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BTI Consortium | Last Updated November 14 - 9:00AM
ETHICS
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2628
Mourning, Melancholia, and Mysticism: Seminar
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course will look at key theoretical texts that articulate the role of mourning and melancholia in subject and community formation and the complex relationship between mourning, melancholic identification, gender, sexuality, and race. We will then turn to the Christian mystical tradition as a potential resource for a feminist philosophy of mourning. Readings will include texts by Margaret Ebner, Sigmund Freud, Nicolas Abraham and Maria Torok, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, Catherine Clément, Anne Anlin Cheng, and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. Prerequisite: Some acquaintance with contemporary theory. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 1458.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Amy Hollywood
W
1-3 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
Prerequisite: Some acquaintance with contemporary theory. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 1458.
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE7034
Critical Ethical Issues
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course considers critical contemporary issues from Catholic, interdenominational, interfaith, international, and cross-cultural perspectives. Attention will be given to the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (scripture, tradition, reason, and experience) and casuistry to ground a common approach in the examination and interrogation of the issues to be addressed. The principal ethical issues to be studied include: economic justice (access to health and human services), sexual ethics (just love, sexual identity, misogyny, pedophilia, and reproduction), respect life (abortion, euthanasia, hyper-incarceration and capital punishment), fanaticism and religious fundamentalism, environmental degradation and human ecology (natural disasters), and the toll of a perpetual state of war.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Mary Jo Iozzio
T
12:30-3:20 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE8117
Christian Ethics and Social Structures
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course examines the various ways in which Christian ethicists have addressed social structures, from the groundbreaking work of Latin American liberation theologians in the 1960s to today. The course emphasizes the necessity of understanding social realities (such as structure, culture, and the relation of structure and moral agency) in order produce normative claims regarding social evil and how persons should respond such evil. To that end, the course introduces students to prominent social theories, such as methodological individualism and critical realism. The course then turns to critical contemporary ethical problems, such as global warming and the exploitation of labor.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Daniel J. Daly
W
4:00-6:20 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
One course in Christian Ethics
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE8145
Theological Ethics and the Economy
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
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 & Time
Christina MCRorie
W
1:00-3:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
One prior course in Christian Ethics or Moral Theology
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPT8132
Theology, Race, and Critical Race Theory
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
A social construction at its core, the modern idea of race has been given power through the years. Accruing strength and mostly negative use over time it has cut across the private sphere and become a portentous social idea in the form of systemic racism, institutionalized within government, laws, medical science, religion, culture, and society. This course explores the historical foundations of race and racism, and ranges over different manifestations of institutional racism in the spheres of criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, education, and religious and congregational life. It also looks into recent movements for racial justice in thought and practice, and considers ways in which theological ideas and church practices can be refocused to contribute to racial justice within the academy, ecclesial communities, and the larger landscape of society.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Benjamin Valentin
R
3:30-6:20 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
Fundamental Theology, Theological Foundations in Practical Perspective, or equivalent.
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5574-01
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
An examination of the role of religion in international politics and of ethical approaches to international affairs. Special emphasis will be given to religion as a source of conflict, religious communities as transnational agents for justice, protection of human rights, and peace; the historical development and contemporary formulations of ethical norms for the use of force; and ethical and religious contributions to reconciliation and solidarity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Wambui
TR
1:30-2:45p
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
THEO5574-03
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
An examination of the role of religion in international politics and of ethical approaches to international affairs. Special emphasis will be given to religion as a source of conflict, religious communities as transnational agents for justice, protection of human rights, and peace; the historical development and contemporary formulations of ethical norms for the use of force; and ethical and religious contributions to reconciliation and solidarity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Wambui
R
4-4:50p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split - ADDITIONAL SECTION, Check with BC Registrar
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5574-05
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
An examination of the role of religion in international politics and of ethical approaches to international affairs. Special emphasis will be given to religion as a source of conflict, religious communities as transnational agents for justice, protection of human rights, and peace; the historical development and contemporary formulations of ethical norms for the use of force; and ethical and religious contributions to reconciliation and solidarity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Wambui
R
5-5:50p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split - ADDITIONAL SECTION, Check with BC Registrar
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7518-01
Aquinas' Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
A study of Thomas Aquinas's Pars Secunda of the Summa Theologiae, including his writings on Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice, Prudence, Fortitude and Temperance.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Keenan
T
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 TS818
