Theology (THEO)

This first course in theology offers a critical study of the Bible and early Christian tradition. Following an introduction to the Old and New Testaments, students follow major post-biblical developments in Christian life and worship (e.g., liturgy, theology, doctrine, asceticism), emphasizing the first five centuries.

This first course in theology offers a critical study of the Bible and early Christian tradition. Following an introduction to the Old and New Testaments, students follow major post-biblical developments in Christian life and worship (e.g., liturgy, theology, doctrine, asceticism), emphasizing the first five centuries.

This first course in theology offers a critical study of the Bible and early Christian tradition. Following an introduction to the Old and New Testaments, students follow major post-biblical developments in Christian life and worship (e.g., liturgy, theology, doctrine, asceticism), emphasizing the first five centuries.

This course is an investigation of the person and significance of Jesus Christ that is both scripturally grounded and examines the reception and development of the Scriptural witness in the ongoing Tradition.

This course is designed to introduce the basics of Catholic theology, including Roman Catholic beliefs, practices and devotional life, the structure of the Church, and the scripture. Since we have the advantage of studying at Notre Dame, we will explain Catholic doctrines and practices while touring the Catholic sites on campus—the basilica, the grotto, the stations of the Cross, etc. After explaining the basics, we will pay special attention to the Holy Bible, which contains the covenant between God and God’s people.

This is the discussion section required for some sections of THEO 10001.

This first course in theology offers a study of the Bible and early Christian tradition. In Foundations, students reflect theologically on the Old and New Testaments and major post-biblical developments in Christian life and worship (e.g., liturgy, theology, doctrine, asceticism), emphasizing the first five centuries.

This first course in theology offers a study of the Bible and early Christian tradition. In Foundations, students reflect theologically on the Old and New Testaments and major post-biblical developments in Christian life and worship (e.g., liturgy, theology, doctrine, asceticism), emphasizing the first five centuries.

Environmental degradation and climate change are among the most pressing scientific, economic, political, and social issues of our time. These problems seem to require technological solutions. But they also seem to be the result of the increasing technological sophistication of human societies. This means that the ecological crisis is inextricable from questions about the proper use of technology. This course will equip students to reflect on these interrelated challenges from a theological perspective. Drawing on scripture and other texts from the Jewish and Christian traditions, students will reflect on the significance of the doctrine of creation for motivating care for the non-human natural world. We will also reflect on the moral and theological significance of ecology and technology through some of the literary classics of the environmental movement. Finally, we will explore how local communities might develop virtues and practices that would constitute a theologically-informed response to our "eco-technological" crisis. By the end of the course, students will have deepened their capacity for theological reflection and will understand how theology provides a compelling framework for moral formation and collective action in response to some of today's most urgent global challenges.

This course will build on the groundwork established in the Foundations of Theology course by providing exposure to three theological matrices that have had a decided impact on the development of Africana (i.e., African and African Diasporan) identity and culture in the North American Diaspora. The first is the symbolic universe of Africana biblical hermeneutics. The second is the Black Church. The third is that uniquely African American musical form known as Blues. Students will be given an opportunity to explore: the cosmological, ontological, anthropological, soteriological, and Christological assertions animating each of these milieus; their historical and contemporary points of intersection; and the ways in which each has influenced the other. Particular attention will be directed toward understanding the history of reception, interpretation, and appropriation of the Christian Bible by peoples of African descent; the evolution of the Black Church and the distinctive contributions made by Africana Catholics to it; and the emergence of Blues music, artists, and performance spaces as non-ecclesial loci of protest and crucibles in which Africana spiritualities of resistance have been and continue to be forged. Students will leave the course with a deeper appreciation of four issues, the implications of which are far reaching for those within the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant branches of the larger Christian family. The first is how culture and context shape the ways in which people read and appropriate sacred writings. The second is the impact that culture, memory, hermeneutics, and identity have on spirituality and ecclesiology. The third is the role that poetry and other art forms play as media for theological speculation and construction. The fourth is the pivotal impact that enculturation has on theology, pastoral care, ministry, and ecumenism. The class will also introduce students to those essential sources - both primary and secondary - methodologies, core questions, and debates foundational for a theological assessment of these universes of theological discourse. It will also expose them to three interdisciplinary subfields that span and inform the disciplines of Theology and Africana Studies: (1) the history of Africana biblical interpretation in North America; (2) Black Church Studies; and (3) Blues Studies.

Ideas about the 'afterlife' emerge gradually in Jewish and Christian theological tradition. In this course, we will explore the history of these theologies of heaven and hell, paying particular attention to the shifting conceptions of the afterlife (resurrection, judgement, new creation, etc.), what social and political purposes these descriptions serve, and how theologies of the afterlife operate in contemporary society.

Students explore difficult theological questions attending the evolution of Jewish-Christian encounter from the adversarial disputations of the Middle Ages to the dynamic dialogues of the present day. How did medieval Christians understand Judaism, and the prophetic roots of the Church in the Hebrew Scriptures? What doctrines and prophecies divided Jews and Christians in the Middle Ages? How did the Bible and the Talmud mediate those disputes? Why did Jews and Christians in the Middle Ages resort to contemptuous representations of the other? Did the preaching of contempt for the Jews contribute to modern antisemitism? What is interreligious dialogue? What new horizons of understanding have opened since WWII? These questions help to place in perspective the emergence of Jewish-Christian dialogue since the Holocaust and Vatican II and its concern with the central themes of divinity, covenant, election, Torah, and mission.

We can only live good lives, the philosopher Hannah Arendt proposed, if we can make reasonable guesses as to what the future will bring. (Will your major connect you to an important career? Will your family thrive as the years advance? Will Notre Dame beat Michigan next time?) But what happens when our expectations are upended? How can we live good lives if we have no clear sense of how to deal with the challenges of today - no clear sense of what tomorrow will bring? In this class, we will look at how Christians responded to the end of the world. This does not mean an imminent apocalypse (though sometimes that was expected), but the collapse of a civilization, a cultural order, or a set of shared expectations that shaped how people made sense of the world and made choices within it. We will focus on two periods of social disintegration: the early Middle Ages, when the age-old Roman Empire (which had seemed to Christians like a providential gift for the spread of the Gospel) collapsed, and the 20th century, when the globe was shaken by world wars, genocides, atomic bombs, and a moral and metaphysical confusion that, some argue, persists to this day. Thereby, we will attend to three issues. First, the theology of history or of providence. How do Christians make sense of God's activity in history, with its moments of disaster and prosperity? Second, the choices people make about how to live a good life within history, which together constitute a morality. Third, and most importantly for our purposes, how do we understand the world we live in and the choices we make within it? Is the world improving, laboriously but steadily? Do we live in a world that trembles on the surface but remains solid at its foundation? Is the world on the verge of collapse? Whatever the case may be, how should we live within it?

From the early Church until today, Christians have had the experience of not being quite at home in the world, of not being able to attain genuine happiness here, of orienting their lives towards something that goes beyond this world. Apologists like C.S. Lewis recognized that this has been one of Christianity's most powerful claims in an age of widespread materialism and religious indifference: we are not limited to what we are able to experience in this world; we are, in fact, pilgrims. Yet Christianity makes this claim within its broader message that, on the one hand, this world is the good creation of a good God and, on the other, human destiny is not a disembodied heaven but a bodily resurrection into a new heaven and earth. In that sense, we are not just travelers passing through the cosmos: we were made for this world, and it was made for us. This cosmic perspective implies that the world is indeed our home, and it has profound importance for how we think about liturgy, the environment, and all the dimensions of Christian life. In this class, we will explore the foundations of Christian cosmology and consider its implications for Christian life and thought today. We will study the Church's first major doctrinal conflict, the Gnostic Controversy, which was not primarily about Christ or the Trinity, but about whether salvation means an escape from the world or the redemption of the world. From there, we'll trace the great debates provoked by Origen of Alexandria's theology, which were among other things a struggle over what kind of Scriptural and Christological cosmology could do justice to the Church's commitment to the fundamental goodness of creation. To conclude, we'll consider some of the consequences of these cosmological visions with regard to feasting and fasting, marriage and celibacy, stability and transience, wonder and contemplation, and angels and demons, looking especially at the liturgical theology of Pope Benedict and the environmentalism of Pope Francis. Readings may be drawn from the Bible, Irenaeus of Lyons, Origen of Alexandria, Evagrius of Pontus, Theophilus of Alexandria, Augustine of Hippo, Maximus the Confessor, Louis Bouyer, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, Wendell Berry, G.K. Chesterton, Josef Pieper, Teilhard de Chardin, and others.

We can only live good lives, the philosopher Hannah Arendt proposed, if we can make reasonable guesses as to what the future will bring. (Will your major connect you to an important career? Will your family thrive as the years advance? Will Notre Dame beat Michigan next time?) But what happens when our expectations are upended? How can we live good lives if we have no clear sense of how to deal with the challenges of today—no clear sense of what tomorrow will bring? In this class, we will look at how Christians responded to the end of the world. This does not mean an imminent apocalypse (though sometimes that was expected), but the collapse of a civilization, a cultural order, or a set of shared expectations that shaped how people made sense of the world and made choices within it. We will focus on two periods of social disintegration: the early Middle Ages, when the age-old Roman Empire (which had seemed to Christians like a providential gift for the spread of the Gospel) collapsed, and the 20th century, when the globe was shaken by world wars, genocides, atomic bombs, and a moral and metaphysical confusion that, some argue, persists to this day. Thereby, we will attend to three issues. First, the theology of history or of providence. How do Christians make sense of God's activity in history, with its moments of disaster and prosperity? Second, the choices people make about how to live a good life within history, which together constitute a morality. Third, and most importantly for our purposes, how do we understand the world we live in and the choices we make within it? Is the world improving, laboriously but steadily? Do we live in a world that trembles on the surface but remains solid at its foundation? Is the world on the verge of collapse? Whatever the case may be, how should we live within it?

The question of the Bishop of Rome's role in the Church is a longstanding theological matter that bears upon not only Catholics in communion with him, but ecumenical dialogues with Orthodox and Protestant Christians, who are no longer so. This course surveys papal history from its Apostolic origins to the close of Second Vatican Council. We will attend not only to the biographies of various Popes throughout those centuries, but will also account for the development of the papacy itself. Thus we will address topics such as: the Pope and empire, how the papacy relates to Church councils and synods, the papacy and Eastern Churches, and the Pope as theologian, among other topics.

This course contributes to Notre Dame's core curriculum through its examination of theology as reflection on faith within the context of a living Christian Tradition. The course explores how theology - classically understood as "faith seeking understanding" - addresses questions Latinx Christians probe as they seek to live Christian faith in engagement with the world. More specifically, the course investigates three core topics: (a) the history of Latinx Christians as the context for their theological reflection; (b) an assessment of the theological significance of Jesus's Galilean origins; and (c) Latinx devotion and religious traditions as expressions of their lived faith and as resources for theology.

Has envy simply become the “acceptable” vice in a culture that pulsates with comparison and competition? This course retrieves a robustly theological portrayal of envy from within the Jewish-Christian tradition, engaging not only theological treatises—e.g., patristic homilies, Gregory the Great’s Moralia, Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae—but also the important witness of literary texts. While the Christian tradition has been clear (if not unanimous) on the grave and destructive nature of this vice, literary texts illuminate more sharply the unfolding of envy in the human heart as well as its fragmentation of relationships on many levels, ultimately alienating the soul from God. Beyond providing an anatomy of envy, theological and literary voices will be explored also for the remedies proffered to heal this vicious human inclination.

The death and resurrection of Christ sits at the heart of the Christian faith. From its earliest centuries, Christianity has honored the memory of those who died for the faith in imitation of Christ's death, especially in the Church's earliest centuries. As Christianity developed into the favored religion of the Roman Empire and martyrdom became less common, the deeply sacrificial spirit that sat at martyrdom's heart found expression in other forms. Women and men developed lives of extreme and sometimes extravagant renunciation, styling themselves "athletes" even as their sport was the practice of the faith. This second required theology course explores the role martyrs, monks, and spiritual athletes have played in the Christian theological tradition. How and why did these figures emerge? How did their deaths interact with and interpret Scripture? How did they interact with and challenge the cultural contexts in which they found themselves? What literary and artistic forms emerged in light of these lives? How did these figures and forms change across the centuries? What can these figures and their lives tell us about fundamental Christian teachings around death, life, suffering, and sacrifice?

Pope Francis, in his 2013 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (EG), writes, "I dream of a ‘a missionary option' for the Church" (EG 27). Francis's admonition continues the insight from Vatican II's decree on mission Ad Gentes (AG), which defines the Church as missionary by its very nature because "it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of the Father" (AG 2). Francis sees mission as the "authentic self-fulfillment" of the Christian life in the sense that, as the Latin American bishops have written in their document from the 2007 Aparecida Conference, quoted in EG 10, "Life grows by being given away, and weakens in isolation and comfort." Francis continues a longstanding impulse in the Church to urge the generous sharing of the Gospel with those at the margins, urging all Christians to be missionary disciples. This course will study the missionary activity of the Church, both historically and theologically. After a brief look at mission and evangelization in the New Testament and the early and medieval Church, we will then explore important moments of missionary contact in the Americas, Africa, and Asia in the modern (post-Columbian) period. Particular attention will be given to the operative theologies and practices of mission at work in such encounters, as well as to the practical effects of missionary activity. The course will conclude with a look at contemporary missionary practice and theory. The coming of Christianity to most of the world has often overlapped with the political, economic, and social processes associated with the term colonialism and related forms of intercultural contact. We will study the consequences of that overlap, along with the many theological issues raised, especially for Christians in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, with a particular focus on eastern Africa, where both instructors have lived and worked.

This course traces the development of the dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception and its theological significance today. The course proceeds in four units. It first explores Christian teaching on Original Sin (the sin from which Mary is believed to have been preserved). It then examines key primary texts (Anselm, Aquinas, Duns Scotus) in the development of the Marian dogma. Third, it focusses on the Marian apparitions in 1858 at Lourdes, which occurred four years after the promulgation of the dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Fourth, it studies the contemporary significance of the dogma for Christian anthropology, ecclesiology, and ecumenism. The teaching on Mary's Immaculate Conception is shown to be interconnected to the Church's beliefs about human nature (creation, Fall, sexuality), Christ, redemption, the sacraments, and sanctification.

Eastern Christians and their churches are an indispensable part of global Christianity, shedding light on its origins, basic theological principles, achievements, and historical failures, dilemmas, and challenges. The course provides an overview of the diversity of Christian churches in the East, which belong to the different cultural traditions of Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Students will be introduced to the theological views and liturgical life of Eastern-rite Christians, i.e., Orthodox, Oriental, and Eastern Catholic, and their fascinating histories. We will explore the Byzantine-rite Churches in more detail and discuss the challenges their theology and history pose for the contemporary world and international relations. Special attention will be given to Slavic Christianity, especially Russian and Ukrainian religious history. Reflections on the diversity of Eastern Christian traditions lead to insights into theological, moral, and cultural issues of particular relevance today, such as ecumenism, war and nonviolence, Christian churches and totalitarianism, and the role of liturgy and ritual in modern culture.

This course is for all students seeking to understand the Catholic faith. Catholic doctrines will be studied both individually, and towards the development of an integrated vision of the Faith as a whole. Lectures and readings hinge on theological reflection on the Catechism and other primary texts, both ancient and contemporary.

What is the path for sanctification to the beatific vision? Using the fiction of C.S. Lewis for signposts on the path, this course will consider the doctrine of sin (Screwtape Letters), sanctification as cooperating with grace (The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, Perelandra), and the final formation of saints (The Great Divorce, The Last Battle). Other authors will be helpful in understanding Christian spirituality as a struggle to cultivate the virtues and overcome the passions: Augustine, Maximus Confessor, Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Dorothy Sayers, Joseph Pieper, and G.K. Chesterton.

Thomas Aquinas is one of the foremost theologians and teachers in the Christian tradition. This course offers a theological introduction to the teachings of the Christian faith through Aquinas's writings, covering his principal claims about God, Christ, human beings, and the Church and sacraments. This topical exploration will highlight the interconnectedness of various doctrines and the systematic quality of Aquinas's own teaching, allowing us to engage with the presentation of a coherent Christian worldview. At the same time, the course emphasizes the dynamic relation between these theological topics as reflected in the structure of the Summa theologiae: God as the beginning and end of all creatures; human beings as made to find their fulfillment in God; and Christ the incarnate God as the way of return, mediated through his sacraments and Church. The course approaches these doctrines under the integrative concept "wisdom," following Aquinas's understanding of the theologian's task as one of growing in the wisdom of God. This task, which puts reason at the service of faith, constitutes an intellectual response to the divine calling of human beings to participate in the supernatural life.

A historical survey of the cross and crucifix in Christian theology, popular piety, ritual practice, and art, from the New Testament though the sixteenth-century and in both eastern and western traditions. Topics include the discovery and dissemination of relics of the True Cross, the emergence and development of crucifixion iconography, hymns dedicated to the cross, and the liturgical feasts and veneration of the cross.

"Who do you say that I am?" Jesus' charged question to his disciples has resonated throughout Christian history, sparking numerous debates and controversies. Who is Jesus Christ? Is he God, man, or both? If we say he is both, what do we mean? These are the basic questions at the heart of what is known as "Christology" or the study of Christ. During this course, we will approach this study through an analysis of the names or titles that are first ascribed to Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament (Messiah, Son of God, Son of Man, King, Slave, Priest, Lamb, etc.). Each lecture will consider a different name or title, examining its context and use in Scripture, as well as its theological and cultural (including artistic) reception in Christian history. This will allow us to gain a panaromic view of how Jesus has been seen and understood across the centuries not only in a strictly theological context, but also in wider culture too.

A study of the ways Christians and Jews represented their sacred stories in visual art throughout history. Examples include the decoration of worship spaces (churches and synagogues), tomb chambers and sarcophagi, liturgical vessels, pottery bowls and plates, gold glasses, and early illuminated books. Students will examine the differences and similarities between Jewish and Christian sacred art, noting the modes by which these two communities expressed their faith and reinforced their distinct religious identities, initially within the broader context of a pre-existing and polytheistic Roman culture and later in a dominantly Christian one.

The histories of sainthood, war, and theology are strangely intertwined. Accounts of violent warfare in the Old Testament led the Manichaeans and the Marcionites to reject the Old Testament and its God and to deny the holiness of Jewish patriarchs (Abraham, Jacob, Moses), prophets, and kings (David). Defending the unity of the Bible as the inspired Word of God, Saint Augustine defended the holiness of Old Testament battle-leaders and laid the foundation for a “Just War” theory. Many Christian saints (Martin of Tours, Christopher, Guthlac, Francis of Assisi) became hermits and ascetics after quitting military service, turning battle against the enemy into a discipline of struggle against the devil and his temptations. Some former soldiers (e.g., Saint Ignatius of Loyola) adopted military discipline, language, and images in their striving for holiness. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux taught that Christian knighthood and the Crusades could be paths to sainthood, even as he warned against the spiritual dangers of warfare. Saints Joan of Arc and Saint George were warrior saints and are invoked by soldiers. In modern times, reflection on warfare has inspired extraordinary writings by mystically gifted souls (e.g., Teilhard de Chardin’s Mass on the Altar of the World, Simone Weil’s Iliad, Poem of Force) who served in war zones. Other saints, martyrs, and mystics (Dorothy Day, Franz Jagerstaetter, Franz Reinisch) have, however, refused military service as idolatrous. The Church’s social teaching constantly proclaims the call to peace and peacemaking, the possibility of conscientious objection, and the criteria for just and unjust war. This course seeks to understand the diversity of saintly decisions and practices and to discern their faithfulness to Christian doctrine.

This course surveys the figure of the Virgin Mary in doctrine, devotion, liturgy, and the arts. The course begins by examining Mary's role in the New Testament Gospels, and continues with studies of the apocryphal narratives of her birth, childhood, marriage, motherhood, death, and bodily assumption into heaven; the doctrinal debates regarding her title, God-Bearer, in the patristic period; her intercessory role in medieval Christianity; the sixteenth-century Catholic and Protestant Reformation challenges to and reaffirmations of her theological position. It finally considers her place in contemporary ecumenical dialogue. Special attention will be given to the rich and varied representations of Mary in the history of Christian visual art.

The Christian claim addresses the individual, the community, and the whole of creation. The ways of life to which it has given rise, while not reducible to one exemplary form of discipleship, are characterized by certain salient features. This course attends to these by exploring central moments in the Tradition: e.g. almsgiving in the early Church, asceticism among the desert fathers, virginity in the Syriac tradition, communal life among the Benedictines, poverty among the Franciscans, solitude among Carthusians, lay discipleship and medieval confraternities, etc. In each case, the aim will be to (1) articulate the theological claims that gave rise to such forms of life and (2) place those claims in conversation with the present. Along the way, particular attention will be given to the Regula of St. Benedict as a model articulation of Christian existence and as a point of departure for the students to (3) compose a regula of their own.

We can only live good lives, the philosopher Hannah Arendt proposed, if we can make reasonable guesses as to what the future will bring. (Will your major connect you to an important career? Will your family thrive as the years advance? Will Notre Dame beat Michigan next time?) But what happens when our expectations are upended? How can we live good lives if we have no clear sense of how to deal with the challenges of today - no clear sense of what tomorrow will bring? In this class, we will look at how Christians responded to the end of the world. This does not mean an imminent apocalypse (though sometimes that was expected), but the collapse of a civilization, a cultural order, or a set of shared expectations that shaped how people made sense of the world and made choices within it. We will focus on two periods of social disintegration: the early Middle Ages, when the age-old Roman Empire (which had seemed to Christians like a providential gift for the spread of the Gospel) collapsed, and the 20th century, when the globe was shaken by world wars, genocides, atomic bombs, and a moral and metaphysical confusion that, some argue, persists to this day. Thereby, we will attend to three issues. First, the theology of history or of providence. How do Christians make sense of God's activity in history, with its moments of disaster and prosperity? Second, the choices people make about how to live a good life within history, which together constitute a morality. Third, and most importantly for our purposes, how do we understand the world we live in and the choices we make within it? Is the world improving, laboriously but steadily? Do we live in a world that trembles on the surface but remains solid at its foundation? Is the world on the verge of collapse? Whatever the case may be, how should we live within it?

For many Christians, sacred places have been central to their religious experience: they have visited, prayed towards, imagined, and even reproduced them in miniature. Beginning with the Bible, this course will examine the development of holy places. We will attend to historical questions (How and when did shrines develop? What did they look like? Who were the people who went on pilgrimage? What was it like to travel?), as well as to literary ones (Why did pilgrims write about their experience? What is the nature of this genre? What might have been the impact of these writings on audiences “back home”?). But our overarching questions will be theological: What does it mean to localize the holy, to believe that God is more present in some places than in others? In pursuing answers to these questions, we will look not only at texts, but also at objects—ordinary things as well fine art—and at film (commercial and documentary). In the first half of the semester, we will focus largely on the early church, looking first at the phenomenon of pilgrimage to holy people, and then at the development of the “Holy Land.” In the second half of the course, we will turn to the great pilgrimage shrines in western Europe, especially Santiago de Compostela (and its associated Camino) and Lourdes.

This course explores the theological significance of the Blessed Virgin Mary within Christian tradition by investigating the history of Marian thought and devotion. The first of the course's four parts examines accounts of Mary found in the New Testament alongside early Christian narratives concerning Mary's life and assumption or dormition into heaven. The second part of the course analyzes Patristic theological reflection on Mary and key texts within the Christological disputes of the early Church, especially those concerning the contested Marian title Theotokos (God-bearer). The third part of the course examines Medieval and Byzantine witnesses to Marian theology and devotion, including Marian iconography, hymnody, and spiritual writing. The fourth and final part of the course attends to later developments in the Church's understanding of Mary, beginning with Reformation-era disputes over Mary and the cult of the saints and terminating in Pope Paul VI's proclamation of Mary as Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church) after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. Here, special attention is given to Mary's place in ecumenical dialogue. Through historical investigation, this course seeks to recognize the central importance of Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, for Christian life, thought, and practice.

This course studies the history and meaning of liturgy and centers around three key areas, namely: (1) Anthropology: Why do humans pursue ritual activity as a means of interaction with the divine? What forms did religious ritual take in the ancient Jewish and pre-Christian Graeco-Roman worlds? (2) Theology: How does the Christian belief in the incarnation and paschal mystery enrich this anthropology of ritual? What are the ecclesiological underpinnings of the Church's liturgy? How does the Church understand its sacraments as an anticipation and actualization of the age to come? (3) History: How has the Church's sacramental life developed over time? What has remained constant in spite of historical change?

