Courses

• STH TS 818: Social Analysis and Ethical Reflection
  Social analysis as a tool for theological reflection and praxis. A critical exploration of the meaning of American society in transition and of the political economy of globalization for the ministry for human dignity and justice.
• STH TS 822: Life and Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.
  The development of the thought of Martin Luther King, Jr. in its social-historical context and his role in twentieth-century social philosophy.
• STH TS 829: Christian Ecological Ethics and Political Issues
  This course will introduce students to the character and dimensions of the ecological crisis; to help them reflect theologically and ethically on ecological problems, to develop or enhance their particular faith tradition?s theoretical and practical engagement with ecological issues, and to formulate public policy possibilities and practical projects to address and seek to solve ecological problems.
• STH TS 837: Comparative Religious Ethics
  Philosophical and religious perspectives in the meaning of the good life and the good society. Comparative study of social ethics in Christianity and other world religions with particular attention to one or two selected contemporary issues, such as the erosion of community, economic problems, humanity's relationship to the environment, and human rights.
• STH TS 840: Seminar in Religion and Social Change
  An exploration of the relationship between religion and social change, including the problems of modernization and globalization. Particular attention to the ways in which religion either supports the status quo or promotes social change, involving such problems as fundamentalist and utopian movements in the worldwide and contemporary setting.
• STH TS 845: Christian Social Ethics
  Comparative study of historical and contemporary Christian approaches to the nature, sources, methods, and concepts of ethics in diverse contexts. The course is in two parts: an historical overview of the development of Christian social ethics from biblical times to the twenty-first century; an in-depth exploration of approaches to specific contemporary social issues including war and peace, ecology, economic justice, and equality.
• STH TS 846: Religion and Society in East Asia
  Comparative and historical study of the interaction of religion and society in East Asia. Particular attention to the relation of Christianity with Asian religions and the role of religion in modernization.
• STH TS 854: The Boston University Ethical Tradition
  This seminar is designed to orient participants to the BU tradition in theology and ethics that has its roots in the 19th century. We will consider the Boston Personalists beginning with Borden Parker Bowne, John Wesley Edward Bowen, and especially the work of Edgar S. Brightman, as well as the later Personalists ?Albert C. Knudson and Francis McConnell. We will also explore the works of Georgia Harkness, L. Harold DeWolf, Peter Bertocci, and in particular, Walter Muelder (and the Moral Law tradition). There will be an emphasis on Howard Thurman and his impact on BU, as well as the influence of the BU ethical tradition on the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. We will also consider the ethics of contemporary exponents of the BU ethical traditionâ??Paul Deats, J. Philip Wogaman, James Nash, Rufus Burrow, Carol Robb, Chai Sik Chung, and Tom Shannon. Throughout the seminar, there will be consideration given to the philosophical and theological roots of the BU ethical tradition as well as its social, economic, and political applications. This tradition is based on the belief in a personal God who cares about people, and made each person in the divine image-endowed with inherent value, worth and dignity. This is a central message of the BU ethical tradition, and in the seminar, we will look at is foundations as well as its evolution, and also why that tradition historically was attractive to Black graduate students in theology and social ethics.
• STH TS 862: Global Ethics in Cultural Contexts
  An in-depth study of distinctive approaches to economic, ethnic, gender and political justice in diverse regions: North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Israel/Palestine. Liberation theology perspectives?African American, Feminist, Womanist, Mujerista, Latin American, Native American, Asian, African, Jewish and Palestinian?will provide bases for developing transcultural social ethics. Also offered as STH TS 962 for doctoral students.
• STH TS 863: Literature of Memory III: The Seduction and Fall of Evil
  Looks at evil from a variety of perspectives, exploring the human weaknesses beguiled by evil and the human strength capable of opposing it. Course readings include selections from the Bible, Shakespeare, and contemporary literature. Please email Jean McIntyre at mcintyre@bu.edu to enroll. Prerequisite: 400-level course in the Humanities or upper-level literature class. Preference given to seniors & graduate students. No WebReg; stamped approval from the instructor's office required.
• STH TS 867: Xianity & Ecol
  
