Course Descriptions

Foundational Courses - NEW

FP 4001 Foundations: Theology and Practice of Ministry
This foundational course focuses on the development of ministerial identity, recognizing that ministers need to have both a personal understanding of the nature of ministry and a conviction that ministry includes constant theological reflection and evaluation.

FA 4001 Foundations: Doing Theology
This foundational course focuses on the tools and methods needed in order to do theology. The lens is that of systematic theology, but the themes covered, the perspectives employed and the skills developed have implications in the doing of other facets of the theological enterprise.

FR 4001 Foundations: Religious Experience in Context
This foundational course focuses on the cultural and interreligious nature of theological reflection and pastoral ministry.

FT 4001 Foundations: Understanding Christian Tradition
This foundational course aims to provide an overview of the historical framework and content of the many-faceted Christian tradition.

Integrating Courses - NEW

DC 4100 Trinity and Mission: The God of Jesus Christ
This course is one of three “integrating courses” that are built around several elements
that make up the evangelizing mission of the church. Integrating courses integrate the
four perspectives that make up the foundational courses: pastoral identity, methodological skill, contextual awareness and knowledge of Christian Tradition. The focus of this particular course is the content of the witness and proclamation that the church engages in as it continues the work of Jesus in preaching, serving and witnessing to the Reign of God.

EMP 4100 Catholic Social Teaching and Mission: Living the Values of the Reign of God
This course is one of three “integrating courses” that are built around several elements that make up the evangelizing mission of the church. Integrating courses integrate the four perspectives that make up the foundational courses: pastoral identity, methodological skill, contextual awareness and knowledge of Christian Tradition. The focus of this particular course is the tradition of the social teaching of the Catholic Church and how it contributes to the church’s mission of justice, peace, the integrity of creation and reconciliation.

WS 4100 Liturgy, Contemplation, and Mission: Ecclesial Spirituality
This course is one of three “integrating courses” that are built around several elements that make up the evangelizing mission of the church. Integrating courses integrate the four perspectives that make up the foundational courses: pastoral identity, methodological skill, contextual awareness and knowledge of Christian Tradition. The focus of this particular course is the spirituality for mission and the missionary action that is actualized in the celebration of the church’s Liturgy and in personal and communal prayer and contemplation.

Biblical Languages and Literature
Note: An “i” after the course number indicates the course is taught in Jerusalem as part of the Fall Biblical Study and Travel Program.

DB 4100 Witness and Proclamation: The God of Jesus Christ
This course has as its content reflection on the God whom Christians proclaim and to whom Christians witness in mission and ministry. This God--Holy Mystery--is first manifest in human experience through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, and made visible in the ministry and cross of Jesus of Nazareth. The doctrine of God as Trinity is addressed in terms of pastoral practice (P), method (A), particular contexts of cultures and religions (R), and the Christian tradition (T).

B 4316i History and Archaeology of the Bible I
This field course provides the participant in the Middle East Part B Program an opportunity to visit some of the significant archaeology sites in Israel/Palestine and to learn how acquaintance with nonliterary sources has important implications for our understanding of the biblical text.

B 4316i Biblical History and Archaeology: Old Testament
A study of nonliterary sources for reconstructing ancient Israel’s history, this study of the principles of archaeology is complemented with visits to archaeological sites and museums in Israel, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt.

B 4317i Paul and the Gentile Mission
Students will acquire a familiarity with the contents of the seven undisputed Pauline letters, and explore the historical, cultural, and social background of the Pauline mission. They will visit significant sites in Greece and Turkey (Asia Minor) where Paul traveled and preached in order to appreciate the challenges and struggles of the early Christian Mission. They will deepen in their comprehension and appreciation of Pauline themes and theology. They will also gain further insight into the interpretation of Paul for believers today.

B 4415i Jesus in Historical Context
A study of selected texts from the Gospels related to biblical sites visited in the Holy Land. Emphasis given to understanding Jesus within the context of first century Palestinian Judaism and the social context of first century Galilee and Jerusalem.

B 4416i Biblical History and Archaeology: New Testament
An introduction to methods of biblical archaeology for interpreting material remains of early Christianity. Classroom study is complemented with visits to archaeological sites.

B 4416i History and Archaeology of the Bible II
This field course provides the participant in the Middle East Part C Program an opportunity to visit some of the significant archaeology sites in Jordan and Egypt and to learn how acquaintance with nonliterary sources has important implications for our understanding of the biblical text.

B 4417i The Holy City (Israel)
This course examines the city of Jerusalem in the literature of ancient Israel and early Judaism.

BC 40201 Jesus: A Dialogue between Christians and Jews
This course, offered in Israel, examines Jewish and Christian perspectives on the teaching and person of Jesus. To this end students will visit major historical, archaeological and religious sites in Israel with time spent in both the Galilee and the Negev.

B 4300 Hebrew
An intensive introduction to the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of biblical Hebrew prepares students to translate passages of the Old Testament.

B 4301 Old Testament Narrative Literature
An examination of the major narrative sections of the Old Testament. Attention is given to the formation of the material, its historical value, its theological importance to ancient Israel, and the role it might play in contemporary life and ministry.

B 4303 Introduction to Old Testament
This course provides an introduction to the literature of the Old Testament and its historical, cultural, religious, geographical and social context. Various methodological tools for investigating the content and genre of the texts will be studied. Throughout the course, students will investigate the different theologies presented by the Old Testament writers.

B 4305 Introduction to New Testament
This course provides an introduction to the literature of the New Testament and its historical, cultural, religious, geographical and social context. Various methodological tools for investigating the content and genre of the texts will be studied. Throughout the course, students will investigate the different theologies presented by the New Testament writers in order to see how their theologies shape various images of Jesus of Nazareth.

B 4310 Old Testament Prophets
The course is a study of selected texts from the latter prophets. It focuses on the development of the Isaianic tradition and the value of the book of Isaiah for Christian theology and preaching.

B 4311 The Former Prophets
A study of selected texts from Joshua to 2 Kings, focusing on the contrast between historical Israel and biblical Israel in order to appreciate the theological dimension of ancient Israel’s story.

B 4312 Second Temple Judaism and Early Rabbinic Judaism
The first part of the course focuses on an examination of the variety of expressions of Judaism in the Second Temple period. The second part focuses on the emergence of Rabbinic Judaism in the wake of the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E.

B 4313 Old Testament Poetry
An investigation of selections from the psalms and the wisdom tradition of the Old Testament, this course concentrates on careful reading of the text, the various theological concerns found there, and the importance of this material for ministerial practice.

B 4318 Paul: His Life, Letters and Theology
This course is a study of Paul’s life, letters and theology from the seven genuine letters of Paul. Employing a variety of approaches, attention is given to Pauline themes (cross, church, Eucharist, sin, grace, salvation and women) and their contemporary relevance.

B 4319 The Book of Revelation
An exegetical-theological study of the book of Revelation (Apocalypse) set within the matrix of the Jewish apocalyptic world and genre to draw out its theological and pastoral significance then and now.

B 4322 Deutero-canonical Books
This course examines the Deutero-canonical Books (with selections chosen among Tobit, Judith, Esther, Wisdom, Sirach, 1 and 2 Maccabees) to see how these inspired books have shaped Catholic theology in relation to their continuities and discontinuities with similar works in the Hebrew Bible.

B 4400 Biblical Greek
This intensive introduction to the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of biblical Greek prepares the student to translate passages of the New Testament and early Christian literature.

B 4402 The Gospel According to Mark
A study of the Gospel of Mark with attention to its historical, literary, cultural, and theological world. The course helps students integrate critical exegetical study of the text with theology, spirituality, and pastoral practice for a multicultural church.

BC 4403 Mark in Cross-Cultural Perspective
A study of the narrative of Mark from a cultural and theological perspective. Focus is on Markan style and theology in dialogue with the Jewish background and with the contexts and questions of today.

B 4404 History and Archaeology of Israel
The course is a study of the principles of archaeology and an inquiry into some of the nonliterary sources for understanding the ancient societies of the Levant.

B 4405 Gospel According to Matthew
A study of the Gospel of Matthew with attention to its historical, literary, cultural, and theological world. The course helps students integrate critical exegetical study of the text with theology, spirituality, and pastoral practice for a multicultural church.

