (paintings, sculptures, architecture) from the Christian along with comparable with and equivalent works from the Buddhist tradition, and addressing especially the many arguments and tensions abounding in religion about the proper role of the visual arts in religion. |
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THEO 20862 - Section 01: Church in History & Eternity (CRN 29654) Long Title: The Church in History and Eternity Professor Francesca Murphy |
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Course Description: This course will discuss ways of linking the historical Church with the eschatological and eternal church. We will tackle the relationship between the sinfulness of the Church in time (focusing on the 20th century) and the impeccability which is claimed for the eternal Church. This will involve study of Marian symbols for the Church. We will consider the problematic of the relation between the Church and the human race as a whole from its earliest origins in the Old Testament. A basic question of the course will be "who is the church, in history and in eternity?" We will analyse the idea of the Church as the continuation of the Incarnation in Möhler, Caryll Houselander and Corpus Mysticum. |
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THEO 20895 - Section 01: Christianity and Judaism (CRN 28472) Professor Todd Walatka |
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Course Description: God's covenant with the Jewish people is absolutely foundational for Christianity, and the contemporary Church has insisted that this covenant is irrevocable, remaining active for the Jewish people today. This course analyzes the relationship between Christianity and Judaism with particular focus on the theological and historical treatment of Jews and Judaism by Christians and within Christian theology. Throughout Judaism is engaged as "internal" to Christian self-understanding and "comparatively" as an ongoing, distinct religious tradition After a brief overview of Judaism, this course proceeds historically from the time of Jesus and the "parting of the ways" to our contemporary situation. Central issues engaged include God's covenant with Israel, the development of a negative image of post-biblical Judaism within Christianity, the relationship between anti-Judaism and anti-semitism, hostility and violence towards Jews, and moments of fruitful interaction. The final third of the course engages significant positive developments in Catholic teaching and practices since Vatican II (1965) and engages several attempts to (re-)interpret the Jewish-Christian relationship from a variety of Jewish and Christian perspectives. |
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THEO 40108 - Section 01: New Testament Introduction (CRN 22487) Professor Mary R. D'Angelo |
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Course Description: A presentation of all the major approaches important for the understanding and study of the literature of the canonical New Testament in its historical, social and literary context. Emphasis on the various methodologies which have been applied to the study of the New Testament, including historical criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, source criticism, narrative criticism, rhetorical criticism, and social science criticism. Recent developments in the quest for the historical Jesus will be discussed, as will recent attempts to reconstruct the life and teachings of Paul. Important church documents on the Bible will be read, including, "De providentissimus Deus" (1893), "Divino Afflante Spiritu" (1943), "Instruction Concerning the Historical Truth of the Gospels" (1964), "Dei Verbum" (1965), and "The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church" (1995). |
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THEO 40121 - Section 01: Bibl Theo of Benedict XVI (CRN 28476) Long Title: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI Professor Daniel Smith |
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Course Description: In his Erasmus Lecture of 1988, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger addressed "the ambivalence inherent in biblical exegetical methodology for almost a hundred years" and called on scholars to allow "the Bible to be itself." Elevated to the papacy on April 19, 2005, Benedict XVI has continued to give attention to hermeneutical issues, most recently in his two-volume treatment of Jesus of Nazareth. In this course, we will orient ourselves within the history of biblical scholarship, so that we can understand the conversation to which the Pope is contributing. We will then explore the biblical theology of Pope Benedict XVI, focusing on his interpretation of the Gospel accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Finally, we will explore the impact of the Pope's writings, looking both at the reception of his work by scholars and at the opportunities created for ecumenical dialogue. |
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THEO 40202 - Section 01: The Christian Tradition II (CRN 21976) Long Title: The Christian Theological Tradition II Professor John Betz |
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Course Description: The course will examine the development of the Christian tradition from the time of the Reformation to the present, with special attention to the confessional division of the western Christian tradition during the Reformation, and the responses that post-Reformation Christian traditions make to the secularization of Western culture. The objective of this course is to develop an ecumenical understanding of contemporary Christian traditions. Class time each week will consist of two lectures and one student-led discussion. Evaluation will be based on discussion, four short papers, and a final exam. Spring only. |
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THEO 40202 - Section 02: The Christian Tradition II (CRN 25947) Long Title: The Christian Theological Tradition II Professor Cyril O'Regan |
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Course Description: The course will examine the development of the Christian tradition from the time of the Reformation to the present, with special attention to the confessional division of the western Christian tradition during the Reformation, and the responses that post-Reformation Christian traditions make to the secularization of Western culture. The objective of this course is to develop an ecumenical understanding of contemporary Christian traditions. Class time each week will consist of two lectures and one student-led discussion. Evaluation will be based on discussion, four short papers, and a final exam. Spring only. |
