top of page
BTI Consortium | Last Updated April 22, 2025 - 11:00AM
Boston College,
Clough School of Theology & Ministry
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS8119-01
Liturgical Preaching
BTI Category
Semester
Preaching, Liturgy, & Ritual
FA25
This course is an introduction to the art of liturgical preaching. Included will be discussion of the nature, content, and context of the homily with emphasis on developing skills of preparation, composition, and delivery. There will be opportunity for frequent student preaching with the use of videotape for teacher, peer, and self-evaluation.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Weiss, Joseph E, SJ
W
10:00AM-12:50PM
Grading Option
PF
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE8146-01
AI Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course introduces the emerging field of AI ethics. It first invites students to learn what artificial intelligence is and what its prospects are. It then draws on Scripture and the Tradition to enable students to develop an ethical lens with which to analyze AI. Part three of the course considers the new field of AI ethics, in the works of both theologians and philosophers. The course concludes with applied areas in AI, such as education and healthcare. Because the course invites students consider how AI addresses or exacerbates existing social pathologies, such as racism and classism, the course qualifies for Justice and Diversity credit. The course is run as a seminar, inviting students to participate in the conversation.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Daly, Daniel J
F
02:00PM-04:00PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMOT8052-01
Biblical Theology of Exile
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
An examination of the later books of the Old Testament, from the perspective of a community rebuilding its life and institutions after destruction.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Davis, Andrew R
W
10:00AM-12:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(TMOT7014 or TMOT7067)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7024-01
Christology
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
This course seeks to clarify what it means to confess that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, and why this is a significant claim. The course examines the New Testament, the early councils of the Church, the writings of early and medieval Christian theologians, the dogmatic teachings of the Church and the contributions of contemporary theologians. Two main questions will be addressed: Who is Jesus? How does Jesus save us?
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Valiente, Orfilio E
T
03:30PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE7323-01
Comparative Religious Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course aims to introduce students to the growing field of comparative theology as it applies to ethics. We begin with an overview to the method of comparative religious ethics by addressing foundational themes e.g. good and evil, freedom and bondage, authority and norms. We next explore specific texts in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, to discern how these traditions offer similar, complementary, or divergent ways of addressing these themes in comparison to Christianity. Finally, we conclude by applying these approaches to a range of topics, e.g. war and peace, inequalities in wealth and income, virtue, and ecology.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Scheid, Daniel
R
03:30PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8573-01
Dialogue With Indigenous Cultures & Spiritualities
BTI Category
Semester
Interreligious Learning
FA25
The insecurity suffered by the Indigenous Peoples/Nations (IPNs) are occasioined by the lethality of past settler colonialism. Lethal coloniality has succeeded, albeit unevenly, to erase IPNs� identity, inferiorized their beliefs and practices through deterritorializing them from their ancestral homeland. The dialogue with IPNs calls for an �epistemic shift� to a postcolonial theological framework drawing inspiration from Church documents and decolonial indigenous theologies which enriched our Christian faith that advocates the IPNs� values for greater sustainable of the IPNs� cultures and spiritualities that promotes buen vivir with a more flourishing life for otherkinds and humankinds, and the livability of our oikos. The course is more doctoral seminars whence the learning is andragogical (adult learning), and every session is a facilitated (by the instructor) co-learning session so as to to learn from reflecting on each other contextual/context-specific experiences in the light of our weekly assignments.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Fung, Jojo
M
02:00PM-04:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
Doctoral Seminar
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMRE7083-01
Education for Justice and Peace
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
In this course, students study and practice initiatives that work for understanding, justice, and peace. Recognizing that much injustice happens across some divide, the course begins with an investigation of our experiences of otherness and connection. We consider how cultural narratives undergird our sence of identity and purpose, and investigate them theologically. We look to educational theorists from the early 20th century to the present, who reflect that education itself is a work of justice. The course culminated with group projects that give students an oppurtunity for spreakking and listening across divides for the sake of understanding and justice.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
O'Keefe, Theresa A
see notes
see notes
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
ASYNC
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
Asynchronous
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE8002-01
Fundamental Moral: Theological Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This Level Two course treats Roman Catholic fundamental moral theology, focusing on both traditional and contemporary understandings of principal themes such as: The Nature and History, as well as a Methodological Model for Approaching Fundamental Moral Theology; The Moral Person and Moral Community; Conscience, Moral Norms and the Natural Law; Evaluations of Moral Acts; Sin (personal and social), Conversion and Reconciliation; Roles of Church Teaching (Magisterium) & Tradition in selected contemporary issues in the areas of sexual ethics, health care and bioethics, Catholics in the political arena will be discussed in terms of applying the fundamental themes of moral theology.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