B 4406 The Gospel According to Luke
A study of the Gospel of Luke with attention to its historical, literary, cultural, and theological world. The course helps students integrate critical exegetical study of the text with theology, spirituality, and pastoral practice for a multicultural church.

B 4407 Gospel According to John
A study of the Gospel of John with attention to its historical, literary, cultural, and theological world. The course helps students integrate critical exegetical study of the text with theology, spirituality, and pastoral practice for a multicultural church.

B 4408 Acts of the Apostles
A study of the missionary expansion of early Christianity as depicted in Acts of the Apostles. The course helps students integrate critical exegetical study of the text with theology, spirituality, and pastoral practice for a multicultural church.

B 4409 Revelation and Letters of John
Thematic and exegetical study of the book of Revelation (Apocalypse) and the letters of John from the perspectives of history, culture, understanding of church, apocalyptic and epistolary genres, and contemporary interpretation.

B 4410 Christian Origins and the Pauline Mission
The missionary activity of Paul and his apostolic team is explored through his letters, Greco-Roman and Jewish literature, and archaeology tracing the development of the Christian religion as it encountered new cultures and adapted to its social environment.

B 4411 Paul: The Corinthian Correspondence
A study of 1-2 Corinthians with attention to the historical, literary, cultural, and theological world of that time. An examination of the relevance of Paul’s pastoral approaches for a contemporary multicultural church.

B 4412 Paul: Galatians and Romans
A study of Paul’s life and world, with attention to the letters to the Galatians and Romans in their historical, literary, cultural, and theological context. The relevance of Paul’s theological and pastoral approaches to the contemporary multicultural church is addressed.

B 4422i History and Archaeology of the Bible I
This field course provides the participant in the Middle East Part B Program an opportunity to visit some of the significant archaeological sites in Israel/Palestine and to learn how acquaintance with nonliterary sources has important implications for our understanding of the biblical text.

B 4423i History and Archaeology of the Bible II
This field course provides the participant in the Middle East Part C Program an opportunity to visit some of the significant archaeological sites in Jordan and Egypt and to learn how acquaintance with nonliterary sources has important implications for our understanding of the biblical text.

BW 4440 The Gospel of Luke Exegeted and Preached
A study of the Gospel of Luke with attention to its historical, literary, cultural, and theological world in conjunction with study of the principles and theology of liturgical preaching. The course aims to help students integrate critical exegetical study of the text with theology, spirituality, and pastoral practice for preaching from the biblical text in a multicultural church.

BW 4500 Biblical Hermeneutics for Preaching
An interdisciplinary course that introduces students to a process of integrating contemplation, biblical and theological study, and pastoral praxis for a ministry of preaching. Strongly recommended for all M.Div. students.

B 4501 Gospel Parables
Study of the dynamics of the parables in the Synoptic Gospels as stories that challenge the hearer to conversion. Attention is given to historical, literary, cultural, and theological perspectives and to insights for preaching and teaching parabolically.

BC 4502 Reading the Bible Differently: African-American Biblical Perspectives
Different contexts and perspectives lead to different approaches to, and interpretation of, the Bible. This course studies the interplay between the African-American contexts and the resulting appropriation and interpretation of the Bible. Participants are inducted into the wider issue of social location in biblical hermeneutics.

BC 4503 Perspectives in African Biblical Interpretation
After an introduction into the African culture and context, the approaches, themes, and texts in current African biblical interpretation are studied. Participants are introduced to the question of text and context in interpretation.

B 4504 Jesus Through Jewish Eyes
This course examines the different ways that Jews have related to the figure of Jesus during his life (to the extent that can be determined) and throughout the history of Christianity. Also demonstrated is the manner in which, at any given time, these attitudes are related to the state of Jewish-Christian relations.

BS 4520 Biblical Foundations of Spirituality
The faith of ancient Israel and of the early Christian communities is explored in order to draw from them the grounding for a contemporary biblical spirituality. Attention is given to biblical images for God, the various modes of prayer and worship, and the ethical demands for justice and peace in the biblical world and in our own.

B 4521 Integrating Seminar: Biblical Spirituality Program
This seminar integrates experience in the biblical study and travel programs and courses at CTU, ministerial background and personal ideals, and contemporary questions for a holistic biblical spirituality. Restricted to participants from the CTU study and travel program.

BC 5001 The Servant of the Lord and Interpretation
An extensive introduction to the text and themes of Deutero-Isaiah is followed by the study of the sayings about the Servant of the Lord, in relation to their meaning for the vocation of Israel and for that of people called to be God’s servant. Reapplications of the servant theme in the New Testament are considered to the extent possible.

BC 5002 Women in the Scriptures
An advanced seminar in feminist approaches to the scriptures, examining texts from the canonical as well as some non-canonical literature.

B 5005 Messianic Expectation in Early Judaism
This course is a seminar on messianism as it developed in ancient Israel and early Judaism in light of the Christian confession of Jesus as the Messiah.

BC 5010 Bible, Mission, and Culture
An examination of the grounds for, and models of, mission in the Bible, and of some issues in mission and culture. In even years the course is limited to the Old Testament; in odd years the entire Bible is considered.

BC 5012 Latina Perspectives on Biblical Interpretation
A seminar on the work of women theologians in the U.S.A. and in Latin America, with attention to Latina feminist/mujerista methods for interpreting scripture and insights for preaching and teaching from the scriptures in a multicultural church.

B 5120 Seminar: Church in the New Testament
Explores the different perceptions and images of the church in the New Testament canon. Structures of communal organization, worship, and ministry, as well as the diversity in both theology and praxis are investigated.

B 5201 Gospel of John from the Greek
This course is a careful exegesis of the Greek text of the gospel that stresses John’s unique language, literary style, and theology. Students also explore the social-historical context of the Johannine community.

B 5305 Passion Narratives
Study of the four Gospel Passion and Resurrection accounts, using a variety of approaches to biblical interpretation. Attention is given to how the various interpretations of the violent death of Jesus can help stop cycles of violence in contemporary contexts.

B 5400 Intertestamental Literature
A seminar focusing on non-canonical Jewish literature produced from 200 B.C. to A.D. 200. Emphasis on the impact of these writings on the theology of early Christianity and rabbinic Judaism.

B 5423 Jewish-Christian Relations
The course covers the history and current state of Christian/Jewish Relations and focuses on recent documents issued by both religious bodies.

BD 5510 Feminist Hermeneutics in Bible and Theology
A team-taught seminar that investigates biblical texts and doctrinal themes such as God, Christ, Trinity, creation, theological anthropology, sin and evil, Mary, church, and ministry from a feminist perspective.

B 5511 Fundamentalist Biblical Interpretation
A seminar focusing on the origins of fundamentalism and its approach to biblical interpretation with an attempt to formulate a pastoral response to the theological stance and proselytizing efforts of fundamentalists.

B 5512 Biblical Methods
This seminar investigates several methods currently used to interpret biblical texts. These methods, with their underlying presuppositions and interpretive possibilities, are employed in the examination of various texts and evaluated for their effectiveness in opening up the meaning of the scriptures.

BC 5515 Forms and Meanings in Bible and Culture
The course examines themes that recur in cultures and in the First Testament in order to see how anthropology and biblical studies can enlighten each other as well as the missionary/theological enterprise.

Doctrinal Studies

D 4001 Doing Systematic Theology
This course investigates the nature and methods of systematic theology. After defining theology according to Anselm of Canterbury’s classic definition of “faith seeking understanding,” the course draws implications for doing systematic theology in today’s context (Part I), and explores how systematic theology is done as a communal, ecclesial enterprise, in conversation with Christian tradition and the church’s teaching office (Part II). It then investigates the various sources of positive theology, surveys the methods of speculative theological reflection, and examines various theological texts (e.g., of patristic, scholastic, neo-orthodox, or liberation theology) in terms of the methods employed.

D 4015 Theology of Priesthood
This course will trace the history and theology of the Roman Catholic Priesthood, from its biblical origins to the present day.

D 4200 Christology
This course provides a systematic treatment of the foundations of Christology in a post-critical context. It is concerned with the possibility of constructing and evaluating Christology after one has subjected the Bible to the analysis of historical-critical studies, and after one has become thoroughly aware of the profound historicity of the Christian faith-community and its doctrines.

