Theological Studies (THEO)
THEO 1600 - God-Talk
3 Credits
This course centers around the genre of historical and autobiographical narrative as a way of getting at the ultimate questions at the heart of theology and religion. In dialogue with Jewish and Christian scripture, as well as classic and contemporary spiritual autobiographies written from within the Christian tradition and beyond, students will wrestle with the nature of faith; the nature, existence, and personhood of God; the nature and ends of creation and human life; evil and salvation; and other matters of ultimate concern. Through the narrative, this course will address questions that matter most to the arc of human life.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Urban Poverty - Social Justice, UUC:Theology
THEO 1605 - The Big Questions in Theology
3 Credits
This course introduces students to the 'big questions' from the perspective of religious faith, including the theological perspectives that ground the Catholic, Jesuit tradition. Theistic religions – as traditionally understood – are not merely forms of personal piety but communal efforts that aim at understanding a people’s place in the larger cosmos, a cosmos created by a personal God. Theology is that discipline that addresses these questions from the perspective of religious faith. As a result, the religious quest – as a theological practice – engages significant questions of meaning, truth, suffering, and goodness.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Schl for Professional Studies college.
Attributes: Prof. Studies Students Only, UUC:Self in Contemplation, UUC:Theology
THEO 1657 - Dispute the Truth: Engaging Ultimate Questions in the Christian Tradition
3 Credits
An engagement with key questions in the history of theology with special attention to the Catholic, Jesuit tradition. Students will inquire into the nature of faith, God, evil, and salvation and the implications of theological ideas for ethical and social issues. Texts span biblical narratives and early Christian, medieval, early modern, and contemporary theological writings, giving a breadth of exposure to a deep tradition. The distinctive feature of this course consists of several oral disputations where students argue for various positions and practice the art of listening and reporting the arguments of others. Counts for the Core, Ultimate Questions: Theology.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: UUC:Theology
THEO 1659 - Close Textual Readings: Theology Slowed Down
3 Credits
This course introduces students to major questions of human existence pertaining to God and religion and to Christianity’s answers to these questions. Organized into six units/questions, it emphasizes a particularly Catholic, Jesuit perspective on these questions. It encourages students to think through difficult questions with careful reflection on texts, based on the premise that reading great texts can change how we think about ourselves and our world in impactful ways. Each student will thus enhance his or her critical thinking and skills through reading assignments, discussion, and reflection on these discussions through long-form writing assignments.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), UUC:Theology
THEO 1980 - Independent Study
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 2110 - Introduction to the Old Testament
3 Credits
This course explores the various texts of the Old Testament /Hebrew Bible, with attention to their historical and socio-cultural settings, theological ideas, literary genres and key features. We will examine different critical approaches to interpreting biblical texts. In doing so, we will strive to understand ancient Israelite religious perspectives while also relating the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible to contemporary thought, thereby highlighting its permanent significance. This course fits both the Ways of Thinking: Aesthetics, History and Culture component and the Cura Personalis 2: Self in Contemplation component of the SLU Core.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*; (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Middle East Studies, Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology Old Testament, Theology-Sacred Texts, UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Self in Contemplation
THEO 2210 - Introduction to the New Testament
3 Credits
Writings of the New Testament and other early Christian literature; their formation as historical, cultural, literary, and theological products; their messages to their original audiences and meaning for contemporary readers and communities.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*; (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Middle East Studies, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology New Testament, Theology-Sacred Texts, UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Self in Contemplation
THEO 2310 - History of Christianity: The First 2000 Years
3 Credits
This course will study how in 2000 years the messianic beliefs of a small group of Jews transformed into a worldwide religion. How have Christian beliefs, practices, and institutions changed over time? We will consider major developments in theology, spirituality, modes of authority, and social structures.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2320 - Seeking God and Building Faith in the Middle Ages
3 Credits
An interdisciplinary investigation of the beliefs and religious practices of medieval Christians in the age of cathedrals. This course engages some of the most important theologians of the Christian tradition (Augustine, Anselm, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas) and encourages reflection on how the content of Christian faith was expressed through communal and personal acts of faith such as building cathedrals, producing manuscripts of religious texts, singing chants, participating in liturgical processions, going on pilgrimage, performing penance, and venerating relics and saints.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*; (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Elective, Catholic Studies-Theology, Medieval (Major) - Theology, Medieval (Minor) - Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Self in Contemplation
THEO 2330 - Christian Church Since 1500
3 Credits
This course will examine the history of the Christian Church since 1500. Beginning with an overview of Protestant Europe, it will examine the missionary ventures of the 16th and 17th centuries, the establishment of churches in the New World, and the struggles between rationalism and faith during the Enlightenment and and later. Attention will also be given to the story of the Jews in Christian Europe. The course will course will conclude with an examination of various renewal movements and their implications for the contemporary church. (Offered in Spring)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2333 - Race and Religion in America: The Search for Identity
3 Credits
Histories, cultures, and experiences of religion in the United States have always also been histories, cultures, and experiences of race. Even before modern definitions of “race” existed, there were no instances of religion that were not also caught up in power dynamics of difference and belonging. This course introduces key figures, events, and debates within shifting cultural and political contexts of race that have shaped the many stories of religion in the United States, from enslavement and abolition to immigration, civil rights, and white supremacy.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 2350 - American Christianity
3 Credits
The history of American Christianity from colonial times to present, Spanish, French English beginnings; Puritanism, the Great Awakenings; Unitarianism, Congregationalism, Methodism; the immigrant churches, Roman Catholic history; Liberalism, Neo-Orthodoxy, Fundamentalism; Black churches, contemporary movements.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
THEO 2410 - Making Christianity Credible
3 Credits
This course aims at providing a comprehensive understanding of Christian faith by investigating the historical development and interrelation of its main tenets. Attention will be given to how Christian beliefs arise from, and themselves give distinct shape to, Christian practices in the Church and the world.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2415 - The Church: Yesterday & Today
3 Credits
Explores how humans have understood the notion of God with emphasis on the Christian traditions, the God of Jesus of Nazareth.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2425 - God in Human Experience
3 Credits
Explores how humans have understood the notion of God with emphasis on the Christian traditions, the God of Jesus of Nazareth.
