Graduate Level Theology Course Descriptions

Below is a sampling of typically offered courses for Spring 2007.

THEO 60-102 : New Testament Introduction

Instructor: Mary Rose D'Angelo
CRN: 23876
Time: T H 11:00-12:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: This course provides an overview and critical study of the New Testament in its historical, literary and theological context. The focus will be on reading and gaining an informed understanding of the New Testament text, and tools for further work. Special attention will be paid to the christologies of the writings and the role of the spirit in earliest Christianity. Issues of contemporary theology will also be addressed, as will development of the canon. Extra-canonical texts (Qumran texts, extra-canonical gospels) will help in locating it the rich religious and cultural world of the later Hellenistic era and the early Roman empire. The course is designed to prepare students both for doctoral work in biblical studies and other areas of theological study, and for intelligent use of the Biblical text in pastoral or educational settings.

Requirements:
Attendance and participation, including some short (1 page) assignments and quizzes; 20%
Major written work (80%):
M. Div.: three short (5 pages-1500 words) papers, one of which must be a homily preparation.
MTS: one short and one longer exegetical paper; students from areas other than Biblical Studies can relate this paper to their own areas.

For both: Take-home essay final: Some negotiation on written assignments is possible.

Goals: At the end of the course students should have

1. Read the New Testament in its entirety, and a significant number of texts from its context
2. Become alert to generic cues in the ancient texts, have a grasp of some of the theories about the historical and social contexts of these books, and demonstrate the ability to use genre and context in approaching the texts.
3. Become aware of major theological concerns in each of the NT authors.
4. Be able to think exegetically and theologically about contemporary discussions in which the NT text plays a role.
5. Made progress integrating interpretation of the NT into your long-term vocational education:
e.g. for M. Div. students, on using exegetical work to produce homilies or make lesson plans.

THEO 60-108 : Wisdom Literature/Pslams

Instructor: James VanderKam
CRN: 27920
Time: TBA
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: The course offers a survey of the scriptural wisdom books (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, Wisdom) and the Book of Psalms. The wisdom works will be studied in their historical contexts and their central themes will be explored; the major forms of the psalms and their settings will be studied. There will be a midterm and final exam and a paper.

THEO 60-114 : Pauline Letters

Instructor: Jerome Neyrey
CRN: 26960
Time: T R 2:00-3:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: This course examines in exegetical detail all of the letters of Paul, especially the seven undisputed ones. While himself not truly a systematic theologian, Paul was constantly engaged with important and persistent questions about the significance of Jesus' death, the character of the Christian God, the nature of our association as disciples of Jesus, the correct interpretation of the Scriptures, etc. These questions have continued to be asked over the centuries in different ways, but Paul's initial response has remains influential. Since this course is offered to professionals, both those seeking to do ministry and those seeking further theological education, it will have a strong exegetical component to assist students for preaching, teaching and research. Hence, the focus rests on the documents themselves and critical modes of analysis and reading (esp. rhetoric and culture). Normally two 6 pages exegesis papers are required, plus a final examination.

THEO 60-139 : Prophetical Literature in Hebrew Bible

Instructor: Ronnie Goldstein
CRN:
Time: F 8:00-10:30
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: This course will deal with issues crucial to the origin and development of ancient Israelite prophecy and its culmination in the canonical books of the prophets. We will approach the material by means of a close reading of selected passages in the prophetic books. In this way the student will become familiar with a variety of different approaches to these books and the main tools for studying them. The readings will allow us to pursue several topics in greater depth: the distinctive message of each Prophetic book; the poetics of biblical prophecy; the historical and social setting of the prophets; Biblical prophecy and ancient Near Eastern prophecy; inner-Biblical exegesis of the prophecies, and the way in which the prophecies were actualized by latter communities.