DC 4200 Christology and Culture
An investigation of the meaning of the person and work of Jesus Christ for Christian faith today. Special emphasis given to emerging christologies in the World Church, constructing christologies today, and the final consummation of all things in Christ.

D 4202 Ecclesiology/Mariology
This course consists of an historical and systematic study of the understanding of the church in the Christian tradition and in contemporary thought. Special attention is given to ecclesiological themes and issues which are critical for life in the church today and especially Mary, the mother of the church.

DC 4210 Revelation and Liberation
The seminar will explore how selected theologians from non-Western cultures are proponents of a theology of revelation based on our experience of God's intervention in human history.

DS 4210/6210 Reconciliation and Forgiveness
An exploration of the theology and ministry of individual and social reconciliation in a variety of settings today: domestic violence, the Church, immigration and urban issues, and post-conflict settings. Issues treated include trauma, healing of memories, truth telling, justice, and forgiveness. May be taken at the Master's or the Doctoral level.

DC 4311 Introduction to Asian Theologies
As Christianity becomes post-western, the church in Asia will have an increasingly significant role in the church of the future. This course is an introduction to the theology emerging from the Asian church. It begins by looking at the context of Asia and then explores how theology addresses the realities of the many poor, many religions, and many cultures of Asia.

DC 4360: Creation and Eschatology: Intercultural Perspectives
A treatment of themes of creation, Christian anthropology, and eschatology from the perspectives both of the Christian tradition and contemporary related issues in the world church today.

CD 4430 Doing Theology in the Context of Migrations
This course is dedicated to the elaboration of a theology that deals with the reality of migrations particularly in the U.S.A. Participants are exposed to the complexity of this phenomenon through the analysis of theories that explore the reasons why people migrate and the historical, political, legal, cultural, and social dynamics of international migration in the U.S.A. Issues of ethnicity, race, and gender are emphasized. Particular attention given to the human and religious experience of the migrants. Students are required to critically relate the reality of migration with the Christian revelation and traditions. Examines the experience of migration as depicted by the Bible, church documents, and theologies that deal with the contemporary and diverse experience of migrants within the U.S.A.

DC 5001 Catholicism, U.S. Culture, and the Mission of the Church
An investigation of the history of Catholicism in the United States, how it has interfaced with U.S. culture, and what implications this has for the missionary nature of the church in the U.S. context.

D 5206 Theologies of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Rahner
The course looks at two important but different theologians. Thomas Aquinas draws from an Aristotelian and medieval world-view. Karl Rahner presents a theology fashioned from the modern world of self and history. Each theologian will be studied out of his historical context and in light of his sources. The focus for both theologies is the presence of God in the world within and beyond creation: what Jesus calls the reign of God and Christians call grace. Other theological areas flow from this.

CD 5210 Theology of Interreligious Dialogue
Takes as starting point the Second Vatican Council's declaration "Nostra Aetate" to examine the Church's relations with other religions. Begins with a historical perspective and then looks at the theologies and forms of interreligious dialogue today. The actual praxis of dialogue will be integral to the course.

DC 5310 Interreligious Dialogue in Asia
Explores the theory and praxis of interreligious dialogue, including the influence of personal, social, and extra-religious factors. Taking into account the contextual realities, the texts of Christian scriptures and teachings are investigated to discern the church's theology of religions.

DC 5311 Readings in Asian Theology
This is a reading course on the writings of key Christian theologians-- especially on how they address the issues arising from the context and realities of Asia. Among the major themes examined from an Asian perspective are post-colonialism, contextualization, hermeneutics, theological methods, inculturation, integral liberation, and interreligious dialogue.

DC 6000 Theological Anthropology in Intercultural Perspective
A doctoral seminar in emerging issues in theological anthropology in the World Church today, as well as new challenges to the Christian understanding of the human being. Emphasis is placed on the different contexts in which these issues and challenges are encountered.

CD 6001 Inculturation
Much misunderstood, inculturation will be carefully explicated, theoretically and practically. Study methods by which Christianity and a culture may actually encounter each other. The outcome (with the Spirit and local people) is a new reality: the People of God Transformed.

DC 6001 History of Religions and Comparative Theology
This course focuses on the historical, critical, and comparative study of religions. It begins by looking at what has come to be known as the History of Religions and especially the history of the academic study of religion. The second part of the course is Comparative Theology and entails reflection on theological themes and methods across religious traditions.

DS 6210/4210 Reconciliation and Forgiveness
An exploration of the theology and ministry of individual and social reconciliation in a variety of settings today: domestic violence, the Church, immigration and urban issues, and post-conflict settings. Issues treated include trauma, healing of memories, truth telling, justice, and forgiveness. May be taken at the Master's or the Doctoral level.

Ethics
Any 4000 level “E” course fulfills the Ethics concentration requirement.

E 4000 Introduction to Moral Theology
An introduction to the basic themes of the Christian moral life, including its personal, social, and cosmic dimensions. Using classical texts and contemporary case studies, students focus on the particular sources, authorities, and methods of the Roman Catholic ethical tradition. Attention is given to the relationship between methods of systematic theology and ethical methods.

ES 4002 Ethics, Spirituality, and Global Climate Change
Human-forced global climate change is a reality that Christians cannot ignore. While engaging the scientific, economic, and political realities that show the urgency of climate change issues, the deeper spiritual and moral resources available in the Christian and Roman Catholic traditions explore are explored. Students are assisted in finding ways to integrate their spirituality and ethical practice and to engage in concrete actions that seek resolutions to the many issues global climate change presents to our world.

E 4200 Ethics of Power and Racial Justice
“Racist ideologies and behavior are long-standing: they are rooted in the reality of sin . . .” (The Church and Racism, #2. Globally, most experts on racial justice see the Catholic Church primarily among those who “Preach but don’t practice.” In light of this, it is morally imperative for all future ministers to obtain sufficient moral knowledge about the sin of racism and equip themselves with adequate strategies for the task of working for racial justice. This course addresses racial justice using the methods of theology, ethics, and the social sciences.

E 4205 Natural Law of Christian Ethics
This course surveys the relevance of some Western and non-Western natural law traditions in view of establishing a vision of a universal common good that can generate a Christian ethical discourse capable of intercultural and interreligious communication.

E 4207 Ethical Significance of Christian Humanism
This course is a critical study of the debate about the existence and nature of Christian humanism and its relevance for the ethos and mission of the church.

E 4208 Proclaiming Shalom in a Violent World
How does the church understand and actuate its mediatory role between God’s offer of peace in Christ and the search for peace on the part of the human community? The question is approached historically and systematically.

E 4310 Christ, Community, and the Moral Life
This course is designed to study the implications of Christology for the life of the Christian community as an ethical community in an increasingly secular, scientific, and culturally and religiously pluralistic world.

E 4315 Medical Ethics
This course will examine the general ethical principles and methods that concern the medical profession and the Ethical and Religious Directives issued by the US Catholic Bishops Conference. Consideration will be given to topics such as beginning of life and end of life issues, experimentation with human subjects, genetic engineering, access to health care, and patient autonomy.

E 4342 World Poverty, Development, and Life's Liberation
Investigate and assess the world's division into rich and poor countries. A study of poverty, development, and liberation in light of scripture and Catholic social teaching using today's kairos for Christian communities as a focus.

E 4344 Global Economic Justice adn Christian Faith
This course will examine the impact of globalization on economic life in light of Christian faith and the call for justice. Consideration will be given to the ethical dimensions of economic activity, to understandings of justice, particularly as expressed in the Catholic social tradition, and to proposals for addressing inequities.

E 4345 Spirituality, Liturgy, and the Quest for Justice
This course looks at ways on integrating spirituality and liturgy with the church's commitment to the justice in the world. It will examine how classical forms of spiritual development such as the Ignatian Exercises as well as more recent forms of liberationist, ecological and feminist spiritualities can aid the quest for justice. Key figures such as Thomas Merton will also be highlighted.

CE 4400 Mission and Peacemaking
Systemic violence (social, cultural, economic, political, and ecological) is globally widespread. Drawing on Catholic social teaching, theology of peace, and some contextual pastoral experiences, this course helps students develop a theological and pastoral vision for the praxis of social peacemaking.