The Rites of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist) and the Eucharistic Liturgy as the primary sacramental celebrations of and in the Church: their biblical and anthropological foundations, historical evolution, contemporary forms and pastoral effectiveness. Requirements will include 3-4 short papers and three unit exams.

Holy Communion is a sign of Christian unity as well as the presence of Christ with his people. Since the Reformation, however, communion has become a sign and instrument of disunity between Christians of different denominations because of different doctrines and ways of celebrating. This course will begin by looking at eucharistic dialogue between different churches today, and then examine the development of communion through church history, including disputes over how the Eucharist should be celebrated and received, questions of Christ's presence in the Eucharist, and the idea that the Eucharist is a sacrifice.

This course introduces students to the study of theology through attention to the sacrament of marriage. The structure of the course, drawn from the rite of marriage, seeks to understand the nature of divine and human love and how this love is salvific for the human person. The course will introduce students to major sources for a Christian understanding of love through attention to philosophy, works of cultural analysis, and theological classics related to marriage and family life. The class will treat themes related to a natural theology of love; the understanding of God as lover within the Scriptures and the Tradition; sexual ethics and a theology of family life; and, a spirituality of marriage and the family in the modern age.

In this course, students will encounter the development of the theology of Jesus Christ through hymns and creeds of the Church. We begin with the Christology of the New Testament, then turn to the hymns and creeds of the Christological controversies in the early Church. In the second half of the course, we consider the rise of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament; the Reformation and Counter-Reformation; and selected hymns used in churches today. Students will learn to read hymns for their theological basis and doctrinal implications, contextualizing them within the historical development and expression of Christology.

An examination of the role and representation of women in Christian texts and practices from the biblical period, through late antiquity and the middle ages, into the present. This course employs a variety of methods (theological, historical, socio-cultural, art historical) to explore diverse histories of women, such as female biblical figures, late antique women martyrs and monastics, medieval mystics, female saints, and the modern and contemporary lives of women. A special focus for Fall 2022 will be the intersection of women's bodies and the liturgical-ritual life of the Church through a global lens, including the experiences of women in the Christian East and Africa.

Rhythms of Faith (RoF) is an innovative theology course for undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame. Whereas many theology courses invite engagement with theological ideas through critical essay-writing, students in RoF will be trained to grapple with liturgy and music through the creative process, i.e., by working with classmates to produce new works of art: texts and songs designed to be sung in community. By drawing on the centuries-old tradition of singing Psalms and Canticles, RoF will equip students with the conceptual framework for bringing their own experiences, ideas, and diverse musical backgrounds into creative conversation with liturgy and prayer. This class is for anyone, regardless of their musical training or proclivity–the requisite singing and song-writing skills will be taught throughout the course. Completing the group projects in RoF will allow students to experience first-hand the process of integrating their intellectual knowledge of religion with embodied practice. Through this community-based creative process, students can experience the transformation of growing into a community of trust–one of vulnerability, interdependence, love, and celebration–and as a result, growing to constructively engage their faith with their whole selves for a lifetime ahead.

Shedding light on arguably one of the most significant developments of the Roman Catholic Church in the 20th century, this course aims above all to stimulate students to think about the meaning and the future of public Christian worship practices. It will focus on historical events and evolutions, on prominent figures and places, as well as on foundational writings and documents. Students will get to know how the pastoral commitment of the Liturgical Movement’s promoters went hand in hand with profound scholarship, both historical and theological, and why that matters. Due attention will be paid to an ad litteram reading of Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II’s first fruit, and to the way in which the liturgical reforms were implemented. In this context, it will also be explained which discussions about liturgy, tradition, language, and culture there were before, at, and after the Council.

This course is intended to be a second level theology course that introduces fundamental principles of Catholic moral theology and Catholic Social Teaching, as oriented specifically for those preparing to enter the business world. As such, students will be encouraged to think in theological categories about business and ethics, and to appreciate how these categories bring the light of faith, in unity with the insights of human reason, to bear on the purpose of business and the possibility of virtuous engagement in this profession, which Pope Francis has called a "noble vocation." (Laudato Si, 129) In the first part of the course, we will introduce basic questions about human morality and the way that the Catholic tradition has reflected upon some of the central questions of human life: What does it mean to live the good life? What is morality, and what role does it play in the quest for happiness? What does God have to do with being moral? How does the question of vocation and discernment of purpose play into morality? Our aim here is to think about these basic questions in the light of Christian revelation, and how Catholic beliefs about God, creation, humanity and the person of Jesus have oriented and shaped the Church's moral reasoning based on the Scriptures, tradition, and history of the Church. The second part of the course is structured around the cardinal the theological virtues. As we encounter each of the virtues, we will first think introspectively, taking stock of how and why the virtue matters to each of us individually. We will then examine how each virtue can help guide personal actions in professional contexts, creating virtuous environments conducive to ethical flourishing in professional life. In order to do so, we will rely on insights from Catholic social teaching, and address debates over its interpretation and application. In dialogue with the virtue and Catholic social tradition, we will introduce cases from "applied ethics," to see how the virtue relates to real business contexts and situations in order to guide action. Throughout, a particular emphasis will be placed on the theme of Christian discipleship: How can a follower of Jesus, in different times and places, answer these questions and navigate these issues as a concrete way of expressing one's affirmation of Jesus Christ as one "who fully reveals human beings to themselves and makes their supreme calling clear?" (GS 22)

This course will introduce students to the fundamental tenets of Catholic moral theology with an eye to its relevance for the analysis of contemporary moral controversies. By the end of this course, students should be able to offer a nuanced moral analysis of a contemporary moral controversy that recognizably builds upon the theological and conceptual resources offered by the Catholic moral tradition. To do so, students will engage that tradition's analysis of the moral act, the moral significance of the cardinal virtues, the relationship between the virtue of justice and charity, the distinction between mortal and venial sin, and the necessity of grace for one to live the good life. In the course of this investigation, we will touch upon how the above resources can be used to think through the nature of happiness, freedom, and the morality of warfare, alcohol-use, and lying. In order to see the relevance of these topics for contemporary society, students will be asked to review three contemporary films that highlight these themes. At the conclusion of the course, we will examine opposing arguments about the morality of hunger strikes, abortion, and collateral damage in light of what we have learned throughout the course.

This course seeks to introduce participants to the principal elements in the Catholic Tradition on marriage by examining the sources of this tradition in sacred scripture, the work of ancient Christian writers, the official teachings of the Church and recent theological reflection. The method employed in the course is thus historical, scriptural, and thematic. The readings selected for this course are intended to expose students to contemporary discussion in moral theology apropos of these issues, and provide them with the necessary theological tools to critically evaluate a wide variety of ethical positions dealing with marriage in the Catholic tradition.

The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching in order to develop skills for critical reading and appropriation of this canon of magisterial documents. Students will examine papal, conciliar, and episcopal texts from Rerum novarum (1891) up to the present time, identifying operative principles, tracing central theological, ethical, and ecclesial concerns, and locating each document within its proper historical context. Students will hold recurring themes in conversation with the broader theoretical framework of Catholic social thought and relevant secondary literature. Finally, students will examine some foundational topics in the early weeks of this course, such as the Biblical roots of CST, its natural law underpinnings, and its ecclesiological influences.

This course examines the economic dimensions of violence in light of Catholic social teaching and Western political and economic thought. After an in-depth overview of Catholic social teaching in relation to alternative social theories, we bring them to bear on the issue of violence in three social spheres: the domestic (domestic abuse and sexual assault), the economic (sweatshops), and the international political (war). In each case we will examine Catholic responses to the problem.

Using the method of community-engaged learning, requiring 20 hours of work in the South Bend community, this course will afford students the opportunity to explore the theology and practice of the Catholic social tradition. Students will combine social analysis with theological reflection in integrating their site experiences. In conversation with primary texts of the Catholic social tradition, the course material will consider a variety of thematic issues through an ethical lens, including education, health care, restorative justice, racial justice, power relations, environmental justice, and structural violence. This course satisfies the core course requirement for the Catholic Social Tradition Minor.

People live and act in an ecological theater created by God that includes all other living organisms and their ecosystems within the biosphere. Urgent questions abound today about what our relationship and responsibilities are to the rest of the natural world. This course examines our relationship to God, creation, and one another through two foci: integral ecology and watershed theology. In Laudato si’, Pope Francis uses integral ecology—the intersection and interaction of natural ecology and human ecology—to address ecological concerns. Within this integral ecology framework, we will examine a theology of creation and theological anthropology—our God-given identity and mission—as it relates to the Great Lakes watershed of which we are a part. We will examine four major topics about our home watershed: biodiversity and invasive species, water use and pollution, food and agriculture, and energy. As ecological citizens and creatures of God, we will also examine, in the context of integral ecology, the connection between Catholic liturgy and ecology, addressing the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Marriage. Each of these Sacraments entails ecological consequences and responsibilities in how followers of Jesus Christ live out their ecclesial beliefs. Note, for the Sacrament of Marriage, we shall be examining human sexuality from an integral ecology perspective. This course will have a special appeal to students interested in the intersection of theology and science, especially ecology and environmental studies.

This course focuses on the theological and ethical issues that arise in the practice of health care. Through the lectures, discussions, and assignments in this course, students will gain a command of Catholic moral principles such as human dignity, the preferential option for the poor, and the common good as they pertain to health care. The course will explore issues related to the beginning and end of life, to health care justice, to moral conflicts in research and health care delivery, and to emerging issues in genetics and biotechnology.

This course is intended to be an introduction to Catholic moral theology customized for those discerning a career as a business professional. In the wake of ethical failures at a number of prominent corporations, business leaders have renewed their call for ethical behavior and have begun to establish criteria for hiring morally thoughtful employees and to institute ethics education in the workplace. This is a move which has prompted a number of questions. Are institutions of higher education or small groups of well-meaning business professionals capable of training people to behave ethically? Is the real problem in contemporary business a lack of ethical knowledge, a lack of skill in applying rules to particular cases, or a lack of sensitivity to morally relevant issues? In the first part of the course, we will examine philosophical, theological, and economic interpretations of our current business situation, and we will consider various approaches to thinking about the ethical dimensions of business. In the second part of the course, we will examine the tradition of Catholic theology as a virtue ethics tradition, considering how virtue relates to happiness, law, moral judgment, and one's professional vocation. Third, we will examine Catholic theologies of work and the tradition of Catholic social teaching, with special attention to the relationship between workers and management as well as the norms of justice that ought to govern these relations. The course will conclude with student presentations of original cases.

“Peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of justice,” Salvadoran peacemaker and archbishop Oscar Romero’s statement is echoed by many other peacemakers from within and beyond the Christian tradition. Given this definition of peace, what does it mean for us to be peacemakers and justice-seekers in the world today? In this course, we will explore many issues of violence in our world, from the context of Palestine and Israel, military violence in Latin America, racism in the United States, to gender-based violence in our campus and society. We will also look at figures throughout Christian history, from early Christian martyrs for peace to proponents of just war theory to contemporary peacemakers, who offer us insights on what it means to build peace and justice in a violent world. In this course, we will both wrestle with the histories of violence found in scripture and church history, and consider what it means for us to take up the Christian call to be peacemakers in our own context.

This course will explore the theology and practice of nonviolence as a form of askesis, or spiritual discipline. The material will include readings from Scripture, the early Christian tradition, and Catholic social teaching. Religious sources outside the Christian tradition will include Gandhi and Thich Nhat Hanh. This course will use the method of community-based learning and will require twenty hours of service spread over ten weeks at particular sites in the South Bend area.

This course traces the development of Christian perspectives on war, peace, and revolution. During the first half of the semester, we will explore how Christian perspectives on violence changed as Christianity transitioned from a persecuted minority to a bearer of imperial power. During the second half, we will explore the development from the middle ages to the present of just war theory, Christian non-violence and pacifism, and Christian revolutionary violence. While the relationship between salvation history and human action is our central question, it refracts in a number of diverse and at times contradictory ways across the tradition from the New Testament to today. Thus, we will 1) analyze how doctrines regarding sin, salvation, the Church, and the Reign of God are worked out politically with regard to the use or rejection of violence; 2) attend to the ways in which the social and political positions of Christians shape their theological affirmations; and 3) deploy the theological grammar generated by our study to analyze contemporary practical and pastoral concerns regarding war, peace, and revolution.

The course offers an introduction to the spirituality of the Congregation of Holy Cross through an examination of the biographies of the Congregation’s past and present members. As a development level course in theology, the primary goal of the class is to familiarize students with the historical development of three classic theological topics (spirituality, saints, and virtue) by focusing on the charism, lives and apostolates of Holy Cross. An important secondary goal will be to help students develop an appreciation for how Holy Cross has influenced and continues to inform the work of the University of Notre Dame and what would be required to live by that vision after graduation in professional life, family life, and local church communities.

Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior has practical implications for the way believers construe the world, organize their lives and engage with the world. In this course students will be introduced to the basic elements in Christian moral thinking and decision making. We will look at nature of ethics in general and of Christian ethics in particular. We will cover questions related to the specificity of Christian ethics, Jesus and moral thinking, the human (Christian) person as moral agent, and the different methods employed in making ethical decisions. This course is therefore a foundational course which is meant to prepare students for further studies in moral theology and ethics or for life as responsible Christian men and women who are reasonably well equipped to face up to the implications of their faith for life in the world.

How can one understand theological aspects of the human person using computational methods? Drawing upon neuroscience and the psychology of religion, one can model cognitive and linguistic aspects of human moral, religious, and spiritual development and exemplarity in ways amenable to computational analysis and simulation. The course will focus on using broadly applicable, semantic analysis techniques from artificial intelligence to extract meaning from classic and contemporary texts that are significant for theological anthropology, Christian spirituality, and moral theology.

This course will address sustainability in the context of the local academic community and its institutions. In conversation with the papal encyclical, Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home, this course will provide students with interdisciplinary opportunities to explore the challenges of sustainability and develop collaborative strategies for making our common campus homes more sustainable. Students will be invited to examine the course materials in conversation with the mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross through immersion at each of the campuses and encounters with professionals whose work impacts sustainability. This course will also include a community-engaged learning component, in which students will volunteer 2 hours/week through the semester. See the document in our class Google folder, “Tricampus CBL/EL Instructions and Site List Fall 2024” for further details.

Reconciliation is increasingly becoming a popular notion in our time, finding its way into the political rhetoric and public policy of many governments. South Africa and its apparently successful Truth and Reconciliation Commission have captured the imagination of many post conflict societies (including nations like Rwanda, Bosnia, Northern Ireland and communities in the United States as they debate the merits and possibility of similar "reconciliation" efforts in their communities. Interest in reconciliation in the academic world has also increased, with scholarship on the topic and with institutions setting up "reconciliation studies" as a specialization sub field in the growing world of peace studies. It is perhaps not surprising that reconciliation has become a popular buzz world. The end of the cold war did not usher in a new world order of peace that many had hoped for. On the contrary, war, conflict and violence seem to be on the rise in a world marked by growing polarization between religious, ethnic and national identities. In the midst of such a fragmented and broken world, reconciliation is a rallying cry for some hope of healing, conflict resolution and solidarity among peoples. However, even as reconciliation has become popular, its meaning has remained vague, and its theological connections even more unclear. What difference if any does one's Christian faith make in the way one understands or pursues reconciliation? What's the Christian understanding of reconciliation anyway? What is the relation between reconciliation with God, and reconciliation in its social, political and economic dimensions? Why has Catholic discussions on reconciliation so much focused on "the sacrament of reconciliation" and not paid as much attention to the notion of social reconciliation? The course seeks to answer these and similar questions.

More than a century before African slaves were trafficked to the Virginia colony in 1619, Christopher Columbus transported captured indigenous peoples to Spain from the New World. The dispossession and enslavement of non-Europeans in the colonization of the Americas was justified by Christians but also condemned by Christians with different economic and political interests. This development course in theology introduces students to the challenging intersection of faith, slavery, and freedom by exploring key figures, events, and movements that have shaped the complex historical legacy of Christianity in the Americas, a hemispheric past that remains ever bound together. In addition to Christianity's role in colonial expansion and racial ideology, the course especially considers how lived faith in God provided a catalyst for the empowerment and resistance of the oppressed and their advocates in shared struggles to attain greater social justice, racial equality, and political autonomy. From the "Protector of the Indians" Bartolomé de las Casas to César Chávez, and the "Black Moses" Harriet Tubman to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the course explores these and other extraordinary figures of hope in the Americas who gave their lives to protest institutional violence and promote authentic expressions of faith. In the course, students will engage this turbulent past through a contextual approach to theology that examines idolatry, migration, land, liberty, poverty, social sin, nonviolence, and solidarity as normative categories relevant for addressing contemporary social crises afflicting our nation and the earth.

The movement of peoples in a world of territorially bounded and sovereign nation-states was one of the earliest questions to arise in international thought and has been one of the most perduring. This course puts present questions about the ethics of migration, and the ethics of how receiving countries treat migrants, in historical, theoretical, and doctrinal context. The course begins by analyzing the role of hospitality rights in the claims of Europeans to travel and settle in the new world. It then moves to social analyses of migration patterns, a series of different theological and ethical frameworks for interpreting the contemporary challenge of migration - kinship; solidarity; communitarianism; human rights; justice; and responsibility -and the role of the theological notion of human dignity and a theologically grounded account of human rights in responding to challenge of migration.

What constitutes a good life? And how can business serve our pursuit of it? In our fragmented culture, it seems that we must compartmentalize. We want to build families. We want to pursue careers. Perhaps we want to worship God. In this course, we will think through a more holistic approach to thinking about a good life, about what true happiness is. To do this, we will build out of a theological perspective rooted in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, with special focus on what this means for the practice of good business.

This course attempts to answer a question posed by Gustavo Gutiérrez: If theology focuses on how the suffering poor talk about God or how to talk about God in the face of poverty, how do we do such theology?

In this course, we will study the development of personal moral character and conscience through a series of guided discussions about values, decisions, habits, virtues and vices, the role of the Christian narrative, and finally, an integrated theory of Christian character formation. To illustrate the dimensions of character and conscience we will consider cases and dilemmas in the topic areas of relationships and sexuality, biomedical ethics, and justice concerns. Readings will include selections from writers in contemporary Christian ethics and cases drawn from numerous scholarly and popular sources. Requirements will include attendance at class sessions; significant participation in group discussions; several 3-5-page papers; and a 6-8-page final paper.

What does it mean to live a good life, to flourish as a human being? What does faith have to do with it? This "everyday ethics" course begins by resituating morality into the context of true happiness. We then examine various virtues, with attention to how the virtuous life is distinctive in the context of the Christian faith. We examine some particular issues (alcohol use, sexuality, end of life decisions), but our main emphasis is on how to live virtuous, fulfilling everyday lives, with careful attention to the difference faith makes in doing so.

This course provides you the opportunity to consider the relevance of ancient wisdom traditions for conducting an ethical analysis of modern technologies. The traditions on which you will focus are Christian teachings about the Ten Commandments (a digest of the moral law of the Hebrew Bible) and natural law (moral knowledge that is accessible to all people). You will apply the normative values of these traditions to evaluating technologies like generative artificial intelligence, content moderation, anthropogenic climate change, resource-allocation algorithms, autonomous weapons, digital companions, population health care, synthetic media, and social media. As you will discover, this interdisciplinary engagement has already begun because technologists are utilizing numerous concepts that are shared by Christian theology. You will critically evaluate this discourse and seek to improve it by drawing from the riches of the wisdom traditions of Christianity.

What does it mean for us to say we are human beings with personal dignity and a social nature, living in an imperfect world affected by sin? This course is an introduction to Catholic moral theology through the lens of social ethics. It aims to familiarize students with the theological foundations of eight terms that recur throughout Catholic social teaching: dignity, social nature, natural law, freedom, sin, conscience, justice, and love. Special emphasis will be placed on how these concepts are interconnected in a moral framework. Students will compare and contrast these concepts with definitions from other texts, identifying and analyzing the use of diverse definitions in debates on structural injustice, lawful resistance, gender equality, the death penalty, etc., and charting paths for realistic dialogue based on an acknowledgment of common understandings, mutual enrichment, and objective differences.

In his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Frances called Jesus's Sermon on the Mount the Christian’s “identity card.” In this course, we will take this sermon as it has come to us in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as the starting point for an exploration of Christian practice. In the first half of the course, we will be concerned with historical interpretations of this sermon, in the form of sermons, commentaries, saint’s lives, monastic rules, dramatic performances, and, culminating in, the Second Vatican Council’s "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World." The second half of the course will then follow Vatican II's turn to the wider world by taking up various struggles for peace and justice under the rubric of the Beatitudes, including those fighting against poverty, lynching, racially motivated police violence, war, distraction; and on behalf of the incarcerated, migrants, and the earth.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming society, impacting how we live as individuals and communities. This course will examine the issues raised by AI from the perspective of the Catholic understanding of the human person, Catholic theological anthropology. The course will particularly focus on how to ensure that AI promotes rather than prevents human flourishing. In the process of exploring those broad concerns, the course will address specific issues related to AI, such as whether AI could be a person, relationships with chatbots, surveillance capitalism, the implications of Catholic Social Teaching for AI, AI in warfare, bias, transhumanism, and the impacts of social media.

How did the resources of traditional Catholicism– the sacraments, the scriptures, and the lives of the saints– enable figures like Dorothy Day, Father Daniel Berrigan, and Sister Maura Clarke to resist endemic violence, poverty, and political repression in their time? Can one be a Catholic and an anarchist? How have student anti-war protests on Catholic campuses like Notre Dame drawn on the Catholic social tradition and Catholic liturgy in 1968 and 2024? This course examines the development of a socially-engaged, Gospel-centered pacifism from the earliest witnesses in Scripture and the lives of the saints through their grounding in the teachings of the Catholic faith in a contemporary American context. Looking to movements such as the Catholic Worker, Ploughshares, solidarity with Central American, and anti-war activism from the Vietnam era to the present, we will explore how doctrines such as the imago Dei and the Mystical Body of Christ are enfleshed in the life of the Church.

Studies show that teen and young adults are leaving the Church in large numbers and that the ones who stay don't grasp Church teachings. Seeking to "meet them where they are," the course begins with an examination of contemporary trends in the religious lives of millennials, with a particular focus on Catholics. It proceeds to examine the major reasons why millennials are leaving the Catholic Church, as reported by a recent Pew Forum study and engage students in arguments for and against the Church's positions. We will also look at the case for the Church through beauty and the witness of the saints, modes of engagement that are argued to be particularly persuasive to the millennial generation.

The purpose of this course is to provide a framework for understanding a recent trend among African Americans, particularly among Generation X and Millennials, to retrieve African religious traditions as a resource for both survival and enhancing quality of life within the US-American context. Of particular importance in this retrieval is the tradition of ancestor veneration. An ongoing relationship with the ancestors is of crucial importance to many non-Western cultures, a relationship that has generally been threatened by civilizational statecraft and subjected to demonization within the Judeo-Christian theological imagination. The first part of the course examines the place of ancestral religion in Israelite culture, as well as the role of civilization and the Bible in its suppression. The second part of the course focuses on traditional/ancestral religion in both Africa and the African Diaspora. The third part of the course explores the writings of contemporary theologians who creatively engage in constructive dialogue between traditional/diasporic African religion and Christian faith.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the ways in which Christian theologians have interpreted the scripture of Islam, the Quran, through the centuries, and to explore with them possible Christian theological responses to that scripture. To that end the course will involve a clear presentation of the Quran and Quranic Studies, the relationship of the Qur'an to the Bible, and the tradition of Christian theological reflection on non-Christian religions. This course fulfills the second ("development") requirement. No background in the Qur'an, Arabic, or Islam, is required or expected of students.

This class introduces students to the aims and methods of meditation with a particular emphasis on its Buddhist and Christian forms. It covers the stages of meditation in both traditions, their Scriptural foundations, the wide variety of techniques used to attain contemplative states, and the doctrines meditation is intended to express and inculcate in believers. Christian sources will include writings from Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Evagrius Ponticus, John of Sinai, Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Pavel Florensky, and Joseph Ratzinger (among others). Buddhist sources will include Tsongkhapa, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Lati Rinpoche, and other modern Tibetan authors. Special attention will also be given to recent controversies over the adoption of yoga by Christians.

Intertwined throughout history, Judaism and Christianity have developed a multifaceted relationship marked by both tension and reciprocal admiration. Inspired by the Catholic Church’s call for fraternal dialogue based on the “spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews,” this course examines this relationship from a theological perspective, focusing on the history of Jewish-Christian dialogue and debate and its contemporary implications. Studying this history will enable students to reflect on theological concepts shared by both traditions, including revelation, tradition, and scriptural interpretation, as well as conflicting perspectives on divine election, universalism, and religious law. Also serving as an introduction to Jewish theology, the course enables students to compare Christian commitments with Jewish ones. Through engagement with modern thinkers who debate these traditions, students will gain insight into the complex dynamics of continuity and transformation within both faiths.