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THEO 40238 - Section 01: Transfgtn in Fict of CSLewis (CRN 28477) Long Title: Transfiguration in the Fiction of C.S.Lewis Professor David Fagerberg |
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Course Description: This course will look at a theme that runs throughout the works of C. S. Lewis: theosis. Christianity's ultimate end is the deification of a person. In Lewis' fiction there is a strong theme of the transfiguration of matter and the human being, and the moral/ascetical prerequisite leading up to it. This course will first use some secondary theological sources to unpack theosis in light of the Christian doctrines of creation, sin, Trinity, and Christology, and then it will turn to Lewis himself - first to his non-fiction (Mere Christianity, Abolition of Man, Weight of Glory essays), but our main time will be spent in his fiction (Narnia, Screwtape Letters, Great Divorce, The Pilgrim's Regress, Til We Have Faces). |
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THEO 40280 - Section 01: God & the Problem of Human Suf (CRN 28479) Long Title: God and the Problem of Human Suffering Professor Randall Zachman |
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Course Description: This course will examine theological responses to the problem of human suffering, in light of three major biblical paradigms regarding suffering. We will begin with the problem of innocent suffering in light of the Book of Job, and will examine the theology of Dorothee Soelle and Gustavo Gutierrez in light of this issue. We will then turn to the relation of suffering to prayer as expressed in the psalms of lament, and will examine the theology of John Calvin and Kathryn Greene-McCreight to see how each interpret these psalms in a way to foster prayer even when suffering attempts to silence it. We will conclude with the consideration of voluntary suffering in the life of discipleship, and will examine the writings of Julian of Norwich and Soren Kierkegaard, in order to see how they understand the experience of voluntary suffering in light of the love of God in Christ. The goal of the course is two-fold: first, to understand the ways Christians have thought about God and the problem of human suffering in its various dimensions; and second, to develop our own understanding of this question. In light of the first goal, students will be asked to write three comparative papers on the authors in each of the three sections of the course. In light of the second objective, students will be asked to write a final paper in which they give their own answer to the question of God and the problem of human suffering. |
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THEO 40281 - Section 01: Spiritual Masters: Early Chris (CRN 28480) Long Title: Spiritual Masters of Early Christianity Professor Robin Darling Young |
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Course Description: An examination, through primary sources and selected interpretive studies, of the lives and works of ten accomplished male and female guides to the life of prayer and contemplation. The class will study their social contexts, sources and disciples as well as their formation in communal worship.Requirements: attentive reading and note-taking on each author, with notes submitted bi-weekly; one paper; one in-class presentation. |
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THEO 40282 - Section 01: Scrmntl Mystry in Med Theo (CRN 28481) Long Title: The Sacramental Mystery of Medieval Theology: West and East Professor Yury Avvakumov |
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Course Description: The course will provide an overview of the history of sacramental theology in the Middle Ages, on the basis of the reading of primary texts. We shall start from St. Augustine's ideas on the sacraments and follow the formation of the a systematic treatise on the sacraments in the Early Scholasticism of the 12th century. Special attention will be given to the most important theologians of the High Scholastic period, such as Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and Duns Scotus. The students will also be introduced to the main personalities of the Byzantine theological interpretation of the liturgy, ritual and mysteries of the church, in particular Nicolaos Cabasilas and Symeon of Thessalonike. |
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THEO 40283 - Section 01: Philo Wmn Thlgns: Stein, Weil (CRN 28482) Long Title: Philosophical Women Theologians: Edith Stein and Simone Weil Professor Ann Astell |
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Course Description: This course pairs two extraordinary Jewish women philosophers of the World War II period who died during the period of Nazi persecution - Stein (1891-1942) in Auschwitz, and Weil (1901-1943) in England. Both studied under (and with) noted male philosophers - Husserl, Heidegger, Scheler, Von Hildebrand, and Alain, among others - and they developed their original insights on empathy and education (Stein), decreation and affliction (Weil) partly in response to their teachers. Both women struggled with their Jewish identity - Weil exemplifying an unconventional Christian Platonism and mysticism, Stein becoming a Catholic nun and canonized saint. Both wrote (auto)biographies. Literary and artistic criticism, meditations on mystical writings and experiences, and creative expressions (poetry and plays), as well as important essays on politics, philosophy, and theology belong to their fertile writings. Their lives and letters have inspired, in turn, the creative expressions of others: novels, plays, and poetry. Their intellectual quests in the shadow of the Holocaust led them to take up theological questions, studying St. Thomas Aquinas, Dionysius the Areopagite, St. John of the Cross (Stein), St. Francis, Bernanos, Marx, and Pascal (Weil). The answers they gave to God and others testify to the heroism and brilliance of their spiritual searches for truth and help to explain their continuing influence within the Church. |
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THEO 40284 - Section 01: The Reformation (CRN 28915) Long Title: Storming Heaven: Christianity in the Reformation Era Professor Brad Gregory |
