/ This course invites students to engage with the New Testament as both a snapshot of the early Church's faith and as a timeless source of further theological reflection. Students will come to know the key figures, events, and concepts of the New Testament through reading of both primary and secondary sources. Finally, the course will also explore the place of the Christian Scriptures in the life of the Church and also for the individual believer. Available only through the College Credit Program.
This course will serve as an introduction to the discipline of theology as it is studied at the collegiate level. Students will reflect deeply on the nature of faith and deepen their understanding of what makes Catholicism distinctive. Over the course of the semester, students will consider Catholic history, doctrine, the Catholic imagination, Catholic liturgy, social teaching and more. Students will develop a robust theological vocabulary through readings, class discussions and writing. Available only through the College Credit Program.
This course introduces students to the principal elements of Christian theology, particularly in the Catholic tradition, including biblical studies, historical and systematic theology, and ethics. It addresses foundational theologic questions, including: What does it mean to study God, and why do we do it; what sources are available for the investigation of God and how do we evaluate these sources; what images and metaphors have been and continue to be used for God; and what implications does belief in God have on ethical behavior and the building of communities?
The Bible plays a greater role in American culture than in any other Western society, a fact demonstrated by the current debates surrounding the teaching of evolution in public schools or the legalization of same-sex marriage. This course explores the following questions: What are the historical reasons for the Bible’s present influence; what were the social, political, literary and religious beliefs of the biblical authors; how has the biblical text been interpreted by both Jews and Christians for the past 2,000 years; and how have these interpretations influenced modern beliefs about the Bible.
In its most basic sense, theology is talk about God. This course investigates the Christian tradition’s quest to speak rightly about God by exploring the historical development of the Trinitarian doctrine as well as engaging contemporary understandings of God. It gives attention to currents of feminist, liberationist and process models for God as well as concepts of God in a post-modern, religiously plural world. Theology and religious studies majors/minors should take THRS 209 Doctrine of God to fulfill a major/minor requirement.
In its most basic sense, theology is talk about God. This course investigates the Christian tradition’s “God talk” by exploring the historical development of doctrines of God as well as engaging contemporary images and concepts of God, giving attention to currents of feminist, liberationist, process and post-modernist understandings of God.
Examines the historical development of religious movements in America, both mainstream and peripheral groups, and analyzes the religious perceptions by which Americans have viewed themselves as a nation and culture, including a contemporary assessment.
This course examines the nature of the liturgy and the sacraments as the forum in which the church expresses and forms its identity and mission in the world. The course examines the historical evolution of the seven traditional sacraments as well as the other major rites of the church. Finally, the course explores the implications of the reformed liturgy for Christian life and ministry in the contemporary world.
A study providing a rational assessment of religious beliefs and concepts and of arguments used in their support. The course considers contemporary challenges to the belief in God and the responses to these challenges. Fall semester, alternate years.
A study of the major philosophical and religious traditions of South and East Asia. The course emphasizes the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The ethical, metaphysical and epistemological aspects of each major tradition are covered. Fall semester.
This course explores the meaning and significance of sexuality and sex for human fulfillment. It examines the ethics of intimate and sexual relationships in light of Christian theological and scriptural traditions as well as reason (including social and scientific sources) and contemporary human experience. Specific topics under examination include the “hookup culture” on contemporary college campuses, the social construction of gender and sexual expression, unmarried sexuality, same-sex relations, contraception, abortion, and sexual violence. Students engage with various theological, philosophical, natural and social science sources, including imagery in the popular media, traditional Roman Catholic teaching, “revisionist” theological perspectives, and feminist insights regarding the body, sex and human relationships more generally.
This course examines the history of Christianity in its theological, social and institutional dimensions, from the New Testament era to the present. This development is studied in a variety of historical and cultural contexts, presenting through representative figures and issues both continuity and diversity in Christian thought and life in the midst of society. This course prepares theology and religious studies majors/minors for more advanced courses in the theology and religious studies curriculum.
This course examines the fascinating stories surrounding the loss and rediscovery of significant text collections in the history of Judaism and Christianity, for example, the Cairo Genizah, the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, the Aleppo Codex and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Each of these collections played a significant role in their respective communities, and their rediscovery in the modern era reveals much about contemporary scholarship, particularly the impact of colonialism and orientalism in the encounter between Western scholars of Judaism and Christianity and Middle Eastern cultures. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course introduces students to both historical-critical and postmodernist methods in academic biblical research. Students learn the assumptions behind these methods, their usefulness to biblical interpretation, and how to use them. Theology and religious studies majors/minors only.
