top of page
BTI Consortium | Last Updated November 14 - 9:00AM
CHURCH HISTORY & HISTORY OF RELIGIONS
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 682
History of Religion in Pre-Colonial Africa
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
The study of the development of religious traditions in Africa during the period prior to European colonialism. An emphasis on both indigenous religions and the growth and spread of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the continent as a whole. Also offered as CAS AA 382 and CAS HI 349. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Thornton
TR
9:30-10:45am
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7179
History of Western Christianity III: Catholicism from the French Revolution to Vatican II
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
What John O'Malley, S.J. calls the Church's "long nineteenth century," from the French revolution to the 1950's, although often considered a period of secularization, was also a great age of renewal for the Roman Catholic Church. It witnessed a tremendous institutional growth of the Church, the assertion of doctrinal and administrative control from Rome known as ultramontanism, the flowering of spirituality and devotional life, and the spread of the faith from Europe throughout the world by means of extensive missionary activity. This course will consider the institutional and intellectual transformation of the Church in the nineteenth century, but will also pay close attention to changes in popular piety and the social role of the Church. Focus will be both topical and regional.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Jeffrey von Arx, S.J.
MW
8:30-9:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7301
Tolkien: Catholicism, History, and Myth
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course will examine the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, among others) in primarily a historical framework, but also with attention to Tolkien's Catholic worldview. Tolkien was a scholar of medieval literature as well as a fantasy author. He intended his fictional Middle Earth to represent not only a new national myth-cycle for the English people, but also a particularly Catholic worldview, potentially counter to the landscape of industrialization and World War I. This course will examine these themes and present a narrative concerned with the middle ages, medievalisms, and early 20th-century Catholicism as refracted through Tolkien's lenses. It will also consider discussions of race in Tolkien's thought, linguistics, and various adaptations of his work as well as his relationship with C.S. Lewis and the other members of the Inklings (his writers' group).
Professor
Class Day & Time
Stephen Molvarec, S.J.
W
1:30-3:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC8143
Aquinas's Summa contra Gentiles
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course aims to introduce students to Thomas Aquinas's first and only complete summa, the Summa contra Gentiles (ScG; 1259-65). In spite of its considerable depth and its more extensive treatment of certain central theological and philosophical themes (e.g., God, proofs of divine existence, providence) as compared to the Summa theologiae (ST), the ScG is read and studied far less frequently than his mature ST. Unlike the ST, the ScG is written in an accessible discursive-prose format, it is a complete summa, and its comparative brevity means that it can be read and carefully studied over the course of one semester.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Franklin T. Harkins
W
10 AM-12:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
One graduate level HC (History of Christianity) course
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC8148
Stones, Bones, Spaces and Places: A History of Christianity's Relationship with the Material World
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course will explore the relationship of Christians with the material world and with materiality particularly during Antiquity and the Middle Ages, but with some contemporary discussion as well. Christians, on the one hand, have embraced materiality on account of the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus. On the other hand, some Christians have preferred to find a tension between the material and the spiritual. This course will explore those perspectives as well as the material culture of Christianity in its places, objects, relics, and thought. Students will encounter historical methodologies including the reconstruction of landscape and soundscape as well as theories of material culture.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Stephen Molvarec, S.J.