E 4400 Care for the Earth: Ethics and the Environment
This course is a basic introduction to environmental ethics. The focus is on the need for Christians to respect the environment and the behaviors that need to follow from that reverence. Various environmenta1 ethics methods are explored. Christian and Jewish sources, especially the Franciscan tradition and Catholic magisterial statements are plumbed.

E 4405 Sexual Ethics for the Christian
A study of sexuality and sexual behavior, especially among unmarried Christians. It investigates the moral tradition, the elements which form a contemporary Christian vision of sexuality, and how these relate to sexual conduct.

E 5100 Holocaust and Genocide: Ethical Reflections
An examination of major ethical issues arising within the Nazi Holocaust. Topics include anti-Semitism the loss of personal morality, God and ethical decision-making, the importance of ritual in shaping ethical behavior, ethics and unjust structures, and human rights. Ethical issues in modern genocides, such as Rwanda, Bosnia, and Cambodia, are also considered.

E 5105 Christian Perspectives on War and Peace
An examination of perspectives on war and peace within the Christian tradition. Both historical position and contemporary outlooks are considered. Special attention is given to the developments within Catholicism and the U.S. Bishop's Peace Pastoral as well as church statements since the Gulf War.

E5106 A Free Market Economy, Ethics and Globalization
The world has largely accepted a free market economy as the way to increase general prosperity, reduce poverty, and promote the general welfare. This course will explore the real strengths of a market economy, why ethics is foundational to its successful functioning and what are its limitations. In this light, globalization as an economic phenomenon will also be explored.

E 5107 Catholic Environmental Ethics: Sources, Norms, and Issues
Catholic theological ethics has always considered care for the Earth as moral imperative. This seminar explores the Catholic doctrinal and moral grounding for dealing with the complex and often perplexing issues that constitute today's environmental crisis. Key theological and ethical sources and norms are explored using case studies. Students focus their learning on an actual case project in which they demonstrate ways of achieving conversion from our abusive relationships with the Earth, to moral, sustainable and reverential ways of living.

E 5204 Love and Justice
Various ethical systems have developed around the central theme of love or of justice or their interaction. Differences in the understanding of these concepts constitute different approaches to morality. This seminar analyzes, compares, and critically assesses the ways in which these themes function in Christian ethics and theology.

E 5205 Ethics and Moral Pluralism
Moral pluralism has been a defining factor in moral reflection. This seminar explores recent work on the prospects for a common morality using philosophical analysis of pluralism, examining human rights as a kind of common morality, and studying developments beyond Hans Kung’s Global Ethic and the Parliament of World Religions. Special attention is given to Catholic moral theological issues raised by these discussions.

E 5210 Politics and Christian Conscience
An exploration of the relation of Christian life to political life. The origin, place, and role of conscience in both are investigated. Conscience is related to the historical realities of community and traditions and to the unity of theory and practice in the exercise of political conscience.

E 5215 Religion and the Shaping of Public Ethical Values
A seminar studying the public role of religion in shaping values in global society. Church/State relations and human rights are considered.

E 5220 Revolution and Liberation: Ethical Perspectives
An examination of various interpretations of revolution and liberation in classical western political philosophy, Third World thought, and present-day theological and ethical literature. Special attention is given to Latin American liberation theology.

E 5320 The Making of Moral Theology
This course is an overview of the development of Catholic moral theology from the patristic period to the present. Special attention is given to the directions and concerns of Catholic morality since the Second Vatican Council.

Historical Studies
Any 4000 level “H” course fulfills History concentration requirement.

H 4001 Patristics
A study of the theological perspectives of major writers of the church.

H 4002 The Middle Ages and the Reformation
Study Gregory the Great (600) to the Council of Trent (1545-1563), focusing on the development of the medieval church, relations between east and west, history of theology, breakdown of the medieval synthesis, and the significance of major reformers.

H 4003 From Trent to Vatican II
Explore key issues in Catholicism of the last four centuries: the mentality following the Reformation, Jansenism, Newman and the Oxford movement, forces influencing Vatican I, Modernism and its reaction, pertinent problems of the twentieth century

H 4004 Catholicism in the U.S.: Historical and Theological Perspectives
Catholic life and thought in the U.S. has enjoyed a unique development due to the separation of church and state, the massive immigrations to America and the traditions which immigrants brought/bring with them.

H 4300 Byzantine Influences through Church History
Take an intellectual journey through the lands of eastern Christianity. Examines church history through the Byzantine influences that shaped the church from the sixth through fifteenth centuries. Topics include key cities and holy sites such as Edessa, Constantinople, Ravenna, Mount Athos, and Hagia Sofia.

CH 4301 Constants in Context: A Mission Theology for Today
Weaving together a systematic theology with mission at its core and a global history of the world Christian movement, this course traces the patterns by which theological constants are shaped in changing contexts in developing relevant mission theologies.

CH 4302 Earliest Christian Traditions in Asia
An investigation of earliest Christian contacts with Asian cultures and traditions along the "silk" routes (land and sea), beginning with the apostle Thomas to 1500 C.E.. It distinguishes facts, legends, and hypotheses as a framework for assessing such contacts.

CH 4310 History of the World Christian Movement in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
The end of the French Revolution marked the beginning of a period during which Christianity eventually developed into a vibrant world movement. This course examines historical-theological models of mission and related contemporary issues within varied social-political, religious, and ecclesial contexts.

Intercultural Studies and Ministry

C 4001 Crossing Cultural Boundaries: Ministry at the Margins
Who are we, what are we doing, and why? We all have different social locations, assumptions, and expectations, and we bring them to our ministry. The Course examines culture, religion, faith, and encounter–and the call to conversion–as constitutive of the marginal and boundary-crossing ministry to which we are called.

C 4002 Abraham’s Children: Jews, Christians, and Muslims
A cross-cultural and comparative introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam using historical, theological, and ethnographic methodologies.

C 4100 Inculturation and Dialogue: Ministry Across Boundaries
Building upon and integrating previous studies and experiences, this course enables students to attend more closely to the contexts, in which they minister, particularly when the cultural/social contexts and the ideological or faith convictions they encounter are not their own.

CD5210 – Theology of Interreligious Dialogue
Takes as starting point the Second Vatican Council's declaration "Nostra Aetate" to examine the Church's relations with other religions. Begins with a historical perspective and then looks at the theologies and forms of interreligious dialogue today. The actual praxis of dialogue will be integral to the course.

MPC 4300 Pastoral Challenges of Cultural Diversity
Cultural diversity is a growing phenomenon in the new global context. By engaging participants in an intercultural learning process, this course prepares pastoral leaders to deal with challenges of cultural diversity in their communities.

MPC 4308 Pastoral Care in an African-American Context
This course explores the psychological and cultural elements that contributed to the formation of an African-American identity. The goal is a better understanding of the African-American experience and a greater sensitivity to the strength and needs of this cultural tradition. Students develop a better understanding/ability to minister in the African-American community.

C 4310 Mission Integration
Integrating seminar for those returning from cross-cultural and/or overseas training placements (OTP) of mission/ministry. This course provides a process for deeper understanding of the experience through theological reflection and integration of the past, present, and future.

C 4320 Islam
This introduction to the faith tradition of nearly one-fifth of humanity includes: the life of Muhammad (s.); Qur’an and hadith; the five “pillars” of Muslim praxis; Islamic law and theology; Sunni/Shi`ite sectarianism; mysticism; and contemporary Muslim renewal and reform movements.

C 4321 The Qur’an
This course explores the role that the Qur’an plays in Muslim consciousness by focusing on such topics as: the function of the text in Muslim piety; biblical-Quranic intertextuality; Quranic commentary and exegesis; and the Qur’an as oral/aural scripture.

C 4325 Introduction to Judaism
Designed to introduce the most important aspects of Jewish practice and belief, particularly stresses questions and problems relevant to contemporary Jews, while setting them within a historical context. Considers issues in the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, including the dialogue that has developed in recent decades.