This course explores the interactions between Christianity and three Asian religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Through a comparative perspective, students will examine key theological concepts, ritual practices, and ethical frameworks in Asian religions, highlighting both their distinctiveness and commonality with Christianity. Special attention will be paid to the spread of Christianity in Asia and its encounters with Asian religions and culture. The goal of this course is to deepen our understanding of both Christianity and Asian religions through comparative studies. By engaging with primary texts and scholarly articles, students will develop a nuanced understanding of the rich tapestry and complexity involved in cross-cultural religious interactions.

Human beings are dynamic creatures and therefore change throughout the course of their lives. Some of these changes we call “conversions,” though the word describes a variety of experiences, not all of them religious. This course will begin by exploring the idea of conversions in our intellectual, emotional, and moral lives, drawing upon theological, philosophical, and psychological texts. We will then turn to religious conversion stories - both historical and fictional - throughout the history of Christianity, beginning with the New Testament and moving through to the 21st century. Students will learn to think critically about conversion both in the texts we read and in their own lives.

Salvation, according to St. Paul, is through grace that is freely given by God (Rom 3:24). Yet, humans are also enjoined to work out their salvation (Phil 2:12), as cooperators with God (1 Cor. 3:9). How do these two aspects, divine grace and human action, fit together in the initial gift and outworking of human salvation? Can humans work out their salvation if salvation is ultimately a gift from God? What are the theological ramifications of such a teaching? In the Western theological tradition, St. Augustine of Hippo, the 'Doctor gratiae' (Doctor of Grace) worked out an understanding of grace in terms of God's prior and continual work in humans. Augustine's doctrine, which underwent development in his own lifetime, was received and developed in significant ways throughout the high and late middle ages and into the period of the Protestant Reformation. In this course, we will explore the 'doctrine of grace' as it is received and developed by key thinkers in the Christian tradition of the West: Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and John Calvin.

From the New Testament on, the Christian community has turned repeatedly to the formulation and description of its identity, essence and constitutional elements. Specifying what is entailed in the claim of the creed--"I believe in the one, holy and catholic church"--has been especially necessary at certain crucial moments in the history of the Christian movement. Providing an introduction to the main themes and problems in ecclesiology (the doctrine about the Church), this course will examine the teachings of leading theologians in the Patristic and Medieval period (e.g., Augustine; Aquinas; Luther) and the determinations of the last two Vatican councils, largely concerned with such ecclesiological matters as the constitution of the church, the role of the papacy, infallibility, and the Universal versus Local Churches.

This course studies the theology of discernment in the Christian tradition, principally in relation to a theology of vocation as the challenge and possibility of "hearing the word of God and acting on it." In order to study what it means to "hear", the course will attend to the importance of solitude, contemplation, and developing a scriptural memory within the Christian tradition, while also diagnosing the challenges to listening in the modern world. To study what it means to "act" on the word of God, the course will attend to the priority of mercy, commitment, and sacrifice in the Christian life. Methodologically, part of the study of discernment will include engaging in and reflecting on practices of discernment that relate to the "hearing" and "acting" dimensions of the Christian vocation.

Jesus' primary audience was the first century Galilean peasantry. He spoke from the margins to the marginalized. The Christian churches have not always followed this example, opting to speak from and on behalf of the centers of power. There is, consequently, an inbuilt and ongoing tension - often fraught, yet sometimes fruitful - within Christian communities that share a common faith but experience God from different social and cultural locations. As a consequence of Western European expansion, conquest, and colonialism, Christianity in modernity has become a truly global religion, further complicating this long-standing tension. However, as Pope Francis has said, "Great changes in history were realized when reality was seen not from the center but rather from the periphery. . .Truly to understand reality we need to move away from the central position of calmness and peacefulness and direct ourselves to the peripheral areas." These peripheral areas are "the margins." Therefore, taking our cue from both Jesus and Pope Francis, this course will examine several fundamental Christian doctrines (e.g. sin, salvation, mercy, and Christ) as they have been articulated among peoples who have been marginalized and oppressed in modernity. Engaging these often overlooked (but no less Christian) theological traditions from the margins is important for any Christian self-understanding within the world today.

Food is inarguably a basic component of human life. In spite of its basicness, however, eating food in the 21stcentury is wrapped up in a whole host of theological and moral issues including ecological degradation, globalization, food security, and economic justice. Our eating practices, in other words, raise urgent questions about the human relationship to the rest of the natural world. This course provides a theological framework for addressing our understanding of food. Drawing on Scripture and sources throughout the history of the Christian tradition, we will investigate the Christian conception of God as Creator, nature as creation, and the human relationship to God, other humans, and the rest of nature. We will also examine the moral and theological implications of human participation in nature through engagement with classics in environmental literature and the agrarian tradition. Finally, we will draw on these sources to contextualize and reflect on the theological and moral implications of the way we grow and consume food. This course will give students a deeper capacity for theological reflection on humans' relationship to the rest of nature and will equip them to understand the theological significance of the seemingly quotidian act of eating food.

This course is an extended study of the transcendental of Beauty as it relates to the nature of God, with considerations of the divine nature as trinitarian as well as certain Christological and pneumatological dimensions. Possible themes include the coincidence of beauty with truth and goodness, as well as the intersections between beauty and suffering, beauty and sanctity, and beauty and human desire. Readings will be drawn primarily from the Christian intellectual and theological tradition, supplemented along the way with material from the disciplines of philosophy, literature, poetry, art, and music.

The first Christians announced that they had experienced salvation in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This course will explore the meaning of that experience for that first generation of believers as well as for today. The first half of the course will explore a biblical and theological portrait of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus and the faith journey of the first disciples. The second half of the course will consider questions about Jesus' identity and the meaning of salvation in the early church and in today's global context including the meaning of Christian hope in a world of suffering and religious and cultural pluralism, and whether a Christian understanding of salvation includes all persons and all of creation.

What is sin? This course aims to answer this question, by looking at the biblical and traditional understanding of sin in both Western and Eastern Christianity. In addition to this historical aspect, in this course we will also look at the question of human sinfulness in a systematic perspective, understanding sin in light of other Christian doctrines, especially theological anthropology (the theological understanding of human nature), as well as in the light of other disciplines of study, such as psychology. The course concludes with a study of the "seven deadly sins" (or is it eight?) and seeks to understand how they relate to our modern culture.

This course introduces students to the study of theology through a focus on what traditionally has been called "spiritual theology." What is the goal of the spiritual life? What practices, relationships, and stages does the spiritual journey involve? How is it reasonable to think that one can live a human life with a divine "format," even now, by living in union with God who is love? Why does that form of living satisfy the deepest thirst of the heart, and what does it have to do with changing the world? We will study the scriptural and sacramental basis of spiritual theology, and we will focus on certain historical developments in spiritual theology that are especially relevant in the modern world, such as the theologies of St. Teresa of Avila and St. Ignatius of Loyola. The title of the course echoes a scriptural image that St. Teresa of Avila used as she developed her theology of prayer: "Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water" (Jn 7:38).

This course explores the topics of race and racial justice (in a particularly American context) in conversation with Christian theology. While it is initially tempting to reduce this conversation to identification of theological grounds for anti-racism, things are not so simple: theology itself is implicated in the long history of American racism. This is not merely to note that theology has been passively vitiated by racist thought; it is also to affirm that theology has played an active role in the creation of racialized categories and the perpetuation of racial injustices. Nevertheless, when theology is utilized well, it can galvanize individuals to endorse and join in the work of racial justice. This tenuous relationship—between oppressive theologies and racial harms, and between uplifting theologies and racial justice—is this course’s focus. Along the way, students will engage a host of other topics students including the (mis)use of racial terms; types of racial wrongs, historical and continuing; and controversies like implicit bias and the “Model Minority.”

Jesus of Nazareth is indisputably one of the most important figures in world history, yet for Christians even this claim is an understatement. The major Christian churches teach not only that Jesus was the foremost of the prophets, but that he is eternally the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. They also teach that his work as a man included not only his public miracles and his oral teaching but an invisible ministry of reconciling human beings to the God from whom they had been estranged by sin. Even for Christians who do not subscribe to traditional teachings, Jesus remains a moral exemplar and an object of devotion. Muslims revere him as the sixth of seven great prophets, a number of Jews and Hindus have found a place for him in their faith, and he has been a frequent subject for philosophers, poets, and novelists, whatever their religion. This course addresses the figure of Jesus both as the center of Christian proclamation and as a subject of imaginative and philosophical reflection in Christianity and beyond. The first half of the course will concern the nature, ministry, teaching, and example of Jesus as these have been understood in the historic teaching of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions; the second half of the course will turn to questions concerning the figure of Jesus as understood both in modern Christian theology, in other religious traditions, and in some recent literary and philosophical challenges to Christianity.

In the 20th century, Catholic theological thought has turned to the child as revealing the meaning of personhood in an increasingly technocratic age. This course invites students to contemplate this turn through a careful re-reading of a theology of childhood throughout the history of Christianity. In this class, participants will discover the centrality of childhood to key themes in Catholic theology including original sin, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Sacraments, prayer, and the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. Lastly, through an intellectual contemplation of theological childhood, students in this course will be invited to consider their own future vocation as educators in faith to their future children.

This course aims to equip students with the tools to examine and contribute to contemporary problems in the relationship between Christian beliefs and the natural sciences. This is achieved by allowing students to see those topics as embedded in a long history of theologians engaging the physics, medicine, and natural philosophy of their times. Roughly half the course will be devoted to that history, drawing out three narrative arcs: the sophisticated ways that Christians dealt with apparent conflicts between their beliefs about nature and those of secular authorities; the ways that the contemporary sciences depended on particular theological presuppositions (divine voluntarism and immutability, the regularity and intelligibility of nature); and the contingency of the contemporary sciences. Against this historical backdrop, the second half of the course will consider four classical Christian doctrines that appear to be in conflict with some aspect of contemporary science: the imago Dei in relation to evolution and scientific transhumanism; miracles in relation to the laws of nature; doctrines of the Fall and original sin in relation to population biology; and the doctrine of the soul in relation to neuroscience.

This course is designed to introduce you to the basic teachings and spiritualities of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. We will approach these religions both historically and theologically, seeking to determine where they converge and differ from Christianity on such perennial issues as death, meaning, the nature of the ultimate Mystery, the overcoming of suffering etc. That is to say, we will not only attempt to comprehend these religions according to their own self-understanding, but we will also endeavor to appraise their significance in relation to Christian faith, both in the challenge and enrichment they present. We will also examine some traditional and contemporary Catholic and Protestant approaches to the truth claims of other religions. Our own search to know how the truth and experience of other faiths are related to Christian faith will be guided by the insights of important Christian contemplatives who have entered deeply into the spirituality of other traditions. By course end we ought to have a greater understanding of what is essential to Christian faith and practice as well as a greater appreciation of the spiritual paths of others.

Understanding the relationship between Islam and Christian theology is not a walk in the park. The relationship between Christianity and Islam is absolutely unique, in part because of the way that Muslims challenge Christian teaching on Jesus. According to standard Islamic teaching, Jesus was not God, not a savior, and did not die on the cross. Instead, he was a Muslim prophet who predicted the coming of Muhammad. From a traditional Islamic perspective, Christian teaching on Christ is confused and the New Testament on which it is based is a falsified version of an Islamic revelation that God gave to Jesus. Muhammad came centuries later to correct the errors of Christians and to preach the same eternal religion that Jesus once taught: Islam. Muslims, in other words, have something to say to Christians: that Jesus was a Muslim and that Muhammad is a true prophet sent to the entire world. In this course, we will listen to how Muslims explain and express this idea, examine how Christians have responded through the centuries, and ask how Christians today might fruitfully promote dialogue with Islam. NO PRIOR BACKGROUND in Arabic or Islam is required for this course.

This course introduces students to the key questions, concerns, and themes marking the development of the Christian tradition's theological engagement with and reflection upon art and aesthetic experience, from the classical and Medieval churches through to their early modern and contemporary Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant continuations. Among the increasingly diverse perspectives characterizing contemporary study in theology, art, and aesthetics, this course proceeds along a trajectory through the emergence of the discipline of theological aesthetics, and in particular Latino/a theological aesthetics. It will end by considering recent topics in theological aesthetics (e.g., Christology, Pneumatology, etc.). This course will empower students to reflect theologically upon art and aesthetic experience and their relation to Christian revelation in a historically informed and ecumenically sensitive manner, and invite them to formulate and articulate their own perspectives. This course fulfills the second of the undergraduate Core Curriculum theology requirements by cultivating substantial student reflection on the experience of art and aesthetics in relation to Christian revelation and the continuing development of the Christian tradition.

This course will seek to identify and address the various tensions between theology and the natural sciences, reimagining that relationship as one of complementarity. A large part of that tension has been constituted by the modern Western presupposition that the unique and privileged access to reality comes through the empirical method of the natural sciences. We will begin with a brief introduction to the history of the development of scientific method, before turning to an investigation of the methodological differences between the natural sciences and theology. It will be shown that the complementarity of the two methods stems from their both being particularizations of the more general process involved in learning. The second section of the course will focus on specific topics which have historically been considered a source of division between Christian belief and the theories of the natural sciences. These will include an examination of objections to the belief in the existence of God, the seeming tensions between the scriptural creation narrative and evolutionary biology, and the incompatibility of belief in the resurrection with modern materialist reductionism. Finally, there will be a treatment of the convergence of natural science and theology on the question of ecological ethics.

The formation of Christians' communal identity, theological imagination, and social practices have always been worked out - whether implicitly or explicitly - in relation to empire. This course explores this complex theological and historical relationship between Church and empire with particular attention to the ways Christian communities have attempted to resist the onslaught of pre-modern and modern imperialism in order to preserve the integrity of various aspects of the gospel of Christ. In the process of this exploration we will attempt, as a class, to discern some general characteristics of a counter-imperial Catholic ethos or spirituality by paying close attention to the ways the Church has compromised, negotiated, or resisted empire concerning images of Jesus, the effects of baptism, the scope of Christ's Eucharistic presence, and the legitimate modes of evangelization at the Church's disposal.

In 2000, two Earth System scientists popularized the idea that Earth might be entering a new geologic epoch, the "Anthropocene," in which human activity is shaping and will continue to shape the Earth System so profoundly that it will be evident in the geologic record. The idea has become a central topic in both the environmental sciences and the environmental humanities. Our interest in this idea is in the ethical questions it raises. Who is responsible for this new epoch and what should be done about it? What kinds of technological interventions are ethically appropriate to limit or otherwise alter environmental change? If humans can "manage" the global climate, fine tuning Earth's temperature and climate composition, should they? This is a course about ethical reasoning, in which moral principles are applied to contingent circumstances to determine good (i.e., ethically sound) courses of action. We will use a sophisticated understanding of the doctrine of human dominion and the moral principles it entails to construct a range of Christian responses to the ethical questions of the Anthropocene. In developing Christian ethical responses to the challenges of the Anthropocene, we will practice using clear logic, rhetorical argumentation, and a sophisticated grasp and deployment of Christian doctrine.

Christian theologians have long been interested in Buddhism, not least because it promises a complete religion, spirituality, and culture without the existence of God. This class introduces students to the life of the Buddha, Buddhist Scriptures, Buddhist religious orders, and the various schools of Buddhist philosophy in India, China, Korea, Japan, and Tibet. Topics explored include proofs and refutations of God's existence, reincarnation and future lives, the nature of the human person, the origin of evil and suffering, Buddhist approaches to ethics, and contemporary Buddhist-Christian dialogue. No previous knowledge of Buddhism is required.

In this course, we will study the historical and conceptual development of the Christian understanding of death and how it relates to various theological themes including nature and creation, human being and subjectivity, and sin, salvation, eschatology, and the sacraments. Course readings will include the Bible and classical Christian literature, as well as readings from philosophy, literature, and the sciences.

Can one use the principle, “What would Jesus do?” to think about political systems, decisions and policies? In the coming election, many things are uncertain, but what is not uncertain is that religious faith, and Christian faith in particular, will be a touchstone, or perhaps better, a lightning rod, in the political debates that are already underway. This course will not focus on this or that political issue (abortion, immigration, taxation, entitlement programs, same-sex marriage), but rather will take a step back to examine the ways that Christians have thought more generally about how the obligations of their faith relate to their obligations as a citizen. We will look at some classic positions, especially of Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, but then focus on case studies, including the polarizing debates over slavery (very conducted with reference to the Bible) in the years leading up to and during the Civil War. The goal of the course is to enable students to identify the different starting points and ways of thinking that Christians have taken, and are still taking today, to interrelate faith and politics, so that students can better understand the variety of positions, including their own ways of thinking and the positions with which they disagree.

This course is offered as a systematic and historical introduction to Christian Spirituality with a systematic focus on its nature, stages, and goal; an historical focus on different traditions and representative figures; a thematic focus on the kinds of language and literary figures that are used to describe the spiritual life (e.g., in terms of a journey, maturation, mountain-climbing, and kinds of relationship, etc.), and a practical focus on the disciplines that cultivate it and are conducive to its end. Other than Scripture, various saints and spiritual authors to be read include Catherine of Siena, Guigo II, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, Benedict, Bernard of Clairvaux, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Therese of Lisieux, Symeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas, and Seraphim of Sarov.

This course investigates the Christian understanding of creation and how this doctrine relates to contemporary scientific issues. We will examine the development of the doctrine beginning with Scripture and the Creed and progressing through the early Church period into the Medieval and Scholastic era, focusing on the concepts of creation ex nihilo, creation continua, divine Providence, and divine action in the world. With the rise of the modern era, we will analyze the origin of and principles involved with the purported conflict between science and theology. We will bring the doctrine of creation into dialogue with three contemporary issues in the sciences: cosmology, evolution, and ecology. Integral to this course will be the relationship and response of humankind to God and to creation. This course will have a special appeal to students interested in the intersection of science and theology.

The Christian confession of a God of infinite love and goodness seems to be severely challenged by the immensity of suffering and evil. This course explores different theological responses to the theoretical and practical problems presented by suffering and evil. Attention will also be given to how psychology, Scripture, Buddhism, and film have addressed these issues. The format of the course will consist of lectures, discussions, and the close reading and analysis of seminal texts.

The course will explore the relationship between God and humanity through a variety of theological lenses. The asymmetrical relationship will be considered as a form of dialogue and as a path to finding new approaches to a dialogue of cultures viable today. Sources will include the Old and New Testament, St. Augustine, medieval Christian writers like St. Anselm of Canterbury, Ramón Llull, St. Catherine of Siena, and Nicholas of Cusa, Bartolomé de la Casas, Jewish thinkers like Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, and Emmanuel Levinas, Karl Barth, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Pope Paul VI, Karol Wojtyla/Pope John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, Robert Schreiter, Virgilio Elizondo, María Pilar Aquino, Alejandro García-Rivera, the monks of Tibhirine, and Emmanuel Katongole.

This course introduces the theological foundations of Christian vocation through considering the Eucharistic transformation of human communion and of our understanding, memory, and will by means of the imagination. The Catholic imagination recognizes all things—the world, the self, creativity, the past, the present, vocation, suffering, death—in relation to the communion which is God’s very nature, life, and gift to us. The first part of the course therefore contemplates the Trinitarian communion, received in Jesus Christ and the Church which is his Body, through alternating doctrinal studies and literary considerations. The first part also seeks to understand the world, in its giftedness, brokenness, and renewal, through the lens of communion. The second part seeks to remember a life through the same lens of communion, and the third part seeks to intend a life toward this communion. Thus, this course considers the central images of Christian salvation history from creation to eschatology as well as how these images may be appropriated in the lived experience of Christian spirituality. This course is designed to assist Notre Dame undergraduates who are preparing to work as “Mentors-in-Faith” within Notre Dame Vision.

In the wake of the Holocaust, the Catholic Church put its relationship with the Jewish people on a new footing with the declaration Nostra Aetate, wherein the Church calls to mind "the bond that spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham's stock." In this course we will explore the nature of this bond, and put into practice the call to dialogue that, according to Nostra Aetate, follows from it. The substantive goals of this course are two. First, we will study what Christians have thought, and what Christianity - especially Catholicism - has taught across the centuries about Jews and Judaism, and about the relationship between the Church and its Jewish roots. Second, we will learn about the teachings and practices of Judaism, from the early Christian centuries to today, and engage in theological comparison between Christian and Jewish theology.

This course investigates the relationship between the Catholic Faith and modern science for the sake of an integrated worldview in which they are brought into a "relational unity," i.e. a dynamic interchange in which their distinct perspectives and methods are carefully respected. We will begin with historical, philosophical, biblical and theological resources for engaging science from the perspective of faith. These will be brought into dialogue with modern cosmology, evolutionary biology and the sciences of human origins in an attempt to forge a holistic perspective in which science, philosophy and theology are treated as distinct but mutually enriching paths to truth. Specific topics will include the conflict model of science and religion, the Galileo Affair, the biblical creation accounts, the doctrines of divine creation and divine providence, and the human person as the image of God.

A discussion of ethical problems in the medical profession in light of natural law and Christian moral principles.

This is the co-requisite discussion meeting for Theo 20702: "Why the Church?"

Vatican II's document on mission, entitled Ad Gentes ("To the Peoples"), stated "The Church on earth is by its very nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, it has its origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit" (AG 2). This declaration describes the church's past and also lends it a purpose, for it represents both and historical observation and a theological charge. This course will study the missionary activity of the church, both historically and theologically. After a brief look at mission and evangelization in the New Testament and the early church, we will then explore important moments of missionary contact in the Americas, Africa, and Asia in the modern (post-Columbian) period. Particular attention will be given to the operative theologies and practices of mission at work in such encounters, as well as to the practical effects of missionary activity. The course will conclude with a look at contemporary missionary practice and theory. The coming of Christianity to most of the world has often overlapped with the political, economic, and social processes associated with the term colonialism, and we will study the consequences of that overlap, along with the many theological issues raised, especially for Christians in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

This is the pre-course for the Theology Summer course taking place in Jerusalem: THEO 24841 Church of All Nations

This 1-credit course contemplates the saints via an introduction to their miracles. Students are required to attend the ever-popular Saturdays with the Saints lecture series on the six home football game Saturdays. The lectures will cover a variety of miracles and the saints associated with them, such as the healing miracles at Lourdes, the mystical wounds of stigmatists, the bodies of the incorrupt, martyrs, and even "saints that flew." In addition to the six Saturdays with the Saints lectures, students will attend an introductory class meeting before the first lecture and a final "retreat" once the series has ended for the season.

This one-credit course explores the relationship between the lives of the saints and Catholic social teaching. It focuses on the ways the infused virtues, especially love of God, spills over into an outward dynamic of love of neighbor. The first two classes focus on developing a theology of service and social action beginning with the New Testament figures of Mary, Stephen, and the apostle John, and continuing with key saints throughout the ages, such ss Martin of Tours, Thomas Becket, Francis of Assisi, and Vincent de Paul. Then turns to modern day figures such as Franz Jagerstatter Oscar Romero, Dorothy Day, and the martyred Trappists monks of Algeria. Requirements will be limited to journaling on sainthood and saints, and joining with others for a group project to be presented to the class in the final class meetings.

Study, rehearsal, and performance of sacred choral music of high quality from plainchant through music composed in the 21st century. Membership in the 65-voice SATB ensemble is by audition and limited to undergraduate and graduate students. The choir sings each Sunday at the 10:00 a. m. Solemn Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, for Sunday evening vespers, and at special University liturgies and concerts throughout the year.

The University of Notre Dame Women's Liturgical Choir, under the direction of Andrew McShane, is a group of approximately 60 women who lead the liturgical music for the Saturday 5 p.m. Vigil Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Women's Liturgical Choir is also heard at Sunday Vespers, weddings, Junior Parent's Weekend, Advent lessons, and carols and other special University liturgies. Each spring semester, the choir tours within the United States, and at the end of the academic year presents a concert of sacred music at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The repertoire of the Women's Liturgical Choir includes chant, renaissance polyphony, and music from the 18th through 20th centuries. Rehearsals are held on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday's from 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 329 of the Coleman-Morse Center. If you are a female student, staff, or faculty member from the Notre Dame, St. Mary's or Holy Cross family and are interested in joining the choir, please contact Andrew McShane at 1-7800 or e-mail mcshane.1@nd. edu.

