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An asterisk (*) indicates that the course fulfills core area requirements for the Master of Arts program.
January Intersession 2010
While we will make every effort to hold to this schedule, it is subject to change. Please refer back to this website or to the official semester course brochure for up-to-date information before registering.
Addiction and Spirituality: Dealing with Holes in the Soul (AM-634) NEW
Monday, Jan. 11 through Friday, Jan. 15
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Make-up day: Jan. 16)
This course will examine the largely unacknowledged and sorely underexamined epidemic of addiction in the United States. Statistics show that one out of every seven persons in the United States has some form of substance abuse. Every church, mosque, synagogue and temple has persons afflicted and affected by addiction. A wholistic, pastoral overview of ministry to persons with addictions will be presented through reading, presentations, research and dialogue in and outside the classroom. Using the various models of addiction – moral, mental health, medical, etc., - we will discuss the underlying spiritual issues of sin, shame, unforgiveness and the spiritual responses of healing, forgiveness and grace. Persons engaged in religious leadership and service of all types, including pastors, imams, chaplains and the regular congregational member who cares and gives care will be interested in this important course. The Rev. Dr. Laurie Etter, C.S.M., Adjunct Professor of Arts of Ministry and Chaplain, York Correctional Institute
Religion, Conflict, and Peacemaking (TH-648) View Syllabus
Monday, Jan. 11 through Friday, Jan. 15
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Make-up day: Jan. 16)
This course will explore the paradox of religion as a source of division and conflict, on the one hand, and of peaceful aspirations and compassionate, sacrificial service on the other. Theoretical approaches to this paradox, drawn from the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, will be supplemented by practical case studies, with particular attention given to the Israeli-Palestinian-Arab dispute over the "Holy Land." Yehezkel Landau, Faculty Associate in Interfaith Relations
Winter/Spring Semester 2010
ARTS OF MINISTRY (AM)
Ministry in a Multicultural World (AM-520) NEW
Mondays, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., beginning Jan. 25 (10 weeks)
This course explores an invitation to discipleship rooted in serving others and will focus on ministry in everyday life – in the home, at work, out in the community as well as in communities of faith, and in the world beyond. It is designed for those who feel called to ministry and to service, but not to formal ordination. We will examine what ministry means from a variety of perspectives and cultivate some basic ministry skills for practical application. Miriam Therese Winter, Professor of Liturgy, Worship and Spirituality and Director, Women’s Leadership Institute and Benjamin K. Watts, Faculty Associate in the Arts of Ministry and Senior Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church, New London
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY (DM)
Doctor of Ministry Colleague Seminar I, Part II (DM-711)
Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 15, April 12 and May 3
A continuation of D.Min. Colleague Seminar I, Part I. Required of first-year D.Min. students. James Nieman, Professor of Practical Theology
Doctor of Ministry Colleague Seminar II, Part II (DM-721)
Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 15, April 12 and May 3
The spring semester of the second year colleague group directs its full attention to students’ major project proposals. A variety of organizational change interventions and models are explored; each student prepares and shares a literature review in the anticipated substantive area of his or her major project; and each student prepares and shares a draft of a major project proposal, this draft also serving as a student’s major paper for the seminar. David Roozen, Professor of Religion and Society
Ministry Project Colloquium (DM-795 – Non-Credit)
Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 25, March 15 and May 3
Students who have successfully completed Colleague Seminars I and II and at least four of the six elective courses may enroll in the Ministry Project Colloquium. The Colloquium, which will meet periodically during the year, will provide a supportive environment for the preparation of ministry project proposals, the execution of ministry projects, and the writing of ministry project final reports. The Colloquium, while highly recommended, is not required. F. Maner Tyson, Facilitator, and Pastor, Waterbury Baptist Church
ETHICS (ET)
Global Ethics* (ET-630)
Thursdays, 3:50 p.m. – 6:50 p.m., beginning Jan. 28 (10 weeks)
Learning to live together is the challenge of our age. This course explores the resources in and across traditions that can help us confront this challenge. In addition to exploring the work in this area of Hans Küng and the World Council of Churches, this course looks at how these attempts to arrive at a Global Ethic might be applied to predicaments facing humanity in the 21st century. Heidi Hadsell, Professor of Social Ethics and President, Hartford Seminary
Introduction to Islamic Law* (ET-640) ONLINE View Syllabus
Beginning the week of Jan. 25
