Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• STH TT 954: Scientific Approaches to Religion
  This seminar examines interpretations of religious beliefs, behaviors, and experiences deriving from the biological, evolutionary, psychological, cognitive, neurological, and medical sciences.
• STH TT 956: Atheisms and Theologies
  The general aim of this course is learn about varieties of atheism-older "classic atheism," so-called "new atheism" of recent years, and theologically inspired forms of atheism-and to understand the various theological responses to atheism. Questions of particular importance are: (1) How strong are traditional and new atheistic arguments? (2) Where does or should theology stand in relation to the arguments of atheism? (3) What are the origins of modern atheism? (4) Should postmodern mystical theologies and iconoclastic anti-anthropomorphic theologies that reject a determinate divine being be considered atheistic? If so how does this sort of atheism relate to other types? The class is intended for advanced masters students and doctoral candidates interested in con-temporary theology and its conceptual roots in older theological debates. Meets with STH TT 816.
• STH TT 961: Varieties of Religious Naturalism
  The aim of this course is learn about varieties of religious naturalism and how they have been, and can be, incorporated into philosophical and theological reflection. The seminar will read a variety of works in contemporary religious naturalism, from twentieth-century classics to current contributions, and from theoretical analyses of the meaning of naturalism to surveys attempting to map out the territory of plausible viewpoints. We will also track the close relationship between religious naturalism and both ecologically-rooted forms of spirituality and nature-centered forms of mysticism.
• STH TT 966: Fem/Womani Theo
  
• STH TT 974: Religious Experience
  This seminar is a multidisciplinary study of religious experience, drawing on philosophy, theology, literature, psychology, sociology, the cognitive sciences, and the neurosciences. An advanced research seminar, this course presumes significant background knowledge in theology and philosophy and is designed for doctoral students. Advanced master's students can participate with the permission of the instructor.
• STH TT 998: Theology and Trauma
  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.
• STH TX 901: Science Literacy and Scientific Boundary Questions
  This course introduces contemporary science to students with research and writing interests in the area of science, philosophy, and religion. It also treats scientific boundary questions, which are philosophical, ethical, and theological questions raised by science yet not answerable within science itself. This is more than a popular science course; it is the course to take when you are ready to go beyond popular science, and you are ready for integrative thinking that connects science, philosophy, history, ethics, and theology. The Fall semester lectures are on the biological sciences. That semester can be taken independently of the Spring semester on physics. The mathematics required for the Spring lectures on physics is taught through the whole year in a separate meeting. You should consult the instructor about your background and readiness to take this course prior to registering.
• STH TX 902: Scientific Literacy and Scientific Boundary Issues
  This course introduces contemporary science to students with research and writing interests in the area of science, philosophy, and religion. It also treats scientific boundary questions, which are philosophical, ethical, and theological questions raised by science yet not answerable within science itself. This is more than a popular science course; it is the course to take when you are ready to go beyond popular science, and you are ready for integrative thinking that connects science, philosophy, history, ethics, and theology. TT872 lectures are on physics. TT871, on the biological sciences, can be taken independently of TT872 on physics. The mathematics required for the TT872 lectures on physics is taught through the whole year in a separate meeting. You should consult the instructor about your background and readiness to take TT871 or TT872 (meets w/ TX902) prior to registering.