THEO 2430 - Jesus and Salvation
3 Credits
The aim of this course is to provide an integrative understanding of Jesus of Nazareth by exploring historical, theological, and emancipatory perspectives.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*; (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), UUC:Self in Contemplation
THEO 2500 - Religion and Politics in American History
3 Credits
This class provides historical depth and critical nuance to today's soundbites and clickbait, exploring the role of religion in American public life since the founding of the republic. The semester is structured around four main themes-Constitution, Citizenship, Culture, and Conscience-that provide narrative continuity and interpretive depth to key issues that have surfaced over the course of the nation's history and that continue to shape American public life in the present. The class equips students with tools for identifying, analyzing, and interpreting the cultural, political, and religious history of American public life as students and citizens.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1900; (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Law, Religion and Politics, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), UUC:Writing Intensive
THEO 2510 - Christian Ethics
3 Credits
An exploration of Christian character (virtues), principles of decision making, conscience formation, authoritative sources (scripture, tradition, magisterium, etc.) with analysis of issues such as war, capital punishment, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, etc.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: BHS-Theology/Philosophy, Catholic Studies-Theology, Health Care Ethics Minor Elec, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Ethics
THEO 2515 - Social Justice
3 Credits
This course is designed to help students engage the realities of social injustice while introducing them to the variety of ways in which the Christian tradition responds to injustice. Students will study selections from scripture, Catholic Social Teaching, Jesuit spirituality, and the lives of Christian teachers, saints, and martyrs. The class specifically addresses issues of racism, classism, sexism, militarism, and environmental degradation in global context through the works of African American, feminist, womanist, and Latino/a theologians. Students will gain a better understanding of Christian perspectives on social justice that can be applied to their own life journey.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, International Studies, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Ethics, UUC:Dignity, Ethics & Just Soc, Urban Poverty- Introduction, Urban Poverty - General, Urban Poverty - Social Justice, UUC:Self in Contemplation, Women's & Gender Studies
THEO 2520 - Comparative Religious Ethics
3 Credits
An exploration of several moral issues and the ethical beliefs/practices that are brought to bear on them among various religious traditions around the world. Attention will be devoted to narratives of significant persons who contributed to human dignity, rights, and liberation, especially with regard to 'the other.'.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Foreign Service Elective, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Ethics
THEO 2525X - Catholic Theological Bioethics
3 Credits
Examine ethical issues in health care & medicine through the lens of Catholic theological bioethics. Engage specific teachings of Catholic moral tradition and the magisterium that bear directly on issues of HCE & medicine, including reproductive-technologies, contraception, abortion, genetics, allocation of resources, organ-transplantation, end-of-life decision making, euthanasia, and physician-assisted-suicide. Attention to differing or opposing viewpoints, approaches of issues from Catholic theological bioethicists. Narratives by theologians with first-hand experiences will be included. Course format integrating lecture, videos & active case discussions will provide an understanding of principles and give opportunity to develop practical dilemma-solving skills.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Health Care Ethics Minor Elec, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Ethics, Urban Poverty - Applied, Urban Poverty - Health Care, Urban Poverty - Social Justice
THEO 2530 - Social Injustice/Social Gospel
3 Credits
The primary goal of this course is to animate SLU’s mission to form leaders who desire to transform society in the spirit of the Gospels. It will pursue this goal as a reciprocal learning class (i.e., at least 30 hours of service learning in the community) that examines social injustice in Saint Louis according to the Gospel call of personal conversion and social transformation. Prerequisite: THEO 1000.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Service Learning, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Urban Poverty - Social Justice
THEO 2535 - Sports, Spirituality and Social Justice
3 Credits
The primary goal of this course is to explore how Sports, Spirituality and Social Justice intersect and mutually inform each other. It will pursue this goal as a reciprocal learning class, i.e., service learning in the community that requires at least 30 hours of community engagement, as the class examines social injustice in theory and in Saint Louis according to the Gospel call of personal conversion and social transformation.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2610 - The Christian Sacraments
3 Credits
The Sacraments, the Church as ultimate manifestation of Covenant of the People of God, development of sacraments in apostolic community and patristic age, modern sacramental theology.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2700 - Arch City Religion: Religious Life and Practice in St. Louis
3 Credits
This course places the religious life of St. Louis at the center of the city's history, civic landscape, and public cultures. While anchored in the local context, the course engages a wide range of global religious traditions and diasporic communities in the city as well as analytical frameworks of religion in/of the city drawn from case studies throughout the United States. In addition to the instructional content of this course, students also develop skills as researchers and storytellers through audio and visual projects that draw from archival, historical, ethnographic, and digital research.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2710 - Religions of the World
3 Credits
This course is an introduction to the study of religion that prepares students to better understand religion and religious lives through entanglements of global movements and personal identities. It attends to religious literacy and critique through studies of histories, teachings, and practices, as well as the cultural and social contexts of religion. Topics of inquiry include indigenous traditions, Hinduism, Sikhi, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and African diasporic religions.