Requirements:
Attendance and participation (20%)
Midterm and final written work (80%)

THEO 60-228 : Patristic Exegesis

Instructor: John Cavadini
CRN: 26961
Time: M W 8:00-9:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: This course will be an examination of traditions of biblical interpretation in the early Church. Since the greatest proportion of exegetical literature in the early Church was homiletic, this course will also entail n examination of traditions of preaching. We will devote considerable attention to ancient allegorical schools of interpretation (Origen) to reactions against it (“Antiochene” exegesis), and to Western exegetes (Augustine, Gregory the Great). We will also look at the uses of the Bible in ascetical literature (desert Father and Mothers, etc). Requirements will include short papers and a final exam.

THEO 60-243 : Theology of Soren Kierkegaard

Instructor: Randall Zachman
CRN: 26966
Time: M W 3:00-4:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: Soren Kierkegaard is best known for the writings he published during what he called his "first authorship," which include many works published by pseudonyms, such as Fear and Trembling and Philosophical Fragments. The first authorship came to an end with the publication of Concluding Unscientific Postscript, after which Kierkegaard had resolved to write no more. However, with his publication in the same year of A Literary Review: Two Ages, a Novel by the Author of a Story of Everyday Life, Kierkegaard entered upon what he considered is "second authorship," one in which most of his publications would be in his own name. This course will examine the major writings produced by Kierkegaard during this second authorship, beginning with A Literary Review, which presents Kierkegaard's insights into the relationship between "the established order" and "the individual," an issue which would preoccupy him for the rest of his writing career. We will look at several of the Edifying Discourses he wrote during this period, such as Purity of Heart and The Gospel of Sufferings, and focus in particular on Works of Love, The Sickness unto Death, and Practice in Christianity. We will attend in particular to Kierkegaard's understanding of the "collision" that takes place between the love of God and human compassion and sympathy, and the "possibility of offence" that this collision creates. This course assumes no prior knowledge of the theology of Kierkegaard.

THEO 60-244 : Jewish/Christian Debates in Middle Ages

Instructor: Michael Signer
CRN:
Time: T R 12:30-1:45
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: The encounter between Judaism and Christianity has been grounded in diverging hermeneutical approaches to the Hebrew Scripture or Old Testament. From the New Testament texts onward the Christian tradition has appropriated the Hebrew Bible and incorporated its ideas. In the apostolic and patristic period the introduction of apologetic literature utilized the exegesis of Hebrew Scripture to refute truth claims that rabbinic Jews offered. Rabbinic literature, while not developing a specific genre of apologetics, included refutations of heretical viewpoints. This course begins with a discussion and description of both Jewish and Christian texts in the rabbinic and patristic period. Particular emphasis will be given to the ways Jews and Christians in the medieval world reappropriated the ancient traditions. We shall consider the literary qualities of these texts and their relationship to the social reality of Christians and Jews during the Middle Ages. Students will also acquire bibliographic skills to do advanced work in this field.

Course Requirements

  1. Active participation in classroom discussions
  2. Three analytic papers of 7-10 pages.
  3. A term paper of 15 pages on a topic to be determined by student and instructor

Readings [selected]

David Berger, The Jewish-Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages
Jeremy Cohen, Living Letters of the Law
Gilbert Dahan, The Christian Polemic Against Jews in the High Middle Ages
Amos Funkenstein, Perceptions of Jewish History
Jacob Katz, Exclusiveness and Tolerance
Michael A. Signer and John H. Van Engen [eds], Jews and Christians in 12th Century Europe
Israel J. Yuval, Two Nations are in your Womb

THEO 60-246 : U.S. Latino Catholicism

Instructor: Timothy Matovina & Virgil Elizondo
CRN: 26964
Time: T R 9:30-10:45
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: Latina and Latino Catholics have lived their faith in what is now the continental United States for almost twice as long as the nation has existed. This course explores the origins and development of Latino Catholicism in the United States, particularly the theological contributions of contemporary Latinas and Latinos.

