Interreligious Leadership Certificate
(Pre-Approved Courses)
School:
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5700-01
Indian Christian Theology and Religious Cosmopolitanism
BTI Category:
Interreligious Learning
SP23
Semester:
This course will be offered in conjunction with the Duffy lectures on Global Christianity which will be delivered in 2023 by the famous Indian theologian, Felix Wilfred. In addition to focusing on the particular characteristics and challenges of Christianity in India, it will also reflect on what Hindu-Christian comparative theology may offer Christian theology more broadly.
Professor
Cornille, Catherine M
Class Day & Time
R
6:00PM-09:00PM
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
Y
Credits:
3
Prerequisites?
N
Grad/Undergrad split; This course will be offered in conjunction with the Duffy lectures on Global Christianity, Contact Professor for more details on schedule
Notes:
School:
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5532-01
Undoing Anti-Judaism in the Church
BTI Category:
Interreligious Learning
SP23
Semester:
The purpose of this course is to develop strategies by which the anti-Judaism endemic to Christian traditions can be recognized and undone. This course will begin with an examination of the development and workings of Christian anti-Judaism. Attention will then turn to how such anti-Judaism has entered into Christian life and practice, especially within the context of teaching, preaching, and worship. The course will conclude with developing new approaches to resisting anti-Judaism in Christian contexts and public spaces.
Professor
Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, Daniel
Class Day & Time
W
10:00AM-12:25PM
Online?
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
3
Prerequisites?
N
Grad/Undergrad split
Notes:
School:
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5796-01
Shared Scripture – Divided Faiths: The medieval Jewish-Christian encounter over the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
BTI Category:
Interreligious Learning
SP23
Semester:
This course will explore the history of medieval Christian Hebraism and its consequences for the perception of the Jewish other. Starting with Jerome, Christian scholars have seen the Hebrew Bible, rather than the Septuagint, as the authoritative version of the Old Testament. In the course of medieval history, this led Christian scholars to seek contact with Jews and Jewish sources, to better understand this text. In various ways, these encounters shaped Christians perceptions of Jews, both in negative and positive ways. The course will survey the work of patristic and medieval authors such as Jerome, Bede, Andrew of Saint Victor, Nicholas of Lyra, Paul of Burgos, and Matthias Doering.
Professor
Van Liere, Franciscus
Class Day & Time
TR
1:30PM-02:45PM
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
3
Prerequisites?
N
Grad/Undergrad split
Notes:
School:
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7269
Healing Ministries
BTI Category:
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP23
Semester:
Over the course of our lives, many people suffer from serious acute or chronic illnesses, traumas, and disabilities. We all mourn the losses of loved ones. We all, at some point, confront dying, death and grief. Despite their certainty, many approach these life events with anxiety, fear, and avoidance. This course will address human sickness, trauma, disability, and the processes of dying and grieving from psychosocial, theological, clinical-pastoral, liturgical, and experiential perspectives. Building on current studies, research, and dynamics related to the care of persons who are sick, disabled, traumatized, and dying, this course will enhance the knowledge and skills needed to intervene and respond effectively to the spiritual and emotional needs of people who may look to a compassionate caregiver for guidance, comfort, and healing in times of crisis and loss. This course is intended for a diverse group of caregivers—pastoral counselors, healthcare, prison, and school chaplains, lay and ordained ministers, and other health care professionals—who provide assistance and care both in institutional settings and within families and communities.
Professor
Walter Smith, S.J.
Class Day & Time
M
12:30 - 2:50
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
3
Prerequisites?
N
N
Notes:
School:
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPT8132
Theology, Race, and Critical Race Theory
BTI Category:
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP23
Semester:
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
Benjamin Valentin
Class Day & Time
T
3:30 - 6:20
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
3
Prerequisites?
Y
PREREQ: Fundamental Theology, Theological Foundations in Practical Perspective, or equivalent.
Notes:
School:
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7018
Death and Dying
BTI Category:
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP23
Semester:
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
Melissa Kelley
Class Day & Time
R
9:30 - 11:50
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
3
Prerequisites?
N
N
Notes:
School:
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPT7263
Theopoetics and Theologies of Imagination
BTI Category:
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP23
Semester:
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
Callid Keefe-Perry
Class Day & Time
T
12:30 - 3:20
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
3
Prerequisites?
N
N
Notes:
School:
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7281
Post-Pandemic Wisdom and Practices in Ministry
BTI Category:
Leadership Formation & Ministry Skills
SP23
Semester:
This module explores the consequences and lessons of COVID-19 that are still unfolding among us. Operating primarily from the perspectives of pastoral care and organization health, the class will look at some of the ways in which the pandemic -- and pandemic response -- has highlighted structural social inequality and the importance of community in responding to crises. Attention will be given to innovations and challenges related to the faithful use of technology, new ways of building community, and how to discuss social issues related to health and science informed by care for the common good.
Professor
Callid Keefe-Perry
Class Day & Time
R
6:30 - 9:00
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
1
Prerequisites?
N
In Spring 2023, this course will meet on the following dates: Jan 19, Feb 2,16, Mar 23, Apr 13
AND ONE TBD DATE
Notes:
School:
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7278
Socio-Spiritual Care
BTI Category:
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP23
Semester:
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
Heather M. DuBois
Class Day & Time
M
3:00 - 4:50
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
3
Prerequisites?
N
N
Notes:
School:
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN675
Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
BTI Category:
Church History/History of Religions
SP23
Semester:
Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions.
Professor
Frank Korom
Class Day & Time
TR
2:00PM-3:15PM
Online?
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
4
Prerequisites?
N
N
Notes:
School:
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN752
Topics in Religious Thought
BTI Category:
Ethics (all traditions)
SP23
Semester:
What is happiness? How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life? Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Epicurean, Confucian, Buddhist paths; comparison with contemporary studies on happiness and mindfulness
Professor
Diana Lobel
Class Day & Time
TR
2:00PM-3:15PM
Online?
Professor Approval?
Y
Credits:
4
Prerequisites?
N
N
Notes:
School:
Boston University School of Theology
STH TY832
Helping Spiritual Communities Flourish: A Multicultural Approach
BTI Category:
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP23
Semester:
This course introduces and explores multicultural and pluralistic approaches to providing care within spiritual communities. The Multicultural Orientation Framework and dual-factor approach will be discussed and explored. Integrative, culturally responsive perspectives will be applied to promoting growth and flourishing.
Professor
Choe & Captari
Class Day & Time
Feb 3 - Feb 4
F 3PM-8PM, Sat 9AM-4PM; Feb 3-4
Online?
N
Professor Approval?
N
Credits:
1
Prerequisites?
N
N
Notes: