Previous Years' Course Catalogues

This course traces the development of Catholic Social Teaching and action from an historical and theological perspective. A Christian concept of justice will be explored within Biblical and theological contexts. Cultural developments that have impacted, and those that continue to influence, social thought, teaching and action within the Church will be discussed. The primary texts for the course are the social documents of the Church beginning with the Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (1891) and continuing to the present day. Students will become familiar with the content of such documents and they will be encouraged to analyse the theological and social foundations upon which the documents have been developed. Key principles of Catholic Social Teaching will be introduced. The course will also explore the Christian call to justice and ways in which the social teachings of the Church can be integrated into personal spirituality and ministry. To facilitate such integration, examples will be highlighted from the lives of social activists within the Church.

This course traces the development of Catholic Social Teaching and action from an historical and theological perspective. A Christian concept of justice will be explored within Biblical and theological contexts. Cultural developments that have impacted, and those that continue to influence, social thought, teaching and action within the Church will be discussed. The primary texts for the course are the social documents of the Church beginning with the Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (1891) and continuing to the present day. Students will become familiar with the content of such documents and they will be encouraged to analyse the theological and social foundations upon which the documents have been developed. Key principles of Catholic Social Teaching will be introduced. The course will also explore the Christian call to justice and ways in which the social teachings of the Church can be integrated into personal spirituality and ministry. To facilitate such integration, examples will be highlighted from the lives of social activists within the Church.

This course traces the development of Catholic Social Teaching and action from an historical and theological perspective. A Christian concept of justice will be explored within Biblical and theological contexts. Cultural developments that have impacted, and those that continue to influence, social thought, teaching and action within the Church will be discussed. The primary texts for the course are the social documents of the Church beginning with the Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (1891) and continuing to the present day. Students will become familiar with the content of such documents and they will be encouraged to analyse the theological and social foundations upon which the documents have been developed. Key principles of Catholic Social Teaching will be introduced. The course will also explore the Christian call to justice and ways in which the social teachings of the Church can be integrated into personal spirituality and ministry. To facilitate such integration, examples will be highlighted from the lives of social activists within the Church. Teaching and learning methods will include, lecture, discussion, media and biographical analysis.

This course traces the development of Catholic Social Teaching and action from an historical and theological perspective. A Christian concept of justice will be explored within Biblical and theological contexts. Cultural developments that have impacted, and those that continue to influence, social thought, teaching and action within the Church will be discussed. The primary texts for the course are the social documents of the Church beginning with the Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (1891) and continuing to the present day. Students will become familiar with the content of such documents and they will be encouraged to analyse the theological and social foundations upon which the documents have been developed. Key principles of Catholic Social Teaching will be introduced. The course will also explore the Christian call to justice and ways in which the social teachings of the Church can be integrated into personal spirituality and ministry. To facilitate such integration, examples will be highlighted from the lives of social activists within the Church. Teaching and learning methods will include, lecture, discussion, media and biographical analysis.

This course traces the development of Catholic Social Teaching and action from an historical and theological perspective. A Christian concept of justice will be explored within Biblical and theological contexts. Cultural developments that have impacted, and those that continue to influence, social thought, teaching and action within the Church will be discussed. The primary texts for the course are the social documents of the Church beginning with the Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (1891) and continuing to the present day. Students will become familiar with the content of such documents and they will be encouraged to analyse the theological and social foundations upon which the documents have been developed. Key principles of Catholic Social Teaching will be introduced. The course will also explore the Christian call to justice and ways in which the social teachings of the Church can be integrated into personal spirituality and ministry. To facilitate such integration, examples will be highlighted from the lives of social activists within the Church.

This course is a critical examination of contemporary peace theologies as they have developed within the Historical Peace Churches (Mennonite, Brethren, Quaker, though with a primary focus on the Anabaptist/Mennonite tradition) and through ecumenical engagement. Several themes emerges. 1) There is a strong ecclesiological character to peace church theology-- the distinctive character of the community of faith is the embodiment of the peace of Jesus Christ. 2) Ecumenical contacts have shaped and deepened peace church theology just as peace church theology has prompted a broadening of the discourse of peace within the ecumenical movement, and in other Christian traditions. As ecclesiology has emerged as the central issue in the "Faith and Order" stream of ecumenism, the historical peace churches have much to offer, and to receive, in the dialogue with the peace themes as they are developing in the "Life and Work" stream of ecumenism. 3) These ecumenical engagements have led to practical proposals around Just Policing and Just Peace. 4) Whereas question of war and peace, just war and pacifism, and the nature and mission of the churched shaped earlier rounds of reflection, theologians in the peace church traditions are also examining issues of atonement, the character of God, epistemology, ecology, and global capitalism. 5) There are profound internal contradictions in the theology of the peace churches. The work of Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder is central in the development of peace church theology, yet given his abuse of women also deeply problematic. We will consider how the structure of the peace theology of which Yoder is a primary representative masks other forms of violence, especially gendered violence that is internal to the community of faith.

