This course is designed to equip persons to serve effectively as reflective leaders in the contemporary church and related Christian or faith-based ministries. This course includes a comprehensive and holistic study of factors inherent to the practice of leadership and ministry in a variety of settings. Research based theories and models of leadership, organizational design, and administrative principles will be discussed and evaluated from biblical-theological and cultural perspectives.

While this course is rooted in Biblical, Franciscan, and Catholic social teaching, it will also explore other spiritualities (Islam, Judaism, Native American, etc.) that respond to environmental issues. Social analysis and theological reflection skill development will enable students to better articulate the conflicts humans have in relationship with the rest of the natural world and how they can contribute to the health of the planet. Prerequisite: 160 or 342. IFP

In the face of the vast, increasing economic inequality, this seminar interrogates the role of religious institutions and individuals. Do our religious institutions sustain or challenge economic inequality, and how This class will attempt to answer this question with a focus on three types of texts: classical texts that shaped 20th Century U.S. Christian consciousness; contemporary works that analyze the effects of economic inequality on the social fabric; and texts that clarify the vital roles some contemporary religious movements are playing in supporting economic inequality. SJE, IFP

A selective survey on how Christian tradition has viewed Jesus Christ from Biblical to modern times; the centrality of the role and mission of Jesus for contemporary persons. A study of Biblical and contemporary metaphors for Jesus. Prerequisite: 160 or 342. IFP

Contemporary Practice in World Religions is a course introducing students to diverse religious traditions. Coursework will review various faith practices in their contemporary applications. Students will explore the academic study of religion, reviewing the theology of sacred texts, rituals and worship and experiences of major religious traditions. Lectures, site visits and prayer experiences with practicing members of various faith traditions offer an additional point of conversation and discussion of current issues between religions and culture. Prerequisite: 160 or 342.

This course considers the origins and developments of, as well as the current theological issues concerning Christian rites and symbols. Students will engage with the shape and practice of worship and rituals as they impact human experience. Religious rites have celebrated initiation, adulthood, guilt and reconciliation, ministry and committment, sickness and death. Prerequisite: 160 or 342. IFP

This course delves into the processes of moral interpretation and moral decision making in the fast-changing contemporary world. Students will learn the foundations for a moral decision-making process and the various ways in which the moral decision-making process can be utilized. They will look critically at various church documents which speak to specific moral issues of the day, while recognizing the values inherent in competing approaches to the moral issue.

This two semester course requires the student to work closely with two religious studies professors writing a major research paper that integrates historical, practical, exegetical, and systematic theology in a paper presented in a public arena. Student will enroll for one credit in the first semester and two credits in the second semester. This course is designed for religious studies majors and minors. Prerequisite: 160 or 342. May berepeated for credit.

Courses on topics of interest to religious studies students offered on the basis of need, interest, or timeliness. Restricted to students with junior standing or higher. May be repeated for credit. For specific section description, click to the Section Details in VitNet.

This course is the first two years of a four-year a School of Biblical Studies. Year one offers Old Testament foundations: Genesis through 1 & 1 Kings discussing Creation, Abrahamic covenant, Moses and the exodus and the establishment of the nation and kingdom of Israel. Year two offers an introduction to the New Testament foundations: the Gospels and the life of Christ, early church development (Act of the Apostles), substantive Pauline literature (1 & 2 Corinthians, Romans), and a review of the Book of Revelation. Restricted to students in the Diocesan School of Biblical Studies.