T
3:30-5:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
At least one previous graduate level course in Church History or History
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5794-01
Philosophy and the Church Fathers
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Introduction to the major Church Fathers and Christian schools of antiquity and their varying engagement with philosophy. Elements of opposition and areas of harmony between Greek and Christian ideals.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Schatkin
M
3-5:25p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7046-01
Early Christian Ascetical Theology
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course concerns various theologies of the ascetical life in Early Christianity. The course will begin by asking just what Christian asceticism is, both in distinction from the asceticism of Jewish and Hellenistic traditions, and on its own terms. The second unit of the course will pursue questions of how Christian ascetics speak, especially insofar as this is shaped by biblical narrative. Here we will treat cenobitic and eremetical traditions, and the theological import of monastic rules. The final unit will concern theologies of grace and union with God, with special interest in the tradition of divinization in Greek Christianity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Magree
T
4:30-6:50p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
DOCTORAL
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7048-01
Genealogies of Catholicism: The Problem of Franciscan Modernity
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Famously, Heidegger accused nearly all western philosophy of ontotheology, the naming of God as Being and everything else as manifestations or participations in that metaphysical scheme, a manifestation of the human desire to grasp, to comprehend, and thus, in some measure, to manipulate and control reality as such, the ultimate extension of humantechne, our capacity to manipulate the world. Such a metaphysics, he averred, deprives Being of its deep mystery by claiming to know its nature as such, and thus to grasp it and make it useful. In the end, it is little more than a more refined and civilized dimension of the Nietzschean will to power. Ever since, scholars have sought the precise origins and development of this pernicious modernity. Also famously, so-called Radical Orthodox thinkers have sketched an influential genealogy of this modernity that extends through Suarez back to Scotus, and then hinted that behind Scotuss error may be even Bonaventure. In the preface to the second edition ofTheology and Social Theory, John Milbank traces this first step through to the Scotist leap and the modern tumble into the ontotheological slough, labeling this bad tradition Franciscan modernity. While this narrative has recently come in for trenchant criticism, it remains widely and resiliently prevalent. This seminar, accordingly, seeks to canvas the problem of Franciscan modernity, critically assessing the accuracy and utility of this genealogical narrative, beginning with its sources in the late Middle Ages and then surveying its modern proponents and detractors.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Coolman
R
10-12:25p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
DOCTORAL
School
Boston University School of Theology
STH TH827
History of U.S. Christianity
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
The development of American Christianity as a social, intellectual, institutional, and cultural movement. The course includes visits to churches in Boston.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Evans
R
3:30pm-6:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
PREREQ: TF701/702 or equivalent.
School
Boston University School of Theology
STH TH860
Female Medieval Mystics
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Not currently available
Professor
Class Day & Time
Boyer (Pak)
W
6:30pm-9:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Currently full, taking waitlist
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
CH502
The Church since the Reformation
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
A general survey of the history of the Christian church from the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century to the present time.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Isaac, Gordon
M
9am-12pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 3704
Religion and Society in Nigeria: Seminar
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Religion is pivotal to the understanding of the history, culture, and politics of Nigeria's nation-state. The seminar examines the historical development of religion in Nigeria and explores its intersection with ethnic identity, culture, and society in pre-colonial, colonial, and contemporary periods. The course provides an understanding of various cultural traditions, historical events, and social forces that have shaped - and continue to shape - Nigeria's religious experiences and expression. The course will explore many topical issues, such as indigenous religious culture, Christian and Muslim identities, Islam, Christianity, and the state, civil religion; Muslim-Christian relations; religion and law; civil society and democratization, as well as many important interpretations of religion and politics in present-day Nigeria. Jointly offered as African and African American Studies 192x.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Jacob Olupona
T
3-5:45PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2248
The Medium and the Mission: Technology and Communication in Global Christianity
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course will explore the many diverse mediums through which Christianity travels around the globe to save, heal, touch, prophecy and connect Christian communities from diverse places. In order to do so, we will combine ethnographic case studies and theoretical analysis. The case studies will vary in locale (providing a global scope) and in the medium. Some weeks might consist of a Zoom visit from a Pentecostal deliverance minister or faith healer. Others might require watching a Pentecostal Ghallywood film. Some weeks might center on technology as a material object, while still others will consider television programming, radio programming, telegraphs, or the ubiquity of the Jesus Film. This ethnographic breadth seeks to capture some of the dynamism of medium in World Christianity.
We will pair each case study with a theoretical consideration of how technology has played a significant role in shaping Christian ideas of the human, sin, senses, the body, transference/impartation, gifts, evangelism, and the world around them. While considering these topics, special attention will be paid to how marginalized communities have incorporated various mediums as means of resistance. Assignments will include participation in class conversations, leading seminar discussions, analyzing diverse mediums, and a final paper.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Nathanael Homewood
M
12-2PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2390B
Colloquium in American Religious History
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Presentation and discussion of the research of doctoral candidates in American religious history. Available, with instructors' permission, to Harvard doctoral students in other fields of religious studies or American studies. Note: Second half of an academic year bi-weekly course. Credit will not be earned unless both the fall and spring semester of the course is completed. Course may be taken on a Sat/unsat basis only.Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 3505B.