This course is a critical examination of contemporary peace theologies as they have developed within the Historical Peace Churches (Mennonite, Brethren, Quaker, though with a primary focus on the Anabaptist/Mennonite tradition) and through ecumenical engagement. Several themes emerges. 1) There is a strong ecclesiological character to peace church theology-- the distinctive character of the community of faith is the embodiment of the peace of Jesus Christ. 2) Ecumenical contacts have shaped and deepened peace church theology just as peace church theology has prompted a broadening of the discourse of peace within the ecumenical movement, and in other Christian traditions. As ecclesiology has emerged as the central issue in the "Faith and Order" stream of ecumenism, the historical peace churches have much to offer, and to receive, in the dialogue with the peace themes as they are developing in the "Life and Work" stream of ecumenism. 3) These ecumenical engagements have led to practical proposals around Just Policing and Just Peace. 4) Whereas question of war and peace, just war and pacifism, and the nature and mission of the churched shaped earlier rounds of reflection, theologians in the peace church traditions are also examining issues of atonement, the character of God, epistemology, ecology, and global capitalism. 5) There are profound internal contradictions in the theology of the peace churches. The work of Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder is central in the development of peace church theology, yet given his abuse of women also deeply problematic. We will consider how the structure of the peace theology of which Yoder is a primary representative masks other forms of violence, especially gendered violence that is internal to the community of faith.

This is a historical and topical survey of the origins and development of Islamic religious practices and mysticism. The course is primarily concerned with the growth of mystical tradition in Islam, the rise of asceticism, the early forms of personal piety that culminated into emphasis over mystical dimensions of Islamic religious experience and practice. The course will examine the rise of Sufi orders, the systematization of Sufi teaching and the evolution of theosophical dimensions of mysticism, and finally, the contribution of Sufism in the Islamic arts and literatures.  

This course offers a historical and topical survey of the origins, development, and variegated expressions of Islamicspiritual practices and mysticisim. The course is primarily concerned with the growth of mystical tradition in Islam and the forms of personal piety that culminated into emphasis over mystical dimensions of Islamic religious experience and practice. The course will examine the rise of Sufi orders, the systematization of Sufi teaching and the evolution of theosophical dimensions of mysticism, and finally, the contribution of Sufism in the Islamic arts and literatures. Students will be introduced to a variety of Sufi Texts in translationand academic essays from a variety of cultural and linguistic zones.

This is a historical and topical survey of the origins and development of Islamic religious practices and mysticism. The course is primarily concerned with the growth of mystical tradition in Islam, the rise of asceticism, the early forms of personal piety that culminated into emphasis over mystical dimensions of Islamic religious experience and practice. The course will examine the rise of Sufi orders, the systematization of Sufi teaching and the evolution of theosophical dimensions of mysticism, and finally, the contribution of Sufism in the Islamic arts and literatures.

This is a historical and topical survey of the origins and development of Islamic religious practices and mysticism. The course is primarily concerned with the growth of mystical tradition in Islam, the rise of asceticism, the early forms of personal piety that culminated into emphasis over mystical dimensions of Islamic religious experience and practice. The course will examine the rise of Sufi orders, the systematization of Sufi teaching and the evolution of theosophical dimensions of mysticism, and finally, the contribution of Sufism in the Islamic arts and literatures.

This is a historical and topical survey of the origins and development of Islamic religious practices and mysticism. The course is primarily concerned with the growth of mystical tradition in Islam, the rise of asceticism, the early forms of personal piety that culminated into emphasis over mystical dimensions of Islamic religious experience and practice. The course will examine the rise of Sufi orders, the systematization of Sufi teaching and the evolution of theosophical dimensions of mysticism, and finally, the contribution of Sufism in the Islamic arts and literatures.