Fall Quarter 2006
 ENGL 326 – Dante’s Divine Comedy
6:00-8:05 T, Th -
Rowan
A study of “The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso,” with
emphasis on its peculiarly medieval synthesis of thought and its contemporary
appeal as a literary classic.
HIST 231 – Survey of the United States: Christian Perspectives
1:30-2:55 T, Th, F -
Murphy
THRS 201 – Catholic Traditions
11:55-1:20 MWF -
Punsalan-Manlimos
THRS 202 – God and Evil
10:00-12:05 T, Th -
Teevan;
3:45-5:50 T, Th -
Teevan
This course examines theological reflections on God in the light of the
experience of evil. We will study both the experience of evil connected
with natural causes as well as that brought about by the acts of other
persons, including those perpetuated by unjust social structures. Our
focus will be on Christian approaches to these issues, especially Catholic
ones, but we will also consider non-Catholic Christian and Jewish perspectives.
Our readings include a novel, a diary, essays about political forgiveness,
a theological text on Christian understandings of God, and a book about
Catholic thought on social justice issues. Thus, our approach will be
both personal and global.
THRS 204 – Women and Theology
1:30-3:35 MW -
Wyatt
THRS 207 – Church as Community
7:45-9:50am T, Th -
Ely
THRS 303 – Gospel of Jesus Christ
10:00-11:25 MWF -
Staley
Introduces the New Testament by focusing upon its central character,
Jesus. Emphasis will be placed upon: 1) the Jewish matrix of Jesus and
early Christian thought; 2) the historical origins and theological structure
of the New Testament; 3) the central critical questions regarding the
relationship of New Testament literature to Jesus; and 4) the difficulty
and religious importance of connecting Jesus to our contemporary world.
THRS 304 – The Message of Paul
1:30-2:55 MWF -
Staley
To acquaint the student with the life and teachings of the apostle Paul
in the context of first century Judaism and Greco-Roman thought, and in
the context of contemporary New Testament scholarship. Some of the classic
issues we will explore are: 1) Where do we find the "real" Paul?
In the book of Acts, the thirteen letters that have Paul's name on them,
or in a more narrow collection of seven letters? 2) Is Paul's thinking
primarily indebted to the Jewish world or the Greek world? 3) What kind
of letters did Paul write? Spontaneous, "off the cuff letters,"
or carefully thought out, argumentative letters? 4) How should one understand
Paul's thinking on human nature, sexuality, and the role of women in the
church? Should Paul's opinion still count today?
THRS 305 – John: A Different Gospel
1:30-3:35 MW -
Howard-Brook
Entering John's Gospel is an exciting journey into the heart of God and
the heart of life. It is filled with humor, danger, and confrontation,
as "the Word made flesh" confronts "the world." Whether
you are Christian or not, whether you are familiar with the Bible or not,
this course provides an opportunity to learn "how to read":
the Bible, your own life and the world around and within. We will go through the Gospel scene by scene, paying close attention
as we do to the social and narrative contexts of what may be for some
students very familiar stories. You may discover a Jesus you never knew
before, challenging you to receive the gift of "life" far beyond
that offered by a paycheck. Come and see!
- To discover the social and cultural contexts of John's gospel and
how that affects how we read it.
- To become familiar with the basic themes, style and message of the
gospel.
- To come to know in detail one specific scene or theme and to present
that knowledge to the class orally and to the professor in writing.
- To explore how "who we are" affects "how we read."
- To take a break from classes which have "right answers"
and to discover instead the range of interpretations that make sense of
a text.
- To explore how an ancient text can shed light on life situations in
a very different time and place from that of the text's origin.
- To discover how much fun the Bible can be!
Texts: Howard-Brook, "Becoming Children of God";
Schneiders, "Written So You May Believe"
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