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Course Description: A narrative history of Christianity in Western Europe from c. 1500-c. 1650, which takes an international and comparative perspective, including Catholicism, Protestantism, and radical Protestantism. Topics covered include Christianity on the eve of the Reformation, Christian humanism, Luther and the German Reformation, the Peasants' War and Anabaptism, the English Reformation, Calvin and Calvinism, Catholic Reform and the Council of Trent, the French Wars of Religion, confessionalization, the Thirty Years War, and the English Revolution. Major themes include matters of religious content (doctrinal positions and devotional sensibilities), the relationship between different Christian groups and political regimes, the impact of religious changes across the population, and the definitive emergence of Christian pluralism. Lectures plus discussion. |
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THEO 40285 - Section 01: World History of 20th c Chr (CRN 28916) Long Title: World History of 20th century Christianity Professor Mark Noll |
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Course Description: A survey of the dramatic changes that have recently altered the face of Christianity in the world. For Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, and the rapidly growing number of "independent" churches, the last century witnessed changes on a scale not seen since the first centuries of Christian history. The long-time Christian heartlands of Europe and North America have undergone unprecedented secularization. The once-missionary regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America have developed larger communities of active believers than now exist in "the Christian West." All over the world, Christian interactions with war (and peace), poverty (and affluence), disease (and health) have multiplied with increasing complexity. The course concentrates on Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with developments in Europe and North America in the background. Throughout, a primary aim is to link Christian events with major international developments like the world wars, the Cold War, economic globalization, and colonization-decolonization. |
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THEO 40286 - Section 01: The Qur'an Relation to Bible (CRN 29555) Long Title: The Qur'an and Its Relation to the Bible Professor Gabriel Reynolds |
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Course Description: To Muslims the Qur'an is the uncreated, eternal Word of God. As Jesus Christ is to Christians, the Qur'an to Muslims is the fullest expression of God's mercy and concern for humanity. It is both the source of complete spiritual wisdom and the constitution for a more perfect society. In the present course we will encounter this revered text with the following goals: To examine the history of the Qur'an's composition and reception; to explore the major themes of the Qur'an; to discuss new theories on and debates over the Qur'an, and, finally, to research the Qur'an's statements on issues of contemporary interest, especially sex, politics and war. Students who are interested in this course and are not majors, please contact the department for permission. |
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THEO 40405 - Section 01: Mary & Sts in Litgy,Doc,& Life (CRN 28483) Long Title: Mary and the Saints in Liturgy, Doctrine, and Life Professor Max Johnson |
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Course Description: This course explores the evolution and theology of Mary and the saints in their liturgical and doctrinal expressions in an attempt to discern, evaluate, and articulate their proper place within Christian liturgy, doctrine, and life today in relationship to the central mediatorial role of Christ. Issues of popular piety, "models of holiness," and ecumenical division, dialogue, convergence, feminist critique, and liturgical renewal will also be examined. Requirements include several short papers/seminar-style presentations, and a research paper. |
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THEO 40609 - Section 01: Love & Sex Christian Tradition (CRN 28484) |
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Course Description: Christian reflections on sexuality comprise one of the richest yet most controversial aspects of the Christian moral tradition. In this course, we will examine Christian sexual ethics from a variety of perspectives through a study of historical and contemporary writings. Topics to be considered include Christian perspectives on marriage and family, the ethics of sex within and outside of marriage, contraception, divorce and remarriage, and homosexuality. Course requirements will include four or five short papers and a final examination. |
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THEO 40622 - Section 01: Evangelization (CRN 28918) Professor Mike Connors |
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Course Description: This seminar will seek to sketch the parameters of Catholic theology and praxis of "spreading the Good News." Beginning from Scriptural foundations and a brief look at the history of Christian mission, we will examine recent important developments, including the following: Vatican II (especially Dei Verbum, Ad Gentes, Nostra Aetate and Gaudium et Spes); Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi; John Paul II and the "New Evangelization;" Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini (2010). Special attention will be given to issues of inculturation and the relationship between evangelization and interreligious dialogue. Students will also have the opportunity to study various contemporary programmatic approaches of their choosing. Texts will include: Bevans & Schroeder, Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today (2004); and A. Shorter, Toward a Theology of Inculturation (1988). |
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THEO 40811 - Section 01: Religion and Autobiography (CRN 24604) Professor John Dunne |
