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BTI Consortium | Last Updated November 17, 2025 - 3:00PM
SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7024
Christology
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course seeks to clarify what it means to confess that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, and why this is a significant claim. The course examines the New Testament, the early councils of the Church, the writings of early and medieval Christian theologians, the dogmatic teachings of the Church, and the contributions of contemporary theologians. Two main questions will be addressed: Who is Jesus? How does Jesus save us?
Professor
Class Day & Time
Brouillette, Andre, SJ
W
01:00PM-03:50PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7091
Eucharistic Theology
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course will reflect on the theology of the Eucharist as it has developed throughout the history of the Church, and will seek a contemporary understanding of traditional doctrines in light of Vatican II and the reformed ritual for the Eucharistic liturgy.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Baldovin, John, Sj
MW
08:30AM-09:50AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7153
Theology and Literature
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
A study of major works of Christian literature as sources for theology. We study hymns and verse from the early church, including the Odes of Solomon, the works of Ephrem, and the hymns of Ambrose, before examining the literature of the Middle Ages, including selections from Dante’s Inferno, and the poets and playwrights of the Renaissance. We conclude with major Christian novelists of recent decades, including Flannery O’Connor and Marilynne Robinson. There will be discussion on issues of form and content in theology as well as special attention to literary approaches to Christian doctrine and mystery.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dunkle, Brian P, SJ
M
10:00AM-12:20PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7317
Philosophy for Theological Studies - Modern
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course has two aims: (1) to study some modern philosophical texts that have been important in the development of Christian theological reflection in modernity; and (2) to understand the relation betweenphilosophyandtheologyfrom the seventeenth to the twentieth century. This course is introductory and so presupposes minimal familiarity withphilosophy. It offers a survey of the philosophical tradition in the modern West as it impacts Christian theological reflection in significant and lasting ways. While the course does not aim to master any one thinker or theme, it will spend more time on the thought of two of the most influential modern philosophers: Kant and Hegel.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Doyle, Dominic F
W
10:00AM-12:00 Noon
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8017
Ecclesial Ministry
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course explores the theology, history, and spirituality of ministry in the church. The emphasis will be on the ecclesial foundations for ministry and the relationship between ministry and the mission of all the baptized. The course will examine current issues in the theology and practice of ministry as well as the implications of ministry for the faith and practice of the minister.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Guider, Margaret E
T
12:30PM-03:20PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Prereq: "The Church" and Permission of Instructor
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8065
Ellacuria, Sobrino, Romero
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
Oscar Romero, Ignacio Ellacuría, and Jon Sobrino represent three leading figures in Latin American liberation theology. This seminar explores their converging theological projects, which outline a major trajectory in Catholic Theology since the Second Vatican Council. After exploring the historical and cultural context that shaped the work of these three men, we will engage on a close reading and critical evaluation of their work. Because they influence one another, we will particularly attend to those theological themes in which crosspollination has taken place: Christology, ecclesiology, soteriology and spirituality.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Valiente, Orfilio E
W
06:30PM-09:00PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Prereq: One course of systematic theology.