McRorie, Christina
T
12:30PM-03:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(At least one course in Christian Ethics. MA: advanced students in ethics)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7009-02
Fundamental Theology
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
The resources and methods of theology provide the framework for this course. A primary focus will be on the relationship between revelation, faith, and theology, which includes the role of the Bible and the church's doctrine. The course will also survey past and present methods in 'doing theology,' and consider the connection between theology and spirituality.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Doyle, Dominic F
F
10:00AM-12:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC8572-01
Heresy and Revolution, Protest and Reform
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA25
This course will explore and examine some historical phenomena concerning understanding of sacraments, the bible, ecclesiology, and reform. The course will treat these themes in the context of the medieval church as well as in the context of medieval heretical movements (e.g., the Cathari, the Waldensians, etc.). It will also treat these themes as addressed by both Catholic and Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth-century. These various episodes will serve as comparative illustrations of theological and practical approaches to church reform in both the middle ages and the early modern period. It will significantly consider primary/historical source texts (in translation) as well as secondary, scholarly literature
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Molvarec, Stephen Joseph, Society of Jesus
R
03:30PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMTM8114-01
Intermediate Latin Readings
BTI Category
Semester
Languages
FA25
This course seeks to develop proficiency in reading Latin beyond the basics of syntax and grammar learned at the introductory level. Latin texts considered in the course will be theological in nature and drawn from the ancient, medieval, and/or early-modern period of the history of Christianity. Presently the STM offers no course beyond the Summer Intensive Latin introduction for students seeking to develop their facility with the language further. The course would be especially useful for students planning to apply to doctoral programs in the History of Christianity and Systematic Theology.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Harkins, Franklin T
T
09:30AM-12:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Students must have at least one year (two semesters) of coursework in Latin language or its equivalent. The Summer Intensive Latin course, for example, would meet the requirement of this prerequisite.)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE7008-01
Introduction to Catholic Social Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course introduces the rich tradition of social ethics engaged explicitly by Leo XIII, Rerum novarum (1891), continued by his successors and bishops conferences, and enriched by theological reflection that continues today. Attention will be given to the principal documents (encyclicals, Gaudium et spes (1965), pastoral letters), and the contexts from which they emerged to gain facility in applying social analysis to contemporary concerns. Key themes to be studied: life and dignity of the human person, solidarity, social participation and the common good, the preferential option for the poor, and economic development and work, among others.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Iozzio, Mary Jo
M
02:00PM-04:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7054-01
Introduction to Liturgy
BTI Category
Semester
Preaching, Liturgy, & Ritual
FA25
To introduce the basics of liturgical theology, the course is divided into three parts: liturgical history and sources; ritual studies including art, music and environment; and liturgical practice, planning and celebration.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Ganir, Phillip A, SJ
MW
08:30AM-09:50AM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMRE7320-01
Jesuits, the Arts, and Education
BTI Category
Semester
Religious Education and Youth Ministry
FA25
This course aims to prepare any future church minister or religious educator who wants to explore how the Ignatian charism refracted through the arts might animate and strengthen efforts in spirituality, education, and evangelization. Each class will be divided into two distinct though related units: The first part examines historical cases where the arts played a distinctive role in Jesuit schools and missions. The second part reimagines and explores how those models might be translated into contemporary ministerial and educational contexts, with particular sensitivity to how the arts might ground, nourish, and animate a �faith that does justice.�
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Ganir, Phillip A, SJ
R
03:30PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPT7315-01
Mitigating Trauma
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
Traumatization occurs at the interrelated social, psychic, and physiological boundaries of life and death. This course offers an introduction to trauma healing and prevention for contexts of pastoral and spiritual care. It surveys approaches to trauma developed in peacebuilding, public health, and psychology, as well as the emerging subfield of trauma theology. Assignments include a book review, a presentation, and a research paper. This is a discussion-based (not lecture-based) class. Close reading is required.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
DuBois, Heather
R
03:45PM-06:15PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7316-01
Philosophy for Theological Studies: Ancient & Medieval
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
This course aims to introduce central figures and movements in ancient & medieval thought that have influenced the development and articulation of Christian theology. Beginning with the pre-Socratics, we will survey major trends in the history of philosophy, devoting special attention to Plato and Aristotle and their legacies. We will consider Stoicism (e.g., Seneca), Platonism (e.g., Plotinus), and Arab philosophy in the Middle Ages. Topics include the place of philosophical wisdom in the Bible and ancient notions of "philosophy as a way of life" (Hadot).