C 4330 Interreligious Dialogue
Participants investigate forms of dialogue with other religions developed in Catholic Christianity since Vatican II. Attention is given to the dialogue of religious experience and a comparative theology arising from the practice of dialogue. Field trips and various media formats are employed.

C 4700 Praxis for Cross-Cultural Transformation
A J-term Intensive course (inspired by Paulo Freire’s methodology) prepares students for ecumenical, cross-cultural mission/ministry, and consists of preparation, field experience, and integration. Field experience: January (Chiapas or Chicago), May/June (Lakota Reservations). Additional costs involved depending on location.

BC 5002 Women in the Scriptures
An advanced seminar in feminist approaches to the scriptures, examining texts from the canonical as well as some non-canonical literature.

CS 5010 Spirituality, Ministry, and Survivors of Human Rights Abuse .
The prevalence of torture, human rights abuses, and violence in our world challenges the missionary/minister to understand the personal and societal effects of trauma and to develop a spirituality of accompaniment with survivors in their healing and reconciliation. Not open to audit.

CS 5020 Spirituality, Discipleship, and Mission Today
This course explores discipleship in the New Testament, seeking its applications amid changing lives and in a changing world. First, we are called, then sent; the initiative and the agenda are not our own. Ponder the implications and applications.

SC 5020 Hispanic Spirituality: History and Religiosity
Provides a general introduction to the foundations, beliefs, and challenges of Hispanic/Latino spirituality. The course covers topics like: Mesoamerican and medieval Spanish religiosity; what Latinos believe about God, Mary, humanity, evil, etc.; and finally, the challenge of evangelizing popular religiosity and of enhancing Latino interest in the Word of God, justice, and liberation.

CS 5030 The Spirituality of Lakota-Christian Dialogue
In dialogue with Lakota Native Americans who practice traditional spirituality and/or Christian faith, this course examines a spirituality of justice and interfaith mission/ministry. Includes a week-long field trip on Rosebud and Pine Ridge Lakota Reservations in South Dakota.

SC 5040 Islamic Mysticism and Spirituality
An exploration of the Muslim traditions of piety, devotion, and spiritual purification known as “Sufism.” Topics include: early Muslim asceticism; love mysticism; sobriety and ecstasy; the stages and states of the spiritual journey; Sufi prayer and praxis; and classical Sufi poetry.

C 5041 Contemporary Islamic Renewal and Reform Movements
A thoughtful perspective on what is popularly called Islamic “fundamentalism.” This course examines the phenomenon as a response to the effects of western modernity and modernism. It also explores the spectrum of such movements ranging from progressive to extremist.

CS 5050 Discipleship, Mission, and Spirituality Today
This course seeks to bring together three deeply enmeshed topics. Discipleship is the way we live out God's Mission in our lives and world, and Spirituality is the life of the Holy Spirit with which our baptism enriches us. None of these can exist authentically without the others. We ponder the implications of the "disturbing quality" of Jesus' call.

WC 5200 Advanced Preaching
This practicum addresses specific pastoral and cultural contexts for preaching, e.g. preaching specific sacramental rites (weddings and funerals), preaching various aspects of the church year (a cycle of the lectionary or particular feasts and seasons), or preaching in distinctive cultural contexts (Hispanic or Asian). Prerequisite: Liturgical Preaching, W4204

WC 5202 Liturgical Inculturation
This seminar explores the inculturation of the church's worship in both historical and contemporary perspective with emphasis on current methodological and theological issues raised by the engagement of the church with contemporary cultures promoted by Vatican II.

WC 5205 Liturgy in a Multicultural Community
This seminar explores the complex situation of liturgical celebration in communities comprising people of diverse languages and cultural backgrounds. It takes up the dynamics of intercultural engagement, assumptions and principles relating to multiculturalism, liturgy, and popular religiosity, conceptual and practical groundwork, and models for liturgy that embrace the plurality of cultures in a respectful, inclusive way.

CH 5322 The History of Muslim-Christian Relations
An investigation of Christian-Muslim relations from the early seventh century Common Era to the present. Specific topics include: the early Muslim conquests, the Crusades, the fall of Constantinople, the Bosnian genocide, twentieth-century Algeria, and contemporary Nigeria, Indonesia, and the U.S.

C 5042 Witchcraft in Contemporary Africa
Witchcraft, sorcery, and associated beliefs and practices, continue to plague Africa and constitute perhaps the most serious social problem for millions. The Christian response has been at best patchy and at worst indefensible. Through an anthropological analysis, we probe the social reality of witchcraft, and then bring theological and pastoral insights to bear on addressing it.

CD 6001 Inculturation
Much misunderstood, inculturation will be carefully explicated, theoretically and practically. We will study methods by which Christianity and a culture may actually encounter each other, and to what effect. The outcome (under the Holy Spirit and with the local people) is a new reality: the People of God Transformed.

Spirituality Studies
The Spirituality area requirement is fulfilled by S4000 or S5000 courses taught only by the Spirituality Professors of the Spirituality and Pastoral Ministry Department. Only courses with a ** will fulfill the MDiv area requirement in Spirituality.

S 4001 Spiritual Companioning for Ministry**
This course provides foundational understanding and experience of being with others within a spiritual companioning context. It focuses on the art and ministry of spiritual companioning and the practical applications in diverse ministerial settings. Issues such as listening skills, reverence of individual differences, and discernment are explored. The course design includes input, discussion, and practicum.

S 4003 Spirituality and Justice**
This course proposes an alternative to individualistic understandings of spirituality by examining the theological relationship between Christian spirituality and justice. Two distinct yet fundamentally related questions are considered: (1) what is meant by an authentic Christian spirituality? and (2) what is meant by justice in the context of transforming society and history? In order to unpack these questions, primary sources including, but not limited to, biblical texts, magisterial documents, and key figures in the development of spirituality are critically engaged.

S 4100 The Spiritual Life: A Latino/a Perspective**
This is not a course on Hispanic spirituality, rather this course looks at the whole of Christian Spirituality from a Latino/a perspective and highlighting the contributions made by Hispanics like Isidro de Sevilla, Ignacio de Loyola, Pedro de Alcantara, Teresa de Avila and others to Christian Spirituality.

WS 4100 Liturgy, Prayer, and Contemplation: Ecclesial Spirituality
This course helps students integrate and communicate an understanding of individual and communal prayer as formation for and the result of apostolic action. The course includes: reading, discussion, lecture, and practical exercises.

SC 4110 Black Spirituality**
Black spirituality engages the mind, heart and spirit in a dynamic union with the transcendent and immanent God, as experienced in the heart of community. It is rooted in the history and experience of African peoples in the United States as well as in the Caribbean, and Latin America. Using various resources and methods (prayers, slave narratives, autobiographies, and more) this course will engage students in a critical examination of the roots, development and characteristics of the spirituality of African peoples (primarily in the United States).

S 4120: Latin@ Liberation Spiritualities**
"Liberation Spiritualities emerging from U.S. Latin@ contexts are a more recent and evolving synthesis within Christian Spirituality. This course proposes an exploration of the Christian spiritual tradition in the light of the Latin@ experience. The first part of the course considers themes and issues involved in the creation and description of a Latin@ Spirituality of Liberation. The second part of the course examines how Latin@ theologians have expressed this liberating spirituality for Christian life through their proposals for Christology, worship, evangelization, and social justice."

SC 4190 Guadalupe and Marian Spirituality**
This Course considers how our Lady of Guadalupe fits into and breaks out of traditional Marian Spirituality within Christianity. Particular attention will be given to the themes of historical development, inculturation, evangelization and social justice. The course will be a conducted in a combination of lecture, group discussion and student led Marian celebrations.

S 4200 Spirituality of Religious Priesthood**
This course considers the theology and spirituality of Catholic Priesthood within a Religious community. Students will study various Church documents on priestly formation/ministry and focus their study on the spirituality of priesthood as expressed in the documents of a particular Religious Community. The course is geared primarily for Religious who are seeking ordination but can be very helpful to lay ministers who collaborate with Religious Priests.

S 4310 Spiritual Classics of the Early Church**
Study of selections from the most influential spiritual writings of the second to sixth centuries: Ignatius of Antioch, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Athanasius, Desert Fathers and Mothers, Benedict, Augustine, Pseudo-Dionysius, and others.