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Course Description: A course on the spiritual journey of the individual person, drawing on diaries and autobiographies. The first half is on the story of the life in terms of feeling and imagination and insight and choice, and the second half is on the story of the person in terms of the life project, the boundary situations of life, and conversion of the mind, of heart, and of soul. Readings: Saint Augustine, "Confessions;" Martin Buber, "The Way of Men;" Carolina Maria de Jesus, "Child of the Dark;" John Dunne, "Reasons of the Heart" and "Search for God in Time and Memory;" Etty Hillesum, "An Interrupted Life;" C.G. Jung, "Memories, Dreams, Reflections;" Rainer Maria Rilke, "Letters to a Young Poet" and "Reading the Gospel." Writings: a spiritual diary (not handed in), a term paper, and a midterm take-home and a final take-home exam. |
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THEO 40853 - Section 01: Science, Faith, & Reason (CRN 28919) Long Title: Science, Faith, and Reason Professor Rasoul Rasoulipour |
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Course Description: The twentieth century, and particularly the second half of it, saw not only the increase in findings of natural science, but also the rise of claims that in certain areas scientific findings have supplanted traditional metaphysical reasoning. This amounts to the claim that in the debate between faith and reason the role of reason is taken by science. Faith, if it does not completely atrophy, is faith in science and not faith in God. The latest debates between faith and scientific reason, often of an extremely speculative turn, are new phases to old debates over the perennial question: Is the universe just there, or is there some explanation for its physical character, and for its very existence?In this course we will examine the literature of both classical Christian and classical Islamic theology and philosophy in order to see how these traditions address the relationship between science, faith, and reason. The goal of the course is neither religious dialogue nor a comparison of the two traditions. Instead we will consider what resources both traditions offer intellectuals today who see science, religion and philosophy as partners in the quest to understand human existence and the natural world. No prior knowledge of Islam is needed in order to take this course. This course will be conducted with the help of extracts from original works of medieval and contemporary Christian and Muslim writers on some scientific topics (mathematics, medicine, chemistry, astronomy, physics, etc.) in addition to classical treatments of faith and reason (whether from Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho, Tertullian's The Prescriptions against the Heretics, Ghazali's Deliverance from Error, and The Incoherence of the Philosophers, Aquinas' Summa Theologica or John Paul II's Fides et Ratio and the writings of Muslim "neo-Mutazilites"). |
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THEO 40854 - Section 01: Aquin&Scotus:Riv Cath Thinkers (CRN 29509) Long Title: Aquinas & Scotus: Rival Catholic Thinkers Professor Richard Cross |
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Course Description: This course will cover some of the key points in the philosophical and theological thought of Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus, focusing on ways in which their systems contrast with each other on many significant issues. Topics to be discussed will include philosophical ones (some or all of the following: universals and individuation; identity and distinction; essence and existence; univocity and analogy; body and soul; cognitive theory; the freedom of the will; the grounding of the moral law; the existence and nature of God) and theological ones (some or all of the following: Trinity; Christology [hypostatic union and Christocentrism]; grace; sacraments). The texts will be studied in English, when necessary in translations provided by the instructor. |
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THEO 42286 - Section 01: LAC: Quran Relation to Bible (CRN 30129) Long Title: LAC Arabic Discussion for "The Quran and Its Relation to the Bible" Professor Gabriel Reynolds |
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Course Description: Students who have completed at least three semesters (or the equivalent) of Arabic are eligible to sign up for an additional single credit discussion section as part of the Languages across the Curriculum (LAC) initiative in the College of Arts and Letters. Choosing this option means that students prepare the reading and a translation of selected portion of the Arabic Qur'anic text (this semester we will work on Sura 2) and attend each week the Qur'an Circle. The LAC section in Arabic associated with this course will be graded on a pass/fail basis and credited to the student's transcript. |
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THEO 43203 - Section 01: Joint Sem Phil/Theo: Darwin (CRN 24216) Long Title: Joint Seminar in Philosophy and Theology: Darwin Professor Matthew Ashley and Professor Grant Ramsey |
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Course Description: Darwin's On the Origin of Species has had a profound effect, not just on biology, but also on how we think about ourselves, about human nature, religion, and morality. This class will begin by reading Darwin (the Origin and excerpts from Descent of Man), biographical material about Darwin's life, and some initial receptions of his work, particularly by Christian theologians. We will then embark on an exploration of the impact of Darwin's ideas, focusing on their theological and philosophical implications for teleological accounts of natural history that are amenable to claims of providential oversight, the argument from design, the nature of morality, progress, and theodicy. This class will provide a deeper understanding of the birth and context of Darwin's ideas and their on-going significance in the Twenty-first Century. Requirements include in-class participation (including occasional presentations), two out-of-state field trips, a final paper, and several shorter writing assignments. |
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THEO 60003 - Section 01: Elementary Hebrew II (CRN 22085) |
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Course Description: This is the second of a two-semester introductory course in Biblical Hebrew; under normal circumstances, the student must complete the first in order to enroll in the second. In addition to the completion of Lambdin's elementary grammar, students are introduced to some (modified) Biblical texts. |