Work with the folk choir, which continues to build the repertoire for Catholic school use. Class meets for seven weeks. (Second summer elective)

Study, rehearsal, and performance of gospel music for liturgical purposes.

"Facilitating Growth in Faith" serves as a practicum allowing the Mentors in Faith from the NDVision Summer Program to reflect theologically on their catechetical ministry with high school students during each of four, one-week sessions. As such, this course will complete the educational objectives begun in Theology 30018. As a field education integrative seminar, this course will include interactive lectures, small group discussion sessions, and case study work on topics having to do with mentoring others in their personal and communal growth in faith and in their awareness of how to live their Christian vocations. Related theological topics include Christological and pneumatological perspectives on discipleship, grace, conversion, evil and human suffering, prayer, living the sacramental/liturgical life of the Church, becoming the Body of Christ, discerning the presence and action of God in our lives, and giving witness to faith in service and justice.

This course is designed to aid Notre Dame Vision Mentors in cultivating the dispositions, skills, and behaviors that faithfully express God's pedagogy-a pedagogy that will lead Mentors to genuinely attend to and share in the real situations and experiences of those to whom they minister for the sake of guiding them towards further growth and openness to grace.

In the midst of life's busyness and hype and noise, how do you authentically connect with the God of the Universe? How do you find a single second in the thick of the pressures of coursework to breathe and ponder and reflect on the One-to- Whom-We- Belong? In this hands-on course, for five Wednesdays in Lent, we will take the time to do that: We will lament with those who got gritty with God, the prophet Jeremiah and John of the Cross; we will breathe with the hescychasts of the desert. We will contemplate with Teresa of Avila. We will delight in creation with Pope Francis and Ignatius. We will ponder the fervor of Jesus' own prayer life. If you feel like you're faking it in your prayer life, come and dig deeper. If you feel like you're doing pretty well, but hunger for more, come and dig deeper. If you'd simply like others to pray with, come and dig deeper. If "none of the above" describes you or you know almost nothing about prayer, come and check it out.

This one credit offering invites students to engage in a peer-to-peer Scripture Study accompanied by a series of faculty conversations: e.g. “Bible and Scripture,” “Old and New Testaments,” “Scripture and Church.” Students will be provided with the required texts from the Navarre Commentary series. Discussion groups will meet at a time decided upon by participants. See Section Notes for more details.

Has God "called me from the womb" and "named my name" (Isa. 49:1)? How can I know God's will for my life, recognize and respond to God's call? What choices do I face and how am I to be guided in making them? What is included in the process of my vocation (sex, talents, education, profession, relationships, circumstances, dreams and desires)? This course combines three elements: (1) an introduction into forms of prayer conducive to discernment, (2) the reading and discussion of essays about vocation and discernment, and (3) interviews with women who have discerned (and continue to discern) their personal vocations. The course is designed to focus on vocations (lay and religious) open to women.

This course entails attending the Saturdays with the Saints lecture series (Fall 2023 Theme: "The Titles of Mary"), and a retreat at the end of the "season."

This one credit course will examine Augustine's Confessions during the class sessions. The only writing for the course will be the student's own spiritual autobiography essay.

This 1-credit course contemplates the saints via the ever-popular Saturdays with the Saints lecture series offered on the six home football game Saturdays. The lectures will address a selection of saints following a certain theme (TBD for 2025). In addition to the six Saturdays with the Saints lectures, students will attend an introductory class meeting before the first lecture and a final retreat once the series has ended for the season.

Rhythms of Faith (RoF) is an innovative theology course for undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame. Whereas many theology courses invite engagement with theological ideas through critical essay-writing, students in RoF will be trained to grapple with liturgy and music through the creative process, i.e., by working with classmates to produce new works of art: texts and songs designed to be sung in community. By drawing on the centuries-old tradition of singing Psalms and Canticles, RoF will equip students with the conceptual framework for bringing their own experiences, ideas, and diverse musical backgrounds into creative conversation with liturgy and prayer. This class is for anyone, regardless of their musical training or proclivity–the requisite singing and song-writing skills will be taught throughout the course. Completing the group projects in RoF will allow students to experience first-hand the process of integrating their intellectual knowledge of religion with embodied practice. Through this community-based creative process, students can experience the transformation of growing into a community of trust–one of vulnerability, interdependence, love, and celebration–and as a result, growing to constructively engage their faith with their whole selves for a lifetime ahead.

What does mental health have to do with faith? And, how do faith and spirituality relate to mental health? Moreover, what does this mean for one's life, practically speaking? This one-credit course invites students to reflect on the intersection of faith and mental health within their own lives through both conceptual and practical integration. Bridging the disciplines of theology, psychology, and neuroscience, the course provides a framework for students to consider central questions, including the etiology of mental illness, the meaning of suffering, conceptions of healing, and the importance of relationship to human flourishing. The course supports also students' practical, personal integration of course concepts. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on how personal practices and the sacramental and communal life of faith can support the stewardship of their integral wellbeing as embodied souls. The course involves interactive lectures, including guest speakers, and small-group discussions.

Relationships are critical to our wellbeing as people. Today, however, adolescents and adults report increased levels of loneliness—a concerning statistic given that loneliness is a risk factor for both physical and mental illnesses. This course considers the impact of relationships on mental health through neuroscientific and theological perspectives, offering an integrative framework through which students will examine the potential of relationships to both wound and heal. As a community-engaged seminar, the course provides students with opportunities to encounter community members who live with serious mental illness. Throughout the term, students will share in dialogue with the members and staff of the Clubhouse of St. Joseph County—a program that promotes the recovery of adults living with mental illness by providing a welcoming community, meaningful work, and supported employment. In-class seminar discussions will address the cultural, personal, and environmental factors that exacerbate experiences of loneliness among those with serious mental illness. The class will culminate with students’ identification of means to strengthen supportive relationships, particularly among those with mental illness, following the principles of solidarity and the common good. *The class will meet over ten weeks from September 3 - November 12, 2025.

The point of this course is that the Eucharist—the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ—commits us to work for justice and peace for the poor, workers, the unborn, immigrants, refugees, and the entire earth. The course is built around five public lectures with Drs. Clemens Sedmak, Margaret Pfeil, William Cavanaugh, Fr. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas. These public lectures will be followed by personal conversations with the class. The first class meets on Wednesday, January 17 (4:30-5:30) and five more Wednesdays : January 31, February 14, February 28, March 20, and April 17. The public lectures begin at 4:30, followed by Q & A, and class conversations conclude by 7:00. Dinner (pizza, salads, cookies, drinks) will be served. Requirements for this course include one-page responses to the lectures and one final reflection essay, oral conversation, or group discussion to be arranged with the instructor.

C.S. Lewis is one of the great apologists of the Christian faith; in other words, he makes central Christian teachings accessible to non-believers in accessible terms, while also buttressing the faith of believers. This course deploys a selection of works from C.S. Lewis to explore central beliefs of the Christian faith, with particular attention to ways people live that reflect (or contradict) those faith commitments. The anchors of the course, consonant with the required assignments, are the books Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce, complemented by selections from other books and essays. The ultimate goal of this course is not a thorough command of Lewis’ life and works; rather, the course relies on Lewis’ writings to help students probe the mysteries of God and evil, and virtue and vice.

In this course, we examine the various moral and theological justifications that individual believers and religious groups have invoked in support of the use of lethal violence, especially against innocent persons, to advance specific political ends. To do so, we will investigate the politics, ideology, and theology that animated the "terror" campaigns waged by the Irish Republican Army (1916-1922), the Provisional Irish Republican Army (1969-1997), Al-Qaeda (1988-), and ISIS (1999-). Throughout the course, we ask how, and to what extent, the religious beliefs or ideals of these groups influenced, supported, or restrained the kind of "violence" they adopted in pursuit of their stated political objectives. To provide an informed answer to this question, we will engage with some of the more influential texts (scriptural, philosophical, and theological) that have shaped Muslim and Christian perspectives on the moral justifications and limits of coordinated campaigns of lethal violence.

The journeys of human beings into space have captivated the imagination but have also raised significant ethical issues. As the human presence in space for research, recreation, commerce, and possible future habitation becomes more frequent and the goals of space exploration more clear, the urgency of addressing the ethical issues surrounding the human presence in space has also increased. This course begins with an examination of theological understandings of the origin and meaning of the cosmos across a number of different religious traditions, with a particular focus on Christian theological account of creation. The second part of the course reviews the various ways that human beings have approached and are considering the human presence in space, including lunar exploration, commercial exploitation, and possible habitation. The third part of the course considers the ethical issues associated with space commerce, and the course concludes with a comparison between past sublunary colonizations and as-yet-unrealized space colonizations.

This course will examine how the very concept of being human has been transformed and confused over the last two hundred years. Beginning with a discussion of the themes set forth in C. S. Lewis’s book, "The Abolition of Man," the course will engage with a variety of texts from the nineteenth century onwards and reflect upon the impact of (and connections between) material conditions (e.g. technology) and philosophical ideas (e.g., transhumanism) on the deep questions of what it means to be a human being. It will also reflect upon how Christianity is challenged by these but also offers a cogent response.

Global Catholicism will explore the past, present, and future of the Catholic Church from a variety of perspectives. The largest and oldest transnational organization in the world, the Catholic Church also embodies the people of God and the Body of Christ. It therefore lends itself to analysis from many academic disciplines, and, in this course, priority will be given to insights from theology and history, though with reference to other fields such as art history, literature, and the social sciences. Besides exploring the university’s art and archival collections, readings thus will include a novel, a memoir, primary sources both historical and theological, as well as analyses of pertinent issues and episodes that feature historical, theological, sociological, and anthropological approaches. There will also be a visit to Chicago’s Catholic parishes that reflect the Church’s global reach. Besides participation and engagement in class meetings, course requirements include regular brief responses to assigned readings, several group oral reports, and a mid-term and final exam. In addition, students will also prepare a final project that will seek to draw upon historical and theological reasoning to address a contemporary issue of importance for the Catholic Church, proposing a response to the issue from the perspective of a church leader (for example, a bishop, head of religious congregation, Catholic university president, etc.)

This course studies the major themes of Islamic theology. It starts from the early debates concerned with Muslim views of God, the nature of the Quran, the prophethood of Muhammad and ends with current debates about the status of Islamic law (sharia). It also discusses divine vs. human will, the role of politics in Muslim view of salvation and the limits of rationality. It traces how these topics moved from simple formulae to complex concepts due to sociopolitical controversies and conditions, whether they were sectarian or interreligious conflicts, crises of legitimacy, colonialism or modernity. The arguments of various schools are presented, and translated excerpts from prominent theologians are studied. As we read these texts we ask ourselves a number of questions. For example, what alternatives were possible for theologians other than what later became standard Muslim doctrines? What is the importance of imagination in the creation of these theological systems? Did modern Muslim theologians have better options to handle ancient traditions that most of them ended up adopting? Do some modern Muslim theologians have an alternative view to offer? The course is meant to help students see the problems of theology from an Islamic viewpoint that may deepen their understanding of wider

This Integration course, drawing on methods and insights from history, systematic theology, and philosophy, examines the complex ways in which Catholic tradition navigates both continuity and change. Through historical case studies and theological analyses, students will explore the possible meanings of "tradition" and how it might inform both doctrinal and Scriptural interpretation. In doing so, the course will advance a robust understanding of tradition as a living, continual engagement with the past. "Catholicism & Tradition" serves as a gateway to a new student and faculty group, the “Newman Seminar” (named in honor of St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, one of the most influential expositors of the development of doctrine in the modern Church), in which members will gather regularly to learn about and discuss challenging topics in contemporary Catholic theology. To register for the course, students must complete a short application (see Section Notes).

This course engages critically and charitably with the discipline of gender studies from a Catholic perspective. The work of Catholic philosopher Prudence Allen forms the backdrop of the course, namely her framework for categorizing different approaches to conceptualizing the sexes based on the criteria of dignity and differentiation. We will use (and modify) this basic schema in considering various historical and contemporary approaches to the nature and relationality of the sexes. We will explore ancient cosmologies, compare pre-modern approaches (e.g. Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hildegard), trace the querelle des femmes ("the woman question") debates of early modernity, and consider modern and contemporary conceptions of sexual difference that arise in the era of feminism. After following this historical arc, we will move into an in-depth, comparative analysis of concurrent 20th-21st century developments in 1) secular gender theories (e.g. Beauvoir, Butler, Bettcher) and 2) Catholic theology of sexual difference (e.g. Stein, von le Fort, von Balthasar, John Paul II, and Catholic “new feminism”). With this substantive foundation in place, the course will culminate by considering “live questions” and controversies about men and women in our current cultural context, both within the Church and across society as a whole.

This 1-credit course is designed to complement a student’s attendance at the 1.5 day teaching conference, ‘What is an Organ?’ co-sponsored by the College of Science and the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life. Students will learn of key concepts in anatomy related to the biological nature and purpose of organs - both as a structure in their own right and as part of an integrated system, will become familiar with key theological ideas related to our creation imago Dei, the concept of purpose both with respect to its physical and eschatalogical components, and will develop a holistic understanding of the relationship between faith/reason, science/religion, generally, and the relationship between our scientific concept of the human body (i.e. organs, organ system)/theological understanding of purpose, specifically.

This course will devote the first part of the semester to establishing an account of the historical roots of the current affordable/low-income housing crisis in the United States, paying particular attention to the local St. Joseph County context. It will also introduce students to the housing “continuum of care” in the City of South Bend, noting the various institutional and governmental agencies currently involved in addressing housing needs as well as the gaps in coverage, e.g., the need for a permanent low-barrier intake center and more permanent supportive housing (PSH). The second part of the course will involve constructive and innovative engagement as students collaborate on specific research projects introduced in the first part of the course. Students will have the opportunity to network with area housing agencies and local government entities as well as research best practices in other urban areas. During this segment of the course, students will engage with experts in the field, both virtually and in person. This work will lead into students’ constructive proposals for a concrete contribution to meeting the current low-income and supportive housing needs locally, regionally, and/or nationally. All these signs of the times will be held in conversation with the Catholic social tradition, exploring the concept of housing as a human right and duty in service of the common good. We will also use the CST concept of integral ecology to understand the social, economic, and ecological aspects of the current housing crisis, in conversation with Laudato si’, Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical.

The Notre Dame Basilica Schola is a liturgical choir and laboratory ensemble specializing in a broad range of unaccompanied sacred choral music. As a liturgical ensemble, it serves its members by helping them grow in their understanding of the interplay between Christian liturgical practices, theology, and sacred music. In addition to regularly singing for Sunday evening Vespers in the Basilica, the choir sings periodically for Masses, other special services, and concerts during the academic year. May be repeated for credit.

When people engage with art in museum settings, many feel that they don’t “get it” and that “getting it” requires a large amount of specialized and sometimes arcane art historical knowledge. While art historical facts can guide our thinking, enlighten our imaginations, and provide us with helpful frameworks for considering works of art, scholarly research and writing represents just one of many ways to engage with art in museums. One of the most fruitful and enriching ways to engage with works of art is through concentrated looking, contemplation, and prayer. In this “hands-on” course hosted at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art (we won’t actually be touching any art!), we will explore the spiritual dimension of art across the collection. Our practice will be supported by myriad theologians and holy figures such as Simone Weil, Thomas Merton, and St. John Paul II, just to name a few, who experienced the great fruits of sustained engagement with created things. Through this course, you will have the opportunity to not only learn more about the collection, but to deepen your own spiritual life through engagement with the works of art during this season of Lent.

This course will begin with reading David Lancy’s work, The Anthropology of Childhood, in order to form a good intellectual background in this sub-discipline of anthropology. Then, at Notre Dame’s Shaw Center for Children and Families, students will participate in practicum through one hour of childcare a week of the children of single mothers in addiction recovery while the mothers are in addiction recovery group. The class will then arrange times to discuss the childcare in light of the anthropology of childhood.

The best way to come to know the saints is to actually practice praying and serving in the way the saints themselves prayed and served. The focus of this course is the prayer of particular saints, first in terms of learning how they prayed and why they prayed the way they did, and second in terms of actually practicing these forms of prayer as a deeper and more intimate form of study. Offered in conjunction with the Sullivan Undergraduate Saints Fellowship, this course will provide the undergraduate fellows with the opportunity to develop an understanding of prayer and holiness in general, alongside longer plunges into the prayer lives of at least four specific saints. The days and times for course meeting will be determined with the students in the course.

Immersion: Eight week summer service-learning placements. This three-credit course of the Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP) takes place before, during, and after student participation in the eight consecutive week summer immersion sponsored by the Center for Social Concerns and the Notre Dame Alumni Association. The goal of the course is to reflect on the meaning and dynamics of Christian service, compassion and Catholic social teaching through experiential learning, reading, writing and discussions. Writing assignments include journal assignments and a final paper. The course is completed during the first five weeks of fall semester and is graded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Acceptance is based on the student's application and interview. Students are required to attend SSLP formation sessions once per week in the spring prior to leaving for their immersion. Session dates are listed on the course webpage. Students will also participate in two fall small group sessions and will sign up for a time of their choosing. Contact the Center for Social Concerns for more information. Apply online via the Center for Social Concerns website: http://socialconcerns.nd.edu/academic/. Please note, this course has extra required meeting times and/or events outside of the displayed meeting schedule. Please go to this courses designated webpage within the Center for Social Concerns website (http://socialconcerns.nd.edu/) for further details.

The Center for Social Concerns' International Summer Service Learning Program (ISSLP) has an 8-10 week summer international immersion taken the summer before the Fall class meets. This course seeks to challenge students who have domestic service-learning experiences to encounter international realities, and to provide them the opportunity to work with community members and grassroots groups working to address the needs of their communities. The learning goals of the course are to gain an understanding of the multi-dimensionality of global poverty, gain tools for social analysis to identify root causes of poverty, and examine the ways the social institution relates to the political, social, economic and demographic conditions of the larger society (host country) in order to address poverty. Students will gain knowledge and understanding of global social issues in light of Catholic Social Teaching specifically through the themes of Solidarity and Preferential Option for the Poor. Students will develop a global citizenship orientation and outlook while strengthening cross-cultural competencies. Academic requirements include a journal, reading and writing assignments during the summer months, six re-entry classes meetings and a final paper/project. Apply online via the Center for Social Concerns website: http://socialconcerns.nd.edu/academic/

This one-credit experiential theology fall course entitled "Enacting CST in the time of COVID-19" will examine the COVID-19 crisis from the lens of the Catholic Social Tradition. Students will be matched with a service organization with whom they will provide six to ten hours of virtual service a week for four weeks from May 25 to June 26. Course work, starting the last week of May and lasting through the end of June, entails weekly readings, daily reflections, weekly online class participation. Additionally, students will give a final presentation during one of two class sessions in the first weeks of the fall semester when the course concludes. Please contact your minor if you are are interested in seeing if the course might count. Please contact SSLP@nd.edu for permisison to register.

This course is designed to introduce students to the cultural and social issues of the Appalachian region - its history, people, culture, challenges, and strengths - through study and experiential learning. The course also provides engagement with the people of Appalachia through a required immersion over Fall Break. The Appalachia Seminar utilizes a Catholic Social Tradition (CST) framework to build skills around social analysis, critical thinking, and theological reflection. Students examine the relationship between solidarity and service and consider how the Common Good is expressed in local communities across the region. This course has a fee.

U.S. health care policy and reform is the center of public debate and discussion in recent years. Furthermore, the Catholic social tradition invites persons of good will to pursue a health care system that raises the dignity of each person. This seminar invites participants to examine and assess our current and evolving healthcare system, explore the possibilities and direction of the future of U.S. healthcare, and investigate how modifications might move us toward a society that reflects care for the common good. In preparation, students will look at the complexities of integrating economics, policy, and health-related outcomes into a system that works toward the common good and especially toward those in poverty. Apply online via the Center for Social Concerns website: http://socialconcerns.nd.edu/social-concerns-seminars.

The Discernment Seminar provides undergraduate students an opportunity to reflect on their encounters and discover how and where God is inviting them to be their authentic selves. Whether considering a change in major or deciding on postgraduate plans, navigating a relationship or seeking greater intentionality in daily life, students in this class will accompany each other as they explore their respective vocations and develop disciplines to listen and respond to these callings. Content will include Catholic Social Teaching, cultural critique, narrative theology, spiritual direction and the arts.

The goal of the Gospel of Life Seminar is to provide students with the opportunity to read and reflect on a consistent ethic of life through experiential learning. Exploration begins in the orientation classes where students will become familiar with various life issues through readings, lectures, and by meeting people who work on life-related issues. Fall break will be spent on immersion, most likely DC but location TBA for fall 2015. The seminar participants will meet with various organizations that can speak to a consistent ethic of life (government offices, NGO's, advocacy groups, etc) as well as participating in serving the local community as students engage in honoring the life of all, including those on the margins. The follow-up classes facilitate analysis and synthesis of insights gained during the week of experiential learning. For more information on the course please see: http://socialconcerns.nd.edu/academic/fall/gospeloflife.shtml

Solidarity and the City explores the principle and practice of solidarity in the context of U.S. cities. Students will examine the root causes of poverty and injustice in urban areas, will work on individual and group assignments that apply that learning to specific issues of justice, and will participate in a Spring Break immersion to a city to learn/work alongside partners engaging issues of particular importance in context.

Students are invited to experience the field of community organizing through engaging leaders from neighborhood organizations and faith communities who are actively confronting injustice and oppression. Students will analyze the contemporary situation of Midwest urban neighborhoods (Chicago, Indianapolis and South Bend), understand the role of churches influencing systems and structures, dialogue and build relationships with leaders, and participate in live social action campaigns. This experience and skillset will equip students to be agents of change by organizing for justice in their respective communities. This course requires participation in an immersion during the fall break.

The L'Arche Seminar is an invitation to think deeply about and observe directly a community (of people with and without disabilities) living together in the spirit of the beatitudes. Students will also witness how living in a L'Arche community has influenced the lives of the core members, assistants, and others. Students will likely have some opportunity to communicate with other organizations about their advocacy and policy work that relates to people with disabilities. The class sessions leading up to the immersion will cover topics such as: Catholic Social Tradition and a framework for Solidarity; Spirituality lived in Community; Policy, Advocacy, and Discrimination; Vanier on Becoming Human.

This course serves as the required orientation course for all THEO 33938: International Summer Service Learning Program participants. It will provide students with an introduction to international issues in developing countries through the lens of Catholic social tradition, guidance in independent country/area study, preparation and tools for cross-cultural service, opportunities for theological reflection, logistical information necessary for international programs and travel, and general support within the context of a community of colleagues. Students must attend the mandatory Cross-Cultural Orientation Retreat. Please see website for retreat dates. Other public lectures and trainings scheduled during other days of the week will be noted in the course syllabus. Other students doing summer internships in developing countries may take the course with permission from the instructor. Apply online via the Center for Social Concerns website: https://socialconcerns.nd.edu/international-summer-service-learning-program. Please note, this course has extra required meeting times and/or events outside of the displayed meeting schedule and is noted in the course syllabus.

This is a two-semester introductory course in biblical Hebrew; under normal circumstances, the student must complete the first to enroll in the second. The fall semester will be devoted to learning the grammar of biblical Hebrew. The spring semester will be divided into two parts. For the first six weeks we will finish and review the grammar. In the remaining part of the course we will read and translate texts from the Hebrew Bible, Qumran, and Rabbinic literature. The course will focus on developing reading and comprehension skills in biblical Hebrew through the study of biblical texts. In addition, students will learn how to use reference grammars, concordances, and apparatus to the Biblica Hebraica. The course encourages students to think about the grammatical forms and their implications for biblical interpretation.

This is the second of a two-semester introductory course in Biblical Hebrew; under normal circumstances, the student must complete the first in order to enroll in the second. In addition to the completion of Lambdin's elementary grammar, students are introduced to some (modified) Biblical texts.

The first semester of Intermediate Hebrew aims to complete and solidify students’ knowledge of the fundamentals of Biblical Hebrew grammar, to enlarge students’ store of Biblical Hebrew vocabulary, and to enable students to become fluent readers of classical Biblical Hebrew prose. Time-permitting, we will also broach the topics of Biblical Hebrew poetry and historical scholarship on the Hebrew Bible.

This fourth-semester course in biblical Hebrew will continue and build upon THEO 40004. While the latter was devoted to the reading of biblical prose, this installment of Intermediate Hebrew will introduce students to the beauty of biblical Hebrew poetry. Our efforts will be focused on the preparation, oral reading, and translation of selected biblical passages. But time also will be spent continuing to review basic grammar as well as developing an appreciation of syntax and poetic structure (e.g., parallelism) in this powerful medium of prayer, prophetic revelation, and the quest for Wisdom in ancient Israel.