Attributes: Foreign Service Elective, Global Citizenship (CAS), International Studies-Europe, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), UUC:Global Interdependence, UUC:Identities in Context
THEO 2715 - Jerusalem: Three Faiths, One City
3 Credits
DESCRIPTION: This course (under this name only) satisfies the criteria for the College of Arts and Sciences Cultural Diversity component of the Core. A survey analysis of the three Abrahamic faiths and their interrelationships focusing on the significance of Jerusalem for each of them historically and today.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Foreign Service Elective, International Studies, International Studies-Mid East, Middle East Studies, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 2717 - Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain
3 Credits
This course will cover the history and achievements of what was once a multi-religious, multi-cultural civilization and explore the lessons we can learn from a time when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived and worked together, especially in the areas of theology, commerce, culture and art.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2725 - The Qur'an and the Bible
3 Credits
This course explores the different ways in which Biblical stories and motifs are reworked in the Qur'an as a means to investigate the latter's scriptural and historical background, make its theology more accessible to non-Muslim students, implement interfaith dialogue, and reflect on the role of religion in today's world. (Offered in Fall)
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2730 - Stranger Things: Peoples and Places through Religious Travelers' Eyes
3 Credits
Introductory survey of religious travel literature & ethnography from antiquity to the early modern era. Compares Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and other traditions. Emphasizes critical and dynamic appreciation of the wide range of ways that authors have portrayed unfamiliar people and places throughout history. Reflects on the religious attitudes which are both the cause and result of such portraits.
Attributes: Medieval (Major) - Philosophy, Medieval (Minor) - Philosophy, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2755 - Islam: Religion, Culture, and Society
3 Credits
This course provides an overview of fundamental beliefs and values of the religious tradition called Islam, using textual and visual sources from a range of cultural contexts, with special attention to how the study of Islam offers insight into the interplay of religion, culture, and society, as well as with history and politics.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Cultural Diversity in the EU, Catholic Studies-Theology, Foreign Service Elective, Global Citizenship (CAS), International Studies, International Studies-Mid East, Law, Religion and Politics, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Traditions, UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Global Interdependence
THEO 2815 - Psychology and the Soul
3 Credits
This course considers the intersection between psychology and theological conceptions of the soul and self. This course provides the student the critical means by which to think about the relationship between psychology and religious beliefs and experiences.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: BHS-Theology/Philosophy, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2820 - Religion and Science
3 Credits
This course examines the history and recent development of three disciplines--cosmology, physics, and biology--to show how religion and science have related to one another in the past and relate to one another in contemporary research and reflection. A final part of the course considers some issues that involve multiple scientific disciplines (e.g., extraterrestrial intelligence, environmentalism, etc.). Credit not given for both THEO 2820 and BIOL 2560 Cross-listed with PHIL 3600.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2840 - Christianity and Literature
3 Credits
This course explores works of literature as privileged sites for theological reflection on religious mysteries -- the mystery of God and the mystery of the human person. Engaging the religious imagination of important literary thinkers, this course examines such dynamics as sin and grace, faith and doubt, forgiveness and reconciliation, solitude and community.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2900 - Love and the Human Condition
3 Credits
A theological exploration of human existence as constituted by love, desire, sin and the yearning for salvation. Through examination of classic texts/themes from the Christian tradition, this course will focus on the complex relationship between human and divine love. Specific topics to be covered include: affectivity, knowledge, freedom, built, friendship, self-sacrifice, and human sexuality.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2905 - Death and Suffering
3 Credits
Judeo-Christian response to the mystery of suffering, the meaning of death, healing as a religious experience. Reference to the bible, contemporary Christian theology, and social studies.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2930 - Special Topics
2 or 3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 2980 - Independent Study
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3110 - Introduction to the Pentateuch
3 Credits
This course provides a detailed study of one of the major foundational and influential group of texts in human history— the five books at the beginning of the Jewish and Christian Bibles referred to as Torah, the Pentateuch, or the Five Books of Moses. It will examine the socio-historical settings, theological ideas, literary genres, scholarly theories about the Pentateuch, as well as ancient and modern interpretations. It will critically evaluate key themes such as the depiction of God, creation, covenant, biblical law, worship and cult. It will also examine main characters of the Pentateuch, notably Adam and Eve, Noah, the patriarchs and matriarchs, Moses and Miriam among others. The aim is to understand ancient Israelite religious perspectives while also relating the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible to contemporary thought, thereby highlighting its permanent significance.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1900; (1 Course from THEO 2001-2999 or THEO 1000)
Attributes: Middle East Studies, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Sacred Texts, UUC:Writing Intensive
THEO 3115 - Biblical Prophets: Voices of Conscience and Social Justice
3 Credits
This course offers an introduction to the prophets and prophetic literature in the Old Testament/ Hebrew Bible, with emphasis on their role as voices of conscience and social justice. It will consider the socio-cultural and historical contexts which shaped the lives of the biblical prophets and how they responded to the social injustices and moral challenges of their time. Attention will also be given to key concepts, literary genres and features distinctive to biblical prophecy. In analyzing and interpreting prophetic texts, students will engage with critical issues and recent scholarship.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Middle East Studies, Service Learning, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology Old Testament, Theology-Sacred Texts, UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Dignity, Ethics & Just Soc
THEO 3130 - Ancient Israel and the Near East
3 Credits
An examination of the history and religion of ancient Israel within its Near Eastern context. This examination will allow students to identify similarities and differences between texts from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and other texts from the ancient Near East. (Offered in Fall)
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: International Studies, International Studies-Mid East, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3210 - One Jesus, Four Portraits: The Gospels
3 Credits
Offers a comparative study of the canonical Gospels.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology New Testament, Theology-Sacred Texts
THEO 3220 - Archaeology and the Bible
3 Credits
An examination of the historical and cultural context of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible through the archaeological evidence found in the Southern Levant. Special attention is given to evidence related to worship and religious beliefs. (Offered in Fall)
Prerequisite(s): THEO 1000; 1 Course from THEO 2000-2999
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3310 - Rise of Christianity
3 Credits
The history of early Christianity from Jesus Christ to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. The variety of early Christianity, geographical expansion, Gnosticism, emergence in the Roman world, Christian art, Trinitarian and Christological controversies.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3325 - The Reformations of the 16th Century
3 Credits
This is a study of the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Reformation in the 16th century.
