Previous Years' Course Catalogues

This seminar studies the life of the Prophe Muhammad as it is presented in the earliest biographical and historical Muslim accounts. It introduces the sira and hadith literatures, in addition to classical and modern critical methods used to determine their authenticity and historical reliability. Topics include the first revelations, emigration from Mecca, the Constitution of Medina, and succession to Muhammad's leadership. Students will learn about Muslim concepts of prophethood, the significance of the prophet in the legal-ethical and mystical traditions, and women in hadith scholarship. They will study the life of Muhammad and relate it to his spiritual as well as temporal experience to explore modern-day concerns.

This seminar studies the life of the Prophe Muhammad as it is presented in the earliest biographical and historical Muslim accounts. It introduces the sira and hadith literatures, in addition to classical and modern critical methods used to determine their authenticity and historical reliability. Topics include the first revelations, emigration from Mecca, the Constitution of Medina, and succession to Muhammad's leadership. Students will learn about Muslim concepts of prophethood, the significance of the prophet in the legal-ethical and mystical traditions, and women in hadith scholarship. They will study the life of Muhammad and relate it to his spiritual as well as temporal experience to explore modern-day concerns.

This seminar studies the life of the Prophe Muhammad as it is presented in the earliest biographical and historical Muslim accounts. It introduces the sira and hadith literatures, in addition to classical and modern critical methods used to determine their authenticity and historical reliability. Topics include the first revelations, emigration from Mecca, the Constitution of Medina, and succession to Muhammad's leadership. Students will learn about Muslim concepts of prophethood, the significance of the prophet in the legal-ethical and mystical traditions, and women in hadith scholarship. They will study the life of Muhammad and relate it to his spiritual as well as temporal experience to explore modern-day concerns.

This course will explore through classroom lectures and seminar discussions the texts and pastoral practice of the core liturgical rites for the Divine Eucharist in the Byzantine (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic) churches, including the historical evolution and theological meaning of those rites. Guest lectures will also cover the Eucharistic liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches, specifically the Coptic and Ethiopian rites. The course will also explore the concept of liturgical theology.

This course will explore through classroom lectures and seminar discussions the texts and pastoral practice of the core liturgical rites for the Divine Eucharist in the Byzantine (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic) churches, including the historical evolution and theological meaning of those rites. Guest lectures will also cover the Eucharistic liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches, specifically the Coptic and Ethiopian rites. The course will also explore the concept of liturgical theology.

This course will explore through classroom lectures and seminar discussions the texts and pastoral practice of the daily cycle of the liturgy of the hours and the yearly cycle of feasts, fasts and commemorations of the Byzantine (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic) churches, including the historical evolution and theological meaning of those rites. Some consideration will also be given to the liturgies of the hours and liturgical year of the Oriental Orthodox churches, specifically the Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopian rites. The course will also further develop the concept of liturgical theology and the reflect on pastoral practice in the celebration of daily and festal services.

This course will explore through classroom lectures and seminar discussions the texts and pastoral practice of the daily cycle of the liturgy of the hours and the yearly cycle of feasts, fasts and commemorations of the Byzantine (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic) churches, including the historical evolution and theological meaning of those rites. Some consideration will also be given to the liturgies of the hours and liturgical year of the Oriental Orthodox churches, specifically the Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopian rites. The course will also further develop the concept of liturgical theology and the reflect on pastoral practice in the celebration of daily and festal services.

This course will explore through classroom lectures and seminar discussions the texts and pastoral practice of the daily cycle of the liturgy of the hours and the yearly cycle of feasts, fasts and commemorations of the Byzantine (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic) churches, including the historical evolution and theological meaning of those rites. Some consideration will also be given to the liturgies of the hours and liturgical year of the Oriental Orthodox churches, specifically the Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopian rites. The course will also further develop the concept of liturgical theology and the reflect on pastoral practice in the celebration of daily and festal services.

This course will examine the biblical, theological, spiritual, historical, and liturgical roots of the celebration of the Eucharist in the ordinary form of the Roman Rite and develop a comprehension by the students of the present form of its liturgical celebration. Students will be required to demonstrate an understanding of the course’s content through written assignments and in class presentations. Successful candidates will have the capacity to communicate course content in a ministry setting.

This course will examine the biblical, theological, spiritual, historical, and liturgical roots of the celebration of the Eucharist in the ordinary form of the Roman Rite and develop a comprehension by the students of the present form of its liturgical celebration. Students will be required to demonstrate an understanding of the course’s content through written assignments and in class presentations. Successful candidates will have the capacity to communicate course content in a ministry setting.

In this course, students will explore the origins of theological education in the medieval university.  The course begins with the foundations from monastic theology and will then trace the emergence of "scholastic" theology, with particular attention paid to the development of pastoral theology.  Topics will include the sources of theological work; pedagogical practices; the doctrines of Trinity, Christology, and the sacraments; as well as key figures from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries.

The course will begin with input and discussion on the themes of Mission and Ethics, as well as an introduction to Acts. Each week there will be a consideration of a passage from Acts in light of the joint topic of ‘Mission and Ethics’-how do they relate within these texts? The passages from Acts will be chosen according to their featuring this question and will be examined in light of modern commentaries and linguistic and historical aids, before moving to consider a range of selected commentators on Acts through the centuries: all these will be made available in English translation as basic. Reading of primary sources (commentaries both pre-modern and modern) will be emphasised, along with their interpretive and creative moves, but there will also be the opportunity and responsibility of getting familiar with some of the major recent scholarship on the book, not least the theological and ideological tendencies of Luke and the question of how this biblical book serves to offer an apology for the church of Paul and the other Apostles. The matters of theological interpretation, theology of history, missio Dei, communal and ‘evangelistic’ ecclesial ethics and reception-history as an appropriate method.