• STH TY 704: Spiritual Care
  This course introduces a method of spiritual care as practical theology. Students will be asked to engage the experiences of loss, violence, doubt, and despair reflected in spiritual care conversations. They will be invited to use theological, philosophical, psychological, and cultural studies to reflect upon these issues, and develop theologically and/or spiritually based strategies of care and justice. (Cluster 3)
• STH TY 803: The Psychology of Religion
  Examining methodological questions and issues in the psychological interpretation of religious matters by considering what is meant by 'religion' and what is involved in interpreting 'religion' psychologically. (Cluster 2)
• STH TY 806: Theories of Human Development
  The goal of this course is to achieve an understanding of the human developmental process and how that process integrates the growth of faith and the life of the community. We will use a series of theoretical readings, broader lectures by the professor, and selected autobiographies to apply theory. As our experiences provide excellent laboratory data, there will be various opportunities to examine our own life processes as a way of seeing theory in action. Course Objectives: By the end of the class, students should: - know the primary developmental theories, including psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, social learning, faith development and be able to identity of variety of lesser used theories - be able to critique developmental theories using the insights of feminist theory, studies in racism and sexual identity, and the reality of globalization - be able to apply theory to case material - discuss the relationship of human development and community context. (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TY 808: Peace and Violence
  This course critically examines issues of peace and violence as concrete, lived realities. Students will be asked to engage these realities through use of philosophical, psychological, social, cultural, political, and personal studies and resources. They will be invited to dialogue and think creatively about these issues, and develop theologically and/or spiritually based understandings, as well as practical approaches, to cultivate ethics of peace and justice. (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TY 811: Object Relations and the Study of Religion
  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. (Cluster 2)
• STH TY 814: Womanist Psychologies of Religion
  This seminar course will "engage womanist theology and ethics, womanist pastoral and practical theology for their embedded psychologies of religion. We will examine psychological aspects of Black women's religious experience in the U.S. Of particular interest will be the place, relationship and significance of black religious experience as a particular(ized) cultural psychological construction and experience. Additionally, we will take up for consideration the theological basis for articulating a womanist psychology of religion, and the argument that womanist epistemology, theological anthropology as well as practical and pastoral theologies are embedded in psychological dynamics and require an explicit articulation of a (psychoanalytic) psychology of religion.
• STH TY 821: Psychoanalysis of/and Spirituality
  Examines the growing engagement between psychoanalysis and spirituality. Historically this has been contested ground with psychoanalytic theorists having little regard for religion and spirituality beyond the realm of a psychological interpretation. Over the last two decades, this has shifted and a number of works have been either written about psychoanalysis as spirituality; psychoanalyst's spiritual practices, and/or psychoanalysis of spirituality. The emphasis of these conversations has resulted in conferences dedicated to the topic as well as psychoanalysts specializing in spirituality. The impact on studies in spirituality has produced a more conscious interest in the relevance of psychodynamic perspectives of spirituality and spiritual direction. This course takes these shifts up while resisting the temptation to collapse the distinctions. (Cluster 2)
• STH TY 823: Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice
  This course introduces frameworks and methods of multicultural counseling that are sensitive to and informed by notions of social justice. Students will be asked to engage the contextual complexities of human psychology as they pertain specifically to counseling while concurrently examining social justice issues through theological, philosophical, psychological, historical, and cultural studies. Along the way, students will ideally develop and cultivate practical strategies and techniques equipping them to provide culturally sensitive and socially just counseling and care. (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TY 826: Psychodynamics of Marriage and Family
  This is an introductory course that includes a comprehensive overview of the field of family systems and family therapy. This course will serve as an introduction to the theory and techniques of couples and family therapy. An attempt will be made to integrate theory and practice through assignments, class activities, and personal and professional self-reflection. Students will have the opportunity to reflect upon how they might actually use course content professionally in their respective disciplines. (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TY 828: Womanist Approaches to Religion
  This course will provide students an opportunity to think about how womanist scholars approach the study of religion and black women's religious experience. We will take up for examination the questions: "what do womanist scholars mean by womanist approaches to religion?" And, "what constitutes religion and religious experience?" The course is interdisciplinary and interfaith in its consideration of religion. Students will be introduced to the methods, aims, approaches, sources and disciplinary locations of womanist scholarship on religion. Particular attention will be given to the widening scope of womanist research on religion interms of methodology and religions. The class will engage our concerns through lecture, discussion and site observations.
• STH TY 829: The Prophetic Witness of Tupac Shakur
  This course examines the life and works of Tupac Shakur. Students will primarily be asked to engage the late artist's thought through direct engagement with his music and poetry. Issues of justice will be emphasized, contextualized, and visualized as methods of considering and practically responding to Tupac's messages. Students will concurrently be invited to survey sociopolitical realities relevant to Tupac through use of cultural, historical, philosophical, psychological, and personal resources, among others, in order to think deeply about concrete transformation within contemporary circumstances and contexts. *Note: This course involves regular engagement with profane language. (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TY 842: Pastoral Psychology of Healing
  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. (Clusters 2 and 3)

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