Prerequisite(s): 1 Course from THEO 2000-2999
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3335 - Christians In Middle East
3 Credits
Building the knowledge gained in at least one prior theology course, this offering studies global Christianity with a focus on Christian churches in the Middle East. The course studies the intersection of theological, historical, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and political factors that shape expressions of the Christian faith in Greece, Turkey, the Caucasus, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, and Saudi-Arabian Peninsula to Egypt and Ethiopia. It also studies how middle-eastern Christian identities affect immigrant Christian communities in the diaspora in the West.
Attributes: Foreign Service Elective, International Studies, Middle East Studies, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3345 - The Life and Theology of Augustine of Hippo
3 Credits
This course examines the life and theology of St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430). We will focus on Augustine's central writings, including Confessions, The Trinity and his writings on grace.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Medieval (Minor) - Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3350 - Justice and Peace: The Legal Imagination in Christianity
3 Credits
An exploration of Christianity's relationship to law in three primary ways. First, its theology of law in a New Testament era of grace upholding justice and mercy and directed toward peace or reconciliation. Second, its understanding and usage of legal norms and regulations in the church's administration, sacraments, and discipline of its members (canon law) as an earthly institution. Third, the impact of Christian canonistic jurisprudence on the western legal tradition. Special attention is given to legal norms concerning marriage, penance, and procedure (due process, rights of defendants). Analytical and writing skills developed.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1900; (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Law, Religion and Politics, Medieval (Major) - Theology, Medieval (Minor) - Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Writing Intensive
THEO 3360 - Medieval Imagination
3 Credits
Why does the imagination matter? In this class, we will discover possibilities and pathways to address this question through an exploration of medieval literary and legal texts, medical records, poetry, tales and legends from Europe, Africa, and Asia. We will discover the mythology of trees and woods, the symbolism of the animals of the fairy tales, the legends of the female pope, the wandering Jew, and that time when Jesus was punished in Hell. This class will require robust collaboration and interdisciplinary work. Students will leave this class with a larger and more critical understanding of that deeply universal and influential dimension of the human experience that is the imagination.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1000; Minimum Earned Credits of 60; (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), UUC:Collaborative Inquiry
THEO 3365 - Teachers in Early Christianity
3 Credits
Examines selective writings and thought of theologians in the early centuries of Christianity.
Attributes: Classical Humanities, Medieval (Major) - Theology, Medieval (Minor) - Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3370 - Teachers in Medieval Christianity
3 Credits
Overview of medieval theologians and spiritual writers with specific attention to the origin and development of the diverse schools of thought in the middle ages.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Italian Related Studies, Medieval (Major) - History, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3375 - Women in the Bible
3 Credits
This course examines the characters and stories of selected women from the Hebrew Bible, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament. In an effort to expose students to multiple ways of interpreting scripture, this course engages with a variety of methodological approaches while seeking to draw attention to the theological, historical, and cultural significance of selected Biblical women and their stories.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); CORE 1900
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Writing Intensive, Women's & Gender Studies
THEO 3400X - American Incarceration
3 Credits
This course uses history, literature, theory, and popular cultural sources to explore incarceration in the United States. Topics may include religion, disability, juvenile justice, race, class, sexuality, and gender. Using history, social theory, film, fiction and autobiography, the course surveys the cultural history of incarceration in America, and examines the place of incarceration in American culture.
Attributes: American Studies Identities, American Studies Minor, American Studies Electives, Global Local Justice-Domestic, UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Identities in Context, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, Diversity in the US (A&S)
THEO 3410 - Christianity and Atheism: A History of Disbelief
3 Credits
This course investigates the crisis in traditional belief that accompanied Europe's transition to modernity. It examines various critiques from both the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment Europe. It also looks at different Christian responses to these critiques. The course aims to deepen students understanding of Western society and its understanding religion.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3415 - Christ and Color: Liberation Theology
3 Credits
This course analyzes and evaluates the theology of Gustavo Gutirrez. The goal is to gain an appreciation for the unique contributions of Liberation Theology to the historical development of Western theology through a directed reading of important primary texts in the areas of Christology, Soteriology, and Ecclesiology.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Foreign Service Elective, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Urban Poverty - Immigration, Urban Poverty - Social Justice
THEO 3420 - Women and God: Feminist Theology
3 Credits
This course is designed to offer a broad understanding of the issues and implications of contemporary feminist thought relative to religious traditions, especially the Christian tradition. It will critique theology and anthropology as well as offer constructive visioning of the new ways of living in relationships. The course is oriented toward personal and social transformation.
