Course Catalogue 2026-2027

Institutional conflict, when led skillfully, can be a source of creativity and growth, but when avoided, becomes a means to stagnation and decline. This course focuses on the basics of the personal qualities and skills needed by leaders who assist congregations and other religious institutions to meet conflict and change in a spiritually and theologically grounded, healthy, and productive manner.

An introduction to the history, theology and practice of Christian public worship, with particular reference to the practices of Reformed and Methodist liturgical traditions, set in the context of ecumenical developments and in relation to resources of The United Church of Canada. Topics include orders of service, forms of prayer, calendar, lectionary, liturgical space, eucharist, baptism, funerals, weddings, pastoral liturgies and ritualization. Biblical, historical, theological and pastoral dimensions will be explored. (Fulfills testamur requirement for United Church of Canada candidates for ordered ministry and admissions.)

This course is designed to provide students with a solid foundation for biblical preaching by exploring the implications of preaching a text and preaching the gospel. Preaching the gospel is considered from historical, biblical, theological, pastoral and creative perspectives with a view to producing sermons that engage the world and offer hope. A four-step methodology is taught that can be adapted to various sermon forms.

This course will engage students in the educational ministry theories and practices in relation to intercultural leadership both within and beyond the United Church of Canada (UCC). Perspectives from intercultural, critical race, decolonial, and postcolonial theories will be studied. Students will develop strategies for anti-oppressive forms of education and practice, in terms of scriptural interpretation, contextual analysis, and leadership for community empowerment.

This course introduces theories and practices common to the practice of counselling and spiritual care as it routinely occurs in the course of the ongoing institutional life (hospitals, military, prisons, nursing homes, religious communities, counselling centres etc.) and in spiritually-integrated psychotherapy. The course focusses on developing microskills and skills for spiritually-integrated practices of counselling and interfaith spiritual care, and is divided into four 3-week modules: 1. Self Awareness - the cornerstone for interculturally competent spiritual care; 2. Microskills for spiritual care & counselling; 3. Meaning-making skills for spiritually-integrated care; 4. Contexts of care for spiritually-integrated practice.

This course introduces Emmanuel College Basic Degree students to the project of theological education in a multi-religious setting. Students will solidify the narratives of their professional and spiritual paths within a variety of spiritual-professional paths, build relationships with their cohort, and connect with faculty in small group settings. They will learn about their own spiritual/religious tradition while engaging several of other major religious/spiritual traditions (including Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and traditional Indigenous understandings). They will consider their own and other spiritual/religious traditions through respective practices, yearly cycles and rituals. They will develop capacity in multi-religious cooperation and leadership in the public sphere. They will gain knowledge in intercultural competence and assess their own need for growth in this area. They will begin to develop their plan for spiritual/religious leadership in dialogue with classmates.

Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why human beings change over the course of their lives. Originally focused on the physical, motor, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, personality, social, and moral changes in infants and children, developmental psychology now includes adolescence, adult development, and aging, throughout all stages of the entire lifespan. Several developmental stage theories have been developed, emerging from a diverse set of assumptions and models of human behavior, that divide child development into distinct stages. These stages are characterized by quantitative and qualitative differences in behaviour. There are a number of different views about the way in which psychological and physical development might proceed throughout the life span. This course will present a survey of the most important theoretical models including models that emphasize spiritual development. With respect to spiritual developmental each developmental theory will be examined from the point of view of spiritual development and their attention to spirituality throughout the life span. Formal theories of human growth and development within the Buddhist, Muslim and Christian perspectives will be introduced. Methodological issues will also be discussed.

As an introduction to the major mental disorders, this course aims to prepare students for working with clients with serious mental health problems in private, institutional and community settings. The course focuses on a biopsychosocial and spiritual understanding of mental health and well-being. Utilizing the holistic approach to mental health, this course will explore classifications and symptomatology of the more severe and chronic forms of psychiatric disorder, their etiology and nature, and their diagnosis. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) will be used as a reference point. The students will also be introduced to the critical influence of culture, class, race and ethnicity, religion, and social values of the individual, family, group, and social institutions in the assessment of mental health disorders. The course will critically review current classification systems and major theories regarding the nature of mental disorders, their diagnoses and etiologies, the treatment approaches available to help people in their recovery, and culturally relevant variables. As a result, the students will be able to critically utilize terminology and concepts in the DSM-5 and identify best practices in psychotherapy practice.

The responsibility of good administration and informed governance is a vital, if unsung, aspect of ministry in a conciliar system. This course will explore the mandates of collaborative congregational leadership, financial stewardship, effective communication and mission strategy in the context of current and emerging forms of United Church polity, and in view of the impact of changing demographics.

This course seeks to equip students with both knowledge and a practical skill set in worship leadership, ritual construction, and music-making. The course examines the theology, design, and performance practices of ritual design and music-making pertaining to public worship leadership. Students will have the opportunity to create rituals and lead public worship events to demonstrate the acquired skill set in this course.

The Toronto School of Theology Choir is an ecumenical choir based at Emmanuel College whose members sing at TST chapel services and other community events at the University of Toronto and in the broader community. Through the choir, members are introduced to a wide variety of church music repertoire from various Christian traditions from around the world. Members also advance their singing and ensemble skills in a group through weekly rehearsals where they learn about vocal production and ensemble singing. TST Choir is open to all members of the University of Toronto: students, faculty and staff.

Students who have applied for and been selected as student worship coordinators on the Emmanuel College Spiritual Life Team may register for this course as an associated reflexive practicum in planning and leading the communal spiritual practices, prayer, meditation, and worship life of the College. They will work with the professor of the course to engage in collaborative oversight - planning, leading and evaluating weekly spiritual, ritual and liturgical practices, and other occasional events and services, using ecumenical, intercultural and interfaith resources. Students will learn ways to support, resource and animate the Emmanuel College community of faculty, staff, students, and guests in the spiritual practices of the College. Students will take primary leadership responsibility for several occasions each academic year, including the work of facilitating collaborating planning, communications, ritual and liturgical creation and design, textual and/or projection production, celebration of festivals and sacraments, preparation of ritual and liturgical spaces, leadership, evaluation, and feedback.