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8505
Seminar: Karl Rahner
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This advanced seminar will explore the methodology and central themes of Rahner’s theology principally through detailed analysis and discussion of key essays in Theological Investigations. Intended for students with basic familiarity with Rahner’s work. Essays will be chosen on the basis of the particular interests of the participants at the first meeting of the seminar.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Lennan, Richard J
W
01:00PM-03:50PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Prereq: Two courses in Systematic Theology
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8571
Theological Aesthetics
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course is a study of the mystery of God from the perspective ofaestheticsand art. In other words, we will try to understand Gods saving presence and action in our lives, in the world, and in history, based on the transcendental and liberating experience of art, and we will try to speak about God who has revealed Gods self in Christ using aesthetic categories. We will also explore different ways to establish a conversational relationship between theology and the arts.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Chong, Vicente, SJ
W
04:00PM-06:00PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5434-01
Comparative Mysticism
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
The area of mysticism or spirituality has been the focus of a heated debate among those who argue for the universality and the particularity of mystical experiences. In this course, we shall engage in this discussion by studying the writings of important mystics from various religious traditions.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Cornille, Catherine M
W
2:00-4:25 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Both Grad and Undergrad
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7064-01
Eco-Theology and Spirituality
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
Ecotheology brings concerns and insights from ecology into generative dialogue with theology. By its nature, ecotheology is interdisciplinary and oriented towards praxis. This class therefore incorporates engagement with Christian theology and doctrine, the empirical sciences, ethics, and other tools such as feminist and decolonial thought to understand the multifaceted causes of the current climate crisis and to inspire productive responses to it. As Pope Francis explains in his influential encyclicalsLaudato S(2015) andLaudete Deum(2023), the environmental crisis facing humanity is a spiritual and theological crisis as much as it is a social and scientific one, and so the church has a responsibility to address the spiritual and theological causes of environmental degradation in dialogue with other relevant disciplines. In light of this exhortation from Pope Francis, this class will also consider spiritual resources and contemplative practices as necessary elements in constructing imaginative and holistic ecological care.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Ulishney, Megan Carol
W
12:00-2:25 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Graduate
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7657-01
God and Creation
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This seminar will survey and critically assess several contemporary theologies of creation, particularly as they articulate the God-world relation. In addition to exploring how these theologies engage scripture, doctrine, and historical trends in philosophy and theology, the seminar will highlight such topics as creatio ex nihilo, divine action, divine passibility, divine self-communication, creaturely self-transcendence, freedom, relationality, and contingency. Figures for consideration include Jrgen Moltmann, Catherine Keller, Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner, Elizabeth Johnson, John Haught, Herbert McCabe, and Sara Grant.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Robinette, Brian
M
3:00PM-5:20PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Graduate
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTC 813
Contextual Theology: Latinx Religious Expressions
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course will consider the role of religion in Hispanic/Latine cultures through the exploration of popular beliefs, cultural/religious symbols, particular theologies, and experiences of the Sacred. It will discuss contributions from the fields of history, anthropology, sociology, literature, and art that assist in understanding faith practices and symbolic resource in the struggles of marginalized Hispanic/Latine communities. Particular attention will be given to the experience of Mexican and Mexican American communities where Our Lady of Guadalupe can be considered, through most fields of study, as a powerful symbolic resource across geographical and chronological fronteras. This is an interdisciplinary course facilitated through a protestant feminist/ Mujerista perspective. 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 “official” historical understandings.
Professor
Class Day & Time
de la Rosa, Cristian
F
11:15am-2pm
Grading Option
Letter or P/F
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTT 863
Theologies of Liberation
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
Liberation theology has been one of the most influential theological movements in contemporary Christian theology. This course surveys some of its main tenets, texts, and practices. We pay particular attention to the development of liberation theologies in light of the experience of oppressed communities and how these experiences shape their theological imagination. In addition to covering some of the pillar texts in the tradition, the course will investigate several developments in liberating theologies: womanism, mujerista theology, queer theology, postcolonial theologies, and ecotheologies.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Maia, Filipe
T
12:30-3:15pm
Grading Option
Letter or P/F
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTT 957
Postmodern Theology
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
While postmodern thought is often accused of being relativistic and even nihilistic, contemporary theologians have depended on insights from postmodern thinkers to construct theologies that address injustice and advocate for change. This course aims to examine the philosophical and theological critiques of modernity, with an eye towards the constructive possibilities emerging from thinkers such as Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and Judith Butler. The course examines theological proposals that draw on postmodern thought to re- conceptualize divinity in the midst of central challenges of our time: the value of life, alterity/difference, historical trauma, and the future. It aims to provide students with a better understanding of postmodern theories with an eye to their theological significance.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Maia, Filipe