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3425 - The Invisible Institution: African American Religion and the Rise of Black Theology
3 Credits
This course examines subversive-theological and liberative hermeneutical responses that emerge from the question of Black existence and identity in American life from clandestine theological claims of rebellious slaves to the rise of liberation movements in the American 60's, through more current events in Ferguson, Charleston, and Charlottesville. We will examine the ways in which identity, meaning, and agency have been theologically shaped in the tradition of Black Religion and Black theology, and how these claims borrow from or are compatible with classical Christian Theology, especially within the context of Ignatian Spirituality. Cross-listed with AAM 3350.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 3430 - Teachings in the Christian Tradition: God and Christ
3 Credits
“Teachings in the Christian Tradition: God and Christ” is one course in a set of two course offerings on an introduction to Christian Theology. (Note: These two courses can be taken in any order.) The aim of the course is to introduce students to the major figures and topics in Christian theology. After a discussion of methods and sources, the course treats the doctrines of God, Trinity, Christ, Faith, and Salvation. (Offered in Fall)
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3435 - Teachings in the Christian Tradition: Church and World
3 Credits
“Teachings in the Christian Tradition: Church and World” is one course in a set of two course offerings on an introduction to Christian Theology. (Note: These two courses can be taken in any order.) The aim of the course is to introduce students to the major figures and topics in Christian theology. After a discussion of methods and sources, the course explores five major doctrinal issues of Christian theology: Theological Anthropology (nature, sin, grace), Church, Sacraments, Christianity and World Religions, and Eschatology and Hope. (Offered in Spring)
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3510 - Faith and Politics
3 Credits
The course is designed to help students sort through the complex relationship between faith and politics. It examines different approaches to bringing faith into the public sphere and treats controversial issues such as abortion, immigration, and gay marriage.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Law, Religion and Politics, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Ethics
THEO 3520 - A Critical Study of Martyrdom & Terrorism
3 Credits
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the concept of martyrdom underwent a radical transformation in the public imagination, with media coverage of jihadist suicide bombers describing a “martyr” as any person who dies for his or her faith—even those who murder innocents. This course explores the theological, political, and legal dimensions of martyrdom, as an act of political violence, to argue that martyrdom is a form of nonviolent political resistance. As such, martyr narratives ought to be reclaimed as theological resources for resisting political violence today.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1600 or CORE 1000); Minimum Earned Credits of 60; (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Global Citizenship (CAS), International Studies-Mid East, International Studies-War, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), UUC:Collaborative Inquiry, UUC:Global Interdependence
THEO 3525 - Green Discipleship: Theology & Ecology
3 Credits
This course explores what the Christian theological tradition teaches about how humankind ought to be relationship with the rest of creation. Focus will be on, but not limited to, Christianity and on key theological themes and perspectives while also seeking to discern possible promising foundations for responding to ecological concerns.
Prerequisite(s): 1 Course from THEO 2000-2999
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, International Studies, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Ethics
THEO 3533 - Liberation and Freedom: An Introduction to Black and Womanist Theologies
3 Credits
Black and Womanist Theologies, in the North American context, are reflections on the relationship of God to Black people, and Black persons relationship to God, especially in the light of existential absurdity. This course examines theological responses to issues such as race, class, gender, and sexuality, within the North American context that present a theological challenge to the Image of God in Black persons. We will seek to locate the distinct theological character of Black and Womanist theologies through the lens of liberation. Offered in spring. Cross-listed with AAM 3350.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3535 - Sex, Gender and Christian Ethics
3 Credits
This course is designed to introduce students to contemporary Christian thinking on sex, gender, and sexuality. The goal is to present a wide range of positions within the Christian tradition, so that students can discuss and debate the available alternatives.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); CORE 1900
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Ethics, UUC:Writing Intensive
THEO 3540 - Incarceration and Incarnation: Prisons and Christian Ethics
3 Credits
This course examines incarceration in the U.S. in light of the incarnation, theological anthropology, and Christian ethics. One aim will be to understand various themes related to incarceration: the school to prison pipeline, race, legislation, policing, prisons and labor, justice, punishment, and reintegration. Another aim will be to consider how belief in an incarnate God, who died a criminal death, shapes Christian views of and responses to incarceration in the U.S. today. We will draw on those who have written theology behind bars (Thoreau, Bonhoeffer, M.L.K., Jr., etc.). Local concerns will be our focus throughout.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Law, Religion and Politics, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3560 - A Post Human Future? The Ethics of Technology
3 Credits
Technological advances are surely changing the way we understand human nature. This course will provide the forum for asking if this is a change for the better. Course goals include identifying and understanding key issues in the development and use of technology.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Ethics
THEO 3710 - Arts of Hinduism and Buddhism
3 Credits
Study of the art and architecture of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, beginning in India and tracing the “footsteps of the Buddha” through Central Asia into East Asia (China, Korea, and Japan), and across mainland and insular Southeast Asia. Focus on learning to “read” non-textual sources and understand religious “enculturation.”.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Foreign Service Elective, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 3720 - Intuition, Spontaneity, and Flow: Daoism in Comparative Context
3 Credits
In this introductory course we will examine themes commonly perceived as central to Daoism, including spontaneity and play, transcendence from mundane life, oneness with Nature, and feminine qualities of nurturing and compassion. We will examine how these themes appear in a number of Daoist texts and practices.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: International Studies, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 3730 - Jewish Life: Bible to Middle Ages
3 Credits
This course studies peoplehood during the Biblical period, the response to the rise of Christianity, the destruction of the Second Temple and the use of Rabbinic law and lore. Also included are an understanding of the holiday cycle, the life-cycle, and synagogue worship.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Classical Humanities, International Studies, International Studies-Mid East, Middle East Studies, Service Learning, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 3735 - Jewish Life: Middle Ages to Modern Times
3 Credits
This course surveys the Golden Age of Spain, Jewish Mysticism, the Enlightenment, philosophers from Maimonides to Martin Buber, 19th-century Nationalism, Zionism, the Holocaust and the rise of Modern Israel. Students will examine how these phenomena influenced modern Judaism, including Torah, God, Israel and ritual observance.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3750 - Creativity and Constraint: The Legal Imagination in Judaism
3 Credits
Professional lawyers and jurists today often conceive of the law as an instrument of social policy. In Judaism, however, this view of law amounts to looking through the wrong end of a telescope. More than a tool for achieving practical goals, law is the very bedrock of Jewish self and society. Law, a direct link to God, is also a unique vessel for creativity across millennia of Jewish history. Our course trains students in key methods for analyzing this bond between law and Jewish life.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Law, Religion and Politics, Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 3755 - Advanced Studies in Islam: Religion, Culture, and Society
3 Credits
This course is designed to offer a broad understanding of the synchronic and diachronic relations that can be established among Islamic religion, culture, and society. Additionally, it examines two of today's most debated topics as regards the intertwining of Islam and modernity, namely: the dynamics of gender and the question of political violence.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3815 - Psychology and the Soul
3 Credits
This course considers the intersection between psychology and theological conceptions of the soul and self. This course provides the student the critical means by which to think about the relationship between psychology and religious beliefs and experiences.
