Religious Studies Graduate Courses
- RELS A701 Biblical Methodologies 3 cr. hrThis course exposes students to contemporary critical methods used in the scholarly analysis of the biblical text, including form criticism, source criticism, and tradition historical criticism among others. Significant portions of the biblical text will be analyzed.
- RELS A704 Pauline Writings 3 cr. hrs.
This course offers an introduction to Pauline studies (life of the Apostle, epistolary genre), and an exposition of the thought of Paul and its development in his seven authentic letters with a focus upon Paul as pastoral theologian and his concepts of God’s lordship, the nature and role of the Christ-event, and the consequences of this event for humanity. The course concludes with a survey of the Paulinist writers, i.e., those who later wrote in Paul’s name.
- RELS A706 The Synoptic Writers 3 cr. hrs.
Following a brief introduction to Synoptic research, this course studies each writer in turn—Mark, Matthew, and the author of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles—to discern their sources, structure, purpose, and theology with special attention to the uniqueness of each writer as narrator and thinker, to the story as a totality, and to the intended audience’s response.
RELS A708 Johannine Literature 3 cr. hrs.
This course examines the uniqueness of the Johannine corpus (a gospel, a theological tract, and two letters) and community, with a focus on the background, composition, structure, and theology of the Fourth Gospel. Also, the later documents produced by this unusual community as it merged into the wider Christian community will be examined.
- RELS A712 Ethics: Systems and Issues 3 cr. hrs.
This is a basic course acquainting the student with main approaches to normative ethics, both personal and social, and to the analysis of ethical language and argumentation.
- RELS A715 The History of Exegesis 3 cr. hrs.
This course presents an overview of the history of biblical interpretation from the Patristic age to the present. Participants will select an important biblical passage and trace the history of its interpretation.
- RELS A718 Early Christian Thought 3 cr. hrs.
This course looks at the development of Christian thought through the ante and post-Nicene periods to the end of the patristic period, with readings in primary sources.
- RELS A720 Medieval Christian Thought 3 cr. hrs.
This course examines Christian thought from the end of the patristic period to the eve of the Reformation. Within this period, interest will center on the three centuries between 1000 A.D. and 1300 A.D.—the time when the Middle Ages reached their apogee.
- RELS A722 Reformation and Counter Reformation 3 cr. hrs.
This course examines the theological positions advanced by the principal reformers, e.g., Luther, Melanchthon, Zwingli, Calvin, etc., and the Roman Catholic response made at the Council of Trent.
- RELS A724 Theology in the 19th and 20th Centuries 3 cr. hrs.
This course will trace the rise and development of liberal and neo-orthodox theology in Protestantism and developments in Roman Catholicism during this period of clash between religion and modernity. Revisionist and post-liberal theologies are also studied.
RELS A726 Classical Christian Thinkers I 3 cr. hrs.
This course offers an introduction to key episodes in the history of Christian thought by reading recognized theological classics from the pre-Reformation era. - RELS A727 Classical Christian Thinkers II 3 cr. hrs.
This course gives an introduction to key episodes in the history of Christian thought by reading recognized theological classics from the Reformation and post-Reformation eras.
- RELS A728 The Christian God 3 cr. hrs.
This course looks at the problem of belief as it evolved from the Enlightenment period to the present, bearing on the secularization process, on God-talk and traditional approaches to God. It will include investigation of recent efforts by process thinkers to reconstruct the idea of God, and implications for Christian theology and life.
- RELS A730 Christology 3 cr. hrs.
This course gives a brief overview of New Testament Christology followed by a study of the development of the pre-Nicene views of Christ and his relation to the Father; the rise of heterodox counterpositions; the official response at various stages of dialectic culminating in the Councils of Nicea, Constantinople I, Ephesus, and Chalcedon; and contemporary critiques of the classical Christological model and recent revisions.
- RELS A732 Church and Sacraments 3 cr. hrs.
This course is a study of the theology of Christian sacraments: structure and function of sacramental economy; a theology of the symbol; the dialectic between rite and church; the relationship between sacramental life and secular existence; and the religious import of non-Roman Catholic sacraments.
- RELS A733 Ecumenical Theology 3 cr. hrs.
This course reviews the origins of Christian division and the motives for the restoration of Christian unity. It reviews recent theological literature and focuses on the joint statements of interfaith dialogues.
- RELS A738 Theological Method 3 cr. hrs.
This is a seminar discussion of the problems raised by philosophical theology for doing theology in the contemporary intellectual context. Readings will be taken from authors such as Lonergan, Rahner, Nygren, Gilkey, Ogden, Tracy, and Pannenberg.
- RELS A744 The Theology of Bernard Lonergan 3 cr. hrs.
Bernard Lonergan has developed a contemporary theological method for the integration of religion with the other dimensions of human existence, principally the human and natural sciences and society. This method and its philosophical basis will be studied in detail. Some background in philosophy is recommended.
- RELS A746 Theology of Karl Rahner 3 cr. hrs.
This course offers a reading survey of the writings of the theologian who has probably been the single most important thinker in the reshaping of contemporary Roman Catholic theology.
- RELS A748 Religions of Asia 3 cr. hrs.
This course offers a study of the history and contemporary status of Hinduism, Buddhism, the Chinese religious tradition, and Islam.