W
2:30-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter or P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
TH502
Theology Survey II
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
A study of the person and work of Christ, predestination, conversion, justification, sanctification, and the work of the Holy Spirit; perseverance; the nature and mission of the church; sacraments; eschatology.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Vidu, Adonis
F
9am-12pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Prereq: TH501
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Boston
TH677
Theology of Grace
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course will explore key debates in the theology of grace, addressing doctrines like common grace, justification, predestination, the sacraments, sanctification, and the Christian life. Special emphasis will be given to how the theology of grace shapes Christian ethics and pastoral ministry.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Butner, Glenn
R
9am-12pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2135
Christian Theological Imagination: Anglican Angles
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
How do Christian theological traditions shape and catalyze our imagination? How might that imagination inform communal engagement, prayer, the inner workings of our faculties of perception, or our experiences of embodiment? This course explores these questions through an Anglican prism (using theological writings chiefly from the Church of England and The Episcopal Church). Along the way it will also consider assertions like Urban Holmes's that Anglicanism itself inculcates a peculiar "consciousness," a perception of "mystery in the ordinary." Week by week, topics will include: Anglicanism's liturgical orientation; its range of approaches to scripture; its theologies of preaching; its abiding interest in mystical theology and its turns to asceticism; its long tradition of spiritual poetry, of visual art, and imaginative fiction; its contextual, congregational grounding. Readings will range historically from the English Reformation to the present, and will include Anglican Divines (Donne, Herbert), Evelyn Underhill, Rowan Greer, William Countryman, Rowan Williams, Mark Chapman, Austin Farrer, Sarah Coakley, Louis Weil, Verna Dozier, local artist Allan R. Crite, and the writer Madeleine L'Engle.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Walton
TBD
TBD
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2895
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Theologian, Pastor, Citizen of the World
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
It is something of a commonplace that Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a great pastor and a courageous resistor within the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany, but that he wasn't much of a theologian. The first part is true, but the latter perception owes perhaps more to the fact that his more popular work came first to the North American audience long before his early theological works. These latter were often ignored or written off as more ecclesiology than theology. In this course we will begin with a close reading of his early work. We will move, more or less chronologically, to and through his later works and note how his later writings build on the earlier. Additionally, the reception history of Bonhoeffer's works, particularly as the ways that in the United States he is often read through the lens of "Free Church" traditions rather than his own Lutheran one, seems to have misled some of his American biographers and interpreters. In the latter part of the course, we will critically consider some of the North American interpretations of Bonhoeffer's theology and life. Unavoidably, we will want to critically assess how, if at all, Bonhoeffer can speak to our present moment.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Rose
W
01:00pm-02:59pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
CHST 7130 Z1
TheTheolOfMetropolitanJohnZizioulas
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This seminar explores the Metropolitan of Pergamon, John Zizioulas (1931–2023), in dialogue with contemporary Christian and philosophical thought through an integrated study of his life and theology. Tracing his path from Kozani to Athens, Geneva, Harvard, Edinburgh–Glasgow, Rome, Thessaloniki, and finally the Phanar, students examine how formative experiences shaped Zizioulas’ synthesis of personhood and communion, eucharistic ecclesiology and episcopacy, pneumatology, eschatological hermeneutics, and primacy/synodality. Readings include Being as Communion, Communion and Otherness, Remembering the Future, and key ecumenical texts (Ravenna, Crete, For the Life of the World), with particular attention to ecology, bioethics, and major theological developments of the 20th and 21st centuries. The course culminates in a “bio-theology dossier” that integrates primary sources with a critical biographical timeline.
Professor
Class Day & Time
His Grace Maxim Vasiljevic
R
2:10-4:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Saint John's Seminary
TH505
God: One and Three
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
The mystery of the Trinitarian God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is at the heart of all reality. Its expressions in biblical witness, creedal faith, theological doctrine, and concrete practice provide the essential shape and content of the Christian life. This course explores the historical development and systematic formulation of the Catholic Christian teaching on the Trinity. First, it begins with a survey of the biblical foundations. Next, it investigates the patristic contributions, notably the controversies leading up to the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople as well as Augustine’s De trinitate. Then, it examines the medieval contributions of Thomas Aquinas’s Summa theologiae I, questions 2–43. Finally, it interrogates the modern contributions of Karl Rahner’s The Trinity among others. This class provides students essential resources to construct a solid foundation for a theological understanding of the Trinity and equips them with helpful tools to witness, preach, and minister to the family of humanity created and saved by the Trinitarian God.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Reisenauer, O.P.
