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 TH 920: History of American Theological Liberalism
  American Theological Liberalism is a doctoral-level seminar that provides an overview into the historical and theological development of liberal theology in the United States. Through reading a variety of primary and secondary sources, the course is designed to provide students an historical and theological overview into the development of liberalism and assess the ongoing significance of theological liberalism in church and society today.
• STH TH 924: Gender and the Reformations
  Examination of the participation of women in the reformations of the sixteenth century and the effect of theological and ecclesiastical changes on women and gender roles in early modern society. Topics include marriage, childbirth, household management, education, authorship, exercise of power, and cloistered life amid the different confessional movements of the early modern period.
• STH TH 925: The Bible in the Reformation
  Examination of the role of the Bible in the reformations of the sixteenth century, including the development and divergence of Reformation hermeneutics in late medieval and Renaissance context. Special attention will be given to the vernacular translation and popular presentation of the Bible in the sixteenth century press and pulpit.
• STH TH 927: Early Modern Piety
  The literature and practice of Christian devotion between the Reformation and Pietism, in national and confessional contexts within Early Modern society. Catechisms, hymnals and prayerbooks in production, distribution, and use. Special attention to the relation between theology and forms of devotion, public and domestic piety, and to the devotional roles of women and children.
• STH TH 930: History of Missiology
  Seminar on the classic Protestant mission theorists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
• STH TH 971: Seminar: Luther and the Radical Reformers
  Historical-social contexts, theologies, and effects of the history of the church from the Reformation to the present.
• STH TI 801: In-Service Contextual Ed 1
  Supervised practice of ministry in a congregational setting focused on the integration of theology and practice. MDIV CORE REQUIREMENT. Background check is required. FOR STUDENTS IN THE INSERVICE M.DIV. PROGRAM ONLY.
• STH TI 802: In-Service Contextual Ed 2
  Graduate prerequisite: STH TI 801. Continues and presupposes STH TI 801 in the spring semester. M.DIV CORE REQUIREMENT. Background check is required. FOR STUDENTS IN THE INSERVICE M.DIV PROGRAM ONLY.
• STH TI 811: Inservice Degree Seminar: Ministry in the 21st Century Context: Challenges and Possibilities
  The rapidly changing circumstances of life in contemporary society provides challenges for pastoral ministry. This seminar will engage some of the latest research and reflection on effective strategies for ministry in the 21st century and explore skills in reading one's contexts. Online course (Cluster 3)
• STH TI 812: Inservice Seminar: Ministries of Education and Formation
  Participants in this seminar will explore a variety of pedagogical strategies for forming youth, children, and adults as disciples in their faith tradition. Online course (Cluster 3)
• STH TI 813: In-Service Seminar: Pastoral Care
  Foundational principles and practices in caring for congregants and community members will be addressed in this seminar. Setting of appropriate boundaries will be explored here as well. Online course (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TI 814: In-Service Seminar: Pastor as Spiritual Guide, Counselor, Coach
  This seminar explores the different roles and responsibilities a pastor must nurture in order to minister effectively with parishioners. Strategies for maintaining role consistency and setting appropriate boundaries will be studied. Online course (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TI 815: Leading From Within: Nurturing Spiritual Leadership in Self and Congregation
  This seminar explores principles and strategies essential for effective leadership in the congregation. Leadership will be explored as a spiritual practice that requires attention to one's spiritual formation in order to be an effective practitioner. Online course (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TI 816: Conflict Transformation
  Conflict in local church life is inevitable. In this seminar, participants will learn strategies for dealing with conflict in ways that can be life-giving for self and community. Online course (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TJ 876: Church and Theology in the Contemporary World
  Church and Theology in the Contemporary World is an advanced research seminar in practical theology. The course enables students to design and carry out a research project in practical theology under the guidance of the instructor and with constructive feedback from fellow students. Assignments are designed to help students to articulate a clear, significant, and manageable research question; to design a practical theological approach to the question; to develop relevant bibliographies and other research sources; and, ultimately, to complete a final project in practical theology. Through this work and additional readings, including careful reading of and theological reflection on daily newspapers, we will together identify and address a range of issues facing the church in diverse cultures and contexts. Students gain skills in identifying practical theological questions and interpreting contexts; critically incorporating social scientific research in a theological project; making normative judgments; and thinking through strategic practical theological responses to guide faithful Christian practice. The course is a required core course for all doctoral students majoring in Practical Theology.
• STH TJ 910: Proseminar in Practical Theology
  This doctoral seminar for practical theology majors introduces the primary changes that are under way in practical theology as a discipline, reviews the methodologies upon which these changes are based, and examines the implications of these changes.
• STH TJ 940: Ecclesiology
  This course asks the question, "What is the church?" in dialogue with Christian theological figures and schools representing Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian traditions. While one of the aims of this course is that students be conversant with those voices, it ultimately aims at the student's ability to articulate the ecclesiology of his or her own community and to bring that to bear on the contemporary situation and particular problems of Christian practice in church and society.
• STH TJ 976: Advanced Research in Practical Theology
  In this advanced research seminar, students will explore a range of practical theology research to map the field. They will analyze the purposes, practices, and significance of this research for the field of practical theology and for the larger human community. Students will have opportunities to develop expertise with selected research tools; develop a significant research question of high personal interest; and conduct a research project that contributes to the literature and some part of the human or ecological community.
• STH TM 801: Christian Mission in a Religiously Plural World
  This course is focused on constructing a theology of mission that is appropriate, adequate, and relevant for the 21st century's religious plurality. The aim of the course is to enable students to 1) recall a quick critical survey of the history of Christian mission, 2) grapple with the varied biblical understandings of mission, and 3) begin to frame and articulate a theology of mission that addresses the challenges posed by the religiously plural world
• STH TM 815: Christian Mission
  Exploration of biblical, historical, theological, political, and cultural perspectives on the world mission of the church. This course is a requirement for United Methodist MDiv students pursuing ordination in the United Methodist Church. (Clusters 1 and 3)

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