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 MyBU Student Portal 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 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 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 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) FOR STUDENTS IN THE INSERVICE M.DIV. PROGRAM ONLY.
• STH TI 817: Mission and Outreach for the Local Congregation
  This seminar examines theological foundations for engaging the congregation in the wider community and explore strategies for helping local churches participate in such engagement. Online course
• 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 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)
• STH TM 835: Asian Christianity
  This course explores the dynamism, co-option, stagnation and renewal of East Asian Christianity throughout its history--from the 7th century to the 21st. Special attention is given to Christianity's complex interaction with the religious, political, and social realities of Japan, China, and Korea. Students are introduced to important Christian leaders and movements across the centuries, and they investigate the implications of East Asian Christianity's recent expansion both at home and abroad. (Clusters 1 and 2)
• STH TM 856: Women in World Christianity: Histories, Lives, Issues
  This course explores the history of women in the Christian movement from the early centuries to the present, with particular focus on women in global context from the 19th to 21st centuries. Starting with the reality that women make up the majority of Christians in the world, the course explores texts and sources for researching women's history, including hagiographies and biographies, spiritual and theological writings by women, women's mission literature, and gender analysis. The historic leadership roles of women as sisters, deaconesses, evangelists, missionaries, pastors, and social reformers will be examined. Selected issues for contemporary reflection include church controversies over women's leadership, women in evangelical/Pentecostal churches, and gendered social movements. (Clusters 1 and 2)
• STH TM 863: African Christianity: Narratives, Beliefs, and Practices
  This course examines the history of Christianity in Africa, with focus on the 19th-21st centuries. It pays particular attention to themes in African theology, gender and social action, environmentalism, Pentecostal spiritualities, African missions, and church/state relations-- including issues of colonialism and democratization. A highlight of the course will be a conference on African Christian Biography with leading scholars, in late October. (Clusters 1 and 2)
• STH TM 909: Mission and Outreach: Foundations for Transformation
  Online Course: This course surveys the biblical, historical, theological, and contextual foundations of transformational Christian mission, and introduces contemporary missional issues and practices. Participants will analyze the mission potential of their ministry site and community. The final project of the course is the development of a leadership plan for mission and outreach.
• STH TM 910: Seminar in World Christianity and Mission History
  A seminar in the history of Christian missions, from the early church to the present. Issues of historiography, method, and the emergence of non-western church history. Required course for doctoral students in mission studies.
• STH TM 930: History of Missiology
  Seminar on the classic Protestant mission theorists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Required for doctoral students in mission studies.
• STH TM 931: Readings in Contemporary Missiology
  Readings and discussions of important works in missiology from the 1960's to the present. This course begins where TM 930 ends. Required for doctoral students in mission studies
• STH TM 935: Asian Christianity
  This course explores the dynamism, co-option, stagnation and renewal of East Asian Christianity throughout its history--from the 7th century to the 21st. Special attention is given to Christianity's complex interaction with the religious, political, and social realities of Japan, China, and Korea. Students are introduced to important Christian leaders and movements across the centuries, and they investigate the implications of East Asian Christianity's recent expansion both at home and abroad.

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