Professor
Class Day & Time
David Holland
T
6-8PM
Grading Option
P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
PREREQ: HDS 2390A
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 3309
Solar Theology in the Ancient Mediterranean
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course will introduce students to the various solar theologies of the ancient Mediterranean world, including Egypt, Greece, Persia, Rome, and Syria. Topics to be explored include: the relationship of solar theology to monotheism and polytheism; solar theology and imperial ideology; solar theology and philosophy (espcially Platonism); and the influence of solar theology on early Christianity. All readings will be in translation, and no knowledge of ancient languages is required. Previous coursework in the religions of the ancient Mediterranean is recommended, but not required. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 1321.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Charles Stang
T
3-5PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 3081
God's Nations: Religion, Nationalism and Modernity
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
1. Nationalism is not simply an ideology: it is also a set of practices by which territory, political power and the cultural identity of the people that inhabit this territory are constituted in a unique and singular fact. The religious dimension of nationalism has been infrequently analyzed by historians and even less so by social scientists who, operating under the influence of theories of modernization, have perceived nationalism and religion as incompatible. In the last three decades however, with the growth of religious claims in diverse national and international contexts, scholars have started to explore the connection between religion and nationalism. In this course we shall:analyze the historical links between religion and nation in Western Europe and the United States from the rise of the nation-state until today.
2. explore the diffusion of the concept of nation-state worldwide and its consequences on the politicization of religion in diverse countries: Turkey, India, Russia and China.
3. discuss religious nationalism "beyond nations" as exemplified by the globalization of religiously-based political claims from Islamism to evangelicalism.The scope of religions and national cultures covered in class will help students understand the major issues at stake such as state and religion relationships, religiously based political parties and movements, populism, anti Semitism and Islamophobia.
The course will benefit students interested in academic careers in the emerging field of religion and politics. It will also provide professional resources and networking opportunities for students aiming at professional careers in the field of media as well as religion and policy making domestically and internationally.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Jocelyne Cesari
T
12-2PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Enrollment is limited to 15. Permission to enroll in the course will be granted as petitions are received.
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 3087
African American Religious History
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This graduate seminar course provides a critical survey of and introduction to major themes, debates, and trajectories in the field of African American Religious History. We will examine the multiple and manifold meanings of "African American religions" with attention to Christian denominational histories and extra-church, non-Christian, and quasi-Christian religious formations and interventions among people of African descent in the United States. To do so, students will be introduced to key historical events, prominent and unsung religious actors and institutions, and a diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches to investigating, analyzing, and narrating the archives of African American religious life and culture. Jointly offered as Religion 1089.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Ahmad Greene-Hayes
T
9-11AM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
INDS 7100 H1
The Ecumenical Movement-TheSources
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
The Ecumenical Movement that started in the second half of the 19th century does not constitute an ideology but rather reflects the authentic commitment to reconcile divided Christians in the unity of the Church and the reality of communion. Throughout the past century, the quest for Christian unity has assumed many shapes and forms that may be studied through major documents produced along the history of the 20th century and beyond. This course will define the boundaries of Ecumenism and its challenges for contemporary Orthodoxy by looking inward as well as outward as faithful and thoughtful Christians.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Rev. Dr. Nicholas Kazarian
M
6:30-8:50p
Grading Option
L/PF/AUD
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
HYBRID
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
PATR 7150 Z1
The Filioque in the Byz. Fathers
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
From St Photios in the ninth century to St Mark of Ephesus in the fifteenth, the Fathers of the middle and late Byzantine periods dedicated a great deal of their theological output to the issue of the Filioque--the Latin doctrine (rejected by the Orthodox Church) that the Holy Spirit proceeds "also from the Son." This course examines this facet of the Orthodox patristic tradition, from the early Fathers through the Council of Florence, with special attention to the events surrounding the Council of 879, the anti-Latin polemics surrounding the Council of Lyons in 1274, and the hesychast theology that developed in the wake of St Gregory Palamas.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Tikhon Alexander Pino
TBD
TBD
Grading Option
L/PF/AUD
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
ASYNCHRONOUS/ONLINE
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Saint John's Seminary
CH502
Church History II
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This survey course aims to introduce students to the history of the Catholic Church from the beginning of the sixteenth century to the present day. Through an examination of the historical narrative, including its key periods, movements, and figures, students will come to a deeper understanding of the history of the Catholic Church in the modern period.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Coughlin
