Course Catalogue 2026-2027

This course is a philosophical examination of some fundamental questions in Christian metaphysics: How do we make sense of reality? Can we prove that God exists? How are God and the world related? More specifically, if God created the world, how do the Big Bang and evolution fit into the picture?

This course is a philosophical examination of some fundamental questions in Christian metaphysics: How do we make sense of reality? Can we prove that God exists? How are God and the world related? More specifically, if God created the world, how do the Big Bang and evolution fit into the picture?

A theological-canonical reflection on selected canons in Book IV of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, excluding the canons on the Sacrament of Matrimony. Particular emphasis will be placed on issues concerning parish ministry. Canons will be reviewed in light of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, postconciliar legislation, and the process of revising the Code of Canon Law.

Roman Catholic Church legislation on institution of marriage with special attention to the teaching of Vatican Council II.

In this course, we will look at some of the central problems of epistemology: What is knowledge? How do we get it? Exactly what do we know, anyway? How does knowledge differ from belief? And how do we respond to the challenges of scepticism and post-modernism? After starting with a historical survey of the answers to these questions, we will examine the answers proposed by the Jesuit theologian Bernard Lonergan.

This course will introduce students to the text of 1 Peter and to issues surrounding its interpretation. A range of scholarly approaches to interpreting 1 Peter will be introduced, and issues explored will include authorship and date, the use made of texts from the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the social and ecclesial contexts of the first readers. Careful attention will be paid to the theological perspectives and convictions expressed in the letter, with particular concern for (i) questions of Christology, and (ii) the identity that 1 Peter asserts for its readers and its consequences for their communal relationships with wider Greco-Roman society. The latter will be explored principally through a focus on the nature of the church as the people of God, as expressed in the use of motifs that traditionally denoted aspects of Israel's identity, such as diaspora (1:1), priesthood (2:9), and living as resident aliens and strangers (2:11). The author's understanding of the implications of their new identity in Christ for the behavior of the first readers will be studied. This course also aims to assist students in apprehending the relevance of 1 Peter in contemporary contexts.

This course will introduce students to the text of 1 Peter and to issues surrounding its interpretation. A range of scholarly approaches to interpreting 1 Peter will be introduced, and issues explored will include authorship and date, the use made of texts from the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the social and ecclesial contexts of the first readers. Careful attention will be paid to the theological perspectives and convictions expressed in the letter, with particular concern for (i) questions of Christology, and (ii) the identity that 1 Peter asserts for its readers and its consequences for their communal relationships with wider Greco-Roman society. The latter will be explored principally through a focus on the nature of the church as the people of God, as expressed in the use of motifs that traditionally denoted aspects of Israel's identity, such as diaspora (1:1), priesthood (2:9), and living as resident aliens and strangers (2:11). The author's understanding of the implications of their new identity in Christ for the behavior of the first readers will be studied. This course also aims to assist students in apprehending the relevance of 1 Peter in contemporary contexts.

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.

Moral and political philosophy differ from other branches of philosophy because they practical—which is to say, they tell us not just how we should think but also how we should live. This course is a historical examination of different approaches to living our lives both as individuals (= moral philosophy) and as communities (= political philosophy). First, we will look at the foundations of Western moral and political thought in Plato and Thomas Aquinas; next at the Enlightenment approaches of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill; and then at Friedrich Nietzsche's attack on all of Western philosophy. Finally, we will consider the ideas of Emmanuel Levinas and of two contemporary Indigenous thinkers to see whether their approaches can survive Nietzsche's scathing critique.

Students will be constantly encouraged to apply different philosophical theories to their personal experience to evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of the theories and of their own moral behaviour.

Moral and political philosophy differ from other branches of philosophy because they practical—which is to say, they tell us not just how we should think but also how we should live. This course is a historical examination of different approaches to living our lives both as individuals (= moral philosophy) and as communities (= political philosophy). First, we will look at the foundations of Western moral and political thought in Plato and Thomas Aquinas; next at the Enlightenment approaches of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill; and then at Friedrich Nietzsche's attack on all of Western philosophy. Finally, we will consider the ideas of Emmanuel Levinas and of two contemporary Indigenous thinkers to see whether their approaches can survive Nietzsche's scathing critique.

Students will be constantly encouraged to apply different philosophical theories to their personal experience to evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of the theories and of their own moral behaviour.

The course examines the main protagonists of the modern period of philosophy, from the 17th to 19th centuries, with a particular focus on empiricist (Locke and Hume) and rationalist (Descartes and Leibniz) traditions, as well as on Kant and post-Kantian French and German philosophical schools. We will investigate modern philosophy's roots in medieval and renaissance philosophy and its direct influence on contemporary analytical and continental philosophy.

This course is an introduction to some key figures in twentieth-century and current philosophy. We will begin with Edmund Husserl, the founder of the modern phenomenological movement. Husserl’s phenomenological method is one of the most important philosophical innovations of twentieth-century philosophy. His approach would influence several other major thinkers of the past century, including Emmanuel Levinas and Emmanuel Falque. Levinas articulates a highly original way of thinking about ethics that has left a strong mark on both contemporary philosophy and theology. Falque is widely considered one of the major Catholic philosophers today. His approach offers a very rich language that helps us better appreciate the depths and nuances of our corporeal being. The course also examines the provocative philosophy of Simone Weil, a brilliant young philosopher who sheds new light on the experiences of patience and attention, which she considered essential for gaining deeper contact with reality itself. We will also look at the thought of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, whose notion of the I-Thou relation continues to resonate with us today. Some of the themes that we will broach include the overcoming of the subject-object split, embodiment, and the proposition of ethics as “first philosophy.” These themes also make it possible to think more concretely about the nature of religious experience in a manner that reflects our actual lived experience.