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Dunkle, Brian P, SJ
TR
08:00AM-09:20AM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7058-01
Sacraments in the Life of the Church
BTI Category
Semester
Preaching, Liturgy, & Ritual
FA25
This course will assist participants in developing the sacramental dimension of their pastoral perspective. After exploring sacrament in its broadest sense and other fundamental elements of Roman Catholic sacramental theology, we will examine each sacrament both in its role in the life of the church as well as its role in each individual's faith journey. We will address historical background and contemporary issues about the Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist; the Sacraments of Healing - Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the Sick; and Sacraments of Vocation; Marriage and Holy Orders.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Bergin, William N
W
01:00PM-03:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8016-01
Seminar: Global Catholicism in the Twenty-First Century
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA25
This seminar traces the evolution of global Catholicism in the light of demographic shifts within the Roman Catholic Church from 1910-2010. Drawing upon insights and perspectives from church history, ecclesiology, theology, world mission studies, and post-colonial theory, the seminar examines the interactive dynamics of faith and culture as it explores the transformation of Roman Catholic ecclesial consciousness in the twenty-first century. Additional resources for research and analysis include the working documents, proceedings, and outcomes of recent Special Synods as well as international, regional, and national General Conferences of Episcopal Conferences, Assemblies of Conferences of Religious, and World Youth Days.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Guider, Margaret E
T
03:30PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Foundational course in ecclesiology)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC8028-01
Seminar: Saints and Sanctity
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
This seminar examines the Christian saints from the formation of the cult of saints in early Christianity through today. Topics include how to read saints' lives; martyrdom; why notions of sanctity change; how saint-making shifted from popular acclamation to papal canonization; the role of gender, race, and ethnicity; shrines, relics and pilgrimage; and the contemporary relevance of saints. Extensive discussion of primary sources.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Mooney, Catherine
M
02:00PM-04:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Some study of the History of Christianity)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8510-01
Seminar: Theologies of Modernity
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
This seminar will examine how some contemporary Christian thinkers have made theological sense of some of the momentous transitions�intellectual, social, political, and economic�to modernity. Readings will be drawn from Michael Buckley, Charles Taylor, and Nicholas Boyle, among others. Students will also explore the practical options for effective Christian witness and action within the modern context.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Doyle, Dominic F
R
10:00AM-12:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7022-01
Spiritual Autobiography: Journeys into the Self and God
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
This course examines the spiritual autobiographies of well-known individuals such as Augustine of Hippo, Thrse of Lisieux, Howard Thurman, Dorothy Day, Walter Ciszek, S.J., Nancy Mairs, and James Cone. In addition to reading classic texts by profound and influential religious seekers, the class will explore how religious experiences, understandings of the self, God and the supernatural are shaped by diverse historical contexts. Lectures and discussion.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Mooney, Catherine
W
04:00PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMNT7005-01
Synoptic Gospels
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
A study of the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Following an examination of the "synoptic problem," the course offers an extended analysis of Mark's Gospel and then proceeds to examine how Matthew and Luke produced "second edition" Gospels to serve the needs of the communities to whom they wrote. Particular attention is paid to theological and pastoral issues raised by the texts.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Harkins, Angela Kim
TR
10:00AM-11:30AM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7020-01
The Church
BTI Category
Semester
Church Polity/Canon Law
FA25
The ecclesial dimension of Christian faith is the focal point of this course. The course will locate the church within both a Trinitarian theology and a theological anthropology. Specific topics for exploration include the place of the church in the Creed, the sacramentality of the church, a theology of mission, and of structure and authority. The course will also explore current issues shaping the church's life and its place in the wider culture.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Lennan, Richard J
F
09:00AM-12:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7041-01
The Practice of Ministry with Youth and Young Adults