TR
10:30-11:45 AM
Grading Option
Letter/Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7027
History of Western Christianity II, 850-1650
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
General survey of Western Christianity, with special emphasis on institutional, theological, pastoral and spiritual issues. Lays the foundation for understanding many features of the Church today. Topics include monasticism, establishment of the modern papacy, lay apostolic movements (e.g. beguines), religious orders (e.g., Franciscans, Jesuits), heresies, crusades, inquisitions, scholasticism, saints (e.g., Hildegard of Bingen, Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola), popular devotions, women in church, mysticism, Protestant Reformation, church councils (e.g., Trent), overseas evangelization. Lectures, readings in primary sources, focused discussion.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Catherine M. Mooney
T
12:30-2:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7230
Medieval Theology
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
The course provides an historical introduction to Christian theology in the medieval West, c. 400 - c. 1400, with a focus on medieval scholasticism. Fundamental themes include modes of theological discourse, scriptural exegesis, monasticism, mysticism, and scholasticism. The course considers how such theologians as Augustine of Hippo, Pseudo-Dionysius, Bede, Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hugh and Richard of St. Victor, Robert of Melun, Peter Lombard, Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Gertrude of Helfta, and John Duns Scotus understood such central theological topics as the natural knowledge of God, divine revelation, Trinity, creation, the human person, sin, evil, grace, predestination, Christ, mystical union, the Virgin Mary, salvation, and the sacraments.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Franklin T. Harkins
F
9:00 AM -12:00 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC7303
Screening Saints & Sanctity
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course explores saints as they are depicted in award-winning films, primary sources by or about the saints, and scholarly sources regarding the saints and their subsequent portrayals by film directors. These latter figures - modern hagiographers - contribute toward constructing a given saint's image as the saint is popularly understood. Exploring the historical contexts of both the saint in question and his or her later interpreter will illuminate the pressing theological, religious, ecclesial, social, and political concerns in their respective eras. The course aims to elevate teaching and preaching regarding these multi-layered perspectives on saints and notions of sanctity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Catherine M. Mooney
R
3:30-5:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMHC8144
The Spiritual Theology of Ignatius of Loyola
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), primary founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), produced the largest collection of writings of any sixteenth-century figure, excepting only Philip Melanchton (1497-1560). In this seminar course, students will examine the entire Ignatius corpus with regard to salient themes to assess their development over the course of Ignatius' life and how they should be reinterpreted (or not) for twenty-first century Christians. This course is recommended for those intending advanced studies in Jesuit history and spirituality.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Barton T. Geger
T
1:00-3:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
At least one year of graduate theology OR a previous class on Ignatian spirituality/Jesuit history.
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5559-01
Dante's 'Divine Comedy' in Translation
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Conducted in English. Elective for Italian major or minor. An introduction to and critical reading of the "Divine Comedy" (in English translation), one of the world's greatest epic poems, produced by "the chief imagination of Christendom" (Yeats). Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise will be analyzed at its multiple levels of interpretation: literal and allegorical, theological, philosophical, political, and literary. Compendium of an entire epoch of European civilization, the "Comedy" will also be interrogated for its responses to the fundamental questions of human existence: God, the Cosmos, the Self, Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, Suffering, and Happiness.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Costanzo
W
3-5:25p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7008-01
Early Christianity in its Jewish Context
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
The course surveys the Jewish context of early Christian literature and history through close analysis of primary texts. We begin with the origins of Jewish sectarianism in the second century BCE and study the development of various Jewish and Christian sects, concluding with Jewish and Christian groups in the second century CE. We will explore how closely related, and in many cases inseparable, Christian and Jewish identity were well into the second century CE.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Gillihan
F
1-3:20p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
DOCTORAL
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7047-01
Marcion and the History of Early Christianity
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course offers an in-depth study of Marcion, one of the most significant heretics ofthe second century CE, and his impact upon and place within early Christianity. The first half of the course will focus on the portrayal of Marcion found in the writings of several of his most prominent opponents, including, e.g., Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Epiphanius, and Origen. The second half hones in on elements of Marcion's theology and texts, along with the proto-orthodox polemic against them, including topics such as Marcion's dualism, ecclesiology, Gospel, Apostolikon, points of contact with ancient philosophies, and "disciples."
