One of the major goals of this course, which counts toward the religion Veritas requirement but is also required of all majors and minors, is to clearly delineate the differences between theology and religious studies as modes of intellectual inquiry. This class will show the theoretical and historical relationship between the two disciplines while showing each’s benefits and limitations. Moreover, both theology and religious studies will be critically queried rather than accepted as self-evident categories. Originally a branch of philosophy, as found in Plato and Aristotle, theology would eventually emerge as a formal and disciplined attempt to render the life, teaching, and worship of Christians intelligible to themselves and to the cultures which they inhabit. Some have argued that theology has expanded beyond Christianity, while others treat it as still fundamentally a Christian, or at least monotheistic, category. The history of religious studies is similarly fraught: In some forms, it represented a good-faith impulse by liberal religious Americans to engage the thought and practices of non-Christian religions. In others, it served as the grammar of empire as European colonialism spread around the globe. In this class, we will examine how various intellectual, textual, and practice traditions often categorized as “religions” conceive of themselves, studying toward an emic understanding insofar as that is possible for a group of twenty-first century students in the U.S. However, even as we read sympathetically, we will also observe how religion is constructed from, embedded in, and influences economic, political, and socio-cultural systems. We will track and analyze the various power dynamics that led some practices to be designated as “religious” while others were not. We will wrestle with such questions as: What aspects of social organization and thought does “religion” underscore and what does it obscure? Who benefits and who is harmed in such labeling? How can theology and religious studies be practiced responsibly?
Introduces students to the academic study of Christian theology (both Catholic and Protestant). Students are encouraged to discover the historical, theological, spiritual and ethical foundations of theology. Students will explore the religious dimension of human experience, God, salvation, evil, ritual, scriptures and community. Special emphasis is placed on issues affecting 21st century Christianity.
An introduction to the academic study of the Bible and survey of major portions of its writings. Designed to acquaint students with the historical, literary, and theological character of the Bible as well as the contents of the individual texts that comprise the Christian Scriptures. Students will acquire familiarity with the literature of the Bible, become self-conscious and critical readers and interpreters, and reflect on the role of readers in the construction of textual meaning and interpretation.
An introduction to the academic study of the Hebrew Scriptures and a survey of major portions of its writings designed to acquaint students with the literary, historical, and theological character and contents of the individual texts comprising this collection. This course investigates the political, social, religious and philosophical, and literary environments in which the Hebrew Scriptures originated in order to contextualize adequately the reading and study of the documents. It introduces the methodologies employed in the investigation of the texts of the Hebrew Scripture during the modern period and the major scholarly issues that this research has addressed.
An introduction to and survey of the New Testament designed to acquaint students with the literary, historical, and theological character and contents of the individual writings comprising this collection. It investigates the political, social, religious and philosophical, and literary environment in which the New Testament originated in order to contextualize adequately the reading and study of the documents. It introduces the methodologies employed in the investigation of New Testament texts during the modern period and the major scholarly issues that this research has addressed.
One of the major goals of this course, which counts toward the religion Veritas requirement but is also required of all majors and minors, is to clearly delineate the differences between theology and religious studies as modes of intellectual inquiry. This class will show the theoretical and historical relationship between the two disciplines while showing each’s benefits and limitations.
An introduction to Roman Catholicism from the perspective of the American Catholic experience. The course reviews the history of Catholicism from the emergence of Christianity to the present, with special attention to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. It surveys the Church's beliefs and practices, the exercise of authority, its sacramental life and liturgical traditions, moral norms, and relations with Protestant denominations and other major religious communities. The course also encounters the Church in its local setting and explores issues that U. S. Catholics find most challenging.
What does it mean to be “spiritual?” How did spirituality become divorced from religion such that one can identify as “spiritual but not religious” or “spiritual and religious?” In answering these questions, students will examine spirituality’s Christian origins, as well as its transformation into a cross-religious concept. By exploring the history of spirituality, classical texts authored by models of spiritual practice, and the development of spiritual practices across many different religious traditions, students will be better equipped to theorize the role of spirituality in their own flourishing.