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THEO 60009 - Section 01: Biblical Languages: Coptic (CRN 28485) Professor Greg Sterling |
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Course Description: This course introduces students to Coptic, the final descendant of ancient Egyptian. Coptic is important for an who are interested in the historical Jesus, Gnosticism, textual criticism of the New Testament, asceticism, or early Christian history. We will work our way through a grammar, and then read a selection of texts including excerpts from the Gospel of Thomas and some fragments only from the Martyrdom of Polycarp. The course is designed to enable students who have no previous training in Coptic to read simple to moderately difficult texts. Its serves to fulfill the third ancient language requirement for Ph.D. students in CJA. (Spring) |
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THEO 60018 - Section 01: Intermediate Hebrew II (CRN 28920) Professor Tzvi Novick |
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Course Description: This fourth-semester course in biblical Hebrew will continue and build upon THEO 60006/83001. While the latter was devoted to the reading of biblical prose, this installment of Intermediate Hebrew will introduce students to the beauty of biblical Hebrew poetry. Our efforts will be focused on the preparation, oral reading, and translation of selected biblical passages. But time also will be spent continuing to review basic grammar as well as developing an appreciation of syntax and poetic structure (e.g., parallelism) in this powerful medium of prayer, prophetic revelation, and the quest for Wisdom in ancient Israel. |
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THEO 60019 - Section 01: Readings in Syriac (CRN 28921) Professor Joseph Amar |
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Course Description: This course is an introduction to literature in the Syriac dialect of Aramaic. It will introduce students to the variety of alphabets, vocalization systems, and genres of literature produced during the first five Christian centuries. The primary work of the course will consist in vocalizing and translating Syriac texts for reading in class. The instructor will provide background to authors and place them in historical context. The goal is to give students an appreciation of Syriac as a major Christian language and the role of Syriac Christian literature in the articulation of a distinct Semitic Christianity. |
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THEO 60102 - Section 01: New Testament Introduction (CRN 24957) Professor Mary R. D'Angelo |
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Course Description: An intensive presentation of all the major areas of study pertinent for the understanding and study of the literature of the canonical New Testament in its historical, social and literary context, as well as an introduction to the various methodologies which have been applied to the study of the New Testament, including historical criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, source criticism, textual criticism, canon criticism, narrative criticism and social science criticism. Modules on developments and trends in the history of New Testament research and on various developments in the discipline of New Testament theology from the Enlightenment to the 21st Century will also be included. The course will involve intensive reading and the writing of four short papers (4-5 pp.) during the semester, and will also include a midterm and final examination. |
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THEO 60108 - Section 01: Wisdom Literature/Psalms (CRN 28486) Professor James VanderKam |
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Course Description: This course will examine writings found in the Hebrew Bible and Apocrypha that scholars commonly assign to the wisdom genre. The primary canonical exemplars of this type of literature are Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. To this group, some have added Esther and the Song of Songs. Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom, and (in the opinion of certain commentators) Judith -- all of which are extra-canonical works -- also belong to this genre. In addition to these books, the presence of wisdom motifs has also been detected in other parts of the Bible (e.g., Genesis, the Psalter, and Daniel). |
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THEO 60165 - Section 01: Theological Exegesis (CRN 28487) Professor Gary Anderson |
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Course Description: This course will concern the distinctive character of the Church's two-testamented Bible. In particular the leading question will be the relationship of the Old to the New Testament (and conversely, the New to the Old Testament). I will pick a dozen or so biblical texts from the OT that we will consider on their own terms and in relationship to the NT and early Christian exegesis. Some of the topics will be: the election of Israel, sacrifice of the first-born, law, God's indwelling of the temple, Israel's Messiah, suffering servant and so on. The goal of the course is to develop an approach to the Christian Bible that both respects its discrete historical origins but pushes forward to see how they are related to the book's status as divinely inspired. |
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THEO 60238 - Section 01: God and Human Suffering (CRN 28922) Long Title: God and the Problem of Human Suffering Professor Randall Zachman |
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Course Description: This course will examine theological responses to the problem of human suffering in the Christian tradition, with an eye towards developing our own theological responses to this problem. We will begin by examining the relationship of suffering to prayer by means of the commentaries on the psalms of lament by Augustine of Hippo and John Calvin, in order to see how each author understands the way prayer can give voice to unutterable suffering. We will then turn to the relationship between God and suffering in the theology of Soren Kierkegaard and Hans Urs von Balthasar, in order to explore the relationship between the love of God in Jesus Christ and human suffering. We will conclude with a theological consideration of the problem of suffering for women and the poor by means of the writings of Kristine Rankka and Gustavo Gutierrez.Students will be asked to write one reflection paper each week based on the assigned readings for that week. These papers should engage the readings in an attempt both to understand the authors' positions, and to develop the student's own theological understanding of God and the problem of human suffering in light of the authors we read. |
