Summer 2017 Course Descriptions
SUMMER SESSION I
Title: Faith and culture in pastoral ministry
Course Number: THST 6043-1
Section Times/Days: Tuesday 4-7 pm
Instructor: Dr. Brett C. Hoover
Description: In this course we explore how pastoral ministry and theology are shaped by the experience of different cultures in Southern California. We practice using key theoretical tools such as: 1) social scientific theories of culture, 2) theological interpretations of the relationship between faith and culture (and contemporary critiques of those interpretations), 4) intercultural communication theory, 5) theories of immigrant adaptation to U.S. society, and 6) the dynamics of intercultural interaction in situations of unequal power. The main thrust of the class is to develop a critical awareness of the importance of cultures (our own and those of others) in contemporary pastoral settings, facilitating a more just and effective pastoral ministry.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to…
articulate multiple understandings of what culture is and how it operates,
critically interpret different historical and contemporary theologies of culture,
create their own working theology of culture,
understand key theories of immigrant adaptation and evaluate them vis-à-vis immigrant life in Catholic parishes,
evaluate liturgical life from the perspective of culture.
Pre-requisites: THST 6070
Required Texts:
Gerard Arbuckle, Culture, Inculturation, and Theologians: A Postmodern Critique (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2010).
Christian Scharen, Christianity as a Way of Life: A Vision for Pastoral Leadership (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdsmans, 2008).
Ricky Manalo, The Liturgy of Life: The Interrelationship of Sunday Eucharist and Everyday Worship Practices (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2014).
Course Work:
Expectations for this class include oral presentations in class, reflection papers, and a final, a field study, and an integrative project.
COURSE TITLE: Buddhism and Yoga
COURSE NUMBER/SECTION: THST 6084.1 (YGST 6040 Section 01)
TIMES/DAYS: M/W 4.00-7.00pm UNH 3328
INSTRUCTOR: Dermott J. Walsh
CORE AREA:
FLAGGED:
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
This course introduces students to Buddhist history, doctrine and practice, providing a framework for further exploration of the reciprocal relationship between Yoga and Buddhism.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course aims to provide students with the following knowledge and skills:
- Familiarity with the history and development of Buddhist doctrine in cultural context
- Ability to identify, elaborate and discuss key issues of Buddhist doctrine
- Ability to link Buddhist historical and doctrinal debates to current practical concerns
- Students can relate scholarly sources and discussions to their own personal practice and experience
- Students are capable of finding points of contrast between Buddhism and other
traditions, especially Yoga.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
No specific background in Buddhism is required.
REQUIRED TEXTS
PDF’s will be uploaded for each class, so no specific text is required. However, the following texts provide useful background reading for students:
Bhikkhu Bodhi. 2005. In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon. Somerville: Wisdom
Bhikkhu Nyanamoli, trans. 1999. The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga), by Bhadantācariya Buddhaghoṣa.
Onalaska, WA: BPS Pariyatti.
Gethin, Rupert. 1998. The Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford: Oxford University Press
King, Winston. 1980. Theravada Meditation: The Buddhist Transformation of Yoga. University Park:
Pennsylvania State University Press.
Williams, Paul. trans. 2008. The Bodhicaryavatara by Santideva. Oxford: Oxford University Press
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Students are expected to engage actively with both the reading and lecture material. In-class interaction and discussion is encouraged. There are four methods of assessment: Weekly written responses to the reading material (1 page), quizzes on Buddhist technical terms and key points of doctrine, a field work paper (4-5 pages), and a full length final research paper (8-10 pages).