This course will offer students an introductory-level survey of the books of the Hebrew Bible, with emphasis placed on the holistic (i.e., theological, literary, and social-scientific) study of the history, literature, and religion of ancient Israel. The implications of selected texts in Christian and Jewish theological discourse will also be explored. Required course components include the major divisions of the Hebrew Bible (Pentateuch, Prophets, and Writings), and writing spans the following research-related genres (case studies, article reviews, journal, and critical notes). Fall only.

Beginning from Jesus's own engagement with the Hebrew Bible, this course considers the presentation and re‐presentation of divine immanence and royal or priestly hope in the successive life of the Scriptural text in the community of faith. In this relationship between text and tradition, we will trace a reciprocal relationship between the Scriptures and the Son of God throughout Law, Prophets and Writings.

This course will be a lecture course, supplemented by readings and discussion. The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the major historical and exegetical problems involved in the quest for the historical Jesus, especially as pursued today in the wake of the so-called "Third Quest" (ca. 1970-2000). The course will move from initial definitions and concepts, through questions of sources and criteria, to consideration of selected sayings and deeds of Jesus that may reasonably be considered historical. The course will especially focus on the correct understanding of the criteria of "historicity" (or "authenticity"). Examples of material to which the criteria may be applied will be selected from the major areas historical of Jesus research: e.g., Jesus' relation to John the Baptist, Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom as future yet present, his realization of the kingdom through deeds of power (miracles) and table fellowship, the various levels or circles of followers (the crowds, the disciples, the Twelve), various competing groups (Pharisees, Sadducees), his teaching in relation to the Mosaic Law, the enigma (riddle-speech) of his parables, self-designation, final days, passion, and death. Rather than trying to cover large amounts of material, the emphasis will be on grasping the method of the quest, especially the understanding and application of the criteria of historicity.

This course will serve as an introduction to the ancient literary, historical, and theological circumstances that influenced the shape and content of the Hebrew Bible (or, Old Testament). We will focus heavily on primary texts from a wide range of literary genres (myth, law, historiography, prophecy, hymns, treaties, prayer, wisdom) common to Near Eastern and Biblical literature. Our goal in doing so will be to examine the Hebrew Bible with an open-minded but critical eye and, more importantly, inspect and analyze the theology inherent to non-biblical texts (e.g., Enūma eliš, The Baal Cycle, Hesiod's Theogony). The end result of the course will be a working knowledge of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of the vast ancient world that gave rise to sacred scripture. While knowledge of Biblical languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek) is an added bonus, it is not a requirement for participation in this course. This course is designed to be accessible to those with and without a deep familiarity with the Biblical text. Consequently, all primary materials will be read in translation.

Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia is a fascinating window into the conflicts that roiled earliest Christianity. It is also one of the most theologically consequential books of the Bible. This course will guide students through a close reading of the Greek text of Galatians while attending to the historical setting of the letter as well as its theology.

This course is intended to offer a sustained reading of the Greek text of the book of Acts. We’ll pay special attention to the text, grammar, intertextuality, and meaning of this earliest book of Christian history, focusing particularly on the theological and literary strategies of the author.

How did the New Testament come to be? This course will offer a critical introduction to the documents that make up the canon of the New Testament, considering questions of both origin (authorship, date, circumstances) and content (structure, purpose, theology). Beginning with the earliest traditions about Jesus, the course will in turn examine Jesus, the Pauline writings, the Gospels and Acts, and Hebrews to Revelation. Attention will also be paid to familiarising students with basic methodological approaches.

As the central work of the Christian tradition, the Bible has had an enormous impact on film since the early days of cinema. In this class we will do some serious, close reading of the Bible, and some serious, close viewing of films that engage with the Bible in some way, ranging from 'sword and sandal' classics to more subtle recent work. The goal of the course is to develop a sophisticated theological and critical appreciation of the relationship between Bible and film. Note that this course will require you to view on average one movie per week outside of class time.

This course is intended to introduce students to the Greek-speaking Judaism that flourished in the Mediterranean world from roughly the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE. After a historical introduction to the period, special attention will be paid to the literary output of translators and authors. We will focus on the Septuagint, a series of Jewish novellas, the Alexandrian tradition (esp. Philo) and Josephus. Some knowledge of Greek will be helpful but is not required, since these sources are available in translation.

The texts of the Apostolic Fathers are some of the earliest Christian texts outside the New Testament (some maybe even written before the New Testament was completed). They are a crucial witness to early Christianity in the process of development, working out important pastoral and theological questions. This course will supply a historical, literary, and theological introduction to the texts of the Apostolic Fathers, including the letters of Ignatius, 1 & 2 Clement, the Epistle of Barnabas, Polycarp, the Shepherd of Hermas, Diognetus, and the Didache. MTS students may take this course for either BS or HC credit.

his course will examine the heritage, writings, and legacy of the Apostle Paul. It is divided into five unequal parts: 1) Introductory Issues; 2) Paul in His Pre-Christian and Early Apostolic Years; 3) The Letters of Paul; 4) The Letters of Paul's Followers; and 5) Pseudo-Pauline Works and Ancient Views of Paul. Most of the course is devoted to Paul's letters (Part III). Opportunities for student response and discussion will be provided during each session of the course. The course has four main objectives: (1) to provide an introduction to the letters of Paul and the apostle himself; (2) to provide insight into the cultural, religious, and philosophical dimensions of the Greco-Roman world in which Paul lived; (3) to acquaint the student with some of the various ancient and modern interpretations of Paul; and (4) to introduce students to the major scholarly methods used to interpret Pauline literature.

This course considers questions of the origin (authorship, date, circumstances) and content (structure, purpose, theology) of the Gospel of John; 1, 2, and 3 John; and the Apocalypse (Revelation).

This seminar will lead students through a close reading of the Letter to the Hebrews and the numerous portions of the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament from which that letter draws. Participants will be asked to read commentary from throughout the tradition and to author a full-length commentary of their own.

Gothic, the subject of this course, might be considered a distant relative of not only English but also modern German, Dutch, and the various Scandinavian languages. It is in fact the oldest recorded Germanic language, and was spoken, in one form or another, by related groups who spread southward, eastward, and westward across Europe from the first to the sixth centuries, remaking much of the political landscape but leaving a very small written record. Gothic survives primarily in a late-fourth-century translation of the New Testament, prepared by Ulfila, an Arian bishop of the Goths. This is primarily a language course, in which we will learn the grammar of Gothic and translate passages from the New Testament and the Skeireins(a fragmentary commentary on the Gospel of John). We will also ponder the peculiar purple manuscript with silver script in which Ulfila's translation survives (the Codex argenteus), speculate on the character of the Crimean Gothic recorded over a millennium after Ulfila's death, explore the structural relations among Gothic and the other Germanic languages, and discuss the conceptual roles the Goths have been made to play in the formation of European states, Germanic ethnicity, nationalism, horror fiction, and modern racial separatist movements. No prior knowledge of an older language is required, although, since this is a language course, curiosity and an agile mind are.

No book of the Old Testament has proven to be more important for the understanding of Jesus of Nazareth than that of the prophet Isaiah. We shall examine the teachings of the prophet in their historical and Jewish contexts in to order to understand more deeply why why the book has proved so important for Christian theology.

This course offers a chance for sustained, careful interpretation of one of richest and most enigmatic books of the Christian canon, the Book of Revelation. We will together consider the genre and purpose of the text, and above all read the Greek together and patiently consider exegetical issues as they arise. Prior knowledge of Greek is a prerequisite.

This course will be organized around close reading of the Gospel According to Luke, while also keeping an eye on parallels in the other gospels.

Early Christian authors wrote imaginatively and thoughtfully about Jesus and the apostles, about the prophets and visionaries of the Old Testament, or about visions of heaven and hell. This material is not contained in the canonical Scriptures but has been transmitted outside the canon. This course will offer the opportunity to read and study this literature firsthand, going beyond some of the popular misunderstandings of apocryphal literature to a proper estimation of these products of the pious imagination. We will read apocryphal gospels (such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Infancy Gospel of James, and several others), apocryphal stories about the apostles (e.g., Acts of Paul and Thecla, Acts of John), early Christian apocalypses, and Christian stories that draw on Old Testament figures, among other others.

This course will consider the presentation of the figure of David - Israel's first Messiah -- in the books of Samuel and the Psalms.

As the prayer book of the Bible, the Psalter gives expession to the other side of a dialogue initiated by the Living God, articulating the response of the faith and the hope(s) elicited from the people of God in their long and arduous pilgrimage. The objective of this course will be to acquire a deeper understanding of this anthology of inspired pieces through exegetical and theological inquiry, tracking the religious themes and exploring the spirituality it voices as well its reception in developing contexts of faith—including its canonical shape. As lyric expressions of religious experience, the Psalms will also yield to an examination of their different literary forms and poetic styles. Selected Psalms showcasing the various features will be explored in greater detail. Accompanying this study will be a comparative and contrastive examination of the Psalms’ nearest analogues outside of Ancient Israel—specifically, those of Assyria, Babylonia, and Sumer. This look at Mesopotamian compositions will allow for some appreciation of the broader context in which the Psalter was forged and thus provide a backdrop against which to hear and appreciate the Psalms’ unique and enduring role in the public and private prayer of the community of faith.

This course offers a close reading and study of the entire book of Exodus in English, together with texts and artifacts from its ancient Near Eastern background and from its tradition of interpretation in Jewish and Christian theology, commentary, art, literature and liturgy, from Origen to liberation theology. Prerequisite: THEO 40101 (Introduction to Old Testament)

This course will be divided into two parts. For the first half of the course, we will consider the relationship of mercy to justice. Our point of departure will be the classic description of the character of God in Exodus 34:6-7, in particular, the mercy that God shows to a thousand generations in contrast to the justice he will mete out to the third generation. How should we understand the juxtaposition of these contrasting features of the Godhead? At least a dozen different Biblical texts make reference to the verses from Exodus and we will trace how they deepen and widen the matter. In the second half of the course, we will consider the most famous story of sin and forgiveness in the Old Testament: the story of David and Bathsheba. We will consider how it is related to Psalm 51, the Psalm appointed for Morning Prayer every Friday morning. We will conclude with a consideration of the paragraphs of the Catechism dedicated to the “Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation” and how it relates to the Biblical texts we have read over the semester.

This course offers a chance for sustained, careful interpretation of one of richest and most influential books of the Jewish and Christian canons, the Book of Genesis. We will together consider the genre and purpose of the text, patiently consider exegetical issues as they arise, and above all read the Hebrew together. In addition, we will keep track of early Jewish and Christian interpretations of key themes and passages. Prior knowledge of Hebrew is a prerequisite.

This course will guide students through the Greek text of 1 Corinthians, a fascinating window into earliest Christianity. Our main concern will be to understand the Greek text, but we will also consider historical and theological issues as they arise. Prior knowledge of Greek is a prerequisite.

This course offers a survey of Christian theology from the end of the New Testament to the eve of the Reformation (well, almost). Taking the theological idea of "Mystery" as our theme, we will acquaint ourselves with theologians or theological developments of major significance in the period covered by the survey. Thus, students will be invited to think about the character and nature of the theological task while investigating major issues, challenges, and questions at the intersection of faith and reason.

The course will examine the development of the Christian tradition from the time of the Reformation to the present (to Vatican II, maybe?). Particular topics from which instructors will choose to focus this journey include: the confessional division of the western Christian tradition during the Reformation and the responses that post-Reformation traditions make to the secularization of Western culture (reflected in many Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment philosophies, in the rise of modern science, and in the increasing secularization of politics in the modern nation state). The objective of the course is to develop a sense of the principal challenges and some of the diverse responses to those challenges that have shaped the on-going theological reflection of the church.

This course explores christological questions and debates arising in thirteenth-century scholastic theology. We will focus especially on the writings of Thomas Aquinas, covering such topics as the nature of the hypostatic union, the medieval reception of early Church councils, the question of the motive of the Incarnation, the instrumentality of Christ's human nature, and attendant doctrines. We will compare Aquinas's account with that of his Parisian contemporaries (e.g., Bonaventure and the Summa Halensis), as well as other notable medieval scholastics such as Robert Grosseteste.

This course will introduce students to Christian visual art from its evident beginnings (ca. 200), attend to its transformation under imperial patronage, and consider the aftermath of controversies regarding the veneration of icons during the eighth and ninth centuries. Working with both objects and texts, core themes include the continuity between Christian and pagan art of Late Antiquity, the influence of imperial ceremonies and style, the emergence of holy icons, the development of Passion iconography, and the divergent styles, motifs, and theological perspectives on the validity and role of images from the Byzantine East to the early Medieval West.

Arguably, there is no single more quintessentially "Augustinian" text than Augustine's City of God. Reading the City of God thoughtfully and (relatively) slowly is one of the best ways to be introduced, at a high level, to the theology of St. Augustine as a whole, and to what might be called the Augustinian tonality in theology. All of the grand themes of Augustine's thought - not just his so-called "political theology" - are present, in one way or another, in this text. What integrates them? To try to answer this question is to try to name the Augustinian project in theology, as performed and exhibited by St. Augustine, and that is our main goal.

Catholicism and The City is an Architecture course intended primarily but not exclusively for undergraduate and graduate architecture students, and for undergraduate students from other disciplines. Viewed through the lenses of Catholic metaphysics and social teaching, the norms of historic classical humanist architectural and urban theory and practice, and related contemporary academic disciplines, the course is an introduction to cities generally, and more specifically a typological and historical introduction to the physical and spatial characteristics of the traditional urbanism of western Christendom, its global expansion, present devolution, and future prospects. The course addresses generally the nature and purpose/s of cities as cooperative human artifacts embodying particular cultural ideals and related forms of economic and political organization; and considers specifically cities as they relate to a Catholic understanding of human flourishing grounded in truths about God, creation, and human nature, including strategies for urbanism in a post-urban world in which human beings can flourish in towns and city neighborhoods that both anticipate and sacramentally participate in the City of God.

An upper-level seminar exploring themes related to issues in sacred architecture. The course is open to architecture students and students in other disciplines.

Historical Christianity is commonly depicted as a Western European religion. According to this view, Christianity, though born among Aramaic-speaking Jews in Palestine, quickly moved westward – from Rome to the North – where it eventually split into European Catholic and Protestant varieties. Underlying this geographic shift, moreover, was a shift in theological discourse, moving from a Semitic emphasis on poetry, metaphor, and symbol, to a Greco-Roman emphasis on philosophical questions and legal answers. The purpose of this course is to offer an alternate history of Christian theology that looks East rather than West, one which focuses on Christianity as it developed and was propagated in Syriac—a dialect of the Aramaic language that Jesus spoke. The course will focus especially on the great Syriac theological masters, the unique genres of poetry in which they wrote, and the rich liturgical contexts in which they worshipped.

An examination of the major philosophical and theological writings of St. Anselm. His "Monologian, Proslogian," and Cur Deus Homo" will be of central concern, but several lesser-known texts will also be read. Topics discussed in these writings include arguments for the existence of God, the divine nature, the Trinity, the Incarnation, freedom (and its compatibility with divine foreknowledge), and truth.

Dante I and Dante II are an in-depth study, over two semesters, of the entire Comedy, in its historical, philosophical and literary context, with selected readings from the minor works (e.g., Vita Nuova, Convivio, De vulgari eloquentia). Dante I focuses on the Inferno and the minor works; Dante II focuses on the Purgatorio and Paradiso. Lectures and discussion in English; the text will be read in the original with facing-page translation. Students may take one semester or both, in either order.

One of the most enduring legacies of early Christianity was the monastic movement. In this course, we will explore the varieties of ascetic practices in the early church, and their distinctive types of literature, with a particular interest in the relationship of ascetics to their environment. In the first half of the semester, we will focus on the solitaries, reading selections from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and from the Lives of the Syrian ascetic heroes and the leaders of the Palestinian monks. In the second half of the semester, we will turn to the first monastic communities, reading the Rules of Pachomius, Basil, and Benedict. Along the way, we will incorporate modern experiences and views of the monastic life, reading selections from Thomas Merton and Kathleen Norris, among others, and discussing the extraordinary film Into Great Silence.

The Song of Songs is the great love song of the Bible. It occasions intensive reflection on the affective and especially amorous nature of the divine-human relationship. This course, which will be co-taught by two scholars of medieval Jewish and Christian theology respectively, provides an historically-nuanced theological survey of major trends in the interpretation of the Song of Songs developed by Jewish and Christian readers throughout the formative medieval period. Students will learn about allegorical, typological, philosophical, eschatological, pietistic, and mystical/symbolical modes of interpretation, and also the mutually polemical tensions that characterize Song of Songs exegesis across traditions. Jewish readers to be considered will include Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac of Troyes (i.e. Rashi), the Andalusian figures Abraham Ibn Ezra and Moses Maimonides, and Ezra of Girona, whose range of innovative readings are indebted to earlier rabbinic approaches to the Song as a national-historical allegory concerning Israel's unfolding redemption. Christian exegetes will include Hippolytus of Rome, Origen, Bruno of Segni, Honorius Augustodunensis, Alain de Lille, Rupert of Deutz, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Aelred of Rievaulx. Originally closely tied in Christian exegesis to sacramental mystagogy (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist), the Song of Songs came to be read by Christians in additional contexts: the consecration of virgins, the Investiture Controversy, ecclesiology, Marian devotion, bridal mysticism, and marriage as a sacrament.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has said that the two greatest evangelical tools we have are the Arts and the Saints. This course examines the lives of the saints and the way their stories have been told through the ages. Part of our larger goal, then, will be retrieving this particular art of storytelling. Students will be asked not only to read the lives of the saints, but to write the life of a saint, too. In order to examine these stories most fully, we will spend time thinking about topics such as scriptural exegesis, martyrdom, relics, the communion of saints, medieval legends, art, and modern vitae or novels.

This course looks at visions of church and Christian life in ecclesiology and spiritual theology from the Council of Trent to the present.

This course examines the life and thought of St Maximus the Confessor (c. 580 - 662), widely regarded as one of the most important and influential of all Byzantine Theologians. The course will move progressively through a large swathe of the Confessor's corpus, which includes an abundance of interconnected ascetic, mystagogical, cosmological, eschatological, and Christological material. The aim is to get a handle on the Confessor's complex and multi-layered theological vision, discuss his sources, as well as his ongoing relevance for the discipline of theology.

In what sense, can we call Dante a “theologian”? According to medieval theology, what is the role of “beauty” in the promotion of “holiness”? This course will consider these questions through reading a series of medieval theological discussions of holiness and beauty (especially as found in Boethius, Dionysius the Areopagite, and the Franciscan tradition). We will also explore how such ideas were translated into spirituality (Franciscan), the visual arts (Giotto), and poetry (Dante). Against such a background, we can come to appreciate why modern theologians are “re-categorizing” Dante, making arguments that we should read him not as a poet but as a theologian.

This course will address the theme of how Christian faith interacts with its surrounding context as Christians reflect on scripture and tradition in light of their experience. How do Christian theology and practice respond to issues arising from particular religious, cultural, and political contexts? How has this caused Christianity to take different shapes in varied historical and social settings? The church has wrestled with these questions since its inception, as the Acts of the Apostles and other New Testament writings show. Grounded in this biblical witness and a framework provided by contemporary theologians, we will explore these issues through examples drawn from the church in Africa. We will consider the work of African theologians as well as the lived theology of African Christians. We will survey exemplary cases from the history of the Christianity in Africa, but the course will focus on recent Christian theology, worship, and social ethics. For example we will explore the development of African Christologies, how gender shapes the transmission and reception of Christianity, the Rwandan genocide, and the church's role in peacebuilding. Through this course, students will be exposed to some of the varied manifestations of Catholicism and the broader Christian tradition in African contexts, and they will be trained to reflect on how context has shaped Christian faith in all settings.

Course surveys major traditions of Jewish piety and wisdom from the Ancient Period to the Middle Ages, with an emphasis on the novel modes of exegesis and theology developed in late thirteenth-century Iberia that are synonymous with the medieval kabbalah. Students will explore writings by Moses Nahmanides, Ezra of Gerona, Joseph Gikatilla, and examine the homilies of the Zohar. Themes include repentance, contemplative prayer, Torah, prophecy, knowledge of God, imitatio dei, God's male and female attributes, divine names, and the Hebrew language.

In this course students will survey aspects of Jewish piety from late antiquity to the present. Special attention will be paid to the medieval period. Among other topics, students will explore ancient rabbinic asceticism, contemplative and penitential practices in Rhineland communities, Kabbalah, Sufi-influenced spirituality, sacred fellowships, and Hasidism. Students will distinguish basic patterns of Jewish piety, such as contemplative worship, the approximation of divine attributes, exertion in Torah study, night vigils, examination of conscience, subduing anger, subjugation of the evil inclination, seclusion, silence, and more. The survey will also aid students researching Jewish theology and practice, Jewish-Christian acculturation, forms of medieval piety, and Judaism in the medieval Mediterranean.

The goal of this course is to introduce upper-level undergraduates and master-level students to the methods and procedures, basic literary forms, and main authors of medieval academic ("scholastic") theology, from its rise in the twelfth century to examples of Later Medieval and Early Modern periods. The overview will be provided against the backdrop of medieval intellectual history including the institutional development of medieval universities. We shall read and discuss selected chapters from works by Peter Abelard, Peter Lombard, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, William of Ockham, Francisco da Vitoria, and a few others, focusing on the texts that address questions of theological methodology, such as the notion of "sacred doctrine" ("doctrina sacra"), sacramental theology, and ecclesiology, particularly on the impact of scholastic discourse on the theological self-understanding of medieval Christianitas. Particular attention will be devoted to literary genres and forms ("sententia," "summa", "distinctio," "quaestio," etc.) as well as to the role that medieval canon law played in the development of scholasticism. We will also discuss the reception of Latin scholastic theology in the Greek East and the impact of Thomas Aquinas on Byzantine theological thought of the Later Medieval period.

Kabbalah is often synonymous with “Jewish mysticism.” Stemming from Catalonia and Castile in the thirteenth century, its literature encompasses a speculative and hortatory domain of divine knowledge in the rabbinic tradition that has served as a major source of Jewish theology throughout the ensuing centuries. The course will explore the complex relationship of this medieval curriculum of rabbinic wisdom to the Church—among the richest case studies in the creative-yet-tortured confluence of Judaism and Christianity. Students will study the disputational context in which kabbalah first saw the light of history and especially the polemical representations of Christianity it produced. They will also investigate aspects of the discourse that would appear to approximate contemporary Christian teachings and practices. These include putatively para-Christological elements, penitential discourse, concern with poverty and social ethics, apparent parallels to Marian devotion, and more. Students will also examine apologetical readings of kabbalah by Christian authors during the early modern period and Jewish reactions thereto.

A belief in daemons has been and is even still, in some places and cultures, widespread. The course will address human understanding of the daemonic as a cultural, theological and philosophical phenomenon. The main focus will be on Late Antiquity. After considering the philosophical tradition from the Presocratics to Plato and the Stoics, we shall focus on later thinkers, especially Plutarch, Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus and Proclus. Furthermore, we will read some Christian authors in Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Central questions are: What are daemons? How do they differ from gods or human beings? What is their function in the universe and what effect do they have on human beings and the world? Are they supplementary to standard ideas of the divine or in some sense contrary to such ideas? Are daemons good or evil? What is a guardian spirit? Is the guardian spirit internal and external? How do daemons affect human beings? What is Socrates' daimonic sign? Why and how do daemons become evil forces in Christianity? Most texts will be read in translation, but we will also look at selected passages in Greek or Latin (for those who read these languages; they are not a requirement for the course).

What must be done to reach eternal life, to come into the inheritance of the Son that will be shared with those who attain to God as their end? Theologians in the thirteenth century, whether "scholastic" or "spiritual", were much concerned with the journey to God as beatifying end, and in their writings displayed considerable variety in teaching the way to God, and in teaching the final state itself. The course will consider the theologies of journey of such scholastics as Albert the Great, Bonaventure, and Aquinas, and of such spiritual authors as Mechthild of Magdeburg, Hadewijch of Brabant, and Marguerite Porete. While treatises and systematic writings will receive their due, attention will also be paid to the treatment of journey, discipleship, and human flourishing in thirteenth-century preaching and exegesis, and in visionary accounts.

