Practical Theological Research: Methodological Considerations

This course addresses research methods in the area of Practical Theology with attention to theological priorities and epistemologies embodied in research. The course will consider issues in Practical Theology and the implications for research, including the history of practical theology, the correlation of theology with the disciplines of the human sciences, and contemporary global developments in practical theology; the varieties scholarly guilds related to practical theology, and their discussions of method; liberation, post-modem and post-colonial issues is practical theological research; and designing practical theological research, including research proposals and ethical issues. Students will develop proposals for research based on class discussion. In this course students will simultaneously develop their own research project while encountering the diverse movements, methods, and logics at work in practical theology internationally. While the focus is on methodological thinking and its theological implications-specifically, how practical theologians articulate and make a case for the way they go about their investigations-students will also learn about the history of practical theology, the ebb and flow of practical theology in the late modern and the early postmodern period, and world wide developments through local, regional and international scholarly associations.