COURSE TITLE: SS: Bible and the Blues
COURSE NUMBER/SECTION: THST 6998.2
TIMES/DAYS: TBA
INSTRUCTOR: Daniel Smith-Christopher
CORE AREA:
FLAGGED:
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
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PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:
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REQUIRED TEXTS:
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TERM: Summer Session I 2017
COURSE TITLE: Dead Sea Scrolls
COURSE NUMBER: THST 6998
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: MW 7:00-10:10 pm
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. David A. Sánchez
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the corpus of literature known as the Dead Sea Scrolls and their theological positions. Attention will be given to the Jewish milieu from which the texts emerged, the Essene hypothesis, the community and geography of Qumran, the relationship of the Qumran community to other Jewish religious groups, the relationship between the Qumran community and Early Christianity, and Qumranic eschatology. Students will also visit the Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center at the School of Theology at Claremont for an introduction to the imaging and cataloguing of the Dead Sea Scrolls collection housed on site.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who take this course will:
Gain a familiarity with that corpus of literature known as the Dead Sea Scrolls
Be able to critically evaluate some of the more acute theological suppositions of the DSS
Have a richer understanding of the diversity of Second Temple Judaism
Achieve a greater understanding of the socio-cultural world from which the DSS emerged
Be able to do relevant comparative work with Early Christianity
Demonstrate an appropriate level of understanding of the New Testament and modern Biblical Studies
Demonstrate growth and integration of their intellectual, social, cultural, and spiritual selves, and through a critical self-reflective process evaluate and articulate their beliefs, values, faith, and culture, as well as understand and respect those of others
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND: None
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Lawrence Schiffman, Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their True Meaning for Judaism
and Christianity
Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr., and Edward Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New
Translation
James Vanderkam, An Introduction to Early Judaism
James Vanderkam, The Dead Sea Scrolls Today
John J. Collins, Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Preparation of all assigned readings
Informed and respectful contributions to class discussions
Completion of a midterm exam and final paper
Title: Pastoral Integration Seminar: Faith and culture in the parishes
Course Number: THST 6998-01
Section Times/Days: Tuesday/Thursday 7:10-9:30 pm
Instructor: Dr. Brett C. Hoover
Description: Multicultural settings evoke both unexpected graces and tensions, but both can be gifts. We ultimately aim toward humility in the presence of cultural differences and a critical awareness of our own cultural background. Using the experience of faith and culture in the parishes and Diocese of Orange as a starting point, this seminar uses case study methodology to help us develop practical skills for ministry across cultural boundaries—listening and communication, organizing appropriate parish structures, teaching and offering basic pastoral counseling and spiritual direction across cultural boundaries.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to…
Make connections between theories and theologies of culture and the everyday dilemmas of ministry in Southern California,
Address the joys and tensions of immigrant life in Catholic parishes through the lens of immigrant adaptation theory and church teaching,
Critically interpret local pastoral life (including liturgical life) in the light of the theological study of culture,
Articulate how communication and power asymmetries work across cultural lines and critically interpret ministry situations in that light,
Demonstrate listening, organizational, and advising skills in cross-cultural situations.
Pre-requisites: None
Required Texts:
None.
Course Work:
Expectations for this class include journal entries rooted in ministry in a multicultural context, field observation notes, theory and practice papers.
SUMMER SESSION II
COURSE TITLE: Jaina Yoga
COURSE NUMBER/SECTION: THST 6041 YGST 6041
TIMES/DAYS: TBA
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Ana Funes
CORE AREA: Graduate Seminar taught in India, Second Summer Session
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COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS
Jainism developed more than 2500 years ago on the Indian subcontinent. Jainism is best known for its emphasis on the practice of nonviolence and its related bio-cosmographical theories. In this course we will learn the basic principles and practices of the Jaina faith and how they intersect with Yoga traditions and Buddhism. This course will take place in India and include travel to significant religious sites.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will become familiar with core Jaina teachings on karma, the soul, devotional practices, and meditation techniques. They will know the key historical phases of Jainism and how Jainism adapted the ideas of Yoga throughout.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND Graduate Standing
REQUIRED TEXTS
Jaina Sutras, Part One, Jacobi
Nonviolence to Animals, Earth, and Self in Asian Traditions, Chapple
Reconciling Yogas, Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya, Chapple
That Which Is: Tattvārtha Sūtra, Tatia
Yogaśāstra, Quarnstrom
Yoga in Jainism, Chapple, ed.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Students will read both primary and secondary materials on Jainism. Students will reside in India during this course and can expect to attend a three hour lecture each morning at the Vallabh Jain Mandir in Alipur, North Delhi. Midway in the course we will take up the same schedule at the Jain Study Center adjacent to Central Park in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Each day the student will complete a one to two page paper on the day’s reading and lecture as well as keep a daily journal.
COURSE TITLE: SS: Scripture & the Maori in NZ
COURSE NUMBER/SECTION: THST 6998.1
TIMES/DAYS: TBA
INSTRUCTOR: Daniel Smith-Christopher
CORE AREA:
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
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REQUIRED TEXTS:
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COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
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