Prerequisite(s): (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500*; Minimum Earned Credits of 60
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), Theology BS Requirement (A&S), UUC:Collaborative Inquiry
THEO 3840 - Theology, Beauty, and Monsters
3 Credits
This is a course in “theological aesthetics." Its most fundamental question is, “How can or could God reveal himself in a world both beautiful and ugly?” It explores the Christian notion of faith as the gift of a response to God’s redemption of human history, a history that is not only beautiful, but also ugly, and indeed “monstrous.” Students will study Christian theories of divine revelation in history (“theology”), Western Medieval ideas of beauty and the grotesque (“beauty”), and contemporary theories of the monstrous (“monsters,” especially from literary theory). The course gives special attention to the Christian theological “supernatural,” to artistic works that grapple with the supernatural and with historical evil, and to scholarly explorations of the monstrous.
Prerequisite(s): Minimum Earned Credits of 60; (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S), UUC:Collaborative Inquiry
THEO 3850 - Theology and the Visual Arts
3 Credits
This course explores biblical themes, images, metaphors, specifically in their relation first to film, and then general arts (pictorial) and popular culture. It seeks to engage students in finding where, how, and when these different strands intersect. It provides the appropriate tools so that students can delve in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with both contemporary culture and the Christian heritage as played out in public society.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3900 - Seeking God: A History
3 Credits
Studies in the major spiritual trends and key figures within the Catholic, Eastern, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Service Learning, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3905 - Marriage & Christian Vocation
3 Credits
A study of contemporary Christian theology and ethical reflections on marriage, covering sexual, gender, parenthood, divorce and family issues.
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3910 - Internship
1-6 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*; (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S)
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: UUC:Reflection-in-Action
THEO 3930 - Special Topics
2 or 3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 3939 - Collaborative Inquiry
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Collaborative Inquiry Special Topics.
Prerequisite(s): (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500*; Minimum Earned Credits of 60
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: UUC:Collaborative Inquiry
THEO 3980 - Independent Study
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Prerequisite(s): (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999)
Restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Theology.
Attributes: Theology BA Requirement (A&S)
THEO 4210 - How to Interpret Scripture: Methods and Perspectives
3 Credits
An examination and survey of biblical hermeneutics, including Old and New Testaments, rabbinic Judaism, the early church, and the history of hermeneutical theory up to the present time.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology-Sacred Texts
THEO 4290 - Seminar in New Testament
3 Credits
The Seminar in New Testament offers in-depth exploration of a selected New Testament topic. The course will examine an important theme, body of literature, or method related to New Testament research, with the goal of enhancing student capacities for research and for oral and written expression.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology New Testament, Theology-Sacred Texts
THEO 4490 - Seminar in Constructive Theology
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
General number for new courses in faith and reason.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
THEO 4510 - War and Peace in the Christian Tradition
3 Credits
This course examines Christian perspectives, from the early church to the present, on the ethics of war and peace. It explores developments in church teachings about pacifism and nonviolence, just war, crusades, total war, outlawing of war, the responsibility to protect vulnerable populations, and responding to the threat of terrorism.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Theology, Foreign Service Elective, Theology-Religious Ethics
THEO 4525 - Freedom of Conscience
3 Credits
This course will explore conscience in theology, psychology, law, and science and examine formation of conscience, freedom of conscience, following one's conscience, and conscientious objection. Course goals include learning the history of conscience and developing the ability to articulate and integrate varying conceptions of conscience.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology-Religious Ethics
THEO 4710 - Islam and the Christian Theologian: Comparing Theological Themes
3 Credits
Comparative study of historical, creedal, institutional, and ethical/spiritual dimensions in Islamic and Christian theological traditions. Assists students to integrate their study of religion/theology with the broader network of the humanities, while providing a framework within which to become familiar with parallel theological themes in the varied religious traditions of Islam.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: International Studies, Middle East Studies, Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 4790 - Seminar in World Religions
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
This course offers a detailed introduction to and exploration of a particular world religion.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Theology-Religious Traditions
THEO 4810 - Latin American Politics, Theology, & Culture
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
This course is designed to deepen students’ understanding of the connection between faith and justice. The summer is an intensive immersion experience during which students live with families, get involved in community praxis sites, and visit churches, theologians, and other groups working for social change in Latin America. In the fall semester students will undertake in-depth spiritual and theological reflection of their experiences abroad grounded in a liberation methodology in which students are both student and teacher. These sessions are designed to help students process the immersion experience in Latin America through deep personal reflection and spiritual searching.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (THEO 2000 or 1 Course from THEO 2001-2999); (THEO 1000 or THEO 1600)
Attributes: Foreign Service Elective, Philosophy & Letters, Theology-Religious Ethics, Urban Poverty - Immigration
THEO 4910 - Theology Internship
1-6 Credits
Students put into practice the skills they learn in the theology program while also serving needy populations in the St. Louis area and Midwestern region. Students work with the department’s Director for Undergraduate Studies on the academic component of their internship, culminating in a major project.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 3000; 0 Course from THEO 3001-3999; (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: UUC:Reflection-in-Action
THEO 4930 - Special Topics
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
A special topics course in Theological Studies.
Prerequisite(s): THEO 1000; 1 Course from THEO 2000-3999
THEO 4960 - Capstone Seminar I
3 Credits
The purpose of this course is to provide undergraduate majors with the resources and skills necessary to engage in rigorous theological reflection, research, and writing in preparation for participation in the Senior Seminar THEO 4965 .
Prerequisite(s): THEO 1000; 1 Course from THEO 2000-2999; (THEO 3430 or THEO 3435)
Restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Theological Studies.
THEO 4980 - Advanced Independent Study in Theological Studies
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 4998 - Advanced Independent Study
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 5000 - Introduction to the Old Testament
3 Credits
This graduate-level course introduces students to the literature, history, interpretation, and major theological themes of the Hebrew Bible. Offered in fall.