W
10:30-11:45 AM; 1:15-2:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7045
Grace
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
A historical and textual examination of how some Christian thinkers have described and conceptualized the experience of grace. After considering New Testament sources, the class will examine, through lecture and discussion, the following approaches: patristic (e.g. Irenaeus, Augustine, Pelagius), medieval (Aquinas), reformation (Luther, Calvin, Trent, John of the Cross), and modern (Congar, Rahner, Balthasar, Lonergan, liberation theology). Themes to be explored include sin, forgiveness, and healing; divine initiative and human freedom; sanctification; the relationship between nature and grace; social dimensions of grace; and theologies of the Spirit.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Doyle, Dominic F
F
10:00AM-12:00 Noon
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7151
Introduction to Patristic Theology
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course presents the methods and insights of patristic treatments on the topics of theology through a study of major figures and texts. After an overview of the culture and context of the early church, we will treat patristic reflection on: Scripture, faith and reason, Christ, Trinity, the church, liturgy, ethics, and prayer. Authors and literature include, but are not limited to: Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Hilary of Poitiers, Ambrose, Augustine, and John Chrysostom.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dunkle, Brian P, SJ
MW
08:30AM-09:50AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7251
U.S. Latinx Theologies
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
In the United States, feminist and African-American/Black theologies have received much deserved recognition for their original contributions to the task of theological construction. However, it should be noted that right alongside these liberation and justice oriented theologies, even if with less publicity until recently, Latino and Latina theologians have been developing their own distinctive form of contextual and liberation theology written from the perspective of their lives in the United States. This course examines their theological expression, offering an overview of the historical development, main academic theologians, core themes and methods, and the promise and challenge of U.S. Latino(a) theology in the process. Besides offering students a solid introduction to U.S. Latinx theology, the course grants an opportunity to enhance one's cultural competence; to learn about the characteristics of the largest ethnic minority group in the United States (i.e. Latinos and Latinas); and to become more familiar with U.S. social history, the legacy of colonialism, and contemporary decolonial thinking.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Valentin, Benjamin
T
06:30PM-08:30PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
SYNC
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST7319
Key Theological Movements of the 20th & 21st Centuries
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course offers a broad overview of Christian thought in the modern and contemporary era, with a focus on the Christian intellectual tradition in the Western world, on some of the most influential Christian theologies of the 20th and 21st centuries, and on the leading thinkers who helped to advance them. Among the academic theological movements to be explored are modern liberal theology, neo-orthodox theology and radical orthodoxy, transcendental Thomism in Catholicism, Vatican II Catholic theology, postcolonial and decolonial theology, process theology, and the theologies of the Cross, of hope, of justice and liberation, and of religious pluralism.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Valentin, Benjamin
R
03:30PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8041
Theological Anthropology and the Body
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
Issues of embodiment relating to theology, spirituality, and ministry form the substance of this course. We will probe understandings of the body found in the historical Christian tradition and draw insights regarding human bodiliness from contemporary theology, philosophy, psychology, and social theory. Finally, we will examine the role of the body in lived Christian faith with a particular emphasis on spirituality, education, and pastoral care.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Griffith, Colleen M
R
09:30AM-11:50AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Prereq: Foundations or Fundamental Theology
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8110
The Mystery of the Trinity
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
The course will offer the Scriptural sources, the dogmatic development and the works of contemporary theologians that have contributed to the Church's reflection on God, One and Triune, as revealed through the life and praxis of Jesus of Nazareth. This fundamental path will permit us to offer a systematic Trinitarian theology of God as Mystery of salvation and liberation of all.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Chong, Vicente, SJ
T
04:00PM-06:00PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Prereq: One course in Christology
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMST8564
Reconciliation in a World of Conflict
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
The twentieth century's legacy is marked by social conflict and war: more than 200 million people killed because of political repression, ethnic or religious wars. Enlisting a theological lens, this seminar examines the Christian resources and contribution to the problem of reconciliation. After examining the most important secular approaches to the problem of personal and social conflict, we will focus on the main Christian theologies of reconciliation, including the works of Robert Schreiter, Miroslav Volf, John de Gruchy, and Jon Sobrino. Their theologies will be examined through individual case studies of the Balkan region, South Africa, and El Salvador.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Valiente, Orfilio E
M
02:00PM-04:50PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Prereq: A course in theological foundations or fundamental theology
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5360-01
Feelings about God
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This seminar examines the role of emotions in religious experience through a comparison of Christian and Muslim approaches. How do believers engage their feelings in personal prayer, in liturgy, in reading texts, and in their interpersonal relationships? How do believers cultivate their emotional responses as an element of religious and moral growth? The semester begins and concludes with general discussions of affect theory and emotions, including aesthetics. Most sessions focus on premodern primary texts, especially mystical texts, and successive weeks concentrate on specific emotions: fear, hope, anger, love, etc. No prior study of Islam is required; THEO 1431 preferred.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Welle, Jason
M
2:00-4:20 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Both Grad and Undergrad
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO5505-01
Sacraments and Art
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
Much of our artistic heritage was commissioned to embellish places of worship and to deepen understanding of the ceremonies celebrated there. These works of art offer often-ignored insights into Christian sacraments that complements more traditional theological approaches. This course seeks to deepen our appreciation of Christian sacraments by acknowledging painting, sculpture and architecture as a locus theologicus. Both historical and thematic in approach, it explores sacramentality, incarnation, iconoclasm, typology as well as selected themes from sacramental theology. The course will include off-site visits.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Bergin, William N
W
2:00-4:25 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Both Grad and Undergrad; The course will include off-site visits.