BTI Category
Semester
Religious Education and Youth Ministry
FA25
This course aims to explore elements critical to the effective practice of ministry for and with youth and young adults. Considering the broad demographics herein, this class attends to fostering the skills of discernment and mentoring, which would be valuable across the spectrum of these varied constituencies and contexts. Together the class explores the contexts of the ministry (ecclesial and social), identifies a vision for the work, and considers how that vision might assist in discerning God's action in and direction for work with youth and young adults.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
O'Keefe, Theresa A
T
09:30AM-11:50AM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE8145-01
Theological Ethics and The Economy
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course brings theological ethics to bear upon key dynamics of contemporary global markets. Taking cues from the See, Judge, Act methodology, it begins with an attempt to understand how markets and economies work through a critical conversation with economics. This will include attending to the production of economic knowledge�who gets to describe economic realities? It then uses resources from CST and liberation theology to ask about the place of theological judgments in markets�how do the commitments of the Christian tradition tutor us to view the goals and stakes of economic activity? Finally, how does this tradition invite us to engage economic life, individually and collectively? This is as much a question about discipleship and spirituality as it is about public policy, and will lead to reflection on how communities of faith can and do partner with God amidst the complexities of our globalized world.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
McRorie, Christina
W
01:00PM-03:30PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(One prior course in Christian Ethics or Moral Theology)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8129-01
Theology, Violence and Nonviolence
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course will examine violence as a problem of deep religious and spiritual significance for Christianity, and the complex relationship between theological reflection, violence, and nonviolence, by exploring such questions as: Is Christianity inherently violent? What aspects of Christianity can exacerbate or mitigate violent acts? Does Christian soteriology sanction divine violence? Under which conditions does Christianity condone or condemn violence? We will enlist an interdisciplinary approach to answer these and other questions. The first part of the course will turn to history to explore current manifestations of violence and review contemporary classic texts in philosophy, psychology, theology, and politics on this difficult topic. We will also study the occurrence of human and divine violence and nonviolence in the Christian sources of revelation. The course will then examine different Christian theological traditions in connection to the just war theory, pacifism, and non-violence, all with the intention of identifying the most appropriate Christian responses to contemporary violence.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Valiente, Orfilio E
W
04:00PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(One year of theological study.)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS8135-01
Liturgical Presiding for Lay Ministry
BTI Category
Semester
Preaching, Liturgy, & Ritual
FA25
This course provides lay pastoral ministry students with a theoretical understanding and practical experience of liturgical presiding. Areas addressed include methods of preparation, evaluation, and ritual skills. The main goal of this course is to establish an initial competence in leading the assembly in liturgical celebrations according to the directives of the Catholic Church for Lay ministry.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Weiss, Joseph E, SJ
T
12:30PM-03:20PM
Grading Option
PF
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC8093-01
Ambrose and Augustine
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA25
A treatment of two of the seminal theologians of the Christian West, especially their biblical, liturgical, theological, pastoral and philosophical concerns, with attention to their socio-cultural, historical, and political context. The course will use Ambrose as a representative of early Christian thought and explore his influence on the young Augustine. We will then discuss how Augustine adopts and adapts many of Ambrose's insights in developing his own synthesis, which would influence all of the church until the present day.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Dunkle, Brian P, SJ
M
10:00AM-12:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS8088-01
Calling out from the Depths: Jewish and Christian Interpretations of the Psalms
BTI Category
Semester
Interreligious Learning
FA25
For centuries, Jews and Christians have turned to the Book of Psalms in times of joy and thanksgiving, and in times of sadness and lament. However, there have been far fewer opportunities for members of these two communities and others to explore these ancient poetic texts together as fellow spiritual seekers. What do we share in common? Where do we differ? How might reading these sources with people with different religious or ideological commitments impact our relationship with the text?