• STH TS 870: Literature of Memory IV: Leaders and Heroes in Literature
  Explores heroism and leadership, focusing upon factors contributing to the rise of heroes and leaders and the appropriate roles they may play within their societies. Readings are drawn from a range of texts including the Bible, Shakespeare, and contemporary literature. Please email Jean McIntyre at mcintyre@bu.edu to enroll. Prerequisite: 400-level course in the Humanities or upper-level literature class. Preference given to seniors & graduate students. No WebReg; stamped approval from the instructor's office required.
• STH TS 877: The Principles and Practices of Restorative Justice
  A study of the fundamental principles and practices of restorative justice as applicable to church and society. The course explores the needs and roles of key stakeholders (victims, offenders, communities, justice systems), outlines the basic principles and values of restorative justice, introduces some of the primary models of practice, and identifies challenges to restorative justice and strategies to respond to them. The course is organized around the issue of crime and harm within a western legal context, but attention is given to applications in other contexts. Of particular interest is the contribution of traditional or indigenous approaches to justice as well as applications in post-conflict situations.
• STH TS 889: Sacred Earth: Indigenous Peoples' Ecological Traditions
  A study of indigenous peoples? traditional teachings about the relationship of spirituality, ecology, and community well-being. A particular focus will be the words and works of representative twentieth-century writers and spiritual leaders, and include the life and teachings of Lakota elder Black Elk; Muskogee elder Phillip Deere; Wanapum elder David Sohappy; and Dakota scholar and activist Vine Deloria, Jr.
• STH TS 896: Religion, Economics, and the Common Good
  A study of the relationship between religion, economics, and societal well-being, particularly as explored in the presentation and critique of a ?Protestant ethic.? The subsequent integration of political, economic, sociological, and religious insights will provide a foundation for the formulation of community-based and community-oriented social institutions.
• STH TS 925: Adv Topics Ethi
  
• STH TS 950: History of the Social Teachings of the Church
  This seminar will explore the development of the social teachings of the Church from the time of Jesus through the 20th century. The works of E. Troeltsch and H.R. Niebuhr will be relied upon, with a focus on the development of the early Christian social teachings, the medieval synthesis, the Reformation era, and especially the rise of urban-industrial capitalism and its impact on the social teachings of the Churches. Special emphasis will be given to the major events of the 19th century such as the abolition of slavery as well as the beginnings of the women?s suffrage movement and other dimensions of the liberation of women.
• STH TS 951: Contemporary Social Teachings for the Christian Church
  An in-depth study of major contemporary social issues, utilizing the works of key Christian social ethicists, as expressed in the Protestant, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic traditions and in theologies of liberation. Issues such as sexuality and human reproduction, war and peace, economic and social justice, racism, gender, social class, and the use/misuse and protection of natural resources, will be viewed through the perspective of different religious traditions. Special emphasis will be placed on ecumenical and interfaith social ethics, the rise and significance of the Christian Right, and development of the tools needed to do social ethics in different social and cultural contexts.
• STH TS 957: Seminar: the Church and Human Rights
  Philosophical, religious, and social problems of defining human rights and the related ideas of human dignity, justice, and the common good. Special attention to comparative understanding of human rights in Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam, exploring an alternative economic order and society that would serve the human person.
• STH TS 961: History of Western Ethics and Social Philosophy
  This seminar focuses on the ways Greek philosophy (Plato, Aristotle, Stoics) influenced Christian theology and ethics (Augustine and Aquinas), and how that Christian theological and ethical tradition influenced Luther, Calvin and other Reformers. There will also be a look at the key figures in philosophy (Hume, Kant, Grotius, and others) who shaped modern Western ethics. Emphasis will also be placed on the development of Western social and political philosophy which led to the modern democratic state (Locke, Bentham, J.S. Mill, A. Smith), utilitarianism and cost-benefit analysis, as well as the works of revolutionary thinkers (Nietzsche and Marx) and also the seminal feminist thinkers (C. DePizan, M. Wollstonecraft, H. Taylor). In addition, there will be efforts to explore the social and philosophical roots of the movements that led to the abolition of slavery as well as to the promotion of gender equality. Consideration will be given to the social/political/economic context that influenced the thinking of the writers, as well as a look at some of the readings from a feminist and multicultural standpoint. Particular emphasis will be placed on the relevance of these thinkers in our society. We should be aware of their shortcomings (class, cultural, racial and gender biases), but also be appreciative of their contributions to modern thinking.

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