This course explores the moral and religious dimensions of marriage and family, with particular attention to resources within the Catholic Christian tradition. It addresses such questions as: What does it mean to place the marriage commitment and the wider commitment to the family in the context of a relationship to God; what does it mean to consider marriage a vocation and sacrament; how does the vocation of marriage develop over time; how do careers, children, aging parents and other obligations affect the marriage relationship; what does it take to sustain a lifelong marital commitment in our culture; and what are the distinct characteristics and responsibilities of Christian family life.
This course prepares students to consider and develop their own place as leaders in the interfaith landscape of the United States. We begin by mapping the interreligious history and landscape of America, exploring some of the world’s prominent religious traditions through the lives of their practitioners within our own borders--including on-site visits to various communities. We then define the concept of “interfaith leadership” through investigating the work of prominent interfaith leaders in America’s history. The third portion of the class asks students to consider the role of interfaith cooperation in some of the most prominent social issues of contemporary America. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course explores the nature and mission of the church from the early Christian communities to the present day. Special attention is given to the theology of the church that emerged from the Second Vatican Council, especially the essential communal nature of Christianity. Attention is also given to challenges that confront the church today, including issues of sexuality, women in the church, celibacy, and how the church is called both to witness and to be challenged by society.
The course traces the development from the polytheistic religions of the ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds and the multiple origins of ancient theological and philosophical critiques of those beliefs, which in turn led to the belief in a single deity understood in various ways. Careful attention is given to the rationales used to both support and undermine long-held religious systems, along with the ongoing development in the understanding of a single supreme being.
This course is an examination of the figure of the Virgin Mary, as she has been experienced by Christians (and some non-Christians) for the last two millennia. We study the development of her cult by examining canonical and non-canonical scripture, Mary in art, the development of Marian doctrine and dogma in the Catholic church, Mary’s role in Protestantism and Islam, Marian apparitions, and Mary as a figure of liberation and oppression. The course also includes a field trip to the Marian apparition site in Champion, Wis. As a major focus of Christian life and devotion, examining the figure of Mary and the role she has played in the lives of believers is an important part of understanding the Christian tradition.
An attempt to answer the biblical question “And who do you say that I am?” is a central issue of theology. This course looks at today’s answers formulated in continuity with scripture and tradition but shaped in the light of contemporary culture and experience.
This course will engage the contributions of U.S. Latinx Catholic thinkers in the field of theology connected to specific issues, concerns, and beliefs unique to the Hispanic/Latinx communities. The context of U.S. Latinx catholicity will be contextualized within the pre-colonial Indigenous communities and the Spanish colonial project that inflicted trauma-violence against indigenous and African communities in the newly named Americas. In forming responsible citizens and deepening spiritual values in an increasingly interdependent and diverse world committed to dismantling all structures of oppression. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course introduces students to feminist theology as a theology of liberation, examines its foundations in feminist theory and Christian revisionist sources, and explores its contributions to the Christian, especially the Catholic, faith tradition. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course examines the history of Christianity in its theological, social and institutional dimensions, from the New Testament era to the present. This development is studied in a variety of historical and cultural contexts, presenting through representative figures and issues both continuity and diversity in Christian thought and life in the midst of society. For non-theology and religious studies majors/minors only. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
The Hebrew Bible is an intriguing mix of unity and diversity, due mostly to the fact that it is a composite literary collection that draws together numerous independent tales and narrative fragments. Beyond this, in the pages of the Hebrew Bible, one also finds three important relationships. First, because the Old Testament is both ancient Near-Eastern literature and a scripture for present day Jews and Christians, there is the relationship between the past and the present. Second, because the Hebrew Bible is the object of scholarly study and an integral part of religious belief, there is also the relationship between the academy and communities of faith. Third, because the Hebrew Bible, although part of the Christian Bible, was written by non-Christians many years before the birth of Jesus and today functions as the sacred scriptures of two distinct religious traditions, there is the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course uncovers the untold and often troubling stories about women in the world of biblical literature. The material provokes thought and dialogue regarding the biblical writers’ perspectives on gender, sexuality and personhood. Students are encouraged to think honestly and courageously about their own assumptions regarding authority and identity and participation in unjust social systems. Students learn new methodologies to analyze gender and sexuality in order to rethink long-held social norms. Throughout the course, students regularly reflect on how biblical representations impact the roles of women and men in contemporary society. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course examines various possibilities for making sense of the traditional Christian belief in an omnipotent, all-loving, providential God in light of the contemporary awareness of the immensity and tragedy of human suffering and the growing recognition of the depth and radicalness of human freedom. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
What is the good life? What can a person truly know? Is there justice in the world? These are some of the fundamental, universal questions of the human condition. This course raises these questions and looks at how the biblical wisdom literature answers them, along with similar writings from elsewhere in the ancient world as well as modern literature and film. As a result of this analysis, students have the opportunity to construct a coherent and viable structure of meaning for their own life journeys. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
