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BTI Consortium | Last Updated November 17, 2025 - 3:00PM
INTERELIGIOUS LEARNING
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
Interreligious Learning
Religion and the Problem of Tolerance
BTI Category
Semester
CASRN766
SP26
Explores the religious roots of tolerance as an alternative to secular, more liberal foundations for pluralism. Grapples with the challenge of tolerance to the revealed religions and the ways different societies have met or failed to meet this challenge. Presents multiple case-studies and contemporary connections, explores relevance to students own experiences.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Seligman, Adam
M
2:30-5:15p
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Graduate Only
School
Boston University School of Theology
Interreligious Learning
Religious Literacy, Pluralism, & Public Life
BTI Category
Semester
STHTA 825
SP26
This course explores the intersection of religious literacy and pluralism in contemporary society. It aims to provide students with the fundamentals of religious literacy, so they develop an understanding of diverse religious traditions, explore concepts of religious pluralism and tolerance, and examine the role of religion in global issues such as peacebuilding, human rights, migration, and social justice. Students will acquire an understanding of the history, texts, beliefs, practices, and contemporary manifestations of several of the world’s religious traditions so that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide leadership in an increasingly interconnected world.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Shenton, Andrew
M
2:30-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter or P/F
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
Interreligious Learning
Realms of Power: Animals in Religion II
BTI Category
Semester
HDS 3656B
SP26
This comparative course will focus on the symbolic, ritual, and ideological dimensions of animal lives in religious worlds. Using particular cultural histories as paradigms, we will consider themes such as cosmogony, apocalypse, species hierarchy and reversal, metamorphosis, prophecy, consciousness and subjectivity, mimesis, magic, hunting, sacrifice, commodification, and the role of fantastic creatures. Central to our work will be the question of how animals have been theorized both in the history of religion and in contemporary discourse about animals in religion.Enrollment is limited to 30. Request permission to enroll in my.harvard.edu, with a brief comment about your interest in the course. Continuing students from the fall semester should also request permission to enroll, but will automatically be approved for enrollment.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Patton
R
03:00pm-04:59pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Enrollment is limited to 30. Request permission to enroll in my.harvard.edu, with a brief comment about your interest in the course. Continuing students from the fall semester should also request permission to enroll, but will automatically be approved for enrollment
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Interreligious Learning
Seminar:Orth-Roman Cath. Relations
BTI Category
Semester
CHST 7701 H1
SP26
This course aims to survey the concept, canonical foundations, development, and institution of autocephaly in the Orthodox Church through a historical lens from the Nicaean period to today. A primary focus will be placed on critically examining the institution of autocephaly, the manners through which it has been historically proclaimed, and the theories surrounding how it is proclaimed today. Special attention will be given to the creation of the Churches from the 16th-21st centuries including the Churches of Russia, Greece, and Ukraine as well as the case of the OCA.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Rev. Dr. Philip Joseph Halikias
M
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Interreligious Learning
Ortho Christian Muslim Relations
BTI Category
Semester
INDS 7120 Z1
SP26
For more than 13 centuries, Orthodox Christians and Muslims have lived among one another and shared the same societies and cultures. Orthodox Christian relationships with Muslims have been one of the most enduring and impactful factors in Orthodox church history, yet the profound complexities of these relationships have often been forgotten across the centuries or obscured by the context of modern politics. The Orthodox Christian-Muslim Relations course will introduce students to the history of Orthodox Christian-Muslim relations by utilizing historical, theological, and anthropological approaches to this topic. Areas of particular focus will include a comparative analysis of the experiences of Orthodox living under Muslim rule (as in the ‘Abbasid and Ottoman Empires) and Muslims living under Orthodox rule (as in the Russian Empire), the transformative effects of modern nationalism, and the history of Orthodox theological approaches to Islam.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Philip Dorroll
ASYNC
ASYNC
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
Interreligious Learning
The Church and Interreligious Dialogue
BTI Category
Semester
TMTM7175
SP26
Dialogue between religions has become one of the urgent yet intractable challenges of our time. In this course, we will focus on the engagement of the Catholic Church and Catholic theologians in interreligious dialogue. The first part of the course will deal with topical issues, such as the history of, and the theological foundations for dialogue, intermonastic dialogue, scriptural reasoning, etc. The second part will focus on the particular dialogues between Christianity and Islam, Christianity and Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism, and Christianity and Buddhism
Professor
Class Day & Time
Cornille, Catherine M
M
02:00PM-04:50PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College Department of Theology
Interreligious Learning
Heschel as an Interreligious Thinker
BTI Category
Semester
THEO5020-01
SP26
Abraham Joshua Heschel was a prominent Jewish-American philosopher and activist who played a significant role in interreligious dialogue. This course explores the foundations of Heschels thought and activism through the lens of his interreligious approach. Who is Heschels God? What was the source of his opposition to racism? How did he interpret Jewish sources, and how did he relate to Zionism? We will examine how Heschels interreligious perspective weaves the core elements of his philosophy and activism. The course will highlight the contemporary relevance of Heschels thought in discussions on interfaith dialogue, social justice, and moral responsibility.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Bondi, Dror Simha
W
12:00-2:25 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Both Grad and Undergrad
School
Harvard Divinity School
Interreligious Learning
Gender and Asceticism in South Asia
BTI Category
Semester
HDS 3222
SP26
This course examines how asceticism operates as a gendered discourse, challenging binaries of male/female and masculine/feminine, while offering insights into the fluidity of spiritual roles across South Asia. Focusing on themes such as celibacy, virtue, and bodily discipline will elucidate how ascetic practices intersect with issues of gender and power.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Chase
R
03:00pm-04:59pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
This course is limited to 15 participants. For permission to enroll, please email a paragraph to Prof. Chase (mochase@wisc.edu) describing your interest in the class and any relevant background.
School
Harvard Divinity School
Interreligious Learning
Religion, Culture, and Society in Africa
BTI Category
Semester
HDS 3694
SP26
Exploring the meaning of religion and its impact of on African culture and society broadly, this course will highlight both religious traditions and innovations. Instead of treating each of the religions of Africa, the triple heritage in the words of Ali Mazrui of indigenous African religions, Islam, and Christianity, as distinct and bounded entities, we will explore the hybridity, interaction, and integration between categories throughout Africa. Using case studies, a unique perspective on religious diversity on the African continent and diaspora will emerge. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as AFRAMER 186.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Olupona
R
03:00pm-05:45pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Interreligious Learning
The Ecumenical Movement-TheSources
BTI Category
Semester
INDS 7100 Z1
SP26
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 - 8:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Interreligious Learning
Christianity and Religions
BTI Category
Semester
INDS 7125
SP26
This course offers an introduction to the central questions and debates of the theology of religions, examining how Christianity has interpreted and responded to the reality of other faith traditions. Beginning with the paradigms of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism, it explores how the encounter with religious diversity has shaped theological reflection and raised profound questions about the uniqueness and universality of Christ. The course engages the contributions of key modern theologians including Karl Barth, Karl Rahner, Georges Khodre, Jacques Dupuis, Joseph Ratzinger, John Hick, and Paul Knitter, alongside the impact of Vatican II and later Catholic teaching. By analyzing their arguments, students will gain a clear overview of the field and an appreciation of the challenges and opportunities that interreligious encounter poses for Christian theology today.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Metropolitan Kyrillos Katerelos
T
2:10 - 4:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
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