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Davis, Andrew R
W
04:30PM-06:30PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
1
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(At least one course in Biblical Studies and one course in Theology. Pre-requisites can be taken at the undergraduate or graduate level.)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7195-01
Classic Wisdom for Discerning the Spirits
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
A study of the discernment of spirits in the ancient church, beginning with the Old and New Testaments, select Church Fathers, the Life of St. Anthony, the sayings of the desert fathers and mothers, and Evagrius Ponticus and John Cassian. For the purposes of showing their relevance for the present day, continuities with the "Spiritual Exercises" of St. Ignatius Loyola and "The Screwtape Letters" of C. S. Lewis will be considered.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Geger, Barton T, SJ
W
10:00AM-12:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7018-01
Death and Dying
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
The study of death and dying is a complex, multidimensional, and evolving field. This course draws on contemporary theory and research to explore death and dying from multiple perspectives, including religious, theological, pastoral, and psychological. Topics include societal attitudes toward death; facing one's own death; cultural features of death and dying; end-of-life issues; children and death; funerals and the use of ritual in ministry to the dying; pastoral sensitivities and skills for ministering to the dying; and pressing contemporary concerns, such as death in the workplace, institutional death, violent death, and death in global perspective.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Kelley, Melissa M
W
10:00AM-12:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8150-01
Ecotheology
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
Ecotheology has been developed in the last decades as a theological response to the climate crisis that we are facing in the world today. Ecotheology has two goals. First, it is a critique of the cultural concepts, images, and practices that are at the bottom of the climate crisis. Second, it is both a retrieval of the ecological dimension of Christian faith, and an interpretation of theological sources (such as the Bible and Tradition) and doctrines (such as Trinity, Creation, and Salvation) from the perspective of Ecology. In this seminar course, students will explore different aspects of Ecotheology.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Chong, Vicente, SJ
R
09:30AM-11:30AM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Two or more courses in Systematic Theology)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMRE7060-01
Education in Living Faith: Foundations and Practice
BTI Category
Semester
Religious Education and Youth Ministry
FA25
This course proposes theological, spiritual and pedagogical foundations for faith-based education, ministry and service. The course invites participants to develop their own theory and praxis of educating in faith, and to intentionally harness the faith formation potential of all functions of ministry and faith-based service. There is particular emphasis on religious education for a liberating faith that promotes the social values of God's reign - compassion and justice for all.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Groome, Thomas
T
12:30PM-03:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7009-01
Fundamental Theology
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
The resources and methods of theology provide the framework for this course. A primary focus will be on the relationship between revelation, faith, and theology, which includes the role of the Bible and the church's doctrine. The course will also survey past and present methods in 'doing theology,' and consider the connection between theology and spirituality.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Chong, Vicente, SJ
W
04:00PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMNT7042-01
Gospel of Luke
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
A survey of the structure, content, and main themes of the Third Gospel, based primarily upon an exegetical and narrative analysis of the text, with attention to current discussion in the scholarly literature. Topics include Luke's Gospel in relatin to other Synoptic Gospels; the life setting of the Lukan author and audience; the sources underlying the Lukan writings; political and social issues focusing on relationships among jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, Romans and Christians, men and women, ect.; theological issuses: Christology, ecclesiology, eschatology, salvation history, ect.; the unity of Luke and Acts; the genre(s) of Luke and Acts; and the purpose(s) of Luke and Acts.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Wills, Lawrence
M
10:00AM-12:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
TMNT7023(Course-Based); or (equivalent)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7026-01
History of Western Christianity I: 100-850
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA25
Through lectures and primary source readings, the course surveys the major cultural, institutional, and theological developments of ancient Christianity from the time of the persecutions to the break-up of the Carolingian empire and the rise of medieval Christendom.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Molvarec, Stephen J, SJ, McCarthy, Michael, SJ
TR
10:30AM-12:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS8121-01
Introduction to Canon Law
BTI Category
Semester
Church Polity/Canon Law
FA25
This course examines the nature, history, and sources of Canon Law in the Catholic Church. It presents an overview of the norms provided in the 1983 Code of Canon Law and relevant complementary canonical legislation. This course will focus on general norms (Book I), the People of God (Book II), the teaching munus of the Church (Book III), temporal goods (Book V). Given the current circumstances and issues about the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis, a brief presentation of penal law (Book VI) and processes (Book VII) will be offered. This course is recommended as a foundational background for "Canon Law of the Sacraments."