THEO 60-403 : Christian Initiation

Instructor: Max Johnson
CRN: 22450
Time: M W 3:00-4:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: This course will trace the historical development of the liturgies and theological interpretations of Christian Initiation in East and West from the New Testament period to the modern period of ecumenical convergence. In light of this historical investigation some modern forms of these rites (e.g., RCIA, LBW, BCP, etc.) will be considered theologically and ecumenically with an eye toward pastoral appropriations and implications.

THEO 60-407 : Liturgical Theology

Instructor: David Fagerberg
CRN: 26965
Time: M W 1:30-2:45
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: Liturgy is not a branch of esthetics, it is the root of theology. We will explore the proposition that lex orandi establishes lex credendi in three ways. First, we will examine the purpose and method of liturgical theology as expressed by various authors, but especially Schmemann, Kavanagh, and Taft. Second, we will examine the difference this approach makes when treating traditional theological subjects (e.g. worship, ecclesiology, eschatology, sacrifice, the relationship between church and world, etc.). Third, we will especially consider how liturgical theology bears on sacramentology. This course will thus be useful to M.A. and M.T.S. students as an introduction to the discipline, and to M.Div. students for a coherent understanding of sacraments expressing the life of the Church.

THEO 60-423 : 20th Century Church Music

Instructor: Michael Joncas
CRN: 26966
Time: T R 11:00-12:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: Survey of vocal music intended for and employed in Christian worship from 1900 CE to the present. Denominational documents and scholarly/theoretical writings treating worship music. Analysis and evaluation of selected compositions from denominational hymnals and selected composers.

THEO 60-601 : Foundations of Moral Theology

Instructor: Paulinus Odozor
CRN: 21165
Time: T R 3:30-4:45
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: The aim of this course is to introduce the student to the study of the basic elements of Christian moral experience and understanding as well as to the criteria of Christian moral judgment and action. The texts, which have been chosen for this course, cover areas related to nature and history of moral theology, the sources of Christian moral knowledge, moral agency, and the resources and methods for moral decision-making. The course concludes with a study of the moral teaching of Pope John Paul II in Veritatis Splendor.

THEO 60-612 : Human Rights and Christian Ethics

Instructor: Jean Porter
CRN: 26946
Time: T R 9:30-10:45
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: The pressures of an increasingly interconnected global society have generated new interest in developing a doctrine of universal human rights. Christian ethicists and theologians have been at the forefront of these efforts, and at the same time, they have also been among the most stringent critics of rights oriented approaches to our common life. In this course, we will examine the doctrine of universal human rights from a variety of perspectives, with a particular focus on recent theological defenses or criticisms of this doctrine. Particular attention will be given to debates over human rights in the context of feminism, economic justice, and globalization.

THEO 60-620 : Ethics, Law & International Conflict

Instructor: Gerard Powers
CRN: 28091
Time: T R 2:00-3:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: The terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the war in Iraq have contributed to a dramatic examination of moral and legal norms governing the role of military force in international affairs. This course provides an introduction to legal and moral perspectives on issues of war and peace, with special attention to Catholic social teaching. Topics include the UN framework for collective security, collective enforcement, and peacekeeping; terrorism, aggression and self-defense; intervention on behalf of self-determination and human rights; norms governing the conduct of war; accountability for war crimes; and approaches to arms control and disarmament. These topics are discussed with special attention to their application in combating global terrorism, the interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the wars in the Balkans, and other recent conflicts. Introductory course in Ethics and/or International Law helpful but not necessary to succeed in this course.

THEO 60-806 : Ecclesiology

Instructor: Thomas Prugl
CRN: 20475
Time: T R 8:00-9:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description:

THEO 60-808 : Mystery of God

Instructor: Cyril O'Regan
CRN: 23078
Time: M W 11:45-1:00
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description:

The general aim of the course is introduce to the student to the Catholic tradition of reflection on the triune God who always remains mysterious even in, or precisely in, his revelation in and in our lives. The pedagogic aim is familiarity with the tradition that is the Church’s common possession. The hope I entertain, however, is that this tradition might be truly appropriated, its meaning and meaningfulness embodied, and its truth witnessed. The course necessarily will have a historical bent. It will commence with the patristic period, and move from there to the contemporary period of reflection on the triune God through the medieval period. My interest, however, is not ultimately that of a chronological sketch. In the patristic section of the course, my major concern is with the formation of Trinitarian doctrine, with how and why Christians, eventually made their conviction of God’s triune an article of faith. Undoubtedly, one will find in the formation of doctrine a good amount of intellectual sorting out, but I will try to draw attention to the more holistic environment n which intellectual reflection was one thread in a complex tapestry that included liturgy, biblical interpretation, and the ethical practices of the community. In the section entitled ‘the classical tradition,’ I want to explore the tradition of reflection on the Trinity from a number of different points of view. I want to indicate that Nicaean creed did not bring and end to theological reflection, but promoted it, as the Trinitarian doctrine had to meet new and complex challenges both from within and without the church. The examples of Augustine and Bonaventure are crucial here. Equally I want to underscore that the theological tradition did simply regard the doctrine of the Trinity as something that engages the mind, the most challenging kind of intellectual puzzle. I do this by emphasizing how in the East as well as the West the triune God is the goal as well as origin of the mystical life. The section on contemporary Trinitarian thought features the work of Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Both of these theologians are conscious of the marginalization of the Trinity in modern piety and theological reflection, and strive to reverse the fortunes of Trinitarian thought and reflection. They argue for a holistic understanding of the Trinity that reflects the fact that doctrine itself represents and interpretation of God’s activity in history and in human life. A contemporary issue in Trinitarian thought that will receive particular attention is the issue of whether the triune God suffers, and if so in what way. This remains, as we will see, an open question.

Required Texts:
Augustine, De Trinitate
Walter Kasper, The God of Jesus Christ
Karl Rahner, The Trinity
William Rusch, The Trinitarian Controversy

Course Packet

Texts Recommended:
Edmund Hil, Mystery of the Trinity
Elizabeth John, She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse
J.N. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines
Catherine LaCugna, God for Us
John O’Donnell, The Mystery of the Triune God

THEO 60-817 : Myth and Story

Instructor: John Dunne
CRN: 23880
Time: M W 1:00-2:15
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: “I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?...Don’t the great tales never end?” (J.R.R. Tolkien). Our course will be about myth and story with a view to this question, “What kind of story are we in?” and the more personal question each of us can ask, “What kind of story am I in?”

(A) the Life Story
Reading: Dunne, Time and Myth
Levi-Strauss, Myth and Meaning
Tolkien, The Tolkien Reader (essay on fairy tales

Handout: Helen Luke’s essay on choices in Tolkien, and essays on storytelling by Auden, Benjamin, and Colum

Writing: an essay on “What kind of story are we in?”

(B) the Spiritual Adventure
Reading: Dunne, The Mystic Road of Love
MacDonald, The Golden Key
Read, The Green Child

Writing: an essay on “What kind of story am I?”

(C) the Journey with God in Time,

Reading: Dunne, The Road of the Heat’s Desire
Jung, Answer to Job
Rilke, Stories of God

Writing: a final take-home on all three parts of the course

THEO 60-824 : Educating in Faith: Catechesis in Catholic Schools

Instructor: Jan Poorman
CRN: 22883
Time: T R 12:30-1:45
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: This course is designed to assist current or prospective teachers of religion/theology at the junior-high and high school levels in the catechesis of adolescents in Catholic schools. The course is also helpful for those anticipating a career in pastoral, and most especially catechetical, ministry with adolescents and adults. The course is open to Theology students at the undergraduate and graduate levels and to Notre Dame undergraduates with minors in Education, Schooling, and Society. Within class sessions designed to be highly dialogical, interactive, and prayerful, participants explore both theological and practical/pedagogical dimensions of the process of catechesis. Required readings are drawn from the National Directory for Catechesis, the General Directory for Catechesis, and The Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as from the works of several theologians and educational theorists who have contributed significant responses to the two central questions addressed in this course: "What is Catechesis?" and "How Do We Engage in Catechesis in the Context of Catholic Schools?" During this course, participants explore all of the central tasks that constitute the holistic process of catechesis as delineated in the general and national Catholic catechetical directories and other catechetical documents and as adapted for use in Catholic schools: communicating knowledge of the mystery of God's self-revelation; fostering maturity of faith and moral development; sharing and celebrating faith by forming Christian communities of prayerful people; promoting Christian service and social justice; and witnessing to faith through pedagogy and by the example of authentic spiritual lives.