- RELS A749 Islam, Muhammad, and Qur’an 3 cr. hrs.
This course looks at the rise and development of Islam. The Qur’an will be critically read. Topics include the life of Muhammad, Sunnah, Shiah, and the Shariah.
- RELS A750 Theology of Religions 3 cr. hrs.
Is a unified understanding of religion possible given the diversity of religious manifestations? This course offers an inquiry into the history and contemporary status of attempts to explore questions surrounding interreligious dialogue.
- RELS A754 Christian Spirituality 3 cr. hrs.
This course provides a historical and theological study of the development of Christian spirituality and of the teachings of the major schools.
- RELS A755 Dynamics of Salvation 3 cr. hrs.
This course is a study of the history and contemporary status of theories of redemption.
- RELS A756 Theological Anthropology 3 cr. hrs.
This course is a study of the doctrine of grace as it emerged from the scriptures, the Patristic tradition, the medieval synthesis, and through the Reformation period down to the present era. The focus is on anthropological implications.
- RELS A758 Biblical Morality 3 cr. hrs.
This course looks at historical exposition accompanied by individual research on selected texts that have strongly influenced Christian morality.
- RELS A760 Schools of Thought in Ethics 3 cr. hrs.
This course is a critical study of historical schools of thought in moral philosophy and theology with special attention to their influence on Christian norms, values, and practices.
- RELS A761 The Pentateuch 3 cr. hrs.
Pentateuchal traditions are assessed in this course in terms of their literary quality, meaning, and inter-canonical relationships. Significant scholarly issues will be reviewed and textual evaluation will be emphasized.
- RELS A762 Biblical Wisdom Literature 3 cr. hrs.
The didactic literature of the Old Testament is evaluated here in terms of textual, literary, philosophical, and existential categories. Relationships to other intellectual and theological perspectives will be assessed.
- RELS A763 Hebrew Prophets 3 cr. hrs.
This course critically evaluates the prophetic corpus in literary, social-historical, and theological categories. Emphasis is placed on the developmental process which culminates in new theological trajectories.
- RELS A770 The History of Christianity 3 cr. hrs.
This course is a survey of the history of Christianity from the post-biblical period to the present. Utilizing the methods of intellectual, institutional, and social history, this course focuses on major developments, decisive turning points, prominent personalities, and perennial theological problems in order to give a sweeping overview and orientation for further study.
- RELS A800 Social Ethics 3 cr. hrs.
This course investigates methods and theories in social ethics, with attention to their political and economic implications and their relationship to Christian beliefs.
- RELS A802 War, Peace, and Global Justice 3 cr. hrs.
This course offers an exploration of ethical issues of war, peace, and global justice in light of Christian ethical principles. The issues of pacifism and just war or just revolution are explored.
RELS A803 Women in Religion and Culture 3 cr. hrs.
This course investigates the mutual impact of religious beliefs and gender roles. Special topics include the origin of patriarchy, structures of patriarchy, function of shamanism in women’s lives, women in patriarchal religions, violence perpetuated against women in patriarchal cultures/religions, and women creating women’s religion.
- RELS A804 Millennium Seminar 3 cr. hrs.
Cross-cultural investigation of the diversity of religious patterns that scholars have termed millennialism, the expectation of an imminent transition to a collective salvation. Catastrophic millennialism, progressive millennialism, nativist millennial movements, and why some millennial groups become involved in violence will be studied.
- RELS A805 Comparative Religious Ethics 3 cr. hrs.
This course is an introduction to the theory, method, and practice of comparative religious ethics that provides an objective procedure for analyzing a religious group’s ethical system. The method of analysis will allow for a way to conduct a comparative inquiry and draw conclusions that do not distort the ethical systems being analyzed.
- RELS A806 Bioethics 3 cr. hrs.
The subject matter in this course is defined as the study of moral issues generated or significantly complicated by the biological sciences, both theoretical and applied. The course surveys values and principles traditionally invoked, investigates a representative variety of cases in personal or professional behavior, and reviews recent trends in the literature.
- RELS A816 Philosophy of Religion 3 cr. hrs.
This course is a study of the rational status of belief in and beliefs about God, illustrated by writings typical of several different philosophical perspectives; problems of religious language; immortality; and competing truth claims of religions.
- RELS A820 Psychology of Religion 3 cr. hrs.
This course offers a general introduction to the psychological study of religious behavior comprising a short history of the subject with special attention to classic writings since 1890, a review of outstanding theories and methods, and a representative sampling of recent research, especially on personality and development.
- RELS A830 Hindu Theology 3 cr. hrs
This course is a study of the rise and development of Hindu theistic thought in the millennium following Shankara (788 – 820 A.D.). The schools of identity, difference, and difference-in-identity will be critically studied.
- RELS A891 Thesis I 3 cr. hrs.
- RELS A892 Thesis II 3 cr. hrs.
- RELS A893 Directed Reading 3 cr. hrs.
- RELS A894 Experimental Course 3 cr. hrs.
An experimental course is a course which is offered on an ad hoc basis.
- RELS A896 Seminar/Workshop arr.
A seminar is a supervised group of students sharing the results of their research on a common topic. A workshop is a supervised group of students participating in a common effort.
- RELS A898 Research Project arr.
Focuses on empirical or historical investigation, culminating in a written report.