Topics in Theology and Religious Studies.
Provides an introduction to religious ethics, its sources, principles and impact upon global contemporary issues. Students are encouraged to develop analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as reflect on their own processes of moral decision-making. We will test our ideas about ethics by examining a broad array of issues in the twenty-first century and considering common ethical principles found in various religions and cultures of the world.
Explores ways in which religious faith and belief are expressed through the arts, including the visual and performing arts. The theatres, museums, concert halls, and churches of Rome and its environs will be used as resources for the class. Students will explore art and architecture as they express the Christian faith in the ancient city of Rome and its environs. As a theology course, it will look to art and art history, seeing there the expression of theological ideas or doctrines. The class will include consideration of the idea of pilgrimage, some experience of the church at prayer, discussion of the concepts of lex orandi, lex credendi and the idea of development of doctrine. This course will be offered as an accelerated travel course.
Provides a general introduction to Buddhist practices, philosophy, and literary production. Rather than treat Buddhism ahistorically, as a unified system to be explained and evaluated, we will instead follow the tradition’s dynamic spread across Asia and into contemporary America as part of a broader effort to better understand the relationship between religion and the social worlds in which it is produced. Students will be introduced to the life of the Buddha, tantra, meditation, Zen, the Dalai Lama, and mindfulness among a host of Buddhist concepts and practices.
From the earliest material evidence of human religiosity to the present day, animals have served important functions in religious practices—as sacrificial offerings, as the bearers of scriptures and stories, and as mythical agents among other roles. In some traditions, animals have even been deified or mythologized as linking humans to extra-empirical realms. This course will explore the role of animals in each of these capacities across a wide swath of religious and ethical traditions, from India to the Abrahamic traditions to the post-Christian west. This investigation will show that many religions and cultures maintain that animals are not subordinate to humans or lacking in consciousness, but are themselves sentient beings worthy of ethical consideration. Cohabiting our world with animals has long prompted humans to consider what it means to be human, conscious, and religious in a world of diverse sentience, a 3,000-year conversation that students in our class will join.
Sleeping, dreaming, and dying are popularly characterized as states in which consciousness is inoperative or altogether absent, and yet are held by a variety of religions to be modes of exploration of subtle forms of consciousness that elude our waking selves. This course will examine culturally-specific understandings of each of these states and their possible connections across a wide variety of religious traditions. Students will dialogue with relevant texts and practices to theorize the nature of consciousness and reality.
Considers the intellectual history of Christian theology, examining people and their ideas from the birth of Jesus to the modern era. This course is designed to enhance the student’s appreciation for the disciplines of theology and history, inviting reflection on tradition and ideas. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own experience of faith, and to recognize the need for a critical examination of faith’s foundations.
Examines Catholic social teaching’s commitment to the environment. Students will explore the relationship between God, humanity, and the environment from a biblical, historical, and theological perspective. Special attention will be paid to the application of Catholic social teaching to current environmental issues.
Provides an overview of Catholic social teaching, exploring its biblical, theological and historical foundations, while addressing its application to contemporary social issues, such as immigration, globalization, sustainability, artificial intelligence, etc.. Special emphasis will be placed on the seven themes of Catholic social teaching: the dignity of the human person, call to family, community, and participation, the dignity of work and the rights of workers, the option for the poor and vulnerable, solidarity, care for creation, and rights and responsibilities.
Examines the historical and cultural understandings of women in religions of the world. The course emphasizes the work of contemporary women thinkers who are exploring various dimensions of the question of women’s presence, exclusion and contribution to religion. Through historical and comparative study the course will provide both a critical and a constructive understanding of the contributions that women make to religions, as well as the influence of religions on the situation of women in the world. This course will acknowledge the heritage of women’s strength, resistance and celebration in responding to exclusion and oppression and look at some of the ways in which women today are seeking full and authentic participation in the life of their religious traditions and their communities.
