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BTI Consortium | Last Updated August 15, 2025 - 11:00AM
RELIGION & CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION
CERTIFICATE (PRE-APPROVED COURSES)
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMRE7083-01
Education for Justice and Peace
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
In this course, students study and practice initiatives that work for understanding, justice, and peace. Recognizing that much injustice happens across some divide, the course begins with an investigation of our experiences of otherness and connection. We consider how cultural narratives undergird our sence of identity and purpose, and investigate them theologically. We look to educational theorists from the early 20th century to the present, who reflect that education itself is a work of justice. The course culminated with group projects that give students an oppurtunity for spreakking and listening across divides for the sake of understanding and justice.
Professor
Class Day & Time
O'Keefe, Theresa A
see notes
see notes
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
ASYNC
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Asynchronous
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7278-01
Socio-spiritual Care
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
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
Class Day & Time
DuBois, Heather
W
01:00PM-03:50PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5562-01
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
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
Owens
MW
1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5562-03
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
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
Owens
R
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5562-05
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
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
Owens
R
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTS 805
The Spirit and Art of Conflict Transformation
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course is an introduction to the theology, theory, and practice of conflict transformation, preparing students to become leaders equipped with fundamental tools and skills for engaging conflict and transforming conflict toward a just peace. It introduces students to conflict transformation practices such as mediation, interfaith dialogue, peacemaking circles, nonviolent direct action, compassion practices, truth and reconciliation commissions, community conferencing, etc. Designed for practitioners, students will be invited to participate in role play scenarios, dialogues, art projects, and other interactive in- and out-of-class engagements.
Professor
Class Day & Time
McCarty, James
R
6:30pm-9:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTT 850
Performing Ecological Justice
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
Pre-requisite: STH TT847 and STH TT848
Professor
Class Day & Time
TBD
R
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
1
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Pre-requisite: STH TT847 and STH TT848
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2085
Moral Conflict
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
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 individual�s and 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 social groups, including religious communities, political parties, and issue-focused movements. Readings will span multiple disciplines, including moral philosophy, theology, political theory, law, and psychology and other social sciences. Students will write a final paper exploring one or more course themes as applied to a specific moral conflict.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Seul
R
TBD
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Hartford International
IP-510
Constructive Conflict Intervention
BTI Category
Semester
Interreligious Learning
FA25
This class will train each student to be a mediating presence in interpersonal and community conflicts. The instructor will teach conflict transformation ideology and tools for conflict analysis to build student�s capacity to understand and respond to conflict in ways which advance justice. In conflict transformation-inspired mediation, the primary goal is to improve the relationships between the parties to allow them to chart their own solutions. Students will learn the five-stage mediation process so that they could conduct a complete formal mediation. However, the emphasis will be on understanding the goals and practices of each stage so that they can informally and effectively intervene in the conflicts in their own lives and their own communities. The class will use case studies to build skills in conflict analysis. Students will also practice skills through partner exercises and small group mediation role plays. Students will also be asked to use the skills outside the classroom, and reflect on those experiences verbally or in writing.
Course fulfills the following curricular requirements:
MAP - Core Course
MAIRS - Ministerial Studies: Arts of Ministry
MAIRS - Interreligious Studies Elective
MAC - Chaplaincy Elective
Professor
Class Day & Time
Milliken, Phoebe
W
4:00pm-6:50pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
On Campus
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPT7315-01
Mitigating Trauma
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
Traumatization occurs at the interrelated social, psychic, and physiological boundaries of life and death. This course offers an introduction to trauma healing and prevention for contexts of pastoral and spiritual care. It surveys approaches to trauma developed in peacebuilding, public health, and psychology, as well as the emerging subfield of trauma theology. Assignments include a book review, a presentation, and a research paper. This is a discussion-based (not lecture-based) class. Close reading is required.
Professor
Class Day & Time
DuBois, Heather
R
03:45PM-06:15PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8129-01
Theology, Violence and Nonviolence
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course will examine violence as a problem of deep religious and spiritual significance for Christianity, and the complex relationship between theological reflection, violence, and nonviolence, by exploring such questions as: Is Christianity inherently violent? What aspects of Christianity can exacerbate or mitigate violent acts? Does Christian soteriology sanction divine violence? Under which conditions does Christianity condone or condemn violence? We will enlist an interdisciplinary approach to answer these and other questions. The first part of the course will turn to history to explore current manifestations of violence and review contemporary classic texts in philosophy, psychology, theology, and politics on this difficult topic. We will also study the occurrence of human and divine violence and nonviolence in the Christian sources of revelation. The course will then examine different Christian theological traditions in connection to the just war theory, pacifism, and non-violence, all with the intention of identifying the most appropriate Christian responses to contemporary violence.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Valiente, Orfilio E
W
04:00PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
(One year of theological study.)
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5562-02
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
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
Owens
MW
3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5562-04
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
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
Owens
R
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5562-06
Ethics, Religion, and International Politics
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
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
Owens
R
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTT 848
Engaging Ecological Justice
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
This course continues to expose you to a variety of ecological justice issues through a combination of excursions, on-campus events, guest speakers, films, art exhibitions, and discussions. There will be six units total. You will be required to attend four units. In addition to your attendance at these four units, you will plan and execute one of the units, including an event and discussion. Through this process, you will exercise your own ethical agency in the pursuit of ecological justice and develop your leadership skills.
Professor
Class Day & Time
TBD
R
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
1
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTY 842
Pastoral Psychology of Healing
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
FA25
Every person, in her or his personal relationships and professional activities, is guided by a complex, often tacit, theory of healing, comprised of judgments about illness/suffering (what's wrong?); health/well-being (what's possible? what's ideal?); the trajectory from one to the other (how do we get there?); and factors that enhance as well as inhibit movement along that trajectory (what should we do?). Examining and comparing a range of theories of healing--in psychology, medicine, Christian traditions, world religions, and non-Western cultures--equips us critically to reflect upon, amend, if not reconstruct our respective theories of healing.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Schlauch, Chris
M
2:30pm-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N/A
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2523
God and Justice
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
FA25
The course explores select classical and contemporary theories of justice and liberation theologies, including examining modern-day applications of God-talk, humanism, and freedom and responsibility in art, literature, and philosophy. Readings will focus on prominent debates in moral philosophy and political theology, as well as legal studies and art and visual culture, to investigate existing and emerging grammars for understanding endurance, hope, and faith in civil societies where pluralism and democracy as normative commitments face increasing criticism and condemnation. Themes under consideration include God, law and fungibility, Being, the problem of evil, and spirit/mysticism. The course will draw upon a wide range of modern and contemporary scholars, artists, and writers including Henry Ossawa Tanner, James H. Cone, Reinhold Niebuhr, M. Shawn Copeland, Derrick Bell, Susan Neiman, Cornel West, N.K. Jemisin, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Elizabeth Catlett.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Johnson
T
12:00pm-02:00pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
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