Sexual Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Since the 1960s, ethical reasoning about sex in America has been narrated in terms of a sexual "revolution" or "liberation." Yet historiographies of increasing sexual freedom conceal the continued conceptual instability and normative confusion around sex as an element of human living. We will study the historical shifts and current debates around sexual identity, sexual violence, monogamy, polyamory, sex work, and pornography; consider the complex negotiation of sex with state, religion, commerce, racialization, technology, and medicine; and explore the place of sex in the stages of a human life. You will be encouraged to use the course material to clarify and refine your own ethical reasoning about sex.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Yin
M
2:30pm-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University School of Theology
STH TS881
Introduction to Environmental Justice
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course explores the ways in which injustices are mediated through our physical environment, and how academics, artists, ordinary citizens, organizers, and religious leaders are addressing those injustices. Through articles, case studies, discussion, writing, and excursions to encounter the the work of the environmental justice movement in Boston, we will explore how communities engage (or avoid engaging) the connection between environmental and public health. We will explore how environmental justice activists navigate the complex webs of different stakeholders and analyze the ways that power and voice relate to environmental health. By the end of this course, you will have developed your own creative response to an instance of environmental injustice and have joined the other academics and activists at work in this vital field.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Copeland
M
2:30pm-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Boston
SE632
Christianity and the Problem of Racism
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Multiethnic and interactive class examines racism in terms of a black and white paradigm. A multidisciplinary analysis of this major social problem. Course includes graphic presentations, biblical, psycho-social and ethical principles leading to challenging discussions.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Hammond & Watkins
Wednesdays, alternating weeks
6-9pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
SYNCHRNOUS
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2085
Moral Conflict
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Conflicts about abortion, climate change, economic inequality, gun regulation, LGBTQ+ rights, and other matters often occur when foundational values of different moral communities collide. This seminar provides an opportunity to examine conflicts implicating groups' deeply held values. Topics include the role these conflicts play in the formation and maintenance of moral communities; the role beliefs play in these conflicts; value pluralism and incommensurability; moral relativism; and possibilities for, and alternatives to, consensual resolution of value-laden conflict. We also will consider how these conflicts impinge upon and are processed within moral communities, including the hermeneutical challenges and opportunities value-laden conflicts present for religious communities. Readings will span multiple disciplines, including moral philosophy, theology, political theory, law, and the social sciences. Students will complete a final project that considers course themes in relation to a conflict of their choice.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Jeffrey Seul
M
3-5PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
This is a limited enrollment course. To apply, send an email to jseul@hds.harvard.edu by January 18 and attend the first class session on January 22. In your email, include your name, degree program, year of study, school or university, previous relevant academic and other experience, and a brief statement of your goals for the course. Please indicate whether you seek to take this course to fulfill a curriculum distribution requirement or other special requirement.
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2171
Forgiveness
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
When, if ever, are we obliged to forgive? What should forgiveness look like in the aftermath of violence? What conditions should be attached to its offer? Does forgiveness foster peace at the expense of justice? Should it? This course will examine the complicated problem of forgiveness through an examination of several diverse sources: theological, philosophical, and literary. The aim will be to develop a sophisticated understanding of the promise and problems of forgiveness in human lives, and to foster the critical application of such lessons to contemporary contexts and moral problems. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 145.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Matthew Potts
R
12-2:45PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2693
Sex, Gender, and Sexuality II
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
The second of two parts, the course will continue to explore the theoretical articulation of sex, gender, and sexuality in feminist, queer and trans theory, with attention to the role of other differences--racial, ethnic, religious, and differences in physical ability--in contemporary work.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Benjamin Dunning
T
12-2PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
Prerequisite: 2692 or consent of the instructor. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 1573.
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2798 02
Religion and Ecology
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course will explore the intersection between religious traditions and ecological activism, with special attention to current conversations about sustainable agriculture and ethical eating. We will consider both the resources that religious traditions provide to ecological activists and the ways these activists have challenged aspects of traditional religion. The course will also function as a general introduction to the multiple ways of knowing that comprise the scholarly study of religion, with attention to scriptural interpretation, history, ethnography, theology, ethics, spirituality, and ritual. For MTS students, this course will support the attainment of degree goals 2 (theories and methods) and 5 (public communication). Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 1046.Note: This course will include an optional, multi-day field trip.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dan McKanan
MW
10:30-11:45AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Hartford International
ET-575
Ethical Leadership in an Age of Discord
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course will provide students with theoretical and practical approaches to the cultivation of ethical leadership, within a spiritual and vocational context, in a time when both churches and local communities are polarized and fractured. The scope of this course covers personal, public, and spiritual dimensions of ethical leadership from the perspectives of a diverse array of leadership theories. This course will additionally address the interrelatedness of personal development for spirituality and vocation, lifelong learning, public engagement, justice as equity, community building, and more.