Explores with students the essential elements and core values of the Catholic Benedictine tradition. Students are encouraged to discover the historical, cultural, theological, spiritual, and ethical foundations of the Benedictine tradition. The course examines tools in the Rule of Benedict that assist students in reflecting on the fundamental questions of life. Students explore ways of developing a Benedictine spirituality that focuses on discovering the presence of God in the ordinary events of life.
Explores the history and theology of pilgrimage and may include a 100 kilometer hiking pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago Compostela in Spain, or a 100 kilometer pilgrimage from London to Canterbury; pilgrimages to Rome or Jerusalem are also possible. Beginning with the scriptural accounts of pilgrimage, students will explore the theology and history of pilgrimage. As a cross-listed history and theology course, it will also look to art and art history, and to literature, seeing there the expression of theological ideals, ideas or doctrines. Students of the Spanish language will have daily opportunity to enter into conversation in Spanish and the Galician dialect. Further, the title of Santiago Matamoros, St. James the Moor Killer, will be considered in historical context, with attention to new efforts at understanding between Christianity and Islam.
Students will practice yoga and mindfulness meditation as a way of exploring ways of being and knowing different from those often taken for granted in contemporary American society. We will examine the religious functions of yoga and mindfulness in Hinduism and Buddhism, and explore why these practices were said to lead to enlightenment and universal compassion. We will proceed to critically evaluate the American appropriation of yoga and mindfulness as therapeutic practices. Although millions of Americans practice yoga and/or mindfulness meditation, most encountered these practices in discourses of wellness, mental health, exercise, or stress-relief, and have only a vague awareness that the practices have roots in Hinduism and Buddhism. By examining the ethics of appropriating practices outside one’s own socio-religious milieu, students will reflect on the conditions necessary for cultural encounters to be non-exploitative.
An exploration of the interpretation of issues of justice and peace, with special attention to Catholic and Christian teachings on such issues as war and peace, violence, economic justice, and racial and gender justice. Consideration of ways in which fundamental presuppositions and principles of each group studied affect their views on justice and peace, and promote or detract from dialogue and peaceful interaction with other groups. In addition to Christianity, students are invited to study the world-views of a Far Eastern religion, a tribal religion, Islam, and one secular worldview.
Surveys the major religious traditions of the world, focusing on an understanding of the religious world views and practices that shape culture across the globe. Explores basic teachings, rituals, ethics and conceptions of the transcendent and afterlife. Selected readings from these traditions include indigenous and oral religions, Hinduism, Buddhism as well as the religions of the West including Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Topics in Theology and Religious Studies.
A study of the Gospel of John is designed to acquaint students with the Gospel's narrative as well as its literary, historical, and theological dimensions and important themes. This course investigates the principal issues in Johannine research, literary features, attitude toward and role of women, world view and social setting, authorship, destination and purpose, composition, Christology and eschatology. The course examines significant passages used to support various scholarly views and develops exegetical skills.
Examines the letters in the New Testament whose authorship by Paul is undisputed (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon) within the context of ancient letter writing and the socio-historical situations to which they were addressed. It considers in detail the political, social, religious and philosophical, and cultural environments in which Paul lived and wrote as well as the specific issues and themes addressed in the letters. The course explores the interpretations of Paul's views from ancient times to the present.
Examines the phenomenon of prophecy as it emerged in the religion of Israel before, during, and after the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles. The course traces the development of the prophetic movement and its relationship to religious, social and political institutions as recorded in the Tanakh's prophetic corpus. The course takes a socio-historical, redactional and comparative and phenomenological approach to the prophetic material. It explores the material's literary and theological dimensions as well as feminist concerns lifted up by careful study of its images and characters.
Explores the Catholic imagination, looking at its historical origins, conceptual components, and cultural manifestations. We will begin with an examination of its biblical sources, and then look at its various manifestations throughout the history of Catholic life, teaching, and worship. Particular focus will be paid to the intersection of faith and reason, religion and culture, and faith and imagination. To this end, students will be introduced to some of the literary, artistic, musical, and cinematic treasures of the Catholic tradition.