Queer Theology is not—or, at least, is not only—theology told from the perspective of LGBTQ+ people. When properly understood, Queer Theology is a revolutionary frontier in our thinking about the entire theological project. Course participants will explore the contours of this revolution and will ask foundational questions in Christian theology anew: Who is God? Who is Jesus? How should we think of the Church and its mission? Beyond this, we will begin to explore the new geographies opened up by Queer Theology: How do queer identities and sexual practices reveal new frontiers in Christian ethics? How can queer ritual practices revitalize Christianity? What is the future of Christianity for LGBTQ+ people? Course participants will venture their own answers to these questions, both through writing assignments that will allow them to demonstrate effective communication, and through the creation of a reflection service developed in collaboration with insights from performance and liturgical studies. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course examines the writings of the New Testament and the creation of those texts within the context of Second Temple Judaism and the larger Greco-Roman world. Students consider the canonical New Testament, in addition to select non-canonical writings, and the larger question of why certain texts were canonized and others were not. Students develop skills in close reading of biblical texts, engagement with the traditions and contributions of critical biblical scholarship, including the principles of Catholic biblical interpretation, and the process of contextualizing biblical texts in the social, political and religious environment of the Greco-Roman world. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
The examination of the historical and contemporary relation of Jews and Christians, through a study of critical events, comparative literature and correlated theologies in an analysis that recognizes both interrelated unity and tragic antagonism. In line with Catholic teaching on the Shoah, the course strives to create a deeper understanding of the interrelated causes of genocides in general and of the Holocaust in particular. Students should become more aware of the relationship between religious discourse and its political and social ties, as well as the complicity of all human beings in unjust social structures. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course explores the connection between being a Christian and being a morally responsible person. It addresses foundational questions of ethics in light of the Christian narrative, such as: What kind of people should we be, what should we do, and what sort of communities should we construct? It therefore focuses on three dynamic, interdependent dimensions of morality: character, choices and community. Some applied ethical issues are examined. Theology and religious studies majors/minors should sign up for THRS 433. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course examines the relationship between morality, happiness and the good life by focusing on the qualities of character that are necessary for human flourishing, especially the virtues. Special attention is given to the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude, as well as the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. The second half of the course explores the seven capital vices that are most detrimental to human well-being: envy, vainglory, sloth, greed, anger, gluttony and lust. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course involves reading mystical literature of the Christian tradition in order to understand this important dimension of Christian theology and experience. Through extensive reading of a wide range of primary documents across many eras, students are able to explore this important, but often overlooked, dimension of the Christian tradition. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course examines the role and contents of normative religious texts in some of the major religions of the world (e.g., Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism). Students are introduced to the different ways that authoritative religious texts are viewed by their adherents, understand how their authority is exercised in their respective traditions and read a good portion of primary sources from these different traditions. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course offers a critical and comparative introduction to the world’s non-Christian and mostly non-Western religious traditions. Focusing on Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Islam and several indigenous religions as well as new religious movements, the course investigates and compares these traditions with special attention given to contexts. A key component of this course involves examining the phenomenon of globalization and the issues of diversity and interaction between traditions. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course introduces students to Islam and the rich field of Muslim-Christian relations, both historically and theologically, and also prepares students for interreligious encounters in the world today. To that end, the course has four units: (1) an introduction to Islam and Muslims; (2) a brief historical overview of Christian-Muslim relations; (3) a discussion of key theological differences and similarities between Christianity and Islam; (4) a look at the importance of Christian-Muslim dialogue today, especially as it relates to the experiences of Muslims in America and contemporary issues such as migration and refugees. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
In what ways is Christian, theological self-understanding informed by encountering non-Christian religions? This course gives particular attention to themes such as cosmopolitanism, hybridity, pluralism and relativism. First, students examine Christian theological resources — both traditional and emerging — for understanding religious diversity. Secondly they explore the development, beliefs, and practices of the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic traditions. Students draw on the Christian theological framework to answer constructively questions about the relationship between Christianity and these religious groups. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course is an introductory exploration of the theology of prayer and the spiritual life. It explores the realm of religious faith and the various means by which humans enter into an explicit relationship with God. Students are exposed to the various schools of Christian spirituality as they have arisen in the history of the Christian community. In addition, class sessions are devoted to discussing the relationships of spirituality with the human condition. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course is an introduction to Catholic theology in light of the Second Vatican Council. It examines developments in Catholic theologies of God, Christ, the Church, the sacraments and especially the fundamental elements of Catholic morality. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course identifies the central distinguishing characteristics of the Catholic intellectual tradition. It examines the impact of the tradition in art, literature, philosophy and science. Finally, the course entails a critical appraisal of the distinctiveness of the Catholic intellectual tradition and an evaluation of its unique accomplishments and shortcomings. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course is an in-depth study of one or more major issues confronting contemporary religion. Students are challenged to make concrete applications of the role of theology and religious practice in issues of the early 21st century, and to evaluate the impact of the heritage and tradition on their own thinking and on society in general. Topics change from semester to semester but may include such issues as the Holocaust, nuclear weapons, abortion, racism and church-state relations. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
This course examines the varied responses to the biblical question “And who do you say that I am?” It explores contemporary approaches formulated in conversation with scripture and tradition but is shaped in the light of contemporary culture and experience. Prerequisite: THRS 117. Spring semester, alternate years.