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Ponzone, Andrea
R
04:00PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(One year of graduate level theology.)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE7322-01
Introduction to Ecological Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course studies the theological and ethical responses to the range of interrelated planetary threats known as the ecological crisis. We begin with Catholic social teaching and Laudato Si� and then turn to a variety of methodological approaches and topics, e.g. a biblical analysis of agriculture, Orthodox ethics and asceticism, patristic and medieval sources and the development of ecological virtues, and liberation theology and global consumerism. We address global crises as well as local, contextual theologies such as African, Native American, and South American ecological ethics, with particular attention to how these crises impact the poor and marginalized.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Scheid, Daniel
W
04:00PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7093-01
Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling: A Narrative Approach
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
In this foundational course, we develop an understanding of critical dimensions of competent and compassionate pastoral care and counseling today. Drawing substantially on a narrative approach to care, we explore pastoral care and counseling from contemporary pastoral-theological, social-scientific, and cultural perspectives. Particular topics addressed are family systems theory; implicit bias and racism; domestic violence; suicide; power and boundaries; resilience and self-care; and skills for pastoral care.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Kelley, Melissa M
F
01:00PM-04:00PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8107-01
Mariology
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
How are we to account for the upsurge in interest regarding Mary both within and beyond Christian churches around the world? Mindful of this question, the course surveys the origins and development of Marian doctrine and devotion using a fourfold method of theological inquiry (dogmatic, historical, social scientific, aesthetic). Conscious of the interactive dynamics of religion, culture, politics and social change, the course examines selected themes, claims, and controversies that pertain to the contemporary study of Mary. The course also explores the significance of Marian art, music, literature, film and sites of pilgrimage for spirituality and theological imagination.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Guider, Margaret E
W
04:00PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Prerequisite: Christology, Church History I)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7182-01
Pastoral Care in/with Communities of Faith: Creating Networks of Care
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
Life is in inherently relational, multidimensional, interconnected, and located within larger systems and structures � i.e. communities. Thus, our practices of pastoral care and counseling must likewise attend to the multidimensional and systemic nature of relationality. This course uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore personal, pastoral, and communal processes of creating networks of care in communities of faith and para-church organizations. Both pastoral and lay leaders will learn how to engage and utilize systems theory, conflict theory, therapeutic skills and processes, and theological and spiritual resources to navigate conflict, foster dialogue, and build constructive solutions and possibilities in community as part of an overarching practice of pastoral care. Particular attention will be given to one’s self-in-relationship and the capacity to remain a non-anxious, non-reactive constructive presence.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Roozeboom, William D
see notes
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
ASYNC
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
Asynchronous
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMNT8077-01
Prayer and Ritual in the Biblical World
BTI Category
Semester
Preaching, Liturgy, & Ritual
FA25
This course will examine the experiential elements of prayers and ritual practices described in the canonical Scriptures with some consideration of the literature outside of the Bible (e.g., the Dead Sea Scrolls and pseudepigrapha, ANE, Hellenistic ritual texts). Methodological approaches that understand the body and its experiences as an integrated whole (e.g., ritual studies, cognitive science of religion, emotion studies, and performance studies) will assist us in pursuing the question of how does the embodied experience of prayer and ritual participate in the generation of religious ideas (belief) and commitment?
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Harkins, Angela Kim
F
09:00AM-12:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Prerequisite: OT or NT course)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMNT8140-01
Seminar in Current Biblical Scholarship
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
Intensive critical examination of recent scholarly works by diverse authors in biblical studies (both OT and NT) with a particular focus on the methodology. Through careful reading of these works, students will learn about groundbreaking work in the field and understand how successful arguments are constructed.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Davis, Andrew R
T
09:30AM-11:50AM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMOT8103-01
Seminar: Jeremiah
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
This seminar will be a close reading of the book of the Prophet Jeremiah in translation. Students will engage all forms of modern criticism along with rabbinic and patristic exegetical works to understand the meaning, interpretive tradition, and continuing value of Jeremiah's prophecy.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Waters, Jaime L
T
12:30PM-03:00PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Prerequisite: Grad level intro to OT. Student needs to contact the professor for permission to enroll in this course.)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8544-01
Seminar: Teresa of Avila
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA25
Canonized in 1622, declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970, St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) is a woman whose importance for the Church is paramount. Her works reveal an ingenuous and forceful personality, as well as a most fascinating experience of God. In this seminar at the crossroads of theology, spirituality and history, we will read large parts of Teresa�s works (e.g., the Autobiography, and the Interior Castle). Alongside a linear reading of those texts, some themes would be explored which criss-cross this corpus. (Note: some knowledge of Spanish would be helpful, but not required).