Course fulfills the following curricular requirements:
MAIRS - Interreligious Studies: Elective
MAIRS - Ministerial Studies: Beliefs and Practices of the Christian Faith
MAIRS - Islamic Studies: Religious Pluralism
MAIRS - Islamic Studies: Elective
MAC - Chaplaincy Elective
MAC - Islamic Chaplaincy Elective
Professor
Class Day & Time
Walter Fluker
M
4-6:50pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 753 1
Topics in Religion and Sexuality - HIV/AIDS
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Exploration of key topics and themes in the study of religion and sexuality, especially as they intersect with gender, race, and politics. Historical periods and religious contexts will vary according to instructor. Topic for Spring 2024: HIV/AIDS, Art, and Religion. Examines the history of the AIDS crisis in the US, including religious, racial, and moral constructions. Special attention to feminist/queer activists and artists who have fostered alternative moral and political visions of health, sexuality, and citizenship through film and video. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Anthony Petro
T
3:30-6:15pm
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
TMCE7304
Moral Theology and Spirituality
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Although ethics and spirituality were considered distinct - and perhaps even estranged - for some time, developments in Catholic moral theology since the mid-twentieth century have led to a renewed awareness of the interdependence of these two kinds of theology. This course introduces students to the historical divergence and current state of the conversation between these disciplines, and to some of the challenges confronting and prospects for developing a moral theological imagination that is organically nourished by spirituality, and a spirituality that is in turn grounded in and structured by morality. Themes addressed include the place of discipleship, discernment, sainthood, and the experience of God in Christian ethics, the spirituality of liberation theology, and the role of conscience, virtue, and community in Christian spiritual life.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Christina MCRorie
M
1:00-3:00 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE8118
Healthcare Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course explores contemporary Catholic health care ethics. The course begins by examining the sources, methods, and influential documents of the Catholic medical ethical tradition. The syllabus traces the development of the tradition from the 16th to the 21st century. Prominent secular approaches in the field are studied as well. The course then takes up: 1) clinical, case-based medical ethics; and, 2) ethics at the institutional level. Applied topics include: abortion; access to health care and the distribution of medical resources; end of life ethics; mergers among Catholic and non-Catholic health institutions; and international recruiting of health care workers.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Daniel J. Daly
F
1:00-4:00 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
One course in Christian Ethics, biotethics or medical ethics
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMCE8541
Disability Studies and Theological Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course investigates Disability Studies at the intersections of interdisciplinary subjects in the humanities, including Scripture, theology, and theological ethics. Attention will be given to the hermeneutic work of Disability Studies and considerations in scripture studies, theology, and theological ethics. The course a) presents the history of People with Disabilities (similar to feminist retrievals of "undocumented stories" found by reading between the lines of texts), b) explores the move from institutionalization to rights, liberties, and self-determination, and c) considers how theological ethics in particular calls for something radically new in the way of solidarity between PWD and their normate counterparts.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Mary Jo Iozzio
W
10:00-12:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
Y
Notes
One graduate level course in fundamental moral theology (including CST) and one graduate level course in systematic theology, liberation theology or equivalen
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5492-01
Religion(s) and American Public Schools
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course examines a controversial but surprisingly unfamiliar topic: religion(s) in American public schools. The class has three objectives: (1) to understand the complex role religions have played in the development of American public schools and the political and educational philosophy that undergirds them; (2) To examine the principled philosophical and theological issues behind contemporary legal cases about religion and public education; and (3) To understand how constitutionally sound approaches to religion in schools can help to modulate or resolve the pedagogical and administrative issues that arise across the curriculum and within school culture.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Owens
T
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
THEO5574-02
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
An examination of the role of religion in international politics and of ethical approaches to international affairs. Special emphasis will be given to religion as a source of conflict, religious communities as transnational agents for justice, protection of human rights, and peace; the historical development and contemporary formulations of ethical norms for the use of force; and ethical and religious contributions to reconciliation and solidarity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Wambui
R
3-3:50
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split - ADDITIONAL SECTION, Check with BC Registrar
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5574-04