S 4311 Spirituality of Lay Vocation and Ministry**
This course addresses the concept of vocation and ministry as it impacts all who identify themselves as disciples of Jesus Christ, with special emphasis on the role of the laity in the Roman Catholic Church. Explore the history of the laity in the church and develop both a theology and spirituality of lay ministry based on contemporary scholarship and the lived experience of lay ministers in a variety of settings.

S 4312 Theology and Practice of Prayer**
The course is an introduction to traditional and contemporary methods of Christian prayer and its stages of development. The process entails learning from some of the great teachers of prayer within the Christian tradition, as well as drawing insights from the contribution of other religious traditions. Provides the theological grounding necessary to evaluate and critique prayer practices, and interweaves theory and praxis.

S 4313 Perspectives on Psychological and Spiritual Transformation and Maturity**
This course looks at several of the major perspectives or models of human maturity. What are the psychological and spiritual ingredients that contribute to the development of mature adults? How do psychology and spirituality contribute to the development of mature Christians? A lecture-seminar format is used.

S 4314 Religious Life in Context**
Explore the understanding of religious life in various historical and cultural contexts. Topics include 1) the various forms of religious life and the historical situations that gave rise to them, 2) the understanding of the vows and how these are expressed differently in different social-cultural contexts, and 3) religious life in the world and church today.

SH 4340 History and Spirituality of the Franciscan Movement**
Study the historical development of the Family begun by Francis and Clare of Assisi and their perspective on Gospel living. Consider the spirituality that inspired reformations within the family and moved the brothers and sisters into ministry. This course takes into account the three orders begun by Francis as well as the contemporary so-called “fourth Order.”

BS 4520 Biblical Foundations of Spirituality
The faith of ancient Israel and of the early Christian communities is explored in order to establish the grounding for a contemporary biblical spirituality. Attention is given to biblical images for God, the various modes of prayer and worship, and the ethical demands for justice and peace in the biblical world and in our own.

SH 5001 Christian History and Spirituality through Art and Architecture in Italy**
A handful of significant cities have been the backdrop for many of the important events and people that have shaped our Christian faith. This interdisciplinary course studies significant moments, movements and figures pertaining to our history and spirituality. This two-week course takes place in the Italian cities of Rome, Assisi, and Florence. Students learn on site about the role of art and architecture in promoting the Christian faith. (Taught every two years)

S 5004 French Spirituality and Its Worldwide Impact**
The French spirituality of the 17th century has profoundly influenced the theory and practice of religious life, priesthood, and Catholic lay life down to the present day. This course studies major figures of that period as well as later developments, especially those impacting on the worldwide missions.

S 5005 Evangelizing the Baptized**
Pope Paul VI reminds us that “The Church is an evangelizer, but she begins by being evangelized herself” (EN 15). This course considers the spirituality of “Evangelization in the Modern World” and other documents of evangelization. It also gives students a hands on approach to giving personal witness and preaching of the kerygma in retreats, days of recollection and parish missions. Students will be expected to preach in a public forum (usually a parish mission/day of recollection) as part of this course.

S 5006 Spirituality and Leadership**
A blended course (online and onsite) that will focus on the relationship between leadership and spirituality from a primarily Christian perspective. The course will be attentive to the various ways spirituality shapes one’s understanding of leadership, the importance of context to one's development as a leader and leadership styles, as well as the intersections between spirituality and leadership.

S 5008 History of Christian Spirituality Seminar**
This seminar course will do an exploration of key movements and figures in the history and development of Christian spirituality over the course of 2000 years. Given the interdisciplinary nature of spirituality, this course will focus on the importance of history as a source for the study of Christian spirituality. MA and DMin students will be required to do a historical study of a particular spiritual figure and/or movement to be shared with their classmates.

S 5009 Biology of Spirit**
This course will explore contemporary perspectives on such issues as: neuroscience and religious experience, differences and convergences between spiritual and scientific ways of knowing, human spiritual participation in ecospheres, theological and scientific views on the relations among body, mind, and spirit, etc.

CS 5010 Spirituality, Ministry, and Survivors of Human Rights Abuse
The prevalence of torture, human rights abuses and violence in our world challenges the missionary/minister to understand the personal and societal effects of trauma and to develop a spirituality of accompaniment with survivors in their healing and reconciliation. Not open to audit.

S 5010 God Images in the Writings of Theologians of Color**
This course will place in conversation the images of God, in postcolonial, liberation and classical theorists with those presented in writers of color including members from Latin@, Black and Asian American communities. Attention will be given to how these God images influence the Christian spiritual life.

SC 5020 Hispanic Spirituality: History and Religiosity**
Provides a general introduction to the foundations, beliefs, and challenges of Hispanic/Latino spirituality. The course covers topics like: Mesoamerican and medieval Spanish religiosity; what Latinos believe about God, Mary, humanity, evil, etc.; and finally, the challenge of evangelizing popular religiosity and of enhancing Latino interest in the Word of God, justice, and liberation.

S 5101 Foundations and Methods for the Study of Spirituality
This seminar course is designed specifically for students who are concentrating in Christian Spirituality as a theological discipline at the M.A. or D.Min level. It will define spirituality as a field of study, explore the relationship between spiritual praxis and research in spirituality, survey research methods, evaluate the notion of a “spiritual classic,” and examine issues in the historical/theological study of spirituality. It will teach students the crucial work of appropriating spiritual classics for contemporary audiences.

S 5105 Discernment: Classical Traditions, Contemporary Dilemmas**
This course is an exploration of historical Christian insights into discernment, in view of developing a discerning approach to issues arising today.

S 5110 Spiritual Formation Seminar**
Christian spiritual formation is a journey in which our spirit is formed, and transformed by the Spirit of Jesus Christ for the glory of God. This course considers traditional and contemporary models and issues of Christian spiritual growth which can take place at home, in the parish, in ecclesial movements, in religious life, in studies, or in secular places and situations.

S 5112 Spirituality and Health**
This course will provide students with an understanding of the relationship of spirituality, faith and health from a cultural perspective. Students will learn to appreciate and understand the relationship between one's spirituality and faith and wellness/health. This course will focus on recent studies and scholarship on such themes as prayer and healing, power of story, addictions and 12 step programs, care of the person, environment and stress, illness, end of life and aging.

SC 5190 Santa María de Guadalupe y Tepeyac y Chicago**
This course reviews the history of Guadalupe and other American Marian events in light of their socio-implications on Christian spirituality. It will consider both Latin American, US American and Latina/o devotion to María as mother of God and sister in the lucha (struggle for justice).

S 5212 Advanced Seminar in Spiritual Direction**
A seminar for those with experience practicing spiritual direction, the course involves reading and reflection of major theoretical perspectives on spiritual direction in the light of participants’ ministry experiences.

WS 5301 Patterns of Christian Prayer
This seminar examines the historical development of non-eucharistic liturgical prayer from early Christian prayer patterns through the reforms of Vatican II. This historical-comparative approach provides the context for inquiring to what extent there is an implied spirituality in the form, structure, and performance of such prayer; and how this might be beneficial to contemporary prayer practice.

S 5310 Spirituality for the New Millennium**
This seminar delineates the main lines of a spirituality which holds promise for the twenty-first century as it emerges from the stories and the writings of the leading mediating figures of the twentieth century.

Pastoral Ministry
The Pastoral Ministry area requirement is fulfilled by any of the following:
MP4307 Pastoral Ministry: Care, Counseling and Presence
MP4306 Pastoral Ministry: Developing Skills and Competencies for Cooperative Leadership
MP4020 Introduction to Pastoral Counseling
or any CTU Latino/a course with an MP designation

MPC 4001 Latino/a Perspectives in Ministry and Theology**
This course provides a foundational understanding of theologies emerging from Latino/a perspectives and explores their implications for ministry in US Hispanic contexts.

MP 4020 Introduction to Pastoral Counseling**
This introductory level course introduces the field of pastoral counseling and offers students the opportunity to learn basic counseling skills that honor the religious experience. Students will have practical hands on experience in assessing, and intervening effectively with a wide variety of pastoral issues such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, and grief and loss issues through development of skills of empathy, active listening, and mindfulness training methods. Clarification of the differences between pastoral care and pastoral counseling will be addressed as well as networking with others and the issue of referrals to outside professionals when necessary.