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THEO 60246 - Section 01: U.S. Latino Catholicism (CRN 28488) Long Title: U.S. Latino Catholicism Professor Virgil Elizondo and Professor Timothy Matovina |
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Course Description: Latina and Latino Catholics have lived their faith in what is now the continental United States for almost twice as long as the nation has existed. This course explores the origins and development of Latino Catholicism in the United States, particularly the theological contributions of contemporaryLatinas and Latinos. |
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THEO 60265 - Section 01: Rel. & Lit:In Lght of Job (CRN 28489) Long Title: Religion and Literature: In the Light of Job Professor Vittorio Montemaggi |
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Course Description: A study of religion and literature through the works of Gregory the Great, Dante, Shakespeare and Primo Levi. |
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THEO 60287 - Section 01: Spiritual Masters: Early Chris (CRN 28923) Long Title: Spiritual Masters of Early Christianity Professor Robin Young |
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Course Description: An examination, through primary sources and selected interpretive studies, of the lives and works of ten accomplished male and female guides to the life of prayer and contemplation. The class will study their social contexts, sources and disciples as well as their formation in communal worship.Requirements: attentive reading and note-taking on each author, with notes submitted bi-weekly; one paper; one in-class presentation. |
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THEO 60289 - Section 01: Scrmntl Mystry in Med Theo (CRN 28490) Long Title: The Sacramental Mystery of Medieval Theology: West and East Professor Yury Avvakumov |
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Course Description: The course will provide an overview of the history of sacramental theology in the Middle Ages, on the basis of the reading of primary texts. We shall start from St. Augustine's ideas on the sacraments and follow the formation of the a systematic treatise on the sacraments in the Early Scholasticism of the 12th century. Special attention will be given to the most important theologians of the High Scholastic period, such as Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and Duns Scotus. The students will also be introduced to the main personalities of the Byzantine theological interpretation of the liturgy, ritual and mysteries of the church, in particular Nicolaos Cabasilas and Symeon of Thessalonike. |
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Long Title: Philosophical Women Theologians: Edith Stein and Simone Weil Professor Ann Astell |
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Course Description: This course pairs two extraordinary Jewish women philosophers of the World War II period who died during the period of Nazi persecution - Stein (1891-1942) in Auschwitz, and Weil (1901-1943) in England. Both studied under (and with) noted male philosophers - Husserl, Heidegger, Scheler, Von Hildebrand, and Alain, among others - and they developed their original insights on empathy and education (Stein), decreation and affliction (Weil) partly in response to their teachers. Both women struggled with their Jewish identity - Weil exemplifying an unconventional Christian Platonism and mysticism, Stein becoming a Catholic nun and canonized saint. Both wrote (auto)biographies. Literary and artistic criticism, meditations on mystical writings and experiences, and creative expressions (poetry and plays), as well as important essays on politics, philosophy, and theology belong to their fertile writings. Their lives and letters have inspired, in turn, the creative expressions of others: novels, plays, and poetry. Their intellectual quests in the shadow of the Holocaust led them to take up theological questions, studying St. Thomas Aquinas, Dionysius the Areopagite, St. John of the Cross (Stein), St. Francis, Bernanos, Marx, and Pascal (Weil). The answers they gave to God and others testify to the heroism and brilliance of their spiritual searches for truth and help to explain their continuing influence within the Church. |
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THEO 60403 - Section 01: Christian Initiation (CRN 21847) Professor Maxwell Johnson |
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Course Description: This course will trace the development and interpretations of the Rites of Christian Initiation in East and West from the New Testament period to the modern period of ecumenical convergence. In light of this historical investigation some modern forms of these rites (e.g., RCIA, LBW, BCP, etc.) will be considered critically. Requirements include two take-home exams, short papers on assigned questions, and an oral presentation on a selected modern rite. (Fall) |
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THEO 60425 - Section 01: Mary, Sts in Liturgy, Doct Lif (CRN 28491) Long Title: Mary, Saints in Liturgy, Doctrine and Life Professor Max Johnson |
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Course Description: This course explores the evolution and theology of Mary and the saints in their liturgical and doctrinal expressions in an attempt to discern, evaluate, and articulate their proper place within Christian liturgy, doctrine, and life today in relationship to the central mediatorial role of Christ. Issues of popular piety, "models of holiness," and ecumenical division, dialogue, convergence, feminist critique, and liturgical renewal will also be examined. Requirements include several short papers/seminar-style presentations, and a research paper. |
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THEO 60601 - Section 01: Foundations of Moral Theology (CRN 24965) Professor David Clairmont |
