Philosophy and Systematic Theology

• STH TT 732: History of Christian Theology in Philosophical Perspective
  In its nearly two-millennium long history, Christian theology has been shaped by its dynamic engagements with (and in) various traditions of philosophical reflection. In this course, students will examine how four such traditions-- Platonic, Aristotelian, Kantian/Phenomenological, and Marxist/Critical--have influenced (and been influenced by) theological questions, concepts, and modes of discourse. Thinkers from ancient, medieval, Reformation, modern, and postmodern periods will be studied, with emphasis on historical and social settings. (Requires TF 701/TF 702 as prerequisite.) (Cluster 1) (Fulfills Theology II requirement)
• STH TT 733: Constructive Theology
  This course introduces students to the major themes of Christian theology with the aim of providing them with a framework for effective and faithful theological reflection. Beginning with revelation and ending with eschatology, we follow a familiar progression in the study of systematic theology, examining modern and postmodern theological perspectives on God, creation, human nature, sin, Christology, ecclesiology and other doctrinal loci. The methodological approach is constructive, in that emphasis is placed on helping students integrate central issues of faith in response to contemporary issues. (Requires TF 701/TF 702 as prerequisite.) (Cluster 1)
• STH TT 807: Christian Eschatology in Post-Apocalyptic Times
  This course explores the Christian eschatological imagination through engagements with pre-modern and contemporary texts dealing with the theological category of the future. Students will be encouraged to reflect how visions of the future inform particular (and often ambiguous) social and political dispositions and sensibilities. The course will further offer resources for constructive readings of Christian eschatology and invite students to develop creative appropriations of the vocabulary of Christian eschatology. Course will include an overview of biblical, Patristic, and medieval sources as a basis from which the vocabulary of Christian eschatology was constructed. It then moves to contemporary sources and a section on contemporary fiction dealing with the post-apocalyptic imagination.
• STH TT 810: Christian Theology
  
• STH TT 813: Religion and Science
  This course examines the foundations of the field of Religion and Science (R&S) and ways of construing the R&S relation today. It then applies this examination to specific issues in current R&S research. The course is open to all graduate students. No background in science is necessary. (Requires TF 701/702 or equivalent) (Requires TF 701/702 or equivalent) (Clusters 1 and 2)
• STH TT 818: Spirit
  The course shifts focus from studies of the Holy Spirit in Christian teachings to examine what it means to tend to the human spirit, especially under conditions of threat, struggle, and oppression. It features the writings and teachings of three figures -- Howard Thurman, Julian of Norwich, and Gloria Anzald'a -- and positions them as spiritual guides for exploring our capacities: 1) for connection and care; 2) for living with intention and purpose; and 3) for reimagining collective life. With primary focus on the works of Thurman, this course is an invitation to think with him about what makes religious/spiritual teachings about the human spirit distinctive and compelling. It also invites students, through readings and assignments, to engage with their own spiritual lineages and the spiritual traditions of the communities whom you serve. (Cluster 1) (Pre-req STH TF 701 & 702)
• STH TT 826: Political Theology
  Recent developments across a variety of disciplines have led to deep and widespread interest in "political theology" -- a diverse range of approaches to interrogating, (re)imagining, and (de)constructing the intersection of politics, religion, and theology, present and past. Scholars have argued that dominant paradigms of sovereignty, the secular, modernity, and liberalism are themselves secularized, corrupted, or otherwise transformed versions of Jewish and Christian theology. Others contend that modern political practices and paradigms represent not the legacy of early modern secularization but the trail of an early modern reinjection of theology in political and social theory. Others still find in the practices of contemporary communities lived political theologies that subvert existing power structures and cast doubt on common conceptions of contemporary political life and possibilities. This course examines these competing developments, readings, and proposals; their interactions; and the contested histories, theories, and values that underwrite them. Considering political theology as both a historical and contemporary phenomenon and engaging a range of perspectives and figures, the course also considers relations and interactions between political theology and other approaches to questions of "religion and politics." (Cluster 1)
• STH TT 830: Readings in Marx
  This course will engage in close readings of Karl Marx's political and philosophical work and trace his critique of capitalism as formulated in Capital. Students will be introduced to Marx's intellectual context, his key texts and concepts, and reflect on the legacy of his philosophical and political contributions, particularly in critical studies in religion and theology. The course will also engage with texts that expand the Marxian contribution to the realm of postcolonial studies and critical theory. (Cluster 1)
• STH TT 832: Paul Tillich