This course explores the connection between being a Christian and being a morally responsible person. It attends to foundational questions of ethics in light of the Christian narrative, such as: What kind of people should we be? What should we do? What sort of communities should we construct? It, therefore, focuses on three dynamic, interdependent dimensions of morality: character, choices and community. Some applied ethical issues are examined. For theology and religious studies majors/minors only.
This course offers senior theology and religious studies majors and minors the opportunity to engage in a research project on a special topic, theme or theologian. Spring semester.
A course allowing staff and students to explore together topics of special interest. Prerequisites: instructor’s consent and approval of the associate dean of humanities.
This course is an action/reflection experience for those seeking skills in ministry. Students are placed in the local community. In addition to regular weekly service, students are required to meet each week in a supervised class with an instructor from the theology and religious studies faculty. In those meetings, students explore the bases of practical theology, as that science reflects on the pastoral experience.
The THRS Major Portfolio is a collection of work that documents the student's learning and development in each of the areas that the Theology and Religious Studies program aims to help our students achieve. The Portfolio showcases selections of work that demonstrate competency in and facility with program goals. Students archive one assignment (completed for a THRS class) per goal. The Portfolio will be housed digitally in a Google Drive folder shared with THRS faculty. For each assignment, students draft a brief statement explaining why the assignment was chosen for inclusion. The Major Portfolio is ongoing work. Prerequisite: Taken concurrently with THRS 460. Spring semester.
Black Theology examines the Christian theological tradition through the experiences of black people. Proceeding in three parts, this course will first ask participants to examine the sources of black theology, including African religious expression; slave and African-American Christianity; African-American history; and black philosophical perspectives. Second, participants will explore foundational documents related to the field, emerging in the 1960’s, known as black theology, including topics in Christology and ethics from black and queer perspectives. Last, participants will explore topics related to black theology’s future, including reflections on sexuality, the prison industrial complex, and an intersectional view of freedom. Fall semester, odd-numbered years.
This course will explore the place of the Hebrew Scriptures in both Catholic theology and practice. Students already know that the Old Testament is part of the Christian Bible, but what exactly is its role in Catholic theology? How does it function in the life of the Church? How might it function in the spirituality of the individual believer? This course will engage with both primary and secondary source materials in trying to answer these questions. Various Old Testament texts will be read to understand the theological perspectives/claims expressed therein. Secondary sources will assist us in reading these Scriptural books in context, and with connecting the contributions of these books to the rest of the Catholic faith. Students will also come to understand the potential of the Old Testament for the spiritual growth of the believer through scholarly resources that describe the role of various readings in the liturgical life of the Church. Students will also experience something of the Old Testament’s impact on individual spirituality thorugh the writing of a Lectio Divina journal. Students will also examine the manner in which Old Testament concepts are taken up in the New Testament.
From the perspective of Christian theology, death is not the ultimate end. But dying is also the final transition that a human body can make. How are we to understand the process of dying and the fact of death? How do we best care for those who are dying, for dead bodies, and for those who loved the one who is gone? And how do notions of the afterlife assuage, intensify, or complicate the grieving process? This course investigates the reality of death from a variety of perspectives: medical, social, historical, and theological. Prerequisite: THRS 117.
The Bible contains music, has been set to music, and has inspired music. T This course explores both the music within the Bible and how the text of the Bible has inspired music for over two millennia. While looking at the musical traditions of Judaism and Christianity through the centuries, the course will focus on the Bible’s musical legacy in the United States in both religious and secular contexts, e.g., hymns, spirituals, jazz, blues, hip-hop, folk, pop.