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Course Description: In response to Vatican II's call for the renewal of moral theology, this course examines the history and developments of moral theology in the Catholic Church, with an eye to contemporary discussions and applications. Simultaneously a practical and pastoral expression of Christian faith, as well as a discipline of practical reason, moral theology serves the community of disciples and engages larger academic and social conversations concerning ethical matters. Topics to be considered include: sources for moral theology, fundamental moral concepts, spirituality and the moral life, the human person and the Christian community, moral method, and the dynamics of moral action. Themes including freedom, experience, conscience, authority, forgiveness, and rights and duties intersect within this structure and contribute to the community's search for moral truth and the conducting of its moral discernment. |
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THEO 60614 - Section 01: Catholic Social Teaching (CRN 24192) Professor Margaret Pfeil |
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Course Description: The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the tradition of Catholic social teaching with a view to developing skills for critical reading and appropriation of these documents. We will examine papal, conciliar, and episcopal texts from Rerum novarum (1891) up to the present time, identifying operative principles, tracing central theological, ethical, and ecclesial concerns, and locating each document in its proper historical context. |
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THEO 60617 - Section 01: Love & Sex Christian Tradition (CRN 28493) Long Title: Love and Sex in the Christian Tradition Professor Jean Porter |
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Course Description: Christian reflections on sexuality comprise one of the richest, yet most controversial aspects of the Christian moral tradition. In this course, we will examine Christian sexual ethics from a variety of perspectives through a study of historical and contemporary writings. Topics to be considered include Christian perspectives on marriage and family, the ethics of sex within and outside of marriage, contraception, divorce and remarriage, and homosexuality. We will be especially concerned with recent debates on these topics within the Catholic community, but we will also be considering voices from Protestant and other traditions. We will give special attention to the practical implications of Christian sexual ethics in pastoral and educational contexts. Course requirements will include regular participation in class discussions and three short papers. |
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THEO 60633 - Section 01: Evangelization (CRN 28924) Professor Michael Connors |
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Course Description: This seminar will seek to sketch the parameters of Catholic theology and praxis of "spreading the Good News." Beginning from Scriptural foundations and a brief look at the history of Christian mission, we will examine recent important developments, including the following: Vatican II (especially Dei Verbum, Ad Gentes, Nostra Aetate and Gaudium et Spes); Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi; John Paul II and the "New Evangelization;" Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini (2010). Special attention will be given to issues of inculturation and the relationship between evangelization and interreligious dialogue. Students will also have the opportunity to study various contemporary programmatic approaches of their choosing. Texts will include: Bevans & Schroeder, Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today (2004); and A. Shorter, Toward a Theology of Inculturation (1988). |
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THEO 60635 - Section 01: Environmental Ethics (CRN 28494) Professor Ceila Deane-Drummond |
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Course Description: This course will focus on different aspects of environmental ethics, including broader ethical questions surfacing as a result of climate change and questions around sustainability and development, as well as the Gaia hypothesis. We will also discuss more specific examples of habitat destruction, species loss, species invasion, food ethics and associated animal ethics, ecological restoration and genetically modified organisms. The primary focus of this course will be on the philosophical and theological interrogation of these matters at a local and global level, rather than the factual basis of the problems, though the scientific basis for the issues under discussion will also be considered in order to provide an adequately informed background to this approach. Plans are also underway to include a field trip to a local organic farm. We will also discuss the impact of public theology in matters relating to environmental concern, and the different strategies used by different theologians, including the impact of Roman Catholic social teaching. |
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THEO 60838 - Section 01: Orders and Ministry (CRN 22345) Professor David Fagerberg |
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Course Description: This course looks at a theology of Christian ministry, both ordained and lay. The relevant official documents will be read, as well as secondary sources that articulate the sacrament of ordination, hierarchy, the lay apostolate and baptismal priesthood of all Christians, and current definitions of Lay Ecclesial Ministry. Both seminarians and lay divinity students should develop the concepts necessary to understand their particular ministry in the light of Church teaching and as a service to the people of God. |
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THEO 60885 - Section 01: Prophets of Suspicison: (CRN 28925) Long Title: Prophets of Suspicion: Marx, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard Professor Cyril O'Regan |