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7066-01
The Spirit Gives Life: Pneumatology Old and New
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course explores how pneumatological renewal helpfully moves the Church in the direction of overcoming Geistvergessenheit (Spirit-oblivion). The course is to be situated in the context of, one the one hand, the increasing awareness of the Spirit in Roman Catholic theology and Christian theology at large, and, on the other hand, the clear limitations of that awareness. They key question of the course is how greater attention to the role and function of the Holy Spirit enriches theology, ecclesiology, Christian practice, and the relationship with other religions and society at large.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Moons, Jozef
T
2:00-4:25 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Graduate
School
Boston College Department of Theology
THEO7894-01
Philosophy for Theological Ethicists
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
The purpose of this class is to introduce theological ethicists to some philosophers who have been influential in discussions in theological/religious ethics over the past fifty years. The particular aims are threefold: (1) to allow students to engage with major works of philosophy; (2) to enable the seminar to collectively familiarize itself with the discussions these works have generated in the field of theological ethics; and (3) to encourage doctoral students to engage deeply with one or more of these philosophers in articulating and pursuing questions that will animate their own research, including their comprehensive exams. There are four basic areas covered (1) distributive justice (Rawls, Sandel, Walzer, Nozick); (2) virtue theory (MacIntyre, Nussbaum); (3) rights talk (Finnis, Dworkin, Glendon (on international law)); (4) cosmopolitanism (Appiah, Benhabib). Students will be required to produce two 12-15 page papers; one assessing the role of a philosopher's thought in the field of theological ethics, and the second furthering the student's own work in either comprehensive exam prep or dissertation research.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Kaveny, M Cathleen
M
2:00-4:25 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Graduate
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTS 816
Paul and Continental Philosophers
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
Non-Christians and atheists have interpreted Paul's work in ways that have deepened our understanding of politics and social ethics of Christianity and even the legacy of Christian thought on radical philosophy and revolutionary thought. We will, among others, critically engage with the works of French philosophers Alain Badiou and Jean Luc-Nancy, Italian thinker Giorgio Agamben, and Slovenian radical scholar Slavoj 'i' ek, who are some of today's leading interpreters of Paul and his influence on political theology/philosophy, community, messianism, subjectivity, and social transformation. We will also study the works of scholars within the Christian tradition who are picking on some of their radical insights and bringing them into theology, social ethics, and biblical studies. All these new forms of scholarship making provocative proposals about society and political philosophy prompt a re-turn to classical readings of Christian texts in order to strengthen and broaden our knowledge of Christian thought as it applies to transformative praxis. Students will be encouraged to approach their study in this course with some particular social-political problem in mind so as to discern more readily the implications of the new interpretations of Paul's theological thought for dealing with contemporary moral issues.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Wariboko, Nimi
T
3:30-6:15pm
Grading Option
Letter or P/F
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTT 898
Theology and Trauma
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course aims to bring the recent studies in the interdisciplinary study of trauma to bear on the field of theology. What unique challenges does the phenomenon of trauma pose to contemporary theology? The first part of the course explores recent studies in trauma, focusing on three areas of research: 1) neurobiology of trauma, 2) clinical/therapeutic studies, and 3) literary approaches to trauma. The second part of the course examines theological engagements with issues of radical suffering. The third part brings together the insights from the first two and focuses on the question of what it means to witness theologically to individual, societal, and global trauma. We will look at issues and contexts such as the criminal justice system, war, poverty, and racism. In this final part, students will be working towards constructive theological engagements with issues of trauma through interaction with a variety of mediums: art, literature, spiritual practices, and film. The course is not a counseling course. It aims to provide rich theological reflection around issues of suffering, violence, and trauma, both individual and global.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Rambo, Shelly
T
3:30-6:15pm
Grading Option
Letter or P/F
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University School of Theology
STHTY 811
Object Relational Theory
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
Achieving familiarity with and fluency in a series of psychoanalytic theories of personality/character, development, relationships, motivation, health, and pathology, as a context in which to practice psychoanalytic interpretations of religious matters.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Schlauch, Chris