THEO 60-838 : Orders and Ministry

Instructor: David Fagerberg
CRN: 23385
Time: M W 11:45-1:00
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: This course begins by putting ministry in an ecclesiological context leading to Lumen Gentium. It then examines the forms of that ministry in the Church: ordained priesthood, the lay apostolate, and lay ecclesial ministry. A theology of ordained and baptized priesthood is considered first, the apostolate of the baptized priesthood is treated second, and recent developments in the United States concerning lay ecclesial ministers is studied third. Students will read the relevant official documents coming out of Vatican II. By a format of seminar discussion, they should gain a vocabulary and principles for articulating their own ministerial identity.

THEO 60-852 : Metaphysics and Christian Theology

Instructor: Michael Rea
CRN:
Time: M W 11:45-1:00
Credit: 3.0
Area:
Graded: Letter
Level: Graduate

Description: Since the early 1980s, philosophers of religion in the so-called analytic style‚ have gradually turned their attention toward the analysis and explication of some of the core doctrines of Christian theology. The result has been a growing body of philosophical work on topics that have traditionally been the provenance of systematic theologians work which has typically been informed by and sometimes crucially relied upon the latest developments in contemporary metaphysics. Oddly, however, and apparently at least partly due to substantive methodological disagreements, there has been little precious dialogue between contemporary philosophers and theologians on these topics of mutual interest; and so the resulting bodies of literature in both disciplines have developed largely independently of one another.

This course has two goals. The first is to explore some of the ways in which attention to some of the central problems and developments in contemporary metaphysics can help to illuminate and facilitate discussion of conceptually problematic Christian doctrines. Among the doctrines we will discuss are the Trinity, the Incarnation, and original sin. Time permitting, we will also discuss theories of immortality and divine providence. The second is to examine some of the apparent methodological disagreements that currently inhibit dialogue between philosophers and theologians on these topics. To this end, we will look at, among other things, some of the recent literature on realism in theology and realism in metaphysics. The course will presuppose NO advanced background in either metaphysics or theology. By the end of the course, philosophers and theologians alike should expect to have a clear understanding of some of the difficult conceptual issues involved in the doctrines we discuss, of the contours of the metaphysical debates that we will bring to bear on trying to make sense of these doctrines, and of some of the methodological divisions that currently separate many philosophers and theologians.

Texts: Probably Peter Byrne, God and Realism (Ashgate); Stephen Davis, et. al. (eds.), The Trinity (Oxford University Press); Stephen Davis, et. al., (eds.) The Incarnation (Oxford University Press); a course packet of readings in contemporary metaphysics and philosophical theology; and manuscripts from Michael Rea and Oliver Crisp (eds.), Analytic Theology: New Essays in Theological Method (Oxford University Press, forthcoming).

Course Requirements: A research paper, 15 - 20 pages. There may also be a few additional requirements (e.g., in-class presentations, a couple of shorter papers) designed primarily with the aim of promoting substantive dialogue between philosophers and theologians taking the course.

THEO 60-947: Liturgical Celebration/Ministry II

Instructor:
CRN: 21654
Time: M 9:00-11:30
Credit: 2.0
Area: MDIV
Graded:
Level: Graduate

Description: Theory and practice of ministerial roles at baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick and funerals. Designed especially for M.Div. students, the course will explore the underlying "official" theology of each of the rites, expressed in the praenotanda, prayers and rubrics as well as the "ritual" theology uncovered in the actual celebration of the rites. Additionally, Rite II for reconciliation will be examined, but not celebrated. [There is no additional "lab session" for this course.] Students will prepare a) a brief paper on one theological aspect of the rite (to be divided in class) and b) a brief report on the "ritual theology" of the celebrated event. Required readings will include "The Rites" as well as articles in a course packet.