EMP 4100 Justice, Peace, the Integrity of Creation and Reconciliation: Living the Values of the Reign of God
Students are introduced to Catholic social teaching and equipped for committed Christian ministry with peoples struggling for justice and yearning for reconciliation in an ecologically threatened and violent world. The disciplines of social ethics and pastoral ministry are emphasized.

MP 4200 Human Development and Interpersonal Relations for Ministry
Relying on case studies, various scenarios, and the student’s life experiences that illustrate complex human dilemmas, explore an array of effective and ineffective ministerial actions and responses. Included are pertinent readings, engagement in group dialogue and role-play, skills at evaluating ministerial practice, and theological reflection. This is designed for those seeking an integrative vision of pastoral ministry that blends theory and praxis. This course offers knowledge for public ministers in contemporary practice of pastoral ministry in a variety of settings.

MP 4306 Pastoral Ministry: Developing Skills and Competencies for Cooperative Leadership**
Explore ministry as an experience of accompaniment with shared responsibilities and accountabilities. Attention is given to means and resources for cultivating effective leadership styles, developing pastoral plans and strategies, creating and sustaining networks, and addressing conflict and boundary situations.

MP 4307 Pastoral Ministry: Care, Counseling, and Presence**
Explore ministry from the perspectives of providing care, counseling, and presence within the context of community. Each of these aspects of ministry is examined with respect to the skills, resources, networks, and theological understandings necessary for effective pastoral responses.

MP 4308 Pastoral Ministry in Ordinary Time
Explore ministry as a daily lived experience of accompanying communities and individuals on their journeys of faith. Attention is given to theological frameworks, means and resources for cultivating ministerial identity, encouraging shared responsibilities, developing pastoral strategies, creating and sustaining networks, and addressing the daily practical realities of pastoral ministry.

MPC 4308 Pastoral Care in an African-American Context**
This course explores the psychological and cultural elements that contributed to the formation of an African-American identity. The goal is a better understanding of the African-American experience and a greater sensitivity to the strength and needs of this cultural tradition. Students develop a better understanding/ability to minister in the African-American community.

MP 4309 Pastoral Ministry as Justice Praxis
Examine the theological frameworks, means, and resources for empowering ministers and communities to engage justly. Attention is given to Catholic social teaching as it is lived in witness and in practice. Practical skills and competencies include but are not limited to community organizing, preaching and teaching.

MP 4310 Collaborative Skills for Administration in Ministry
This series of six one-day intensive seminars, led by professionals in each field, teaches students how to be effective and responsible stewards of the resources in their ministry — people, property, facilities, and finances. The practical areas addressed are: leadership styles, management of workplace relationships, personnel issues, financial and facilities management; public relations and marketing, and stewardship and fundraising.

MP 4311 Pastoral Ministry Across Generations
This course explores theological frameworks, means and resources for ministering to individuals and communities across the age spectrum. Pastoral responses that address specific and developmental needs will be considered as well as those creating opportunities for nurturing healthy intergenerational relationships.

MPC 5101 Pastoral Ministry in U.S. Asian and Pacific Island Contexts**
Asian and Pacific Island populations are a growing presence within the U.S. Catholic church. This course explores the history, experiences, and diversity of these communities and the implications for pastoral ministry.

MP 5102 Pastoral Ministry on Campus
This course explores theological frameworks, means and resources for developing strategies, creating networks, and providing pastoral ministry in educational contexts and within academic communities.

MPC 5102 Pastoral Ministry: Responding to Diversity in Community
Increasingly, diversity in communities is accompanied by specific and at times, competing needs. This course explores theological frameworks and the pastoral means and resources for addressing issues of access with respect towards promoting increased participation in communal life and worship. Issues addressed include but are not limited to language, space, resources, leadership, marginality, and communities in transition.

MPC 5103 Pastoral Ministry in U.S. Hispanic/Latino/a Contexts**
Demographics indicate that Latinos/as currently constitute the largest and fastest growing population in the U.S. Catholic church. This course explores the history, experiences and diversity of this community and the implications for pastoral ministry.

MP 5104 Pastoral Ministry with Contemporary Families
Pastoral ministry with families involves sensitivity to the diverse cultural backgrounds while being able to minister effectively to the many complex challenges families face today such as addiction, domestic abuse, mental and physical health, aging, immigration, poverty and joblessness. This course is uniquely designed to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to be more pastorally effective in responding to these increasingly complex pastoral needs of contemporary families.

Word and Worship Studies

W 4001 Communication Skills for Ministry
Examines the nature and dynamics of the human communication process as it applies to (1) oral interpretation of written texts; (2) rhetorical design and public discourse; (3) the use of mass media; (4) interpersonal communication; and (5) non-verbal and ritual expressions. Attention is given to the cross-cultural and ministerial dimensions of these forms of communication.

W 4110 Holy Week: Liturgy, Preaching and Presiding
This course examines in an integrated fashion the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week, specifically Passion Sunday and the Triduum. It includes historical and theological study of Holy Week; celebration of and mystagogical reflection on the current rites; issues in preparing, preaching, and presiding during Holy Week and Triduum; the interplay of liturgical celebration and popular religiosity; and reflection on liturgical spirituality fostered through and from the rites.

W 4200 Sacraments I: Initiation & Reconciliation
Theological, historical, and pastoral reflection on the experience and sacraments of initiation and reconciliation. Particular attention given to: the RCIA as norm for initiatory practice; the relation of sacramental reconciliation to the church's life; and foundations of practical skills for celebration.

W 4201 Sacraments II: Eucharist and Sacramental Theology
This course serves as a general introduction to sacramental theology, and a particular introduction to the Eucharist, its history, theology, structure, and practice.

W 4202 Presiding Practicum
A practicum designed for priesthood candidates to develop competency in leadership of sacramental rites, including initiation, weddings, anointing, wakes, and funerals. Special emphasis given to Eucharist and Reconciliation. Prerequisite: Sacraments I and II

W 4204 Canon Law
This introductory course addresses the nature, role, and history of canon law; church structures and ministries; and law regulating sacramental practice.

W 4205 Lay Leadership of Prayer and Preaching
A practicum to develop competency in the leadership of the community’s prayer, including Hours, catechumenal rites, the funeral Vigil, penitential liturgies, liturgies of Word and Communion, and ministry to the sick and dying. In conjunction with these settings, it also considers the liturgical, canonical, and pastoral dynamics and practical skills of lay preaching in catechesis and worship. Prerequisite: For MDiv, Sacraments I and II; For MAPS, Sacraments I or II

W 4206 Sacraments III: Marriage and Anointing of the Sick.
Liturgical and theological exploration of the sacrament of marriage and the sacrament of anointing and the pastoral care of the sick and dying. Particular attention is given to the interplay of liturgy and pastoral care. (2 credits)

W4207 Presiding I
A practicum designed for priesthood candidates to develop competency in leadership of sacramental rites, including initiation, weddings, wakes, and funerals. Special emphasis is given to Eucharist. (3 credits) Prerequisites: W2000 Sacraments I, W4201 Sacraments II, W4206 Sacraments III, and 4209 Preaching I.
*For Academic Year 2010–2011, the prerequisite of Sacraments III is waved and W4203 Liturgical Preaching may be substituted for the prerequisite W4209 Preaching I.

W4208 Presiding II
A practicum designed for priesthood candidates to develop competency in the pastoral care and anointing of the sick and in the ministry of reconciliation. Open to students in their final year. (2 credits) Prerequisites: W4200 Sacraments I, W4201 Sacraments II, W4206 Sacraments III, and W4209 Preaching I.
*For Academic Year 2010–2011, the prerequisite of Sacraments III is waved and W4203 Liturgical Preaching may be substituted for the prerequisite W4209 Preaching I.