Enhances the student’s appreciation for sacraments and worship. Students will reflect on how the Catholic sacramental system shapes the life of the Church and individual Catholics; seek to understand how the Church’s liturgy is the source and summit of life; and reflect on Vatican II’s understanding of the Church as People of God.
Consideration of questions related to suffering, dying, prolonging and manipulating life. Study examines topics related to the meaning and end of human life according to various religious and cultural viewpoints. Topics include the quality and sacredness of life, end of life moral issues, funeral rites, grief and mourning, suicide, and perspectives on life after death.
Explores a variety of concrete biomedical ethical problems within our society and the healthcare system from a diversity of religious and ethical perspectives. This course examines a number of current issues in healthcare. Attention is given to key principles relevant to healthcare ethics, including autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice.
An interdisciplinary exploration into the role of spirituality in healing from trauma and movement toward flourishing. It asks: What unique challenges does trauma pose to human flourishing as well as understanding of the divine and persons? The course aims to familiarize students with the field of trauma studies and the contributions spirituality makes to the complex challenges confronting traumatized persons and communities.
Although compassion is a cardinal virtue in nearly all religious and ethical traditions as well as the value systems of many individuals, its translation into politics is selective, inconsistent, and sometimes controversial. We are told to love our neighbor, but who do we recognize as our neighbor? What do we owe our neighbors? This course explores religious, political, and social perspectives of how we understand and care for - or don’t - strangers. We examine recent political and social developments to understand the elements of a compassionate politics that keeps faith with our values, and analyze the complexities of how public policies affect vulnerable groups, such as refugees, persons of color, the economically disadvantaged, and victims of human rights abuses.
Explores ways in which religion, values and art find expression in the cinema, exploring theological and cultural themes, symbols, motifs, and images in foreign and domestic films. As a Catholic Studies course, Faith, Values and Film will seek to explore the connection between faith and modern culture. The interdisciplinary nature of the study will highlight for students the complementary interaction of the Catholic faith with reason, seeking to engage students with the transformative realities of art.
Provides students an opportunity to encounter the resources and heritage of the Catholic Benedictine tradition. The course deepens student understanding of the mission of The College of St. Scholastica and invites students to reflect upon their own vocations as they enter the profession of nursing.
The course examines spiritual living with a holistic view of what it means to be fully human. It seeks to foster spiritual growth by exploring universal themes of spiritual living as they relate to the search for God in the ordinary happenings of daily life. Christian spirituality and the spirituality of other faith traditions will be studied.
This course provides a study of the person, mission and teachings of Jesus Christ in scripture, doctrine and contemporary theology. Particular attention is paid to historical Jesus studies. Course is designed to deepen understanding of the central figure of Christianity and provide a basis for Christian life.
Students will practice yoga and mindfulness meditation as a way of exploring ways of being and knowing different from those often taken for granted in contemporary American society. We will examine the religious functions of yoga and mindfulness in Hinduism and Buddhism, and explore why these practices were said to lead to enlightenment and universal compassion. We will proceed to critically evaluate the American appropriation of yoga and mindfulness as therapeutic practices. Although millions of Americans practice yoga and/or mindfulness meditation, most encountered these practices in discourses of wellness, mental health, exercise, or stress-relief, and have only a vague awareness that the practices have roots in Hinduism and Buddhism. By examining the ethics of appropriating practices outside one’s own socio-religious milieu, students will reflect on the conditions necessary for intercultural encounters to be non-exploitative.
Topics in Theology and Religious Studies.
Independent Study.
A capstone, interdisciplinary class in which students demonstrate their own perception of the depth and breadth of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition as it is evident in their various fields of study. This course will operate as a seminar. Students will read, research, write and present their work, reflecting on tradition and ideas. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own experience of faith, and to recognize the need for a critical examination of faith’s foundations.
Examines the mystical tradition through the examination of the lives and writings of selected women mystics. A typical reading list might include works of Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Simone Weil, Edith Stein and Hildegard of Bingen.