This course covers some of the major figures in the history of (Trinitarian) theology. Figures to be discussed from the patristic and medieval periods include Augustine, Dionysius, Richard of St. Victor, Bonaventure, Aquinas, Eckhart, Tauler, Ruusbroec; figures from the modern period include Elizabeth of the Trinity, Bulgakov, Rahner, Balthasar, Yves Congar, Chiara Lubich, Klaus Hemmerle, and Thomas Weinandy. Corresponding topics include the development of Trinitarian doctrine, differences between the various schools and their models of the Trinity, the relationship between Trinitarian and apophatic theology, the rise of kenotic theology, and theological responses to modern challenges. The goal is to ensure a sufficient basis in the tradition in order to be able to discuss such perennial issues as the much-disputed Filioque, and to show, most importantly, how the doctrine of the Trinity is not just one doctrine among others, but the central doctrine of the Christian faith, which informs not only every other doctrine, but the entirety of the Christian life as a mysterious participation in the primordial reality of the God who is Life from Life and Light from Light.

Deification, Divinization, or Theosis (literally "becoming god") is a theological concept that has gained widespread attention in recent years. It is often associated with Eastern Christian theology, usually with the sense that it represents an exotic view, one which is at best an optional extra or at worst an utter abrogation of the Christian faith. The idea, however, that the sanctification of the human being can in some way be described as deification is not as marginal or alien to the Christian tradition as many assume. Beginning with Scripture and moving through early, medieval, and modern Christian texts, this course will explore the ways in which Christians have talked about holiness as connected with deification. The aim of the course is to introduce a rich, multifaceted, and increasingly debated topic in Christian Theology as well as spur reflection and discussion of its meaning and relevance.

An exploration of the Christian practice of sacred travel from the fourth century through the ninth, with special attention to circuits that include sites in Rome, the Holy Land, Africa, and Egypt. Students will study archeological remains (monuments), pilgrims' itineraries and diaries (documents), holy relics, and souvenirs that travelers produced, obtained, and carried back home. Christian pilgrimage will be compared with contemporary polytheist travel to shrines and temples as well as tourism in general to define its distinctive forms and purposes. Course requirements will include the production of a research paper that may include reflections on an actual pilgrimage experience.

Guided by the voices of contemporary theologians, students will examine the textual riches of Judaism and the answers they yield to a question as basic as it is urgent: what constitutes Jewish theology in the twenty-first century? Through the course of studying a diverse range of responses to this question, students will analyze historical precedents, foundational categories, and methodologies marshalled in its service. Special attention will be dedicated to exploring dialogical and comparative approaches to the question. Some of the theologians covered will include Mara Benjamin, Joseph Dov Soloveitchik, and Michael Wyschogrod.

In this class, we will survey some of the most intriguing aspects of healthcare in the ancient and early Christian world. The topics that we will consider include not only theoretical discussions—about sickness and the environment, for example, or the appropriate orientation of doctors—but also practical measures to preserve or restore health, such as diet, bathing, and exercise. Behind all of this advice, however, lie the patients. What was their experience of illness: their sensations, hopes and fears? What were the social implications of disease? Within medical treatment, religion had always played a role, but the advent of Christianity brought increased attention to the needs of the sick. Jesus was widely known as a powerful healer, and the gospels are full of his miracles. But how exactly did he effect cures? To what extent was the spread of Christianity a result of improved healthcare, or the offer of more effective therapy? When was the first hospital founded, and why was it a monastic invention? At the same time as we address these questions about the ancient world, we will also consider healthcare today. How, for example, do the metaphors we use for sickness influence the treatment of patients? Or how, if the first patient case histories are found in the writings of Hippocrates, does learning this technique affect contemporary medical students? And if exorcism was widely believed to be an effective cure in early Christianity, can it still be an effective medical intervention today? What do we think about the medical basis of modern miracles? We will end the semester by considering several specialized topics, such as midwifery, leprosy, epilepsy, and the Justinianic plague. In addition to a midterm and final examination, students in this course will be asked to complete three short assignments and to participate in a final group project.

The course highlights a series of topics, personalities, and ideas of Russian religious thought from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. The overview is provided against the background of religious history of Muscovy and Russia, with its wide, and often neglected, variety of denominations and spiritual movements - Orthodox, Old-Believing, Sectarian, Catholic and Protestant. Special attention will be given to the role religious thinkers and theologians from Ukraine played in the intellectual history of the Russian Empire. The course is based on reading and discussion of primary texts in translation. The students will be introduced to the works of Feofan Prokopovich, Hryhory Skovoroda, Piotr Chaadaev, Aleksey Khomyakov, Vladimir Solovyov, Feodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Sergei Bulgakov, Pavel Florensky, Georges Florovsky, and Alexander Schmemann. Thematically, the course material is focused on topics of political theology, theology of history, theology of culture, theology of ritual, and issues of Christian unity.

Students embark on a journey into medieval rabbinic theology through a close study of The Book of Knowledge. This canonical work, composed in twelfth-century Cairo by the Andalusian emigre Moses Maimonides, distills the vast domain of rabbinic theology into a concise legal code. The book treats central topics of religion—divinity, prophecy, cosmology, angelology, moral character, physical regimen, education, idolatry, repentance, and eschatology—in a philosophical vein. Students not only gain access to these central topics in medieval Jewish theology, but also consider the codification of these topics within the evolution of rabbinic thought, and its broader intellectual context within the medieval Islamic world. Maimonides (who was studied by a host of Christian scholastics) is of central importance for students of medieval theology and philosophy, and similarly relevant for students of comparative theology, systematic theology, as well as those researching the cultural history of the medieval Mediterranean. *Course contains a graduated study component to accommodate students learning at the advanced undergraduate level, graduate students, and any developing proficiency in medieval Hebrew.

This course is an introduction to the Qur'an with particular attention to scholarship on the origins of the Qur'an and to the Qur'an's relationship with the Bible and early Christian literature. In this course we will examine the Qur'an itself, traditional Islamic teaching on the Qur'an, and academic controversies over the Qur'an. In addition we will examine the connection of the Qur'an to Christian theology. The Qur'an is fundamentally concerned with the great figures of Biblical tradition, including Abraham, Moses, Mary, and Jesus. Moreover, the Qur'an repeatedly refutes Christian doctrine. Thus it is an important text for anyone interested in the relationship between Islam and Christianity, or the relations between Muslims and Christians, in past centuries or in our age. *No background* at all in the Qur'an, Arabic, or Islam is necessary.

The Eucharist stands at the heart of western European Christianity in the high middle ages. The insistence of church officials on regular reception of the Eucharist; the numerous scholastic treatments of the theoretical issues associated with the Eucharist; the recourse by spiritual authors, especially women, to the Eucharist to express their most profound religious and devotional insights; the pointed reference to the Christ Eucharistically-present to establish Christian identity and to distinguish the members of Christ from others, both within and outside of western Europe; the development of new rituals focussed on aspects of the Eucharist; the burgeoning of artistic representations of Eucharistic themes—all testify to the centrality of the Eucharist in medieval theological and religious consciousness. Through the close reading of representative texts by a wide variety of 13th-century authors, and, the study of the different kinds of 'Eucharistic' art, this course examines the uses made of the Eucharist by a broad spectrum of high medieval Christians. A special concern of the course is the relation between Eucharistic doctrine and religious practice—to what extent have teachings about transubstantiation and real presence shaped religious expression? how has religious experience itself occasioned the refinement of these doctrines?

This course explores medieval thinking about the church: its unity, its boundaries, the diversity of cultural traditions within it, its place in the world, and the ways in which the church is organized and governed. Students will be introduced to the major texts, authors, and ideas of medieval ecclesiology from St. Augustine through the period of the Gregorian reform in the eleventh century to the age of conciliarism and the early reformers in the fifteenth century. Special attention will be given to the role of the Roman Pope on the one hand, and the Church Councils on the other. The significance of medieval ecclesiology for the modern discourse on the Church will also be addressed.

This course introduces students to the biblical, patristic, medieval, early modern, and modern self-understanding of the church up to and including the Second Vatican Council. It covers the study of some of its main metaphors such as 'body of Christ' and 'people of God', some of its worship practices, the celebration of the sacraments, and the study of the offices (hierarchy) and vocations within the church. Hubert Jedin viewed ecclesiology as the church's self-expression throughout history. Thus, this course is historical and systematic at the same time.

Latina and Latino Catholics have lived their faith in what is now the United States for almost twice as long as the nation has existed. This course explores the development of Latino Catholicism in the United States, the ways Latinos are currently transforming the U.S. Catholic Church, Hispanic faith expressions related to Jesus and Mary, and especially the theological contributions of contemporary Latinas and Latinos.

This course introduces students to major theological sources, themes, and debates of the Byzantine Christian East. Beginning with formative texts of the Greek patristic era, students proceed to cover key areas and "moments" of Byzantine theology: Christological debates in the aftermath of Chalcedon; iconoclasm and icons; ascetic and monastic theology; developments in Liturgy and sacramental theology; approaches to Scripture; East-West relations; theological interactions with Islam; Hesychasm; and Byzantine Theology after 1453. The goal of the course is to equip upper-level undergraduate and Master's-level students with an accurate overview of this vast, intricate, and fast-growing field of study.

The Church measures time and lives not by the civic calendar but according to its own cycle of feasts and seasons. This course will explore the origins, evolution, and theological meaning of the central feasts and seasons of what is called the liturgical or Church year: the original Christian feast of Sunday; Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany; Lent, Easter, and Pentecost; and with some attention to the feasts of the saints. What do we celebrate on such occasions and how might we celebrate these feasts and seasons "fully," "consciously," and "actively?" Of special interest to those who work with the liturgical year in a variety of ways and for all who seek to understand the way in which the Church expresses itself theologically by means of a particular calendar, as well as for Theology Majors and interested graduate students in theology. Course Requirements: Three take-home unit exams and a major research paper

A broad survey of purpose-built spaces for Christian worship, from the beginnings to the present. The course will attend to questions of form and aesthetics and the functionality of these spaces for liturgy or other church activities. Finally, the course will consider the social, economic, and political dimensions of church building projects.

Survey of liturgical history and sources with regard to both Eastern and Western rites. Fundamental liturgical sources including basic homiletic and catechetical documents of the patristic period and the liturgical books of the Middle Ages. Basic introduction to the methodology of liturgical study.

From antiquity to today, Christian women have shaped and been shaped by liturgy. This course examines the relationship between ritual and the female body across history and Christian traditions, from the biblical period, through late antiquity and the middle ages, to the present. Topics covered include the female body in sacred space (veils, gender separation, etc.), the issue of bodily (im)purities (menstrual and postpartum blood), medieval rites for childbirth and child loss, representations of the female body in liturgical texts and iconography, and women's ritual agency and authority in monastic communities and beyond. Our methods will be interdisciplinary and draw from liturgiology, theology, history, and anthropology. Class field trips will include a visit to a female monastic community.

A study of the place of the image in religious practice, beginning with pre-Christian critique of images and continuing through the broad Christian tradition. Topics include the role of images in Greco-Roman religion, philosophical censure of representational art, Jewish attitudes toward pictorial art, Christian repudiation of idolatry, the emergence of portrait icons, the iconoclastic controversies in the 8th and 9th centuries (both East and West), the theological defense of image veneration, and the various Reformation perspectives on the role of visual art in Christian worship and devotional practice.

This course integrates historical, theological, and pastoral approaches to general sacramental theology and considers as examples the rites of particular sacraments of the contemporary Roman Catholic Church. The course will examine the nature of sacramental symbol in both the tradition and the modern, multicultural world.

All cultures have traditional and emerging ritual responses to personal, social, and natural crises. This course will explore anthropological treatments of healing rites in traditional cultures as well as the history and theology of Roman Catholic rites meant for those who are sick and dying. In the last part of the class, we will examine contemporary ritual responses to violence and natural disaster, healing for mental and physical illness, and reconciliation after war or genocide.

A study of the music composed for the Mass, the Office hours (primarily Vespers), and the Requiem Mass from the Middle Ages to the present day. The musical repertoire of each era is examined both from a purely musical standpoint and in light of the reactions of various popes, from John XXIII through Pius X, to the sacred music of their day. Documents on sacred music issued after Vatican II also are examined in relation to postconciliar church music for both the choir and the congregation.

When is music truly Christian? What kind(s) of music are ideal for Christian worship, entertainment, artistic creation? Can music be sinful or un-Christian? We will read what major Christian thinkers have written about music in all its varieties, from the Bible, through the Church Fathers, medieval Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologians, Protestant reformers, Popes and Councils through Vatican II and its aftermath. Come prepared to debate.

The Church makes the Eucharist and the Eucharist makes the Church. The goal of this course is a comprehensive understanding of the nature and development of the Christian Eucharist. It provides perspective on the origins and historical development of the eucharistic liturgy across traditions, examines the structure and content of eucharistic liturgies (esp. the Roman Mass, but also other liturgical rites), the historical relationship between the Eucharist and the arts (esp. music and architecture) and undertakes a systematic reflection on various theological issues (e.g. real presence, transubstantiation, the role of the priest, excommunication, etc.). Illumined by historical and theological reflection, students will also engage in critically examining contemporary pastoral issues as well as current debates in the "liturgy wars".

“The only really effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her womb” (Joseph Ratzinger). In this course, we will examine the relationship between liturgy and the arts, considering how artistic beauty reflects and reveals the glory of God. Attending to a variety of artistic traditions, including music, painting, sculpture, and literature, we will consider how the liturgy draws on and inspires artists working both within and outside of a liturgical context.

In this course we will study the Catholic theological foundations for sexual ethics and bioethics. Topics in sexual ethics will include love and marriage, contraception, homosexuality, and gender identity. In the area of bioethics, we will first consider the moral dimensions of the creation of human life by examining Catholic teachings on reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization, gamete donation and commercialization, surrogacy, and genetic testing and screening. We will also cover end-of-life issues, with special attention to Catholic resources on the topics of euthanasia, assisted suicide, palliative care, and artificial nutrition and hydration. The formats will be lecture and discussion, with regular consideration of cases and scenarios. Requirements include several short perspective/reflection papers, a mid-term exam, and a final research paper on a topic of interest to the student.

Christian reflections on sexuality comprise one of the richest yet most controversial aspects of the Christian moral tradition. In this course, we will examine Christian sexual ethics from a variety of perspectives through a study of historical and contemporary writings. Topics to be considered include Christian perspectives on marriage and family, the ethics of sex within and outside of marriage, contraception, divorce and remarriage, and homosexuality. Course requirements will include four or five short papers and a final examination.

This course provides an introduction to the history of and recent work in Christian ecological ethics through an examination of three sources: environmental philosophy, Christian ecotheology, and the ecological ethics developed from the Benedictine and Franciscan Christian spiritual traditions. Among the topics to be explored are: the relationship between human beings and other forms of life; the relationship between land and place; the relationship between conservation and development; the connections among water, food and community; and the relationship between solitude and cooperative social action. Course requirements include two class presentations and a final paper.

The primary goal of this course is to familiarize students with the tradition of Catholic social teaching with a view toward developing skills for critical reading and appropriation of these documents. We will examine papal, conciliar, and episcopal texts from Rerum novarum (1891) up to the present time, identifying operative principles, tracing central theological, ethical, and ecclesial concerns, and locating each document in its proper historical context. We will also hold recurring themes in conversation with the broader theoretical framework of Catholic social thought and relevant secondary literature.

The Catholic Church boasts a rich tradition of reflection and action on war and peace. This course introduces students to the most well-known and well-developed part of that tradition: just war and pacifism. But it goes further and considers the relationship between the just war-pacifism strands of the tradition and the development of a theology, ethics and praxis of peacebuilding - i.e., the Church's approach to conflict prevention, conflict transformation and post-conflict reconciliation. In considering these topics, the course will emphasize (1) the "living" nature of the tradition, the link between theory and practice, principles and policy; and (2) the importance of grounding ethics and action on war and peace in an understanding of Christian vocation. Drawing on my seventeen years as a senior official of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and my current role as coordinator of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network, the course will examine these broad topics in light of specific cases and issues, including the Iraq interventions, humanitarian intervention, nuclear disarmament, the landmines campaign, the role of the UN, conscientious objection, the Church's role in Track Two diplomacy and truth and reconciliation processes, and other issues. Students will have an opportunity to engage directly with Catholic leaders who are working on these issues. This course will also afford students the opportunity, primarily through a research paper, to contribute to the Catholic Peacebuilding Network's (cpn.nd.edu) work in the Philippines, Colombia, the Great Lakes region of Africa, and South Sudan. Other course assignments will help students develop their written and oral skills in applied ethics through policy memos, opinion pieces (or blogs), homilies, and video-taped media interviews. There will be no in-class exams.

Catholicism and Politics poses the question, both simple and complex: How ought Catholics to think about the political order and political issues within it? The first part of the course will survey major responses to this question drawn from Church history: the early church, the medieval church, and the modern church. The second part applies these models to contemporary issues ranging among war, intervention, globalization, abortion, the death penalty, religious freedom, gender issues, and economic development. The course culminates in "The Council of Notre Dame," where teams of students, representing church factions, gather to discover church teachings on selected controversial political issues.

This course is taught by a professor with training in the sciences, philosophy, and theology; students from any of these disciplines are welcome to enroll, for I will give serious attention to that which each of these fields can contribute to our understanding of morality. Participating in this course will provide you an occasion to contemplate how diverse academic disciplines address the stringency of the moral demand and the possibilities for social mammals to fulfill that demand. I will motivate this inquiry by introducing you to the work of several authors who advocate that recent discoveries in evolutionary history, primatology, psychology, and neuroscience provide a strictly biological "basis" for morality that leaves theology irrelevant to ethics. You will evaluate this literature in class discussions and written essays by using the tools of historical comparison, philosophy of science, and theology of nature. Previous participants in this course report that they gained a newfound appreciation for both the scientific character of Christian theology and the theological significance of the natural sciences.

Since the beginning of humankind, people have asked, why am I here? Where am I going? And how am I called to live my life? What is God calling me to do? In more recent times these enduring questions have been rearticulated around issues of meaning, purpose, human flourishing, and the search to know God's will. Although the culture holds out images of success, fulfillment, and happiness, the quest to discover our heart's desire and make a lasting impact on the world is often elusive. Not infrequently we can make professional, material and financial progress, but at the same time regress in spiritual, ethical and human development. How can we tap into the deeper rivers and sometimes muddy waters within us and wade into the current that leads us to find our most authentic selves and discover the flow of our life's calling? This course is about the inner and outer development that leads into these waters. It will involve both personal reflection and communal connection. When we experience a deep connection to our work and a consistent flow between our life's energies and our daily tasks, we are the most alive, at peace, and whole. "The place God calls you," Frederick Buechner once wrote, "is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." But how do we discover our own unique gifts and respond to the hungers of our world? What decisions must we make, and what discernment must we undertake, to find our way? How do we encounter the path that will lead us to integrate both our heart's desire and our desire for social change? This course is designed to help you with these questions. Drawing on Theology, Spirituality, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and Design Thinking, we will explore how others have asked these questions before us and how we can explore these questions today. We will use readings, lectures, class discussions, films, learning exercises, papers, and guest speakers to help you discover your talents, values, and vocation, and dream about how you can make a difference in the world. Although we will look to others for insight, the primary text of this course is your own life, and you will be expected to thoroughly and regularly examine who you are, what you believe, and what you feel called to live out as a human being. In addition to human experience and the expertise of the social sciences, we will look to the wisdom of the great religious traditions to aid you in the process of self-discovery. Our goal is not just to give you more information but to assist you in the process of formation that is directed towards personal and social transformation. As you work at integrating the heart, the mind, the will, and the spirit, we wish to foster a vision of justice, which—from a theological point of view— is about seeking right relationship with God, others, ourselves, and the world around us.ld.

To imagine is to form a mental concept of something which is not present to the senses. Imagination therefore deals with "framing". Like everyone else, Africans ponder over their condition and their world on the basis of their experience, history, social location and other realities which provide the "frame" through which they construct and address reality. In this course, through the study of some significant African literary works and some literary works about Africa we will study the self-perception of the African and the way the African has ethically viewed his / her reality and tried to grapple with it over a period of time (colonialism, post colonialism, apartheid) with regard to various issues on the continent (political challenges, religion, war and peace) and over some of the social questions (class, urbanization/ city life, sex and sexuality, relationship of the sexes), etc. We will read such authors as Joseph Conrad, Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe, Athol Fugard, Wole Soyinka, Cyprian Ekwensi, Chimamanda Adichie, Syl Cheney-Coker, Tsitsi Dangaremga, Nawal El Sadawi, Ferdinand Oyono , and some others. Using these and many authors we will ask questions about what constitutes the moral imagination, how such an imagination is manifested in or apparent in the social, personal and religious lives of the various African peoples or characters portrayed in these literary works; to what extent the moral sense has helped/ conditioned or failed to influence the lives of these peoples and characters. We will also inquire into the extent and in what ways the writers in our selection have helped to shape the moral imagination of their people.

In this course, we will critically consider, in light of Catholic Social Teaching, three normative questions regarding the purpose, priorities, and practices of corporations. First, what does the dignity of the human person, as made in the image and likeness of God, mean for people working in business? Second, what do businesses owe to their own workers and the society writ-large, and how do we foster solidarity among those working in business? Third, how can businesses promote authentic human flourishing and integral human development? To answer these questions, we explore certain foundational concepts of Catholic Social Teaching - the dignity of the human person, solidarity and subsidiarity, the virtues of charity and justice, and the common good - and ask how these concepts can be integrated into business practices and corporate governance. To accomplish this end, student wills engage in a close reading of selections from central papal encyclicals on the "social question," including Rerum Novarum, Quadragesimo Anno, Laborem Exercens, Centesimus Annus, Caritas in Veritate, and Laudato Si', as well as contemporary scholarship in business ethics that discusses different models of corporate governance.

This course is exclusively for students admitted to the Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP) who participate in eight-week summer service learning placements sponsored by the Center for Social Concerns and domestic Notre Dame Clubs. The application period for the SSLP is open from November 1 to February 1 and can be found online at https://socialconcerns.nd.edu/sslp. All students in the SSLP must register for an SSLP-specific theology course. Most students take THEO 33936: Kinship on the Margins, a three-credit course graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. Theology majors and minors may elect to instead take THEO 40642: Theology of Kinship, a three-credit letter-graded (A-F) course with additional academic requirements, which counts towards the theology major or minor. Students enroll in the course for the semester when they return to campus following their summer immersion, but the academic work of the three-credit course takes place before, during, and after student participation in the eight consecutive week summer immersion. The goals of Theology of Kinship are threefold: 1) Reflect theologically on one's daily service experiences using assigned course readings, 2) Critically apply the language and perspectives of Catholic social tradition to social issues encountered in contexts of marginalization, and 3) Construct a theological account of human kinship--the inherent relatedness, equal dignity, and mutual responsibility that all human persons share--in light of key concepts of theology, such as the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Trinity, the privileged place of the poor in the Bible, the relationship between liturgy and justice, and recent statements within the Church's social doctrine. Coursework includes: class sessions in April, weekly assigned readings, viewing recorded lectures, and daily writing assignments throughout eight-week summer immersion; completion of SSLP Capstone Project and theological essay, and participating in follow-up class sessions on campus following the immersion. COMMENTS: Permission required to enroll. Must apply to the SSLP online at http://socialconcerns.nd.edu and be accepted to the SSLP before enrolling.

The capitalism and consumerism that now influences the entire world arose within a religious culture-that of Western Christianity-whose central figure extolled poverty and self-denial, and whose most important early missionary wrote that "the love of money is the root of all evils." How did this happen? This course takes a long-term view of the emergence of modern economic life in relationship to Christianity beginning with the upturn in commerce and the monetization of the European economy in the eleventh century and continuing through the relationship between markets and Christian morality in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It pays particular attention to the ways in which the religio-political disruptions of the Reformation era laid the foundations for the disembedding of economics from Christian ethics and thus made possible modern Western capitalism and consumerism.