THEO 60-950 : Preaching III

Instructor: Craig Satterlee
CRN: 20582
Time: R 9:30-11:30
Credit: 2.0
Area: MDIV
Graded:
Level: Graduate

Description: A continuation of Preaching II, with emphasis on the theological and social dimensions of preaching. The main work of the course will be preparation, delivery and review of homilies. Assigned readings to be discussed in class. In addition to preaching and reading assignments, each student will prepare a short paper on a theology of preaching.

THEO 60-951 : Reconcilliation Ministry

Instructor: Peter Jarret
CRN: 21206
Time: TBA
Credit: 1.0
Area: MDIV
Graded:
Level: Graduate

Description: Reconciliation Ministry is designed to: (1) introduce ministry students to the history and theology of the sacrament of reconciliation; (2) provide an initial “confessional experience” (practicum) from which students can benefit from guidance, supervision, and constructive criticism; (3) assist students in understanding the importance of penance/reconciliation in the life and ministry of the Church.

THEO 60-958 : Initiation Ministry

Instructor: Michael Connors
CRN: 28586
Time: TBA March 23rd and 24th
Credit: 1.0
Area: MDIV
Graded:
Level: Graduate

Description: This course will consist of a two-day workshop conducted by members of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate: Jim Schellman, Executive Director of the Forum and double N.D. alumnus, and Rita Ferrone. The workshop dates are March 23 & 24, 2007, to be held at Moreau Seminary, exact times TBA. The workshop will develop an understanding of the liturgical rites of Initiation, with special attention to the ministries necessary for a thorough and comprehensive Initiation process: e.g. priests, catechists, sponsors, ect.

THEO 63-001 : Synthesis Seminar

Instructor: Michael Connors
CRN: 20477
Time: W 9:30-11:30
Credit: 2.0
Area: MDIV
Graded:
Level: Graduate

Description: The Synthesis Seminar is both a point of arrival and a point of departure -- arrival, in that it seeks to integrate the course of formal studies with one's theology of ministry, and departure in that it is provisional, leaving one with questions for the journey. Each student chooses a topic that will serve as a focus for synthesis. Synthesis should illustrate both theological and ministerial preparedness. In developing the topic, attention is to be paid to at least three theological areas (Scripture, systematics, history, ethics, liturgy and practical theology...). Oral presentation and major paper.

THEO 65-932 : Field Education I: Images and Models of Ministry II

Instructor: Michael Connors
CRN: 22017
Time: M 3-5:45
Credit: 2.0
Area: MDIV
Graded:
Level: Graduate

Description: Through supervision and seminars, students continue to form their identities as ministers, sharpen skills for theological reflection upon pastoral praxis, and deepen theological understanding of ministry. The case study method is introduced, and each student prepares one case study. The semester ends with evaluations by both students and supervisors.

THEO 65-934 : Field Education II: Articulating Faith II

Instructor: Janice Poorman
CRN: 22413
Time: W 10-11:30
Credit: 2.0
Area: MDIV
Graded:
Level: Graduate

Description: Field Education is an integral component of education for ecclesial ministry. Through field education, students pursue the integration of theological competence with pastoral skill in a developing identity as a public minister. The goal of the second year of field education is facility in articulating the Christian faith, particularly as understood in Roman Catholic tradition, and in fostering the development of faith with others.

The goal is approached through a threefold constellation of learning contexts: field work in a ministry placement, supervision of that work, and a field education seminar. The primary learning dynamic for the seminar is dialogical and includes conversation about assigned texts and critical incidents as reported by participants using the prescribed case study method for this course.