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
An examination of the role of religion in international politics and of ethical approaches to international affairs. Special emphasis will be given to religion as a source of conflict, religious communities as transnational agents for justice, protection of human rights, and peace; the historical development and contemporary formulations of ethical norms for the use of force; and ethical and religious contributions to reconciliation and solidarity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Wambui
TR
10:30-11:45AM
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split - ADDITIONAL SECTION, Check with BC Registrar
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5574-06
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
An examination of the role of religion in international politics and of ethical approaches to international affairs. Special emphasis will be given to religion as a source of conflict, religious communities as transnational agents for justice, protection of human rights, and peace; the historical development and contemporary formulations of ethical norms for the use of force; and ethical and religious contributions to reconciliation and solidarity.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Wambui
R
6-6:50p
Grading Option
L/PF/A
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad split - ADDITIONAL SECTION, Check with BC Registrar
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO8502-01
Mercy and Justice
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course explores the meaning of mercy, particularly in its relationship to justice. It examines four major topics: (1) mercy in its relationship to retributive justice, focusing on mercy or clemency in the case of criminal sentencing, as well as broader questions of retribution for wrongdoing, such as whether there can or should be criteria for the exercise of mercy, whether mercy can be exercised unjustly, and the relationship of forgiveness to mercy; (2) mercy in its relationship to distributive justice, focusing on the corporal works of mercy and issues such as the relationship of justice and private charity; (3) mercy in its relationship to social justice, or the social face of mercy; and (4) divine justice and mercy, focusing on the way theologians have attempted to reconcile God's mercy and God's justice. Readings for the course will be interdisciplinary, including philosophical, theological, and legal materials.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Kaveny
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 TS824
Christian Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course introduces students to the sources and methods of Christian ethics. We will consider the ways in which Christian moral thinking is shaped by the Hebrew Bible and New Testament; survey some prominent approaches to Christian ethical discernment (divine command, natural law, Christian realism, virtue ethics, as well as feminist and womanist ethics); examine the deformation of Christian subject by empire, racism, and economic exploitation; and finally, probe the promise of Christian moral vision in reimagining human response to mass incarceration, finance-dominated capitalism, disabilities, racial capitalism, migration, and environmental justice.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Yin
R
3:30pm-6:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Boston
SE571
Christian Ethics & Social Issues
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Seeks to develop the student's theological-ethical reflections, social analysis, and types of action for ministering to crucial social issues. Our three-step approach will be: 1) clarification, 2) conceptualization, and 3) confrontation. Issues include: urbanization, economic justice, and environmental ethics.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Price, Thomas
Module 1: Saturdays Feb. 3; Mar. 2; Apr. 6 (plus 1 Saturday)
TBD
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
SYNCHRNOUS
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
ET/TH651
The Theological Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Course description not available.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Isaac, Gordon
R
1:30-4:30pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
SYNCHRNOUS
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2084
Sanctuary Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Since the Middle Ages, when sacred places began to function as safe havens, the word "sanctuary" has gradually gained its modern meaning as a space that is sacred and/or safe. In this course in applied ethics, we will ask what happens when we encounter violence in our literal and figurative sanctuaries. Inspired by the modern-day sanctuary movement, this course focuses on the period from the mid-1800s to the present and explores the many meanings past and present that have been attached to the word "sanctuary." In a world rife with violence all around, what can we do to resist hopelessness and remain steadfast in our commitment to seeking solutions and creating meaningful change? Drawing on an array of historical and contemporary sources and in conversation with many moral philosophies and religious traditions, we will discuss strategies for avoiding ethical paralysis and charting new paths forward in the face of daunting challenges such as political unrest, structural injustice, racism, nativism, sexism, poverty, pandemic, environmental crisis, and culture wars. Students will write a weekly "quote and question" response (200-250 words) on the course readings, a 1,000-word lyric essay or opinion piece, and a 15-page final paper (with a preliminary 500-word project statement and bibliography) on a topic chosen in conjunction with the instructor. This is a limited enrollment course. Interested students should submit a petition as soon as possible and be sure to attend the first class meeting. Please note that permission to enroll will be granted as petitions are received.
