POSSIBLE COURSES AS DESCRIBED IN THE UNIVERSITY CATALOGUE:
THL 110: The Christian Tradition, Then and Now. 3 credits.
This course provides a basic introduction to the history, teachings, and practices of Christianity, and to theology as an academic discipline. Consideration of the origins and evolution of Christianity will prepare students to interpret the intellectual and the practical challenges it faces in a rapidly changing world.
THL 215: The Biblical Tradition: Ancestors and Heroes. 3 credits.
Introduction to the primary story of biblical Israel (Genesis – 2 Kings), and how to interpret the Bible critically within its literary, social, and historical contexts. Emphasis will be placed on interpreting the biblical stories through focusing on the social and literary role of the characters.
THL 216: The Biblical Tradition: The Human Question. 3 credits.
Students will survey selected texts of the Older Testament, for the purpose of acquiring and developing skills in reading closely, interpreting critically, and writing effectively, with an eye toward exploring the question of what it means to be human from a biblical perspective.
THL 236: The Biblical Tradition: New Testament. 3 credits.
A survey of selected writings from the early Christian communities, understood in their cultural and literary contexts.
THL 270: Theological Ethics: Applying Moral Principles. 3 credits. This introduction to fundamental ethical theories investigates Christian moral principles and how they apply to moral issues. It analyzes the role of religious faith, explores the individual and the common good and emphasizes ongoing moral development and critical thinking
THL 300: Ultimate Questions: Jesus Christ, Yesterday and Today. 3 credits. This course examines the historical Jesus, scriptural Christologies, and classical Christological teachings and their reception throughout Christian history. Contemporary integrations such as the “search for the historical Jesus,” as well as liberation and feminist/womanist theologies will be explored.
THL 339: Theology of the Church and Sacraments. 3 credits.
An historical and critical analysis of the sacramental dimension of Christianity as it applies to the church. A treatment of the church as the sacrament of the risen Jesus and of the classical Christian sacraments as solemn, symbolic actions of both that church and that Jesus.
THL 217: The Biblical Tradition: Social Justice in the Old Testament. 3 credits. This course examines the themes of force, violence and social justice in the Old Testament and in selected New Testament texts, primarily reading the story of ancient Israel from its origins to the return from exile, along with prophetic comment on that story. Students will learn how to interpret the Bible analytically within its literary, social, and historical contexts.