Attributes: THCE - Historical Theology
THEO 5100 - Introduction to the New Testament
3 Credits
This graduate-level course introduces students to the literature, history, interpretation, and major theological themes of the New Testament. Offered in spring.
Attributes: THCE - Historical Theology
THEO 5200 - Intro to Historical Method
3 Credits
Principles of historical criticism, methods in research and writing. Church historiography, and theological issues of faith and history. Offered every Fall semester.
THEO 5210 - Survey of Early Christian History
3 Credits
A broad study of the figures, movements and theological themes in the development of early Christianity from the close of the New Testament to Gregory the Great. Offered annually.
THEO 5220 - Survey of Medieval Christian History
3 Credits
A broad study of the figures, movements and theological themes in the historical period from late antiquity up to the 15th century. Offered annually.
THEO 5270 - Christian Tradition I
3 Credits
This course is designed to introduce beginning graduate students to the major figures, theological themes and texts from the first post-biblical generation of Christian thinkers to the Protestant Reformation, c. 100-1500. Offered in fall.
Attributes: Medieval (Major) - History, THCE - Historical Theology
THEO 5280 - Christian Tradition II
3 Credits
This course offers a broad survey of figures, movements and theological themes in the development of global Christianity from the Renaissance and Reformation to the present. Students will examine the development of major Christian Traditions (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox) through close study of primary texts and secondary materials. Readings will address themes distinct to the Modern era of Christianity: missionary expansion; church/state relations; questions of slavery, racism, and human trafficking; the changing role of women in the church; the theological foundations of Christian social thought; the rise of secularism and scientific rationalism; and the relationship of Christianity to other religions. Offered in spring.
Attributes: THCE - Historical Theology
THEO 5320 - Readings in Latin Theological Texts of Late Antiquity
3 Credits (Repeatable up to 6 credits)
This course focuses on the reading and critical analysis of Latin theological texts of late antiquity from the time of Tertullian through Gregory the Great (d. 604). The course emphasizes primarily Christian theological literature and provides exposure to a variety of ecclesial authors and genres. The course emphasizes faithful translation of Latin Christian texts of late antiquity and also encourages preliminary research into select texts and genres. Intermediate Latin reading skills required.
THEO 5390 - Special Topic: Historical Theo
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Attributes: Middle East Studies
THEO 5400 - Resources and Methods in Theology
3 Credits
Methods and presuppositions in doing theology; emphasis on exploring transcendence in human experience, grace, revelation, faith. Offered occasionally.
THEO 5420 - God
3 Credits
Existence and nature of God in the Bible, in Christian tradition and contemporary theology. Offered occasionally.
Attributes: THCE - Constructive Theology
THEO 5440 - Christology
3 Credits
Meaning of Jesus Christ in the Bible, in Christian tradition, and contemporary theology. Offered occasionally.
Attributes: THCE - Constructive Theology
THEO 5450 - Theology of the Human Person
3 Credits
This course explores the meaning of being human from a theological perspective. It examines themes of en nature and grace, sin, free will, human knowledge.
Attributes: THCE - Constructive Theology
THEO 5500 - Sacraments
3 Credits
Sacraments in Christian history and theology in general. Offered occasionally.
THEO 5620 - Forming of Christian Conscience
3 Credits
Sin and guilt as both problem and mystery in relation to Christian conscience, freedom, virtue, sanctity, and sanity. Offered occasionally.
THEO 5650 - Bioethics
3 Credits
The basic theological stances and conflicts related to the fields of medicine and the new biology; specific areas and problems analyzed, e.g., abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, etc. Offered occasionally.
THEO 5660 - Death, Suffering, & Afterlife
3 Credits
Judeo-Christian response to the mystery of suffering, the meaning of death, healing as a religious experience. Reference to the bible, contemporary Christian theology, history, and social studies. Offered occasionally.
THEO 5670 - Social Justice and the Catholic Social Teaching Tradition
3 Credits
This course is designed to help students engage the realities of social injustice while introducing them to the variety of ways in which the Christian tradition responds to injustice. Students will study selections from scripture, Catholic Social Teaching, Jesuit spirituality, and the lives of Christian saints and martyrs. The primary goal of this course is to familiarize students with the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) with a view toward developing skills for critical reading and appropriation of these documents.
THEO 5680 - History of Moral Theology
3 Credits
A survey of sources, methodologies, and issues in Roman Catholic moral theology from the apostolic church to the present day. Offered occasionally.
THEO 5700 - Theo Method: Spirituality
3 Credits
THEO 5710 - Seminar in World Religions
3 Credits
This course offers an in-depth study of four classics of early Chinese thought: The Analects, the Mengzi, the Zhuangzi, and the Xunzi. The course assumes familiarity with the primary texts, and we will engage in philosophical, comparative, and to some extent, historical studies. We will ask questions about the authenticity of the texts, place the works within their intellectual historical context, and examine philosophical questions regarding human nature, ethics, politics, ritual, and metaphysics. The course is responsive to student interests and the syllabus will be adapted accordingly through the semester.
THEO 5790 - Special Topics: Spirituality
3 Credits (Repeatable up to 12 credits)
Special Topics.
THEO 5810 - Ignatian Spirituality & Pedagogy
3 Credits
This course examines the educational enterprise developed out of the religious experience of Ignatius Loyola (founder of the Society of Jesus), focusing on the enterprise's spiritual dimension, and considering the practical issues arising from the education of the first Jesuits as it relates to today's secondary education and beyond. Offered every spring.
THEO 5910 - Internship in Religious Education
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
The basic strategies for developing and maintaining religious education programs in Catholic school and parish settings will be explored through a combination of : (1) Work with a director of Religious Education (DRE) or coordinator of religious Education (CRE); (2) Group discussion with a Master religious educator focusing on readings from professionals in the field.