The course explores twentieth and twenty-first century labor in the U.S. from historical, literary, and theological perspectives, and is designed at the 20xxx-level to attract a broad range of students. Our historical study of labor questions and movements will pay particular attention to the evolution of labor unions and their political challenges and impact, but we will also look at laborers outside the sphere of organized labor (domestic workers and other non-union workers), as well as the persistence of and challenges to racialized and gendered identities that long segmented labor markets and restricted some from unions. Throughout these historical explorations, we will spend significant time visiting the life stories of select individuals (often in their own words), foregrounding the tangible intersectional nature of work and the politics of work, and showcasing the importance of family, community, solidarity, and faith in many labor activists? own careers. A mix of Catholic and non-Catholic perspectives might include Samuel Gompers, Terrence Powderly, Jane Addams, John Ryan, Florence Kelley, Rose Schneiderman, Pauli Murray, Dorothy Day, George Higgins, A. Philip Randolph, Walter Reuther, George Meany, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Mary Kay Henry, and Rich Trumka. Alongside our historical readings, we will probe the representation of labor, laborers, and class differences in literary works - short stories, novels, and plays - by writers whose own class and ethnic backgrounds vary widely, using the tools of close reading and historicist criticism. Our reading list will highlight Catholic writers such as J. F. Powers, Pietro di Donato, Hisaye Yamamoto, Edward P. Jones, Toni Morrison, and Lolita Hernandez, but for comparison will also include works by well-known figures such as Frederick Douglass, Jack London, Tillie Olsen, and John Steinbeck. As we analyze literary works, we will pose questions about aesthetics and canon formation: What narratives most provocatively explore work? Why are some labor activists attracted to experimental forms while others insist on social realism? Can a worker?s speech or diary or song ?count? as literature? All our historical and literary readings will intersect with our readings in CST, ranging from Pope Leo XIII?s papal encyclical on labor, Rerum Novarum, to Dorothy Day?s The Long Loneliness, to John Ryan?s A Living Wage, to Monsignor George Higgins? lifetime of engaged scholarship. The tenets of Catholic teaching about labor will inform all our discussions about historical events and literary representations. We will also ask students to explore the Higgins Labor Program?s new Just Wage Framework and Online Tool, considering ways that historical and literary approaches to ?just wage?; questions might inform this multistakeholder tool rooted in CST and designed to encourage employers, workers, advocates, policymakers, and community groups to discern, dialogue, and debate policies that promote a Just Wage.

What role does work play in human life? To what extent is it part of our creation in the Imago Dei? The role of work in human life has come up for renewed reflection in light of the rapid changes in the landscape of work. How do we think about justice in work? How should we think about the role of work in an affluent society? In this course we will look at theological reflections about work through the tradition with the aim of crafting a theological understanding of work in the contemporary world.

This course is the seminar version of ECON 30150. In this course we will discuss the relationship between economics and Catholic social teaching. We will learn about key principles in Catholic social thought, read key Papal encyclicals and other writings. We will then discuss key economic concepts and empirical facts known from the field of economics, and how these relate to Catholic social teaching. Finally, we will apply these ideas to discussions on labor, capital, finance, the environment, globalization, and development

Gustavo Gutiérrez famously posed a fundamental question for theological inquiry: how can we talk about God in the face of crushing poverty that leads to death? This course explores that foundational question through an examination of biblical perspectives on poverty, early Christian understandings of poverty, and contemporary theological and social scientific analyses and responses to poverty. The contemporary portion of the course tracks and draws on the earlier Christian tradition and its developments in Catholic Social Teaching, putting these sources into critical dialogue with recent social scientific studies of poverty, its causes, and policy solutions.

Economics and theology are often thought of as competing or contradictory explanations of human nature and behavior. By beginning with the theological premise that God's creation must hold together as a coherent whole, this course will instead show how economics rightly understood can illuminate our understanding of God's providential activity in the world. We will discuss the fundamental principles and insights of economics, relate them to a philosophical and theological vision of the human person in community, and show the central implications for ethics and political economy.

This course examines theology and poetry as two forms of attentive living directed toward love of God and neighbor through a comparative consideration of the meaning of work and the experience of time. These issues are examined in each of the four main parts of the course. In the first part, we examine attentiveness as a distinctive intellectual and spiritual problem for our time. In the second part, the focus will be on social scientific theories of work and how these relate to recent studies about subjectivity and the valuation of work in digital spaces (especially workplaces). In the third part of the course, the focus will shift to the construction/disciplining of subjectivity in Christian liturgical and monastic practices, focusing especially on the interplay of communal prayer and manual labor that has traditionally been part of Christian monastic discipline. In the fourth part, we conclude with a consideration of the work of creating and "reading" art (especially poetry and painting) in light of the social changes to work and the theological interpretations of work studied in the preceding parts of the course.

This course examines the dynamic and distinctive contributions of Latin American theology during the last half century through the writings of Pope Francis focused on poverty and creation. Beginning with the reception of Vatican II in Latin America at the region’s episcopal meetings, the course explores the theological currents that emerged in response to the socioeconomic, cultural, political, and ecological challenges of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Pope Francis’s Argentine “theology of the people” in conversation with liberation theology, Catholic social teaching, and eco-theology introduces students to an array of theologians such as Juan Carlos Scannone, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Maria Clara Bingemer, St. Oscar Romero, Leonardo Boff, and Ivone Gebara. Topics to be considered include ecclesiology, option for the poor, theological method, martyrdom, religious pluralism, popular piety, structural sin, integral ecology, spirituality, human rights, and Indigenous wisdom. Overall, the course considers Latin American theology as a source of reform, renewal, and reflection on the signs of the times for the global Church.

The human drive to struggle for victory against opponents, whether in military battles or athletic contests, runs throughout human history. Theologians and philosophers from ancient times until today have considered the implications of this struggle for the human quest for excellence and for meaning which, at its limit, involves the search for God. More recently, scholars have considered the behavior and discourse of sports fans as something close to a religion. This course will examine each of these topics, beginning with early philosophical and theological views of struggle, embodiment, and the quest for excellence before engaging more recent writings about the relation of sports to virtue, theological accounts of athletics in its relationship to community identity and flourishing, and the ethical analysis of modern college and professional sports. Course requirements include a series of short reflection papers and a final group project undertaking a theological and ethical analysis of one particular example of modern athletics in a specific social context.

This course provides an in-depth and comprehensive overview of modern Catholic social teaching emerging from key papal writings on the question of labor inside and outside Western Europe. With special attention to ecclesial documents and social movements, the course explores the theological, ethical, and historical foundations of Catholic social doctrine and its modern papal development in response to the Industrial Revolution and economic globalization. As universal shepherds of the world’s largest faith tradition, the modern popes have proclaimed the transcendent dignity of the human person made in God’s image, the preferential option for the poor identified with Christ, and the integral ecology of God’s creation. The course explores the social teachings of the popes both as an evangelical challenge to Christian lifestyles in the West and as a safeguard against the modern idolatries of the market, partisan and statist politics, and technology.

Rethinking Religion.

In our course we will consider Christianity's encounter with Islam, from the Islamic conquests of the 7th century to the internet age. The first section of the course is historical. We will examine how various historical contexts have affected the Christian understanding of Muslims and Islam, from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad to September 11 and beyond. The second section of the course is systematic. How are Christians today to respond to Islam, in light of recent world events and recent Church teaching? In addressing this question we will analyze primary theological sources that express a range of responses, from pluralism to dialogue to evangelism. Students in this class will be introduced to the Quran, to the life of Muhammad, to the difference between Sunni and Shi'ite Islam, to Church teaching on Christianity's relationship with Islam, and to trends in the theology of religions.

Religious diversity is a social fact. As the world has become more interconnected, most people are much more aware that no one can live in isolation from others who follow different religious beliefs and practices. Although the word has always been pluralistic, we experience this pluralism today in a new way to the extent that we can no longer avoid the question of how to deal with it. This course is designed to address that question, namely, how religious pluralism has been dealt with in the scholarly discussion of what is known as the theology of religions. Religious pluralism is not meant the sheer fact that there are many living faiths in a society or country, but a positive response to that diversity. What do the Bible and the Qur'an say about religious others? How should the believers think about and interact with them? This course will also examine critical issues such as salvation and truth claims. In addition to identifying the commonalities of religions and the irreducible distinctiveness of each tradition, we will discuss the question of diversity within a particular religious tradition. No prior background in Islam or Arabic is required for this course.

Is Islam a religion or political ideology? Where do Muslims live? What do they look like? Do all Muslims want to live according to the Sharia? Is the Clash of Civilizations real? Can Muslims share the planet with non-Muslims in permanent peace? Do Muslims have anything akin to Catholic Social Teaching? If you are interested in these kinds of questions, you need to take this course. A journey through the scripture and scholarly traditions of Islam, the course engages multiple overlapping and intersecting themes of relevance to global affairs, including geography and demographics; governance and politcal thought; international relations and organizations; civil society and social teachings; knowledge and education; ecology and climate change; migration and identity; human rights and dignity; war and peace; and development and progress. We will also look at contemporary debates surrounding Islam and religious freedom. The course provides a snapshot of the 'Muslim world' in the heartlands where Islam originated, where it thrives in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and in places where Muslims live as influential minorities in Europe and North America, based on the latest available data and representative case studies. Designed as survey course with ample time for discussion, students with no prior exposure to Islam are welcome alongside more advanced students who wish to bring their knowledge of Islamic thought into conversation with the conditions of the contemporary world. MGA students with an interest in Religion may enroll with instructor permission.

This course is an introductory course on Christian and Islamic theologies that are inspired by the lives of, constructed through the lens of, and informed by the intersectional struggles of Christian and Muslim women. The course is divided into three major units. The first unit will be dedicated to analyzing the connection between secular feminist epistemologies and theories with the rise of Christian and Islamic feminist theologies. The second unit will consist of an exploration of different themes in Christian feminist theologies (Christology(ies), Ecclesiology(ies), and interreligious dialogue). Finally, the third unit of the course will provide an inquiry into core topics in Islamic feminist theologies (Quranic hermeneutics, formation of tradition and authorities, and interreligious dialogue). The questions that the course aims to engage are: What are the major perspectives in Christian and Islamic feminist theologies? What makes a theology "feminist" and what make other theologies are not? How do women's lives inform the formation of a "feminist theology"? How do Christian and Islamic feminist theologies respond to the challenges of gendered, structural violence? The course aims to invite students to critically engage with the work of Christian and Muslim feminist theologians, especially those of colors. Furthermore, though some readings will seek to provide historical insight into the places of women in Early and Medieval Christian and Islamic traditions, this course significantly focuses on the work of contemporary Christian and Muslim feminist theologians with an eye towards intersectional forms of oppression (racial, gender, and class-based) suffered by Christian and Muslim women of colors.

This is a survey course in Islamic law and ethics aimed at upper level undergraduates and law school students. The course will provide an outline of Islamic legal theory and jurisprudence and then cover topics such as Muslim family law, fatwas on a range of topics such as gender, sexuality and cultural and political conflict.

From a Christian theological point of view, peace is both a gift and a mission. Using life stories of exemplary Christian peace builders from around the world, the course will highlight five practices and disciplines: scriptural imagination, lament, hope, advocacy and spirituality, which define the Christian vision and practice of peace. The course is meant to serve as an extended argument for why and how the church matters for peace in the world, but also to display that the pursuit of peace is not the reserve of a few experts (peacebuilders), but the gift and mission of every Christian - "anyone in Christ."

This course explores the ways in which religious ethicists, social critics, and activists have employed conceptions of love and violence for the purposes of criticizing and resisting oppressive political conditions, and for radically transforming existing social arrangements. We begin by exploring the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau concerning the moral status of civil disobedience in the context of the U.S. abolitionist struggle, with particular attention to the influence of the Bhagavad-Gita upon their thinking. We will examine the ways that both Thoreau's writings and the Gita influenced Mahatma Gandhi on questions of non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi's exploration of the power of non-violence in light of the Sermon on the Mount from the Christian New Testament, and his correspondence with the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. We will investigate how this entire mosaic of influences came to inform Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work and the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. during the 1960s, Malcolm X, and the black power movement. We will engage critical perspectives on these thinkers and ideas, such as criticisms of Gandhi by George Orwell and Arundhati Roy, Frantz Fanon's claims that colonialism is an essentially violent phenomenon that requires an essentially violent response, Malcolm's criticisms of Martin, arguments against pacifism on the basis of political realism by Max Weber. We conclude by brief examination of principled vs. strategic and revolutionary forms of non-violence in the work of Gene Sharp.

In 1965, the Second Vatican Council issued a "Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions", which contains a statement that Muslims "submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God." While the Declaration can be understood as recognizing the possible validity of Islam's claim to Abrahamic status, some scholars have introduced the notion of "Abrahamic religions" as a way of associating Judaism, Christianity and Islam as related faiths. This course will explore the defining features of the Abrahamic religions that tie them closely together as well as their particularities and differences. As the youngest of the three Abrahamic religions, Islam has a lot of things to say about Abraham which largely correspond to the Biblical story although the Qur'an also contains some novel features, including the claim that Abraham, together with Ishmael, built the Ka‘bah. This course will discuss how the scriptures of the three religions emerged within the same cultural milieu, and explore their intertwined histories and the ways in which Jews, Christians, and Muslims developed their own independent religious identities from their early encounters to the present. Students will also be introduced to some basic teachings of Islam. No prior knowledge of Islam is required.

Various religions in the first millennium debated whether hell was permanent and whether all people might be saved. Beginning with the New Testament passages that are used to argue for and against universal salvation, this class will introduce students to debates about universal salvation in Christianity, Manichaeism, Buddhism, and Islam, with special emphasis given to the comparison of Catholic debates on universal salvation with Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese Buddhist sources.

Christianity arose in a diverse religious environment. Originally in competition with other sects of Judaism and various Greco-Roman religions, Christianity encountered rival Gnostic sects, Manichaeism, and Islam as it spread, eventually entering dialogue with the various religious traditions of Asia and the Americas. This class introduces students to the theology of religions that developed over this long and eventful history. Topics addressed include the presence of God in other religious traditions, explanations of non-Christian virtue, the salvation of non-Christians, the possibilities of universal salvation, and contemporary Inter-religious dialogue, with special emphasis given to magisterial documents after the Second Vatican Council. Readings will include St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Karl Rahner, Jean Danielou, Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, and Jacques Dupuis, among others.

Abraham Heschel’s assertion that “no religion is an island” is especially true of modern Judaism. From Moses Mendelssohn’s defense of religious freedom to Heschel’s support of the civil rights movement, modern Jewish theology is characterized by an ongoing dialogue with other faith traditions, especially Christianity. This course explores the diverse manifestations of modern Jewish theology and its dialogical contextualizations from the eighteenth century to the present. We will read and analyze seminal works by Heschel, Mendelsohn, Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Margarete Susman, and Emmanuel Levinas, among others. In each case, we will analyze their reliance on diverse ancient, medieval, and modern traditions. Topics to be discussed include the theology of praxis, modern messianism and mysticism, political theology, theological ethics, theories of religious language, and Jewish existentialism. In addition to providing access to texts and ideas that continue to shape contemporary Judaism, the arc of the course invites reflective wrestling with its core definitions: What should we consider modern in the context of Jewish thought? What speculation amounts to a system we can call theology? Does modern interreligious dialogue blur the boundary between Christian and Jewish theology? And if so, what makes certain ideas Jewish?

In AD 1095, the Roman (Byzantine) Emperor Alexius Comnenus sent a letter to Pope Urban II, asking for succor from Latin Christendom in order to repel the Muslim invaders who were overrunning his empire. Pope Urban II did not merely comply with this request, but transformed it into a call to restore to Christendom the lands of Christianity's origin, which had been lost to Muslim rule in the seventh century. In doing so, Pope Urban inspired and unleashed an outpouring of religious fervor- and bloodshed- unique in the annals of Christian history. This course will be dedicated to the examination of this extraordinary movement, from the initial overwhelming response it aroused among Christians across Europe through the fall of Acre in 1291. Among the issues it will explore are the historical, political, and ideological background to the Crusades, in Byzantium, Europe, and the Islamic world; The Peasants' Crusade and the Children's Crusade; the Latin principalities in the Near East, their organization and societies; interactions between Muslims and Christians; the status and treatment of religious minorities; the legend of Prester John and how it inaugurated the beginning of the European exploration of Central and Eastern Asia; the Italian communes and growth of commerce; the military orders; the career of St. Louis in the Near East; the Ayyubid and Mamluk sultanates and the geopolitical consequences of the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century; and more. Students will spend the second half of the course researching and writing a capstone research paper utilizing primary sources in translation.

In this interdisciplinary course, students will trace the development of Christian theology and culture in Eastern Europe—from the baptism of Rus in 988 to the classic novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, and from the liturgical theology of Alexander Schmemann to the religious cinema of Putin’s Russia. Throughout the course, students will grapple with the “accursed questions” that have long defined Russian religious thought, while also examining the diverse and divergent images of Christ put forward by Russia’s greatest theologians, artists, philosophers, and writers.

This course focuses on the distinct ways Christians and Muslims relate to Jesus and Muhammad. In the Islamic tradition, Muhammad is revered as the final and often the greatest prophet, whose scripture, teachings, and example guide Muslims along the "straight path" to paradise. Through a reading of classical Islamic texts and modern content (on youtube), we will examine how Muslims express love and reverence for Muhammad. (No prior knowledge of Islam required.) With this understanding in place, we will turn next to Christianity's relationship to Jesus. In the Gospels, Jesus does ask us to follow him (Mat 4:19, 9:9; Luke 9:23 etc.) but the Church also calls us to be in relationship with him (CCC 2565). Even more, Christ Himself, by giving the Church the Eucharist, invites us to unify ourselves to Him in a spiritual bond (CCC 1391). In this second part of the course we will read Christian spiritual masters and Christian novels, and analyze modern Christian content (again on youtube) that explores the theme of relationship and union with Christ. We will read from Bernard of Clairvaux, Catherine of Sienna, Teresa of Calcutta, and Hildegard of Bingen. In the third and final part of the course we will look at a few Catholic writers (including John Paul II) who have studied Islam and ask what lessons Islam (and Islamic spirituality) has for the Christian life.

Imagine a world stripped of magic, where cold rationality reigns supreme and the supernatural has been banished to the realm of fiction. Now consider our own world, where Silicon Valley technocrats consult AI oracles, where political ideologies inspire quasi-religious fervor, and where the “spiritual but not religious” seek transcendence in everything from meditation apps to psychedelic retreats. Which of these worlds more accurately describes our modern condition? This course challenges the notion that modernity and secularization have disenchanted our world, proposing instead that enchantment persists and even thrives in unexpected corners of contemporary life. From Weber's Protestant ethic to UFO believers in the American Southwest, commodity fetishism in South America to Islamic modernities in Lebanon, we will ask fundamental questions: How do myths and rituals shape our understanding of the world, even in ostensibly secular societies? What role does enchantment play in science, technology, and politics? How do different cultures negotiate the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, the rational and the magical? Drawing upon ethnographic studies and theoretical texts, we will explore how the categories of “religious” and “secular” are constructed, contested, and reimagined in various cultural contexts.

This course will examine the translation of the sacred on the Island of Ireland. It will offer an introduction to translation theory, examining many of the key issues linked to the translation of the sacred texts in a global context before turning its attention to the Irish context. Central to the course will be the translation of the bible into the Irish language, known as Bedel’s bible, undertaken at the behest of Queen Elizabeth I. It will examine how translation lay at the heart of the colonial project. Other topics examined will be the issue of Vatican 2 and the question of the vernacular, the Irish language masses composed by people like Seán Ó Riada or Tomás Ó Canainn, and the recent projects which offer a version of the gospels in Ulster-Scots.

In an age of growing polarization, how should human beings relate to one another, as members of families, social communities, professional callings, and civil society? This course explores ways that Catholic theology and Western political thought, particularly feminist thought, can engage each other on a fundamental aspect of human relationships: sexual difference. Though these traditions are often in tension, conversation between them will richly inform our study of the course’s core questions: How should we think about sexual difference, and how ought contemporary men and women live and work together in the family and the public sphere? We will take an interdisciplinary and historical approach, moving from the earliest days of Christianity through the medieval, Enlightenment, and modern periods and culminating in the present day. Theological sources will be drawn from Scripture, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, papal encyclicals, and writings of various Catholic theologians and philosophers. We will bring these sources into dialogue with ancient and modern political thinkers, their relationship to the tradition of feminist thought (with particular focus on first and second wave feminism), and constitutional law. Throughout the course, we will study underlying theories that inform our core questions: ideas about human nature, the meaning of sexual difference, equality, freedom, marriage and the family, human rights, and the ends of government and law. We will aim to discover areas of compatibility between Catholicism, as a tradition of faith seeking understanding, and feminism, considered as a philosophical, political, and legal movement centrally concerned with sexual difference and its implications. The course will conclude with discussion of contemporary American debates about the relationship and roles of the sexes in marriage & the family, the home, the workplace, and public life. Students will learn both how to distinguish the modes of thought that characterize theology and political science as disciplines, and how to integrate them in order to draw conclusions about reality. They should emerge from the course not only well-formed in their own views on our focal questions, but able to engage robustly and charitably with perspectives that differ from their own.

This course explores the contours and implications of Christianity as a global reality. It will examine some of the rich explosion of scholarship that is now pouring forth on the recent and remarkable world-wide expansion of Christianity, while also putting such growth in a historical and theological perspective. The course readings will draw from fiction, theology, history, and the social sciences. In addition to sampling major general interpretations by scholars like Dana Robert, Mark Noll, Andrew Walls, and Lamin Sanneh, readings will concentrate on certain regions of startling change over the last century as well as places for which scholarship is burgeoning. Some of the course readings come from the standpoint of missionary activity, but more reflect new expressions of indigenous faith. Studies of Protestant, Catholic, and independent movements are included; readings come from a wide variety of Catholic, Protestant, and secular perspectives.

The study of religious beliefs and practices in tribal and peasant societies emphasizing myths, ritual, symbolism, and magic as ways of explaining man's place in the universe. Concepts of purity and pollution, the sacred and the profane, and types of ritual specialists and their relation to social structure will also be examined.

In the anthropological study of religion, does having a religious background benefit a researcher or does it introduce bias? Where does theology belong in the anthropology of religion, and what might the two learn from each other? Can one critically study a faith and live it at the same time? This course addresses these questions through a review of the lives and work of prominent anthropologists who identified as Catholic and drew inspiration from their Catholic faith. In examining how these anthropologists shaped the discipline, students will learn about the wide breadth of the anthropological study of religion, an endeavor that stretches from the origins of our species to the high-tech world in which we now live. This disciplinary survey will also lead to questions of how, through these particular anthropologists, insights from the anthropology of religion intersect, complicate, and enrich the Catholic intellectual tradition.

This class introduces students to the Incarnation and divine embodiment in comparative perspective by contrasting theologies of incarnation in Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Topics discussed include the purpose or reasons for the incarnation, its relationship to salvation and deification, and its role in the cultivation of mystical states of consciousness. Readings from the Christian tradition will include Origen, St. Athanasius, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, Bl. John Duns Scotus, Pavel Florensky, Sergei Bulgakov, and Teilhard de Chardin (among others). Readings from non-Christian authors will include Abhinavagupta, Ādi Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Vedāntadeśika, Aghoraśiva, and several Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhist authors. Special attention will also be given to analogues of the devotion to the Sacred Heart in different religious traditions.

The goal of this course is to introduce the basic realities of Confucianism and Christianity, seeking to find, as Lee Yearley puts it, “similarity in differences, and differences in similarities.” This course also aims to follow the example of the preeminent Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci, the pioneer in exploring possibilities of dialogue between Christianity and Confucianism.

A major source of conflict – increasingly so – is environmental issues; both climate change-related conflicts about (more and more scarce) resources as well as secondary conflicts (conflicts that arise because of the resource conflict, i.e. climate migrants) pose a major challenge to the planet. Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si has offered ways to think about an “integral ecology” that takes the environment, life on the planet, the human condition and culture seriously. The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor cannot be separated. Laudato Si has to be read against the background of the concept of “Integral Human Development.” This concept, inspired by the works of Joseph Lebret, OP, was introduced by Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Populorum Progressio (1967). It refers to “the development of the whole person and the development of all persons. The course explores the connection (intersectionality) between peace, (integral) ecology, and (integral human) development. It will do so with in-class room teaching sessions and working with select case studies on integral ecology.

"Eschatology," the study of the "last things," includes theological reflection upon the realities of death, judgment, heaven, hell, purgatory, and the consummation of all God's creation in the life of God. This course will explore the nature and scope of Christian hope historically and systematically. In the first half of the course we will focus most intensely on the doctrine of the resurrection of the body, analyzing the beginnings, historical developments, and practical implications of belief in the resurrection and how this belief shapes various dimensions of Christian hope. We will then turn to classical accounts of heaven, hell, and purgatory and contemporary engagements with important eschatological questions. Central questions for the course include the following: how do we imagine the final state for which we hope? Why hope for the resurrection of the body and not just the immortality of the soul? How do the Church's teachings on eschatology impact another aspects of Christian thought and the living of the Christian life?