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Course Description: This course examines the seminal moment in nineteenth century thought in which religion became the object of a mode of scrutiny that had little to do with its ability to provide empirical and argumentative warrants. Marx and Nietzsche offered respectively sociological and psychological critiques of Christianity that represented a new kind of challenge to Christian apologetics, at once being harder and easier to rebut. Marx's sociological critique owes much to Feuerbach's critique of Christianity and Hegel's thought as its philosophical carrier and justification, but fairly quickly he moves beyond Feuerbach whom he still regards as infected with religious nostalgia. In the course we will read Feuerbach as well as the early Marx, but will also read from the later Marx who elaborates his view of the economic base of all of reality. Nietzsche offers a genealogy of Christianity which constructs it as a millennial thought-form constituted by resentiment and frustrated will to power. Among texts to be covered in class are The Genealogy of Morals, Thus Spake Zarathustra, and The Gay Science. Kierkegaard represents an entirely different form of suspicion. If in the case of Marx and Nietzsche Christianity has proved essentially self-refuting from the point of view of human being defined either socio-historically or in terms of existential completeness, Kierkegaard thinks that the deformation of Christianity is accidental and lies in its accommodation to a bourgeois modernity. Kierkegaard defines a moment in the suspicion of Christianity in which the hope of self-correction is held out as a possibility. Texts to be read include Either-Or, Repetition, and Sickness unto Death. |
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THEO 60877 - Section 01: Mercy and Justice (CRN 29658) Professor Cathleen Kaveny |
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Course Description: Explores the meaning of mercy, particularly in its relationship to justice. Examines four major topics: (1) mercy in its relation to retributive justice, focusing on the role of mercy or clemency in the case of criminal sentencing, as well as broader questions of retribution and wrongdoing such as whether there can or should be criteria for the exercises of mercy, whether mercy can be exercised unjustly, and the relationship of forgiveness to mercy; (2) mercy in its relation to distributive justice, focusing on the corporal works of mercy and issues such as the relationship between justice and "private charity"; (3) mercy in its relationship to social justice or the social face of mercy, and (4) divine mercy, focusing on the various ways theologians have attempted to reconcile divine mercy and divine justice. Readings for the class will be interdisciplinary, and will include materials from legal, philosophical and theological sources. |
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THEO 60886 - Section 01: Spiritual Biography & Autobiog (CRN 28495) Long Title: Spiritual Biography and Autobiography Professor Dan Groody |
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Course Description: This class will explore the spiritual writings of contemporary figures and the dimensions that shaped their understanding of lives before the mystery of God. Through a study of their essential writings, we will look at the foundational religious experiences, major metaphors, operative theologies, formative influences and overall contributions to the Church and the field Christian spirituality. These will include figures such as Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Gustavo Gutierrez, Therese of Lisieux, Abraham Heschel, Flannery O'Connor and others. In addition to exploring the biography of these authors, and drawing from these influences and others, students will be asked to write on their own journey of faith and the aspects that have helped form, inform and transform their walk with God and outreach to their neighbor in need. |
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THEO 60887 - Section 01: Faith, Reason, & the Church (CRN 28926) Long Title: Faith, Reason, and the Church Professor Francescan Murphy |
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Course Description: This course will study Catholic teaching and theology on the relationshp between faith and reason. We will consider faith and reason in magisterial and conciliar documents (Trent and Vatican II), and in representative theologians of patristic, medieval and modern times such as Augustine, Bonaventure, Aquinas, Pascal, Newman, deLubac, and hans Urs von Balthasar. We will link the different magisterial and theological views of the relationship between faith and reason to ecclesiology. |
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THEO 60888 - Section 01: Science, Faith and Reason (CRN 30116) Professor Raoul Rasoulipour |
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Course Description: The twentieth century, and particularly the second half of it, saw not only the increase in findings of natural science, but also the rise of claims that in certain areas scientific findings have supplanted traditional metaphysical reasoning. This amounts to the claim that in the debate between faith and reason the role of reason is taken by science. Faith, if it does not completely atrophy, is faith in science and not faith in God. The latest debates between faith and scientific reason, often of an extremely speculative turn, are new phases to old debates over the perennial question: Is the universe just there, or is there some explanation for its physical character, and for its very existence?In this course we will examine the literature of both classical Christian and classical Islamic theology and philosophy in order to see how these traditions address the relationship between science, faith, and reason. The goal of the course is neither religious dialogue nor a comparison of the two traditions. Instead we will consider what resources both traditions offer intellectuals today who see science, religion and philosophy as partners in the quest to understand human existence and the natural world. No prior knowledge of Islam is needed in order to take this course. This course will be conducted with the help of extracts from original works of medieval and contemporary Christian and Muslim writers on some scientific topics (mathematics, medicine, chemistry, astronomy, physics, etc.) in addition to classical treatments of faith and reason (whether from Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho, Tertullian's The Prescriptions against the Heretics, Ghazali's Deliverance from Error, and The Incoherence of the Philosophers, Aquinas' Summa Theologica or John Paul II's Fides et Ratio and the writings of Muslim "neo-Mutazilites"). |
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