Professor
Class Day & Time
Roth
M
2-4:25p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
DOCTORAL
School
Boston University School of Theology
STH TH826
Reformations
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Survey of social, personal, institutional, and theological aspects of reform and renewal in the late medieval and early modern periods, including Nominalism, Conciliarism, the papacy, Luther, the German and Swiss Reformations, Anabaptism and radical reformers, Calvin, the French Reformation, the English Reformation, Catholic Reform, Ignatius and Theresa, and the Council of Trent.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Brown
M
8:00am-10:45am
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
PREREQ: TF701/702 or equivalent.
School
Boston University School of Theology
STH TH853
Christianity in Colonial Latin America
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Christianity in Colonial Latin America is a graduate-level survey course that introduces students to the historical trajectory of Christianity in Latin America from the arrival of Christopher Columbus (1492) to the period of the Latin American wars of independence (1791-1821). Attention is given to the encounter with pre-Colombian religions as well as the transactional adaptation of core Christian theological, institutional, and ascetical traditions. Accordingly, special consideration will be given to theological discourses of the other, the adaptation of ecclesiastical institutions such as the episcopacy, and missionary practices. Reading selections include primary source material as well as secondary scholarly literature. Students will have the opportunity to acquire both a general appreciation for the historical trajectory of Christianity during the colonial period as well as an in depth understanding of selected topics intended for independent research.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Roldan Figueroa
R
12:30pm-3:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University School of Theology
STH TM863
African Christianity: Narratives, Beliefs, and Practices
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course examines the history of Christianity in Africa, with focus on the 19th-21st centuries. It pays particular attention to themes in African theology, gender and social action, environmentalism, Pentecostal spiritualities, African missions, and church/state relations-- including issues of colonialism and democratization. A highlight of the course will be a conference on African Christian Biography with leading scholars, in late October.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Robert with Wariboko
F
8:00am-10:45am
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
WM601
The World Mission of the Church
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
Recognizing the responsibility of all Christians to complete Christ's commission, this course gives an overview of the strategic and historical progress of worldwide missions today. The ways in which a local congregation can fulfill its worldwide biblical mandate are also considered.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Yao, Xiyi
Module 4: Feb. 23-24; Mar. 22-23; Apr. 26-27
Fri 6:30-9:30pm; Sat 8:30am-4:30pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
SYNCHRNOUS
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2220
Teresa of Avila
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This conference course will explore the life and work of the sixteenth-century Spanish writer, mystic and reformer, Teresa of Avila. With attention to her religious, literary, political and social context, we will read her major works: her Life, Interior Castle, Way of Perfection, Book of Foundations and her commentary on the Song of Songs as well as her poetry and documents related to her reform of the Carmelite Order. The format of the course will be a mixture of lecture, discussion, and, depending on the size of enrollment, reading our work aloud to each other.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Stephanie Paulsell
T
3-5:45PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 1260
History of Early Christianity
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course will provide a basic historical introduction to early Christianity from the first to fourth centuries CE. How did different Christians in this period navigate the diverse teachings, rituals, and social practices associated with Jesus of Nazareth to produce a religious movement that came to dominate the Roman Empire, even as it was itself always complex, variegated, and internally contested from its earliest moments? Throughout the course, we will explore the diversity of early Christian thought and practice across a range of topics and geographical areas, as well as the ways in which Christians situated themselves within the larger Roman world and in relation to others both internal and external. This is an introductory-level course and it offers the possibility of writing a research paper. Note that the course is designed to complement and build upon HDS 1202 "Introduction to the New Testament." Each can be taken as a standalone class or the two can be taken in any order; but overlap between them will be kept to a minimum. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 2432.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Giovanni Bazzana
TR
9-10:15AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2069
Mysticism and Madness in the Early Modern World
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
There was no period more significant to the development of Catholicism than early modernity. Faced both with the competing truth claims of the Protestant Reformation and encounter with new and unknown cultures, the Catholic Church reaffirmed or redefined itself and many of its major tenets. Three of the most significant and interrelated of these concepts that required review were sanctity, martyrdom, and mysticism. They were central to early modern Catholic theology and devotion, and yet saints, martyrs, and mystics were liminal figures. They were caught between orthodoxy and heterodoxy, cultural heroes, and counter cultural. This seminar explores these tensions as they manifested themselves in the early modern world, with special attention to analysis of primary source texts. Topics examined include mission history, gender, and history of the body.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Thomas Santa Maria
R
12-2PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2089
Saints, Sinners, and all the Women in Between: Inquisitions Judging Women of the Atlantic World
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course provides an in-depth analysis of how the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions judged the lives and religiosity of women across the Atlantic World. It will highlight the ambiguous and tenuous place of women within Global Catholicism and the ways that inquisitorial perceptions forced them into particular categories of deviance.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Jessica Fowler
M
3-5PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2188
The Protestant Reformations
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
The sixteenth-century was a time of unprecedented turmoil and rapid change in Europe, shaped by events that were specific to the time but will also feel familiar: new media, rising nationalism, internal and colonial aggression against racial others and religious minorities, plague, urbanization, populism, and major economic shifts. All of these shaped emerging religious movements in various ways with aftereffects that would lead to the reordering of human life on a global scale. This course looks at the historical and intellectual context out of which Protestantism emerged and considers its longstanding global impact. It is designed to be an introductory course, but more involved research opportunities will be made available for advanced students in consultation with the professor. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 1469.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Michelle Sanchez
R
3-6PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
CHST 5022
Church History II/Ecum.Patriarchate
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course is designed to introduce students to the institutions, personalities, and religious and theological expressions of Church life from the medieval period to the present. Special attention will be given to the history and role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Nicholas Ganson
TR
10:40a-12p
Grading Option
L/PF/AUD
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
PATR 6011 Z1
Patrology II
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
This course is a general introduction to the Fathers and the main periods of Patristic Literature from the fifth century to the iconoclasm controversy in the ninth century. Like the companion course (PATR 5011), this course focuses on the doctrinal issues while also exploring the literary, historical, and cultural context of the period.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Tikhon Alexander Pino
TBD
TBD
Grading Option
L/PF/AUD
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
SYNCHRONOUS/ONLINE
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Hebrew College
HIS510
Zionism
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
In this seminar we will explore the foundational ideas and events of the Zionist movement from its beginnings through the creation of the state. The course will begin by placing Zionism within the wider canvass of late 19th century European history. We will then move through Zionist history in a roughly chronological fashion, looking at the major thinkers of the movement - Herzl, Ahad Ha-am, Kook, Jabotinsky - while also covering the major political events - The Zionist Congresses, the Balfour Declaration, The British Mandate, etc. While this course is not designed to focus solely on the conflict with the Palestinians, the relationship between Zionism and the Arab communities within and around Palestine will be one of our primary concerns.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dan Judson
J TERM
9:30 am-4:00 pm
Grading Option
P/F or audit
Credits
1
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Tuesday-Thursday, January 10-12
School
Saint John's Seminary
THMT619
Church, State, and Society In The Catholic Tradition
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
The course will be based on the Catholic Social Tradition and the U.S. political system, including magisterial statements, theological ethics and relevant policy literature. Each class will have a guided "Open Forum" discussion, followed by formal lecture.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Hehir
T
2:45-4:45 PM
Grading Option
Letter/Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
bottom of page