Course Descriptions & Archive

SEMESTER: Summer Session I

COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Islam

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION: THST 6998

TIMES/DAYS: M & W, 4:00-7:00pm

INSTRUCTOR: Saqib Hussain

COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
This course will present an overview of the ideas and practices that have shaped the religion of Islam, with a particular focus on primary sources. This will include the scripture, theology, rituals, and the formative period of Islamic history. We begin by looking at the history of Arabia and the Near East, in particular the status of Judaism and Christianity (the two religions with which Islam has engaged most profoundly, from its scripture to the present day), in the centuries leading up to the beginning of Islam. We move on to the life of Muhammad and the sacred texts that he left behind: the Qur’an (the scripture proclaimed by Muhammad) and the hadith (orally reported sayings about Muhammad). We look at the early spread of Islam, including the establishment of a new political system (the caliphate), the conquests of neighboring empires, and the civil wars within the community that would eventually lead to the split between the Sunnis and the Shi’a, the two main sects of Islam. We proceed to study the various disciplines that Muslims developed to systematize and organize their religious tradition, including Islamic Law, Islamic theology and philosophy, and Sufism. We finish by examining the variety of Muslim reactions to the challenges of modernity, and look at how liberal, modernist, and conservative voices are thinking about questions of gender and sexuality, war and violence, democracy, personal liberty, and legal reform.

SEMESTER: Summer Session I

COURSE TITLE: Migration and the Border: Context, Theology, and Pastoral Approaches

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION: THST 6079

TIMES/DAYS: T & Th, 4:00-7:00pm

INSTRUCTOR: Brett Hoover

COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
Immigration has become one of the most contested topics in the contemporary world, especially amidst recent radical enforcement policies that have created unprecedented fear and anxiety in immigrant communities, as well as economic and societal disruption. In this course, students study immigration and borders, coming to terms with the empirical reality of contemporary immigration, exploring Christian theology and ethics on the subject, and constructing their own pastoral response to today’s challenges.  

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
As a result of this course, students will be able to: 

• articulate reasons rooted in sociological and historical research as to why people migrate to the United States and what challenges they face as they adapt;
• understand and value biblical and theological approaches to migration and critically evaluate them as a Christian response to the global phenomenon of migration in particular historical and cultural contexts; 
• construct a pastoral response to today’s world of mass deportation, immigrant resilience, and an embattled church. 

PRE-REQUESITES:
None.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

• Brett C. Hoover, Immigration and Faith: Cultural, Biblical, and Theological Narratives (New York: Paulist, 2021). 
• Tisha M. Rajendra, Migrants and Citizens: Justice and Responsibility in the Ethics of Immigration (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2017). 
• Other articles as assigned. 

COURSE WORK:
Expectations for this class include field experiences, offering a research presentation to other students, and a pastoral response paper. 

SEMESTER: Summer Session II

COURSE TITLE: Bible and Comedy

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION: THST 6998

TIMES/DAYS: T & Th, 4:00-7:00pm

INSTRUCTOR: Sarah Emanuel

COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
What does the Bible have to do with comedy? Is it blasphemous to laugh with--or at--biblical texts? This course investigates the role of humor in biblical narrative. It focuses on how the biblical author's relied on comedy as a method of communal identity formation and political dissent. Students will learn that, akin to the modern political cartoon, comedy in the Bible can range from the fun or funny to the serious and tendencious. In conversation with comedy arts today, they will also consider how the Bible's "punching" is felt differently depending upon the humorist, audience, and intended target(s). Don't believe the Bible has comedy? Take the course and find out for yourself!