Summer 2023 Course Descriptions

SEMESTER: Summer Session I 2023 

COURSE TITLE: Buddhism

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION:   THST 6084.01  

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

INSTRUCTOR: Dermott Walsh

COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS

This intensive summer course serves two purposes: to introduce students to Buddhism, and to equip students with the writings skills to critically discuss topics related to Buddhism.   

Buddhism is one of the great world religions, and dates back to approximately 2,500 years ago.  Since its beginnings in India Buddhist, has spread all across Asia and more recently into Europe and the United States. This course will have conceptual, historical and geographical components. We will see how, despite the differences in cultural context, the issue of the threefold learning of morality, meditation and wisdom remains central to all forms of Buddhism. 

SEMESTER: Summer Session I 2023

COURSE TITLE: Toward an LGBTQ Theology

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION:   THST 6998.01  

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

INSTRUCTOR: Roy Fisher

COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS

This course is designed for anyone wishing to more deeply explore the place of LGBTQ Christians in the Church. Oriented as an open conversation, the class offers students an introduction to the history, sources, and challenges of LGBTQ theology and ministry. Who are LGBTQ Christians, and what unique spiritual needs and gifts do they bring to the church? This course will begin with an examination of traditionalist Christian teaching on LGBTQ issues (including official Catholic documents such as “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons”) along with responses from LGBTQ and allied theologians and lay people. For more than half a century there has been ongoing dialogue and, at times, tension, between doctrinal and pastoral approaches. Then, it will examine the history of LGBTQ ministry in the United States, a prerequisite for understanding Christian relationships to queer folks today. What questions and issues have today’s LGBTQ believers and their allies inherited from the past? Finally, we will consider LGBTQ ministries themselves. How do they begin and function in faith communities and other settings? We will also explore potential future directions of queer theologies, including queer ecotheologies and queer interfaith theologies. 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Understand traditionalist Christian teaching on LGBTQ issues and responses from LGBTQ/allied believers. 
2. Recognize and better understand the pastoral and spiritual questions, difficulties, and opportunities facing LGBTQ folk in the Church. 
3. Recognize and appreciate the many ways that the perspectives and gifts of LGBTQ believers challenge other Christians to grow and better follow Christ. 
4. Develop and articulate their own theological and pastoral perspectives on LGBTQ issues in dialogue with traditionalist teaching and LGBTQ/allied perspectives. 
5. Be familiar with spiritual, pastoral, theological, and liturgical resources for LGBTQ ministry. 

PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND

This course is designed for anyone wishing to explore the place of LGBTQ Christians in the Church.

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Tonstad, Linn Marie. Queer Theology: Beyond Apologetics. (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018).

• All other required texts and documents will be posted to Brightspace or available online via the LMU Library

COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS

This is a hybrid summer intensive course that meets twice each week for 3 hours, either in-person or synchronously online. Methods of instruction will be multidisciplinary combining various media, lecture, sacred texts in translation, academic analysis, and class discussion of the assigned course materials. Given that this is a seminar style course, lectures by the professor will be minimal. Collaborative discussion, guided by the assigned materials (lectures, readings, films, web-resources, etc.) will constitute our primary experiential in-class activity. Students will engage in analysis of the multidisciplinary course content through class discussion, independent research, and reflective practices.

SEMESTER: Summer Session I 2023 

COURSE TITLE: Faith and Culture

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION:   THST 6043.01  

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

INSTRUCTOR: Brett Hoover

COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS

An exploration of the nature of faith and culture and their interrelationship. An analysis of interculturation and its relevance to ministry and pastoral care in church and society.

SEMESTER: Summer Session II 2023 

COURSE TITLE: Comparative Theology

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION:   THST 6080.01  

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

INSTRUCTOR: Saqib Hussain

COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS

This course provides a review of the historical roots of the current situation of religious pluralism. It examines and
evaluates relevant methodological proposals for comparative theology and clarifies the relationship of
comparative theology to interreligious dialogue, the history of religions and the Christian theology of religions. It
also offers an opportunity to engage in the practice of comparative theology through the interpretation of texts.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this course students will: 1) demonstrate knowledge of the foundational scriptures of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam and their respective interpretive traditions; 2) demonstrate an understanding of the core
theological claims of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, looking at both shared as well as conflicting claims, and the
manner and extent to which these claims have been shaped as the religious traditions have engaged with each
other; 3) demonstrate that they can engage both empathetically and critically with conflicting religious claims; 5)
demonstrate an understanding of shared scriptural stories can form the basis of both interreligious tension but
also interreligious dialogue; 4) through class participation and written assignments improve their verbal and
written skills.

PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND

None

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, The Bible with and without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the
  Same Stories Differently (New York: HarperOne, 2020).

COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS

SEMESTER: Summer Session II 2023 

COURSE TITLE: Jaina Yoga

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION:   THST 6998.01  

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

INSTRUCTOR: Abhishek Jain 

SEMESTER: Summer Session II 2023 

COURSE TITLE: Cross-Cultural Interpretation of the Bible 

COURSE NUMBER/SECTION:   THST 6998.01  

TIMES/DAYS: T & Th 7:10pm-10:10pm - Hybrid

INSTRUCTOR: Daniel L. Smith-Christopher

COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS

This SIX WEEK course will focus on learning about CROSS-CULTURAL interpretation of the Bible.   

FIRST TWO WEEKS ONLINE: In order to do this, we will begin with a focus on the academic study of the stories of the Book of Daniel (Chs. 1-6) but also including additional stories in the Greek version of Daniel (Susanna, Bel, the Dragon) and even apocryphal traditions of Daniel (Dead Sea Scroll fragments, etc.).  Daniel will present lectures ONLINE – no need to commute into LMU. 

THREE WEEKS OF VISITS: 

After we are familiar with the academic issues, we will then launch into a series of visits around the area, visiting different ethnic/cultural-based Christian groups who will be hosting our visits, and sharing their own perspectives on Daniel Ch. 1.  By the end of the course, we will have listened to at least 6 different cultural perspectives on reading the famous story in Daniel Ch. 1. 

FINAL WEEK ON CAMPUS 

The final week will be in class on campus at LMU, to facilitate discussion and wrap-up. 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Students will have a good understanding of basic academic issues in the study of the Book of Daniel

2. Students will have a good introduction to “Cross Cultural Interpretation” of the Bible 

3. Students will have confidence in steps to initiate future projects in “Cross Cultural” interpretation. 

PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND

HELPFUL, but not necessary, to have had some Old Testament background. 

REQUIRED TEXTS

• NRSV Bible 

• Readings will be provided digitally ONLINE and/or the Library 

COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS

Class Attendance will be ESSENTIAL, INCLUDING two different Saturday afternoons when we are visiting different groups.  Students without vehicles will need to coordinate rides. We will arrange this during the first two weeks ONLINE.