W
2:30-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter or P/F
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
TH677
Theology of Grace
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course will explore key debates in the theology of grace, addressing doctrines like common grace, justification, predestination, the sacraments, sanctification, and the Christian life. Special emphasis will be given to how the theology of grace shapes Christian ethics and pastoral ministry.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Butner, Glenn
R
9am-12pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 1762
All From One: The Neoplatonism of Proclus
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course will introduce students to the philosophy of Proclus (412-485), who, after Plotinus, is the most important Neoplatonist philosopher of late antiquity. Proclus was wildly prolific, and his writings offer a systematic synthesis of philosophy and religion. He exerted enormous influence on Christian, Islamic, and Jewish thought in the medieval period, as well as on modern Western philosophers such as Hegel. All readings will be done in translation, with opportunities for those who have Greek to read the sources in the original language. There are no prerequisites, although some knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy, especially Platonism, is recommended.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Stang
T
03:00pm-04:59pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
There are no prerequisites, although some knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy, especially Platonism, is recommended.
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2759
Readings in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Theory
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
An advanced reading course in modern theory. Although primarily intended for doctoral students in the study of religion or related fields, master's students with a background in theory are welcome to contact the professor about admission to the course. Content will vary each year. Topic for Spring 2025-2026: Power.This is a limited enrollment course. Interested students should attend the first course meeting. If the course is over enrolled, a selection procedure will be described at that first meeting. Selected students will then be invited to enroll in the course by the end of the first week of classes. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 2555.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Hollywood
M
03:45pm-05:45pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
This is a limited enrollment course. Interested students should attend the first course meeting. If the course is over enrolled, a selection procedure will be described at that first meeting. Selected students will then be invited to enroll in the course by the end of the first week of classes. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 2555.
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 3195
Womanist Theology
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
In 1979 Alice Walker coined the term “womanist”in her short story “Coming Apart.” In 1981, Walker re-introduced the term with a four-part definition in her anthology, “In Search of Our Mother’s Garden: A Womanist Prose.” It was then that Black women religious scholars adopted the term womanist to identify theological and ethical frameworks that emerged from Black women’s experience. This course will explore the roots, the development, sources and major themes of womanist theological and ethical discourse as it emerged in the United States in the 20th century. It will highlight the dialogues between womanist religious scholars. This course will examine the works of pioneering womanist thinkers as well as that of emerging womanist scholars.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Brown Douglas
R
12:00pm-01:59pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
DOGM 6005 Z1
TheDyotheliteChristology&ItsSignif
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course examines the content and theological significance of classical Dyothelite Christology. Students will engage with key primary sources of the Monothelite controversy, including the writings of St. Maximus the Confessor, St. John of Damascus, and the Definition of Faith of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. Through close reading and analysis, the course explores both Monothelite and Dyothelite positions and considers the enduring implications of Dyothelite Christology for systematic theology and the Church’s understanding of the person of Christ.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Rev. Fr. Demetrios Bathrellos
ASYNC
ASYNC
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Saint John's Seminary
TH506
Sacramental Theology
BTI Category
Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)
Semester
SP26
This course includes a general theory of the sacraments based on the principles of Catholic sacramental realism and examines the major moments in the history of sacramental theology with the aim of achieving a measure of systematic understanding concerning what a sacrament is and what it does. The Catechism of the Catholic Church and other documents of faith, such as liturgical and conciliar texts, supply the principles for this theological inquiry, which also includes particular treatment of the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Fr. Zwosta
R
10:30-11:45 AM; 1:15-2:30 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
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