THEO 5911 - Internship Preparation
0 Credits
This course provides necessary tools and guidance for graduate students on the Religious Education concentration who will be participating in a cooperative internship the following semester by directing students as they complete archdiocesan requirements for access to schools or parishes. (Offered every Spring)
THEO 5920 - Essay Guidance
0-6 Credits
THEO 5930 - Special Topics
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 5960 - Project Guidance
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 5970 - Research Topics
1-3 Credits
THEO 5980 - Graduate Independent Study in Theological Studies
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 5990 - Thesis Research
0-6 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 6000 - Theories and Methods
3 Credits
This course offers graduate students an introduction to major theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion and theology. Students will engage with key thinkers from Kant to Foucault to Barth and others in order to understand the development of the allied fields of religious studies and theology and their own place in this intellectual history. Designed to foster a scholarly self-consciousness and encourage students’ investment in the most pressing debates and conversations in the field, this course aims to shape students as critical rhetors prepared to do advanced research that is at once sophisticated and significant. Offered in spring.
THEO 6010 - Methods in Historical Theology
3 Credits
Historical Theology is an interdisciplinary project, which employs the intellectual tools and skills of historical research to examine what Anselm of Canterbury called "faith seeking understanding." Yet history and theology -- as academic disciplines -- are not monolithic in structure or univocal in expression. This seminar will introduce students to issues and questions that have dominated historiographical debates over the last five centuries and explore how these have been influenced by, and have influenced, theological discourse. Knowledge of historiography, its theory and practice, is an invaluable aid to scholars studying theological discourse in its past context and current application. Offered every fall.
THEO 6020 - Christianity in Antiquity Survey
3 Credits
This course focuses on the history and primary theological sources pertaining to Christianity from its origins through the rise of Islam. Special attention is given to foundational Christian theologians and major historical developments in the early church, as well as to research methods and the appropriate use of scholarly tools necessary for advanced research in this field.
THEO 6030 - Survey of Medieval Christianity
3 Credits
A broad study of the figures, movements and theological themes in the historical period from late antiquity up to the 15th century. Offered every spring.
THEO 6040 - Christian Theology Introduction
3 Credits
This course provides a broad introduction to major theological themes and figures in Christianity in the modern period, c.1500 to the present. Offered in fall.
THEO 6050 - Academic Writing in the Study of Religion & Theology from CFP to First Book
3 Credits
This seminar provides a practicum in the techniques, craft, and processes of academic writing and publishing in religion, theology, and related fields. The course identifies six venues in which rigorous and thoughtful writing connects researchers with communities and publics: course design; conference papers; academic journals; grant/fellowship writing; book publication; and public scholarship—and scaffolds opportunities for students to prepare original work in each of these areas. Designed to complement students’ developing expertise in specialized content and methods of inquiry, this course cultivates writerly communities and deepens students’ knowledge of academic writing through stages of composition, review, and publication. (Offered even years in Spring)
Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Theological Studies department.
THEO 6110 - Christianity in Antiquity Seminar
3 Credits (Repeatable up to 12 credits)
The content of this course varies according to the interests of the instructor and those of the students. In all cases, however, the course will treat a subject of relevance to the advanced study of Christianity from its origins through the rise of Islam.
Attributes: THCE - Historical Theology
THEO 6120 - Medieval Seminar
3 Credits (Repeatable up to 12 credits)
In-depth study of particular authors, schools or texts in the Medieval religious world in connection with the ongoing research of the instructors.
THEO 6140 - Christian Theology Seminar
3 Credits (Repeatable up to 12 credits)
The content of this course varies according to the interests of the instructor and those of the students. In all cases, however, the course will treat a subject of relevance to the advanced study of Christian theology in the modern period, c.1500 to the present.
Attributes: THCE - Constructive Theology
THEO 6210 - Dissertation Prospectus
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
All PhD students must register for Dissertation Prospectus after having taken their comprehensive exams and prior to registration for THEO-6990, dissertation research.
THEO 6300 - Late Ancient Syriac: Theological Texts
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
This course focuses on the reading and critical analysis of late ancient Syriac texts (c. 300-700 CE) in their original language with a view to preparing students for doctoral-level research. The chosen texts will include mostly Christian theological literature and will expose students to a variety of Syriac authors, genres and styles. Prerequisite: Students are expected to have acquired introductory skills in ancient Syriac prior to enrollment in this course. Students demonstrate the acquisition of introductory skills upon admission to the doctoral program or by having successfully completed an introductory course in ancient Syriac after admission.
THEO 6310 - Late Ancient Greek: Theological Texts
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
This course focuses on the reading and critical analysis of late ancient Greek texts in their original language with a view to preparing students for doctoral-level research. The texts that are examined are designed to expose students to a variety of authors, genres and styles of Greek used by early Christian writers. Prerequisite: Students are expected to have acquired introductory skills in ancient Greek prior to enrollment in this course. Students demonstrate the acquisition of introductory skills upon admission to the doctoral program or by having successfully completed GK 2010 or the equivalent.
THEO 6320 - Readings and Advanced Research in Latin Theological Texts of Late Antiquity
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
This course focuses on the reading and critical analysis of late ancient Latin theological texts from the time of Tertullian through Gregory the Great (d. 604). The course emphasizes primarily Christian theological literature and provides exposure to a variety of ecclesial authors and genres. The course encourages faithful translations of texts and pushes students to work toward translations that could be of publishable quality. The course also aims to prepare students to use Latin texts in doctoral-level research in the discipline of theology. Intermediate Latin reading skills required.
THEO 6930 - Special Topics
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Offered occasionally.
THEO 6970 - Advanced Research Topics in Theological Studies
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 6980 - Graduate Independent Study in Theological Studies
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
THEO 6990 - Dissertation Research
0-9 Credits (Repeatable for credit)