Courses

An analytical and critical study of the phenomena, the conceptual patterns, and the sacred texts of some of the major Western religions. Each religion is studied as a total perspective for life, which is embodied in interpersonal and communal life, in cult, and in ideology. This course provides a general introduction to the study of world religions as well as an historical and structural survey of Judaism, Islam, Christianity and new religions in the West. The subject matter is approached from an emic anthropological standpoint—that is, the history, belief and practice of each religious group will be examined in detail, as if the student was living within that religious context.

An analytical and critical study of the phenomena, the conceptual patterns, and the sacred texts of some of the major Eastern religions. Each religion is studied as a total perspective for life, which is embodied in interpersonal and communal life, in cult, and in ideology. This course provides a general introduction to the study of world religions as well as an historical and structural survey of Animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Sikhism. The subject matter is approached from an emic anthropological standpoint—that is, the history, belief and practice of each religious group will be examined in detail, as if the student was living within that religious context.

Moral theology reflects upon the goodness and evil of human acts, and of the person who performs them, in the light of Divine Revelation and human reason. This course offers an introduction both to mainstream Catholic and evangelical moral theology and contemporary moral issues, emphasizing their common ground and supplementary insights as well as explaining their continuing points of divergence. The course is taught by a Catholic professor, utilizing both Catholic and protestant texts. Specific moral issues to be discussed include abortion, homosexuality, just war, contraception, divorce, euthanasia, poverty and hunger, and the nature and role of the family.

This course reviews the roots and evolution of the modern secular approaches to anthropology and human sexuality and contrast them with those of Christ. This course examines recent developments in theological reflection on the body (John Paul II's theology of the body) and provides a general introduction to Christian anthropology, with particular attention to themes such as creation in the imago Dei, fall and redemption, nature and grace, freedom and rationality, gender and vocation. Due note of convergent and divergent doctrinal positions held by various Christian traditions of the themes are reviewed.

A study of the history of Christian theology from the post-apostolic age to the present. Focus is on perennial issues in Christian theology and areas of convergence and divergence between the three Christian traditions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Students will consider the role of the Bible, culture, and experience in order to understand the complexities involved in studying historical theology.

A doctrinal study of the Trinity and the Church, engaging the biblical material in forming a doctrine of God and the Church.

A doctrinal study of the person and work of Jesus Christ, engaging the biblical material in forming a doctrine of Christology and soteriology.

A supervised short-term missions/cross-cultural internship/practicum.

This course focuses on the theological, liturgical, and spiritual traditions that undergird the Catholic Church and which continue to form her self-understanding. Historically, this course explains and evaluates the development of the Catholic doctrine of the Church in terms of its roots in Scripture and Tradition, and with a particular emphasis on the Pauline understanding of the Church as the Body of Christ, and selected readings from the Church Fathers, as well as developments in Catholic understanding of the Church in different historical periods and social contexts. It also examines the Church in terms of her ongoing mission to the contemporary world implied by Catholic doctrine. Spiritually, this course exams the distinctive teaching of the Second Vatican Council's 'universal call to holiness' which ultimately serves to integrate doctrine and life in each member of the Church. Analysis of these themes are undertaken in dialogue with the perspectives of other Christian traditions, and in the light of the constructive critique they can offer.