  Centered on one of the major theological works of the twentieth century, the Systematic Theology, this course is designed to assist students to contextualize, interpret, and analyze the thought of Paul Tillich and to assess its significance for contemporary theology. (Requires TF 701/702 or equivalent) (Clusters 1 and 2)
• STH TT 839: The Theologies and Histories of Black Churches
  This will be an intensive course taught prior to the first day of Fall 2010 courses. Students taking this intensive course will put it on their FALL PERMISSION TO REGISTER FORMS. The teaching schedule for TT839 is as follows (totaling 7 days/6 hours per day). Monday, August 23 10am-1pm; 2pm-5pm - Tuesday, August 24 10am-1pm; 2pm-5pm - Wednesday, August 25 10am-1pm; 2pm-5pm - Thursday, August 26 10am-1pm; 2pm-5pm - Friday, August 27 10am-1pm; 2pm-5pm - Monday, August 30 10am-1pm; 2pm-5pm - Tuesday, August 31 10am-1pm; 2pm-5pm - COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course explores a variety of experiences and expressions of race in American Christianity, past and present. Using both comparative and narrative modes of understanding, we will look at how race and religion have interacted across both time and space, comparing the Anglo-American and African American jeremiad traditions; tracing the racial story of American Pentecostalism from African American Los Angeles in 1906 to Latino Texas in 2006; and putting antebellum sorrow songs in conversation with both contemporary hip-hop and the praise songs of Korean American evangelical college students. Our texts will include autobiography, blogs, essays, fiction, history, journalism, movies, music, poll data, sermons, visual art, and YouTube, as well as our own experiences of visiting a racially different Christian community.
• STH TT 847: Introduction to Ecological Justice
  This course introduces 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 6 units total. You will be required to complete five units. Through this process, you will engage the theological, ethical, spiritual, and practical issues raised by a variety of ecological issues and by different responses to them. (cluster 2 &3)
• STH TT 848: Engaging Ecological Justice
  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. (Pre- requisite: STH TT847) (cluster 2 &3)
• STH TT 849: Queer Theology
  This course explores queer theology's potential to shape Christian thought and practice as a whole. We first introduce some prominent works of queer theory and ask what the implications of them on queer theology might be. We then consider how queer theology might contribute to some persistent debates in Christian theology: eros and agape, dissent and sainthood, grief and ritual, as well as utopic eschatology. Finally, we will explore how queer experiments in living might help us rethink fundamental moral categories such as kinship, vulnerability, play, fidelity, bodily change, and sexual knowledge.
• STH TT 850: Performing Ecological Justice
  Prerequisite: STH TT847 and STH TT848 (cluster 2 & 3)
• STH TT 852: Theological Thinking for Everyday Life and Ministry
  This course aims to teach theological thinking by doing a lot of it. The class is designed to place the specific experiences of participants in conversation with each other and with the wisdom of the authors of the readings. The aim is to become more effective theological thinkers. (Requires TF 701/702 or equivalent) (Clusters 1 and 3)
• STH TT 862: Theologies of Liberation
  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.
• STH TT 863: Theologies of Liberation
  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. (Requires TF 701/702 or equivalent)(Cluster 1 & 2)
• STH TT 865: Christianity and Climate
  This course explores the relationship between climate change and many facets of Christianity--including theology, activism, public statements, ethical commitments, and worship practices. Through reading, writing, and discussion, we will explore how Christian communities engage (or avoid engaging) the pressing issue of climate change through various lenses (such as stewardship, justice, and dominion). We will examine factors that promote and inhibit such engagement. By the end of this course, you will be able to explain complex issues to laypersons, and to develop your own creative response to one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. (Clusters 1)
• STH TT 866: Feminist and Womanist Theologies
  As one of the core courses in the theology sequence at BU School of Theology, this course introduces students to feminist and womanist approaches to the study of theology. It aims to provide students with a grounding in the major ideas and methodologies of feminist and womanist theologians. The first part of the course focuses on questions of method and provides students with grounding in the early history and development of feminist and womanist theologies. The second part focuses on important theoretical engagements that mark significant reassessments of notions of the body, sexuality, agency, and subjectivity within theological work. The third part highlights new trajectories and positions students' work within the ongoing conversation of feminist and womanist discourse. (Requires TF 701/702 or equivalent) (Clusters 1 and 2) (Fulfills Theology II Requirement)
• STH TT 869: African Theology: Sources, Methods, and Debates
  This course will investigate suffering from a variety of perspectives. The approach, while reflectively interdisciplinary, will concentrate on suffering as the fundamental test for theology, ethics, and philosophy. Added to the course will be a component concerned with issues of pastoral ministry and the bereavement process. (Requires TF 701/702 or equivalent)