TMST8016

Global Catholicism: Challenges/New Evangelization

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.

TMST8105

Discipleship

What is the relationship between what theologians have said about discipleship and the ways in which these articulations have shaped the living out of their vocations as theologians in the church and in the world? What can we learn from their lives? What do they teach us about following Jesus amidst the forces of secularization and desecularization? What does it mean to follow Jesus particularly in times of war, genocide, natural disaster, catastrophe, socio-economic collapse, scientific discovery, globalization and pluralism? What currently informs our own theological imaginations with regard to the challenges of Christian discipleship in today's church and world?

TMST7088

Theology of Culture

This course explores the relationship between theology and culture through the following questions: How do particular cultures shape Christian faith? How has the Church, for better or worse, changed (or failed to change) the various cultures into which it has been received? How are rapid advances in technology shaping culture and how should the Church respond? How do theologians navigate between their local context and global economic realities that influence all locales? How does the study of culture, which integrates the various branches of inquiry into human meaning, challenge and invigorate theological reflection?

STH TC812

Contextual Theologies of Mission and Diakonia

In this course, students are introduced to contextual theology and its relationship to missions within mainline denominations through the consideration of ministries of love, justice, and service. Students will examine scriptural and theological grounds for missional outreach, consider church engagement in social justice, explore Christianity's history/tradition, and visit missional sites in the Boston area. Particular attention will be given to students' experiences in dialogue with the assigned readings and local leadership. This is an interdisciplinary course facilitated through a protestant feminist/Mujerista perspective with a decolonizing intent. It will be run in a seminar style with the instructor as facilitator for critical engagement of readings, sharing of experiences, and contextual deconstruction/construction of methods, theories and historical understandings. 

STH TH853

Christianity in Colonial Latin America

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. 

STH TM815

Christian Mission

Exploration of biblical, historical, theological, political, and cultural perspectives on the world mission of the church. This course is a requirement for United Methodist MDiv students pursuing ordination in the United Methodist Church. 

CH/WM610

The Churches in the Global South: Past & Present

The conventional approach to the global spread of Christianity is quite Euro-centric. In this course, after surveying the global outreach and existence of churches in the ancient and medieval times, we will focus on modern worldwide missionary movement since the 19th Century and rise of the churches in the global south and east in the 20th Century. We will examine the characteristics of the rising churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and evaluate their profound implications and impacts on the global Christian community, and reflect on how we in the West respond and relate to these churches in the non-western world.

CL/WM615

Cross-Cultural Leadership

The purpose of this course is the study of leadership specifically within cross-cultural contexts.

HDS 2015

The Worlds of World Christianity

This course focuses on ‘world Christianity,’ both as an academic subfield and the varieties of Christian life with which it engages. From colonialism and missionization to economic exchange and mediation, our discussions will analyze the many processes through which Christianites have become recognized as global. Throughout these discussions we will reflect on what the modifier ‘world’ in ‘world Christianity’ means for Christians and those who study them. By the end of the course, students will be able to respond to questions such as: What role has Christianity played in the development of global capitalism? How does the study of Christianity inform our understanding of secularization, secularity, and political secularism? How has Christianity related to colonialism and imperialism in distinctive ways? How do media technologies condition Christian ideas and practices, and how are technologies shaped by Christianity? And finally, what tools does the study of world Christianity offer for understanding its diversity, historical contingencies, and operations of power? Students will have the option to write a research paper in this course.