Professor
Class Day & Time
K. Healan Gaston
R
12-2PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
This is a limited enrollment course. Interested students should submit a petition as soon as possible and be sure to attend the first class meeting. Please note that permission to enroll will be granted as petitions are received.
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 3089
Reparations as a Spiritual Practice
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course focuses on the social movement and practices utilized by spiritual, faith based and ethically communities to understand and engage in reparations as a healing, constructive and decolonial process. This journey will provide an introduction to reparations through its history and major figures and frameworks; it then explores economic, experiential, theoretical and legal bases for understanding reparations as articulated in academia, social movements, and in advocacy arenas. We will examine historical calls for reparations and the current movement and the possibilities toward reparations for Blacks in the U.S. Building on the key histories,theories and ideas that inform reparations, we will frame this contemporary discussion through the lens of spirituality and decoloniality to understand slavery, reconstruction, civil rights, truth and reconciliation, restorative and transitional justice. We will explore various understandings and approaches to reparations from organizations and individuals at the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, National African American Reparations Commission, Caribbean Reparations Commission,Reparations4Slavery, UHURU solidarity, and many others.
Professor
Class Day & Time
David Ragland
T
12-3PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2798 01
Religion and Ecology
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
This course will explore the intersection between religious traditions and ecological activism, with special attention to current conversations about sustainable agriculture and ethical eating. We will consider both the resources that religious traditions provide to ecological activists and the ways these activists have challenged aspects of traditional religion. The course will also function as a general introduction to the multiple ways of knowing that comprise the scholarly study of religion, with attention to scriptural interpretation, history, ethnography, theology, ethics, spirituality, and ritual. For MTS students, this course will support the attainment of degree goals 2 (theories and methods) and 5 (public communication). Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 1046.Note: This course will include an optional, multi-day field trip.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dan McKanan
MW
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 3092
Ethical Discernment in Business Contexts
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Using the lenses of corporate strategy, frameworks for action, and the responsibilities and obligations that coincide with select stakeholders to examine and understand the ethical dimensions of decision making, the class will explore the implications of ethics in business contexts for both organizations and individuals. The objective of the course is to provide students with tools to enhance their efficacy as managers, future leaders, and colleagues in a variety of settings, including ministerial pursuits, NGOs, policymaking, the social sector, government, and organizations engaged primarily in economic activities. Among the topics that will be addressed include: the role and challenges language and religion can play in advancing conversations about values and ethics; the intersection of religion, ethics, and economic initiatives; the juncture of corporate social responsibility (CSR), shared value, and net-positive impact; environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG); and the future of capitalism. Reading materials will include case materials, teaching notes, and works by Howard Thurman, Peter Gomes, Reinhold Niebuhr, Mary Gentile, Gordon Kaufman, and Graham Allison. Students will be required to submit a 500-word op-ed and a 15--20-page final paper.
Professor
Class Day & Time
John Brown
W
TBA
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
This is a limited enrollment course. Interested students should attend the first course meeting. If the course is overenrolled, a selection procedure will be described at that first meeting. Selected students will then be invited to enroll in the course following the first course meeting. Students planning to enroll should send their r�sum� or C.V. to john_brown@harvard.edu at least one week before the first class.
School
Hartford International
ET-631-2
Environmental Ethics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
The Native American "Tale of Two Wolves" tells of two evenly matched wolves in a battle. One is evil - greedy, arrogant, lying, and full of fear. The other is good - filled with love, hope, compassion, and integrity. The question is: which one will win? The sage's answer: the one we feed.
The study of environmental ethics can easily devolve into a spiral of pessimism, given the unprecedented challenges we face regarding the climate crisis and other ecological threats to the well-being of our planet. We are tempted to "feed the wrong wolf" and give into despair and a fatalistic resignation. Therefore, we will explore religious, philosophical, and environmental perspectives to help us understand the roots of the crises, as well as search for resources to help us "feed the good wolf." This course will equip students to work toward faith-based approaches to environmental ethics focused on justice and building community.
Course fulfills the following curricular requirements:
MAIRS - Ministerial Studies: Beliefs and Practices
MAIRS - Islamic Studies: Religious Pluralism
MAIRS - Islamic Studies Elective
MAIRS - Interreligious Studies Elective
MAC - Chaplaincy Elective
MAC - Islamic Chaplaincy Pathway Elective
MAP - Elective
Professor
Class Day & Time
Lisa Dahill
R
5-6:50pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisite?
N
Notes
N
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