This class introduces students to Mariology, with a special emphasis on the four Marian dogmas—divine motherhood, perpetual virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption—and the speculative developments of modern Mariology. Topics discussed will include the relationship of the Virgin Mary to the Holy Trinity, the Virgin’s predestination and primacy in the spiritual life, and controversies over the definition of the dogma of Mary’s Co-Redemption in the twentieth century. Special attention will also be given to the role of Marian apparitions in the development of Church teaching and the Church’s theology of private revelations. Readings will include St. Thomas Aquinas, Bl. Duns Scotus, St. John Eudes, Matthias Scheeben, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Pavel Florensky, Sergius Bulgakov, Yves Congar, Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Adrienne von Speyr, and St. John Paul II (among others). These theologies will then be contrasted with representative samples of debates about the divine feminine and incarnations of the goddess in Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, and Mahāyāna Buddhist authors in order to better understand what makes Roman Catholic teaching on the Blessed Virgin Mary distinctive.

This course will explore how Christians understand the meaning of human life in the context of the larger community of creation and in relation to the mystery of God. In an evolutionary context and a globalized world, what is the meaning of the Christian beliefs that human persons are created in the image of God, impacted by original sin, offered grace and redemption in Jesus Christ, and promised a future that includes resurrection of the body and a new creation? Related questions to be considered: Do we have a vocation and destiny? What is human freedom and how has it been affected by human sin and by scientific and technological developments? What insight does Christian faith shed on sexuality, gender, and what it means to live in right relationship with others? What wisdom does Christian faith have to offer about the meaning of suffering and death?

Christians say that there is one God, and this one God is a Trinity: one nature, three persons. But what does all this mean? Does anyone really know? And how did Christians come to believe that God is a Trinity in the first place? This course provides an introduction to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, with attention both to the history of trinitarian theology and its contemporary appropriation. It also covers topics such as our knowledge of God and its limitations; God and religious language; God and creation; God’s knowledge of the future; God and the problem of evil and suffering; and our own incorporation into God’s triune life through the person of Jesus Christ. Throughout the course, we will keep an eye on the personal relevance of trinitarian doctrine to every Christian, recalling with Karl Rahner that “the Trinity is a mystery of salvation; otherwise it would never have been revealed.”

This course introduces students to theology of the spiritual life, that is, of human life lived divinely, in union with the Trinity, now and unendingly. The course will treat the scriptural and sacramental foundations of spiritual theology and will emphasize particular historical expressions of this theology that have been found especially fruitful in the modern world, such as those that trace their lineage to St. Teresa of Avila and St. Ignatius of Loyola.

This course offers an expansive treatment of the work of Cardinal John Henry Newman, arguably the foremost Catholic thinker of the nineteenth century. While it will not ignore Newman's wonderful homilies, in the main it will concentrate on texts such as the Apologia, The Development of Doctrine, Oxford University Sermons, and Grammar of Assent, all of which have assumed classic status..

An exploration of how the voices of women have helped to reshape theological discourse and to bring to light new dimensions of the living Christian tradition. Using writings of feminist, womanist, Latina, mujerista, Asian, and "Third World" theologians, the course will focus on the significance of gender and social location in understanding the nature and sources of theology, theological anthropology, Christology/soteriology, the mystery of God, and women's spirituality.

The course examines the history, spirituality, and philosophy of education of the Holy Cross family of Catholic religious orders, including the Congregation of Holy Cross which founded the University of Notre Dame and the Sisters of the Holy Cross which founded Saint Mary's College. The focus will be on discerning the shape and central themes of Holy Cross spirituality as this affects the approach to education characteristic of Holy Cross institutions. The first part of the course will examine the historical origins of the Holy Cross religious communities, including the work of their founder Fr. Basil Moreau and the early Church and modern theologians whose writings deeply influenced Moreau's theology and spirituality (Augustine of Hippo, Benedict of Nursia, Ignatius Loyola, and the theologians of the French School, among others). The second part of the course will examine Holy Cross philosophy of education in conversation with other religious approaches and also early 20th century secular philosophies that influenced higher education in the United States. The third part of the course will examine the ways that Holy Cross spirituality and philosophy of education influenced but were also transformed by Saint Mary's and Notre Dame, especially in the work of two past presidents of these institutions: Sr. M. Madeleva Wolff, C.S.C. who served as president of Saint Mary's from 1934-1961 and Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. who served as president of Notre Dame from 1952-1987. The class will alternate weekly meetings between the Saint Mary's and Notre Dame campuses and will include visits to important Holy Cross sites on both campuses. The class will also host a number of guest lectures and attend the annual Madeleva lecture at Saint Mary's. Course requirements include weekly short reflection papers and a final paper on a historical or contemporary Holy Cross educational figure.

Gerard Manley Hopkins has a strong case for being the greatest Roman Catholic poet after Dante. He is certainly among the greatest among those who have written in English. This class introduces students to Hopkins’s greatest poems and theological essays, his education at Oxford, his formation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, and his relationship to theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas, Bl. John Duns Scotus, and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Supplementary readings will include the nineteenth-century Anglican and Catholic divines that influenced Hopkins, such as H. P. Liddon, Benjamin Jowett, Frederick William Faber, and St. John Henry Newman (among others).

Is it possible that God might save everyone without exception? Or is it Christian belief that at least some people will be damned? This class introduces students to the history of debates about universal salvation in Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and ancient Greco-Roman religions, with an emphasis on Roman Catholic theological approaches to the problem. Topics discussed will include the nature and extent of postmortem punishment, the paradoxes of God’s justice and mercy, and the importance of free will in debates about heaven and hell. Readings will include Origen, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Bl. John Duns Scotus, Bl. Julian of Norwich, George Tyrrell, Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, Avery Dulles, David Bentley Hart, and James Dominic Rooney (among others). This class will also include representative samples of debates about universal salvation in non-Christian religions, especially the great debate about icchantikas, the “incorrigibles” or “hopeless” beings who can never escape suffering in Yogācāra and Tathāgatagarbha Buddhism.

This course offers a historically contextualized introduction to the theology of nature and grace and original sin, with the aim of helping students to think with rigor and creativity about the human person in light of Christian faith.

In A Secular Age, Catholic philosopher of religion Charles Taylor traces the rise of secularity in the West, examining how we have come to inhabit an age where disbelief in the transcendent is not only optional, but the default setting for many. Through the vantage point of literature, this course will consider the arc traced by Taylor and explore how the shift from enchanted cosmos to disenchanted universe is manifest in the content and form of literary works themselves. Assigned works of fiction and poetry will be enjoyed and discussed in their own right, and also in light of Taylor’s narrative of secularity. A key focus of the course will be encountering modern literary responses to what Taylor calls “the immanent frame,” with particular attention to texts that seem to crack open that frame and recover--or at least glimpse--a reenchanted cosmos.

This course provides a first introduction to some of the more influential spiritualities practiced by Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Eastern Orthodox Christians down through the ages and seeks to determine their significance for contemporary Roman Catholic spiritual praxis and theology. In order to properly understand the practices of Hindu yoga and bhakti, of Buddhist vipassana and Zen, of Muslim salat/namaz and Sufism, of the Eastern Orthodox Jesus Prayer/Hesychasm and the accompanying place of human effort in asceticism and morality, it will be necessary to examine underlying convictions about the nature of the human person and the supreme reality, of divine presence and grace, as well as the declared ultimate goal of spiritual endeavor, whether it be expressed more in terms of a communion of love or of enlightened higher consciousness. During the semester we will not only study important spiritual texts of other religions, but we will also practice meditation, visit a local mosque for Friday prayers and sermon, and be instructed by expert guest speakers who represent religious traditions other than our own.

Is religion necessary to live a moral life? If so, are all religions basically the same when it comes to the moral norms contained in them? If not, how do we account for the differences among religious values, norms and principles? How do religions justify their distinctive moral claims in the face of alternative proposals? Can we study the ethical thought of a religious tradition that is different from our own in a responsible manner and, if so, how should we proceed? This course will take up these and other related questions through an examination of ancient and contemporary Christian and Buddhist texts in dialogue with recent theoretical options for the comparative study of ethics. We will begin with an assessment of the importance and distinctive quality of religious voices in moral debate and then look at some of the ways that contemporary scholars have approached the investigation and assessment of similarities and differences in moral world views. The course will end with a comparative consideration of certain Buddhist and Christian options in environmental ethics.

G. K. Chesterton was a man with many sides, but this course will confine itself to only one, and that is his theological front. About his conversion to Catholicism he wrote to a friend, "As you may possibly guess, I want to consider my position about the biggest thing of all, whether I am to be inside it or outside it." We will consider his position by reading primary works in theology that led up to and followed his decision, among them "Orthodoxy, The Everlasting Man," biographies of St. Thomas and St. Francis, "The Thing," and "What's Wrong with the World." In these we will follow his own advice that "To become a Catholic is not to leave off thinking, but to learn how to think. It is so in exactly the same sense in which to recover from palsy is not to leave off moving but to learn how to move."

This course will investigate the manner in which Christians and Muslims through the centuries have understood the religious dimension of Palestine, and of Jerusalem in particular. In the first section of the course we will analyze classical religious texts, including: the New Testament prophecies ofJerusalem's destruction; the narratives surrounding Saint Helen's recovery of the true Cross and sacred relics; the traditions of Muhammad's night journey to Jerusalem, and Muslim narratives on the conquest of Palestine and the construction of the Dome of the Rock. In the second section of the course we will turn to the memories and visions of individual believers, such as the descriptions of medieval Muslim geographers, the travelogues of European Christian pilgrims, the writings of Eastern Orthodox monks of the Palestinian desert, and the popular religious pamphlets and web sites of the Muslim and Christian faithful today.

The aim of the course to give an overview of the theology of Pope Benedict XVI, as this expressed both in his encyclicals and other recent writings, but also in his theological reflection as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. The course has essentially three foci. Roughly equal treatment means that each topic will receive a week of treatment. The first of the three foci concentrates on the Papal encyclicals God is Love, Charity in Truth, Saved in Hope. The second of the three foci looks at the work of the present Pope as instructional and catechetical. Here we will concentrate on Jesus of Nazareth, God's Word, and Ten Commandments for the Environment. The third and last of our three foci concerns the Pope as a public intellectual, specifically as intervening in the public square to provide a sense of what the church has at stake in the modern world, what it can and must do in terms of dialogue, what it must do in terms of identity and continuing to be a witness. Among the texts that we will read are Truth and Tolerance, The Regensburg Lecture, and Values in a Time of Upheaval. Requirements include involvement in discussion, and either two eight page papers or one 15 page paper

This course will engage the concept of race and the phenomenon of racism from a theological perspective, with the central goal of enabling students to formulate their own account of what it means to do theology and practice Christian faith (personally and communally) in today's world. The course will explore the origins of racial discourse in modernity, the general history of slavery, racism, and segregation in the United States, Church teachings and practices in relation to race and racism, and influential black theological voices from throughout U.S. history. The core goal of the course is to empower each student to articulate their own vision, grounded upon a clear sense of history and developed through a respectful engagement with diverse theological voices, for living in an antiracist way.

Philosophers and theologians have long been interested in Buddhism, not least because it promises a complete religion, spirituality, and culture without the existence of God. This class introduces students to the life of the Buddha, the Buddhist religious orders, and the various schools of Buddhist philosophy in India, China, Korea, Japan, and Tibet. Topics explored include refutations of God's existence, reincarnation and future lives, the nature of the human person, and the origin of suffering. In addition to these fundamentals of Buddhist doctrine, we will also look at the various Buddhist practices (including meditation, liturgy, monastic life, and canon formation) in light of the larger social, artistic, and cultural traditions of Asia. No previous knowledge of Buddhism is required.

This course is offered as an introduction to Christian Spirituality (or Spiritual Theology) with a systematic focus on its nature, stages, and goal; an historical focus on different traditions and representative figures; a thematic focus on the kinds of language and literary figures that are used to describe the spiritual life (e.g., in terms of a journey, mountain-climbing, kinds of relationships, etc.), and a practical focus on the disciplines that cultivate the spiritual life and are conducive to its end. Other than Scripture, various saints, poets, and spiritual authors to be read and discussed include: Augustine, Guigo II, Gregory of Nyssa, Antony of Egypt, the Desert Fathers, Symeon the New Theologian, Catherine of Siena, Gregory Palamas, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Elizabeth of the Trinity.

What does it look like for the Church to faithfully carry out its mission in the midst of the modern world? In what ways do the philosophical and cultural presuppositions of modernity undermine or oppose fundamental Catholic beliefs and ways of living? What positive opportunities are offered in modernity for strengthening the Church and Catholic life? This course will explore the Catholic Church's relation to the modern world, with particular attention to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Vatican II greatly impacted almost every aspect of Catholic life and thought, including the practice of the liturgy, the role of the laity in the Church, the relationship between the Church and politics, teaching on religious liberty, the Church's relation to other religions, and much else. The course will center on a close reading of the actual texts from Vatican II and will give students the opportunity to explore the teachings, debates, and developments that arose from the Council throughout the world as pastoral and theological responses to the diverse challenges of modernity.

This 3 credit hour seminar course is designed to explore how helping professionals articulate, cultivate, and rely on their spirituality or philosophy of caring as they participate in the work of helping and healing others. We will study how helping professionals rely on a spirituality of caring in order to help them maintain and cultivate their compassion in their work in the face of suffering and the problem of evil. An overall model for a spirituality/philosophy of caring will be presented and then explored as it is exemplified in various spiritual and philosophical traditions. The course is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of all spiritual traditions, but as an introductory opportunity for the student to understand the role of spirituality in helping work and to begin to articulate their own spirituality of caring in preparation for helping professions. The course is designed especially for the preprofessional student as well as anyone who is preparing for work in a helping profession. We will rely on readings from Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism as well as other traditions and philosophies, and also will examine writings by people who have reflected on the practical aspects of living out a spirituality of caring.

This course explores the relationship between the Judeo-Christian conceptions of salvation and the human desire for liberation from oppression and avoidable hardships. From a biblical perspective, salvation is about more than "getting into heaven." Contemporary theologians, primarily from the Global South and among the marginalized within "First World" countries, have led the way in reviving this biblical insight and applying it to the suffering and political struggles of today's world. This course traces the meanings of salvation as articulated in the Bible, early Christian history, and Christian movements among the marginalized in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. If you perceive the need for social change, this course will provide you with a better sense of thinking theologically and spiritually about salvation in relationship to both God's call for liberative social transformation and current human activity corresponding to that call.

The Christian confession of a God of infinite love and goodness seems to be severely challenged by the immensity of suffering and evil. This course explores different theological responses to the theoretical and practical problems presented by suffering and evil. Attention will also be given to how Scripture, psychology, and film have addressed these issues. The format of the course will consist of lectures, discussions, and the close reading and analysis of seminal texts. (Students who have attended the 2xxxx version of the course will not be eligible for registration.)

This course is an extended study of beauty as it relates to the nature of being and the nature of God, with considerations of the divine nature as trinitarian as well as certain Christological and pneumatological dimensions. Alongside Plato, Plotinus, Basil of Caesarea, St. John of Damascus, Augustine, Bonaventure, Dante, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Joseph Ratzinger (as well as engagement with art, novels, and poetry), we will explore themes which include the coincidence of the transcendental of beauty with truth and goodness, as well as the intersections between beauty and nature, beauty and creativity, beauty and suffering, beauty and sanctity/sainthood, and beauty and structures of human desire. The course seeks to overcome notions inherited from modern aesthetic developments of what the category of beauty can in fact signify: that is, it will presuppose an understanding of beauty that is not merely superficial, frivolous, or subjective, but rather a category and a phenomenon with immense ontological and theological depths.

What makes a work of literature "beautiful"? What makes it "ugly"? Is it really in the eye of the beholder or is there an objective dimension to our aesthetic judgements? And what role might theological modes of thinking play in our perception of the beautiful in contemporary culture? In this course, we will trace the development of these aesthetic questions, paying particular attention to works that complicate the binary between beauty and ugliness, a binary that frustrates (or simply does not interest) many purely literary critical approaches but finds an echo in a range of rich theological aesthetic imaginaries. In the course of our investigation we will consider various conceptions of beauty, from the classical confluence of form and splendor to the "pleasing terror" of the Romantic sublime, reading authors ranging from John Donne to T.S. Eliot, William Wordsworth to James Joyce on our way to cultivating a nuanced theo-aesthetic vocabulary attuned both to art that attracts and repels.

This course is an extended study of the phenomenon of death as it relates to human being, human experience, and the human relationship with God. Alongside sources from the Jewish and Christian theological traditions, we will engage philosophical, theoretical, spiritual, and comparative religious perspectives. The course will be composed of four units: (1) Death and Finitude, which concerns death as a structural feature of human nature and existence, (2) Death and Subjectivity, which concerns the manner by which conduct ourselves and compose our self-understanding with respect to our mortality, (3) Death in Comparison, which concerns the role and understanding of death in other religious traditions, and (4) Death and the Theological Virtues, which will explore the relationship between death and faith, hope, and love. The course seeks to cultivate an intellectually robust, conceptually sophisticated, yet distinctly Christian theory of death, its meaning, and its inevitability.

Discussion section that accompanies the THEO 40641 lecture section. Students taking this discussion section must concurrently enroll in the main THEO 40641 lecture section.

The Theology Proseminar is a one-credit course required of Theology majors and open only to Theology majors. It is designed to expose majors to the range of the field and its diverse methods, to encourage them to consider research possibilities as potential writers of honors theses or other large projects, to help them appreciate the efforts of their peers who are writing honors theses, and to connect their academic education in theology to the broader global contexts in which they live.

The lay vocation in the Church is an ecclesiological and therefore christological reality grounded in the salvation of the human race. Because the Catholic Church has a ministerial priesthood, one can get the sense that the laity, especially those with careers outside of the church, are passive recipients of the active elements (ie the ministerial priesthood) of the Church. This course seeks to challenge such thinking and to come to a fuller vision of lay involvement in the church, especially a laity trained in, though not necessarily having a career in, theology. This course will explore the theological task as part of one’s appropriation and reception of the Catholic faith by reading through the relevant documents on the laity (e.g. Aposotolicam Actuositatem), treatises by lay theologians on what it means to do Catholic theology, and exploring the history of lay involvement in the church. We will ask the question about the responsibility of the laity as something asked of them in and through their baptism.

This seminar pairs two extraordinary Jewish women philosophers of the World War II period who died during the period of Nazi persecution—Stein (1891-1942) in Auschwitz, and Weil (1901-1943) in England. Both studied under (and with) noted male philosophers—Husserl, Heidegger, Scheler, Von Hildebrand, and Alain, among others—and they developed their original insights on empathy and education (Stein), decreation and affliction (Weil) partly in response to their teachers. Both women struggled with their Jewish identity—Weil exemplifying an unconventional Christian Platonism and mysticism, Stein becoming a Catholic nun and canonized saint. Both wrote autobiographies. Literary and artistic criticism, meditations on mystical writings and experiences, and creative expressions (poetry and plays), as well as important essays on politics, philosophy, and theology belong to their fertile writings. Their lives and letters have inspired, in turn, the creative expressions of others.

Plato's cosmology in his Timaeus was the definitive Greek account in Antiquity about human beings' place in the universe and their relation to a Maker God. The Stoics, as in the second book of Cicero's On the Nature of the Gods, took over many ideas from Plato to posit that God is maximally responsible for the order of nature and that there exists a very close kinship between human and divine reason. Already in the second century BC Plato's cosmology was read alongside the creation account of Genesis, and this pairing deeply influenced the Jewish-Greek author Philo of Alexandria, in his On the Making of the World, as well as the Gospel of John and the 4thc. Cappadocian Gregory of Nyssa, in his On the Six Days of Creation. Turning to the medieval and Renaissance periods, we will continue our investigation of philosophers and theologians who are concerned to understand the nature of the relationship between God and the world. To this end we will read selections from John Scotus Eriugena's Periphyseon. We will also listen to the music of Hildegard of Bingen, who attempted to represent music of the spheres. With Copernicus and Galileo, however, the general understanding of our place in a divine cosmos dramatically changed, and philosophers, more unsure of our place within it, sought more subjective foundations, most famously, with Descartes's cogito. In short, what used to be obvious to the ancients, the medievals, and even the Renaissance philosophers—that we belonged to a divine cosmos and economy—was no longer. And it took more than a century for philosophers to find some way "back to nature." Among the most notable of them was the young German Romantic philosopher, F.W.J. von Schelling (1775-1854), who, in his Ideas toward a Philosophy of Nature and later, his Bruno, set out to correct what he considered the one-sidedness of Descartes's view. Turning, finally, to the modern period we will read two works, one by C.S. Lewis, The Discarded Image on ancient and medieval cosmology, and another by Hans Urs von Balthasar, who sought to overcome the dialectic between ancient-cosmological and modern-anthropological starting points with a phenomenology of love.

This course pairs two extraordinary Jewish women philosophers of the World War II period who died during the period of Nazi persecution—Stein (1891-1942) in Auschwitz, and Weil (1901-1943) in England. Both studied under (and with) noted male philosophers—Husserl, Heidegger, Scheler, Von Hildebrand, and Alain, among others—and they developed their original insights on empathy and education (Stein), decreation and affliction (Weil) partly in response to their teachers. Both women struggled with their Jewish identity—Weil exemplifying an unconventional Christian Platonism and mysticism, Stein becoming a Catholic nun and canonized saint. Both wrote autobiographies. Literary and artistic criticism, meditations on mystical writings and experiences, and creative expressions (poetry and plays), as well as important essays on politics, philosophy, and theology belong to their fertile writings. Their lives and letters have inspired, in turn, the creative expressions of others: novels, plays, and poetry. Their intellectual quests in the shadow of the Holocaust led them to take up theological questions, studying St. Thomas Aquinas, Dionysius the Areopagite, St. John of the Cross (Stein), St. Francis, Bernanos, Marx, Plato, and Pascal (Weil). The answers they gave to God and others testify to the heroism and brilliance of their spiritual searches for truth and help to explain their continuing influence within the Church.

Knowing is central to Thomas Aquinas’s thought. It not only serves to differentiate human beings from other material beings but renders humans members of a community of intellectual beings who are all ordered to a participation in divine knowing. This course explores cases of extraordinary knowing in Aquinas. After studying the groundwork that Aquinas lays in his broader theory of Divine, angelic, and human knowledge, we will examine special cases such as that of Adam, Christ, the separated soul, prophets, rapture, faith, and the beatific vision.

One of the factors that strike many about the African continent generally is the role that religion seems to play in all spheres of life. Africa thus remains a religiously diverse and dynamic continent, where not only Catholicism, but also Christianity in general, Islam, and African indigenous traditions are at home. While this is the case, on the political and economic front, things do not seem to be so positive. Political instability, civil wars, poverty, and increasingly ecological degradation are ever growing challenges. How do we understand and account for this apparent contradiction between a culturally and religiously rich continent and an economically and politically distressed continent? What role does religion—Christianity in particular—play in development? Religion, Peace and Development engages these and similar questions through a three-week immersive cultural, international, and educational experience in Uganda. The overall objectives of the course are to: 1) enable students to learn about Uganda's cultural, religious and political history as an introduction to the broader trends that shape history in sub-Saharan Africa; 2) offer students an immersive experience into the natural, cultural and social dimensions of African life; and 3) provide students with an opportunity for community engagement as a way to deepen their understanding of the challenges and possibilities of peace and development in rural Uganda.

A formative moment in Christian spirituality occurred from the 4th through 7th centuries when men and women left the city to go into the wilderness, in imitation of Jesus (Mt 4:1-11), in order to find a deeper relationship to God. This course will provide a grounding in the spirituality of the so-called desert fathers and mothers that emerged during this period (approximately half the course) in order better to understand other persons and movements in the Christian tradition that have made the same movement since, including figures and texts from Celtic Spirituality, and contemporary figures such as Kathleen Norris, Thomas Merton, and the iconographer William Hart McNichols. This course will be taught as a complement to "Contemplative Ecology," which students should also be taking. The course is discussion based, with weekly reflections on the readings, a written midterm, and a final oral exam/conversation with the instructor.

In this one-credit course, students will work as research apprentices with a particular faculty member on specific research projects.

This course consists of research and writing on an approved subject under the direction of a faculty member.

This course consists of research and writing on an approved subject under the direction of a faculty member.

Under the direction of a faculty member, students define a topic, undertake independent research, and write a thesis. This course is largely for the joint THEO-PHIL major who chooses to write the senior thesis in theology. It may be used in other special circumstances.

Dedicated to the completion and defense of an Honors Thesis.

Students who are accepted to the theology honors program research their topics during fall semester under the direction of a faculty advisor.

The Colloquium (1 cr.) and the Thesis Research (2 cr.) are designed to help writers of senior theses in Theology to make steady, joyful progress in conducting their research and fine-tuning the argumentative design of their research project. The Colloquium should provide a sense of esprit-de-corps for the thesis writers; introduce students to general reference sources and theological data-bases; and help young scholars to become self-aware of methods of research and conventions in academic theological writing.