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Brouillette, Andre, SJ
F
01:00PM-04:00PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Prerequistes: Graduate courses in Theology, Spirituality or Church History.); or (Permission of Instructor)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7278-01
Socio-spiritual Care
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
The dynamics of human living, including experiences of God, are multidimensional: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, structural, cultural, and global. Given these interrelated interior and exterior dynamics, what are the sources, mediums, aims, and risks of care? This course responds to this question using the literatures of spirituality studies, peace studies, practical theology, and pastoral care.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
DuBois, Heather
W
01:00PM-03:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPT8106-01
Spirituality and Justice: Twentieth Century Writings
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course will survey spiritual writings from the twentieth century, examining the generative themes that are suggestive for our time and foundational in the construction of a contemporary spirituality. Authors will include Thomas Merton, Evelyn Underhill, Teilhard de Chardin, Dorothy Day, Annie Dillard, Johannes Baptist Metz, and Martin Buber. The course is taught with an eye toward leadership in spiritual formation.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Griffith, Colleen M
R
09:30AM-11:50AM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Prerequisite: Foundations or Fundamental)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8085-01
The Christology of Thomas Aquinas
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
FA25
This course provides an introduction to the Christology of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) primarily as set forth in the Summa theologiae. Through close reading of IIIa qq. 1-59 (in English translation), we will consider Aquinas's teaching on the Incarnation and Christ's life and work. The sacraments as extensions of Christ's saving work throughout time and space will also be examined. Primary sources will be supplemented by modern scholarship on various aspects of Aquinas's Christology. Throughout the course we will attend particularly to Aquinas's sources and working method as a scholastic theologian.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Harkins, Franklin T
F
09:00AM-12:00
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Christology)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMOT7014-01
The Core Narrative of the Old Testament: Genesis to Kings
BTI Category
Semester
Scripture & Biblical Studies
FA25
A study of the Pentateuch and the Deuteronomistic History (Deuteronomy to Kings) through lectures, and sections in which students present an exegesis of important passages. Solid knowledge of these books is essential to understand the rest of the Bible. This course does not duplicate other "introductions," for we read only Genesis through Kings (not the Prophets, Wisdom Literature, or Psalms), and a third of the class time is devoted to small sections, which are designed to sharpen exegetical and preaching skills.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Waters, Jaime L
MW
02:00PM-03:30PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE8040-01
Theological Critiques From the Margin
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
Dominant western and northern theology faces a critique from the margins of race, gender, age, sex, culture, and disability. This course explores the contexts of those critiques, key texts challenging the dominant narrative and its responses admitting injustice, dismantling structural sins, and beginning the work of communion, solidarity, reparation, and restoration to which the Gospel calls. Attention will be given to the advent of liberation and other context-based theologies in the developing world and the global north where the power to marginalize has been institutionalized yet where the cry of the poor is heard and signs of heeding emerge.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Iozzio, Mary Jo
T
12:30PM-03:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
Y
Notes
(Prerequisite: an upper level undergraduate course in Ethics or Moral Theology or a graduate course in Moral Theology.)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7057-01
Theological Foundations in Practical Perspective
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
Taught from a pastoral perspective, this course offers an overview of contemporary Christian theology, introducing basic theological themes reflected in Co-Workers e.g. the cultural context in which we do theology, God, being human, Jesus, reign of God, Church. It considers theological methods and investigates the sources that contribute constructions of theological positions.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Griffith, Colleen M
W
10:00AM-12:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPT7263-01
Theopoetics and Theologies of Imagination
BTI Category
Semester
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
FA25
This course explores how aesthetics and imagination shape expectations and hopes we have for our communities. The class begins with an exploration of �theopoetics,� which affirms that how we express experiences of the divine shapes what we think the divine is. Content builds from there to the role of imagination in religious reflection more broadly. Readings are profoundly interdisciplinary, with scholarship from philosophical and sociological treatments of imagination, psychology, theology, and literary criticism. Some customization of work is possible and students will be able to deepen their focus in directions of their choosing by selecting texts that speak to them.
Professor
Class Day
Class Time
Keefe-Perry, Lincoln Birch
T
03:30PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites Req'd?
N
Notes
N/A
bottom of page