W4209 Preaching I
This practicum explores the homily as a liturgical action within the Christian assembly. Participants consider the basics of homiletics and the liturgical, pastoral, contextual, and practical dynamics of preaching for Sundays, Feasts, and Liturgical Seasons. (3 credits)

W4210 Preaching II
This practicum builds on the foundations and skills covered by W4209 Preaching 1 to consider preaching at daily Mass, at the celebration of the sacraments, and at funerals. (2 credits)

W 4301 Rituals of Sickness, Dying, and Death
Examines the Christian liturgical response to sickness, dying, and death with particular attention to the Pastoral Care of the Sick (1982) and Order of Christian Funerals (1985). Explores the rites of other denominations and emerging rituals for healing, dying, burial, bereavement, and lament. The course integrates theological study of the rites, pastoral enactment and evaluation, contemporary theological reflection on illness and death, and the practices of preaching and pastoral care in diverse contexts.

W5001 Catechesis and Religious Education in the Worshiping Community
This seminar explores the interplay of life, liturgy, and adult faith formation to promote a praxis of a holistic, transformative catechesis in the spirit of the General Directory for Catechesis. Offers an overview of the history of catechetical education; critical study of recent major catechetical documents; contemporary trends in adult faith formation; and the intersection of liturgy and catechesis. (3 credits)

WS 5105 Church Year Prayed and Preached
This seminar explores the Church Year as a liturgical event, spiritual guide and preaching resource. Employing the methods of practical theology, it will consider the relevant contextual, historical, and experiential factors for celebrating, praying, and preaching the liturgical cycle of feasts and seasons. (3 credits)

WC 5205 Liturgy in a Multicultural Community
This seminar explores the complex situation of liturgical celebration in communities comprising people of diverse languages and cultural backgrounds. It takes up the dynamics of intercultural engagement; assumptions, principles, and critiques relating to multiculturalism; importance of popular religiosity; and contemporary models for liturgy that embrace the plurality of cultures in a respectful, inclusive way.

WC 5208 Eucharist in Cross-Cultural Context
An anthropological-liturgical study of the Eucharist to uncover possible universals for relating western eucharistic tradition to symbolism and life-experience of other cultures and to sketch issues and principles for shaping Eucharist cross-culturally. Prerequisite: W4201 Sacraments II

W 5210 Liturgical Catechesis
Drawing upon the nature of liturgical celebration and principles of adult education, this seminar explores the nature and role of liturgical catechesis and mystagogy, and examines several models for experientially based learning and formation for adult worshipers.

WS5225 Worship in a Media Culture
In this seminar, students address the theology, spirituality, theory, and practical considerations related to the use of media arts in parish and other liturgies. Weekly photography assignments give them an opportunity to experience this art form as a spiritual practice. Students explore the critical frameworks for and potential of an inclusive liturgical ministry, Communal Co-Creation of liturgical media art.

W 5227 Shaping Places for Worship
Using a range of media and methods, this seminar examines liturgical, spatial, artistic, and human issues involved in shaping places for worship.

W 5240 Ritual Studies
This seminar explores the ritual dimensions of liturgical celebration. Student presentations are based on field observation and readings in ritual theory from various social sciences.

W 5241 Liturgical History
This course provides an overview of Christian liturgy from its Jewish matrix until the present, especially in the west. It introduces significant movements, places, events, liturgical sources, and individuals that provide basic historical, social, cultural, and theological frameworks for understanding the development of Christian worship.

Philosophy Courses

P 2100 History of Ancient Philosophy
Probes the question of what philosophers do and why. With some treatment of the pre-Socratic tradition and the influence of the ancient Asian tradition, the major focus is on the epistemology of Plato and the metaphysics and ethics of Aristotle.

P 2101 History of Medieval Philosophy
Focuses on the interaction between philosophy and theology in the construction of major styles of logic and theology from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. Questions are viewed from the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian perspectives with a study of key representatives of these traditions. Vital for students considering further studies in patristics.

P 2102 History of Modern Philosophy
Major figures discussed include Descartes, the English and Continental rationalists, the empiricists, Kant, Hegel and Marx, Feurebach, and Nietzsche. Particular emphasis is given to the impact of these philosophical positions on the doing of theology.

P 2103 History of Contemporary Philosophy
Highlights the issue of language in linguistic analysis, particularly the work of Russell, Ayer, Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidegger, Derrida, and Levinas. Studies the emergence of existential phenomenology in Sartre, the process philosophy of V. Whitehead, and emerging contributions of contemporary Asian, African, and Latin American philosophical movements.

P 2180 Philosophy for Future Theologians
Traces the history of the relationship between theology (faith) and philosophy (reason or the intellect). Studies the impact of key philosophical thinkers on the methods and history of theology. Introduces students to the growing convergence between philosophers and theologians in the face of contemporary issues. Special attention given to the role of scientific methodologies and their consequences for the future study of systematic, biblical, and pastoral theology.

P 2220 Critical Thinking and Applied Logic
Introductory course focuses on the problem of human knowledge and cognitive claims as responses to skepticism. Covers the structure of argument, fallacy detection, and truth analysis. Considers the role of logic in shaping worldviews, text books, media coverage, and intercultural epistemology.

P 2221 Philosophy of the Human Person
Beginning with Socrates up to Simone De Beauvoir and the cyber-post moderns, explores historically the various dimensions of what it means to be human and to know humanity. Considers topics such as the will, body-mind dualism, conscience, the ego, sexuality, individual as person, action, and the structure of community.

P 2222 American Philosophy and the History of Social Institutions
Explores the relationship between American theorists (Peirce, James, Royce, and Dewey) and the shaping and maintenance of American cultural and social institutions. Considers the relationship between immigrant narratives, their art, and religion in the “American Institution.”

P 2223 Philosophy of Art
Examines the key role of various aesthetical theories and their roles in answering “what is art?” Attention is given to the role of criticism, taste, multimedia art, icons, also the non-plastic arts such as music, dance, and drama in shaping the expressive dimension of the human person and his or her multifaceted, transnational culture. Interaction with various art institutions and artists in Chicago is expected.

P 2300 Philosophical Ethics
Traditional Catholic ethics has based itself on the history and development of the natural law theory. This course traces the development of the human person as ethical subject. Various contemporary positions of ethics are also present. Special attention to the thought of Bernard Lonergan and his influence on ethical decision making.

P 2301 Perspectives in the Philosophy of Death
Starting with the death of Socrates, Jesus, the Buddha, and Mohammed, philosophers have considered the question of death and afterlife to be a core metaphysical question. Using Heidegger’s phenomenological method, explores various cultural, religious, and philosophical perspectives concerning death and “the beyond.” Explores the “denial of death” in a post holocaust world. Asks whether an appropriate philosophy of death necessarily shapes one’s philosophy of life.

P 2302 Issues in Philosophical Hermeneutics
Surveys the history of hermeneutics and addresses such concepts as the canon in conflicting meanings, the role of interpretation, feminist and contextual hermeneutics, the hermeneutics of suspicion and generosity, and participatory hermeneutics. Presents the repercussions of the history of hermeneutics of contemporary theology.

P 2303 Philosophy of Science
Examines the basic structure of scientific method and the major theories of modern physics within that context.
This is treated with a view to the historical, philosophical and social implications of the practice of science in its contemporary form. Special attention is given to the several key contemporary scientific theorists, especially Thomas Kuhn.

P 2304 Philosophy of God
Examines the problem of God, the proofs for God’s existence, and the naming of the transcendent deity in eastern and western cultures. Using the phenomenological method, explores the philosophical structure of thought which underpins the study of theos and logos.

P 2305 The Phenomenology of Religion
An introduction to the method of phenomenology as applied to the manifestation of religion. Topics such as myth, taboo, the holy, the sacred, the ritual, and sacred texts are presented. The positions of Otto, Eliade, van der Leeuw, Malinowski, Smart and Smith, and Durkheim are considered. Opportunity to interact with the various religious organizations in Chicago.

P 2400 Philosophical Texts: Thomas Aquinas
A detailed study of the key concepts and texts of this important philosopher and theologian. The movements of original Thomism and neo-thomism are presented.

P 2401 Philosophical Texts
Aims at a close reading of the work and life of a major philosophical figure pertinent either to classical or contemporary philosophical thought.

P 2402 Philosophical Texts: International Readings in Political Philosophy
Analyzes key texts and thinkers that continue to shape the political and socioeconomic thinking of western and non-western countries. Considers the relationship between philosophy and democracy, culture, methods of social liberation, development, international conflict and peace, minority and majority rights.

Course Descriptions

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