This course will provide a critical overview of the history and practice of Islamic law. We begin by examining the origins of Islamic law, the development of the classical schools of jurisprudence and the nature of pre-modern legal institutions, especially the courts and madrasa education. In following classes, we will explore the substance of classical Islamic law, especially in the areas of family, finance and international relations. Next, we will discuss the impact of colonialism and modernity on Islamic legal discourses and institutions and finish with a discussion of the way in which Islamic law is observed in contemporary America. Ingrid Mattson, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian Muslim Relations
HISTORY (HI)
Women in 19th and 20th Century America: Religion and Reform* (HI-675)
Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 9:20 p.m., beginning Jan. 27 View Syllabus
This course will provide students with an overview of 19th and 20th century American religious history with a particular emphasis on women’s roles in reform movements such as abolition, temperance, and suffrage. We will also address the various ways women’s piety and spirituality was made manifest including their involvement in prison reform, women’s and children’s health issues, Sunday School reform and the rise of institutions of social service. Mary Coleman, Adjunct Instructor of History
LANGUAGE (LG)
Introduction to New Testament Greek, Part II (LG-562)
Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m. - 6:50 p.m., beginning Jan. 26
A continuation of LG-561, Introduction to New Testament Greek, Part I. Pre-requisite: LG-561 or permission of the instructor. Edward F. Duffy, Adjunct Professor of New Testament and Minister of the First Presbyterian Church, Fairfield, CT
Readings in the Greek New Testament, Part II (LG-662)
Tuesdays, 2 p.m. – 4:20 p.m., beginning Jan. 26
A continuation of LG-651, Readings in the Greek New Testament. Prerequisite: LG-651 or permission of the instructor. Edward F. Duffy, Adjunct Professor of New Testament and Minister, the First Presbyterian Church, Fairfield, CT
Introduction to Arabic Morphology and Syntax (LG-581)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m. – 5:40 p.m., beginning Jan. 25
Vernacular Arabic will be the focus of this course, with an accent on all four linguistic areas of language learning: oral, aural, reading, and listening. Basic sentence and phrase structures will be highlighted while a vocabulary of several hundred words will be built. Assumes a prior knowledge of the Arabic phonology and script. Prerequisite: LG-580, or permission of the instructor. Steven Blackburn, Faculty Associate in Semitic Scriptures
Intermediate Arabic, Part I (LG-651)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m. - 6:55 p.m., beginning Jan. 25
This course is designed for participants to consolidate their knowledge of Arabic. Prerequisite: LG-581 or permission of the instructor. Steven Blackburn, Faculty Associate in Semitic Scriptures and Librarian
Readings in the Qur’an II (LG-691)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:15 p.m. - 4:25 p.m., beginning Jan. 25
Surah Yusuf, the longest continuous narrative in the Qur’anic revelation, will be studied from a grammatical point of view over the entire semester. Occasional reference will be made to parallel revelations of the Hebrew Bible, as well as to Muslim commentators. Prerequisites: LG-690 or its equivalent. Steven Blackburn, Faculty Associate in Semitic Scriptures
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, Part II (LG-571)
Mondays, 4:30 p.m. - 6:50 p.m., beginning Jan. 25
A continuation of LG-570, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. Prerequisite: LG-570 or permission of instructor. Uriah Kim, Professor of Hebrew Bible
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PHD)
Ph.D. Research Skills Preparation (PHD-699)
Three day-long retreats; dates to be determined
Exclusively required for the Transition Year students, this course provides a comprehensive survey of the academic expectations involved in a Ph.D. Students will be required to find relevant Ph.D. dissertations and offer a critique of the quality; in addition faculty will make presentations on time management, note taking, and doctoral level arguments. The course takes place over three retreat days across the academic year with significant independent work done outside the class in consultation with the student’s advisor. Faculty
RELIGION AND SOCIETY (RS)
Religion in New England: Socio-Historical Perspectives* (RS-614) NEW
Thursdays, 7 p.m. - 9:20 p.m., beginning Jan. 28
Despite great change over time, New England's religious culture has always been at the heart of one of America's strongest regional identities. This course will examine the evolution of New England religion socially and historically, starting with the Protestant Standing Order of colonial days, through the epic contentions of Protestants and immigrant Catholics, to the complexities of the present day, in which the historically dominant groups are weaker, the religiously non-affiliated (the so-called "Nones") are more numerous, conservative Protestants are reviving, and global flows of migration are bringing "new" religious bodies to the scene in some strength. The ways in which religion shapes communal identity and is in turn shaped by life in the community will be a topic of special interest, as will be the question of whether New England has evolved its own civil religion. Andrew Walsh, Adjunct Professor of Religion and Visiting Assistant Professor of History and Religion at Trinity College. He is Associate Director of Trinity's Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life and co-editor of "Religion and Public Life in New England."
Women, Religion and the Future of USA Churches* (RS-661) ONLINE
beginning the week of Jan. 25 View Syllabus
Setting the context for on-line discussion of women in the future of USA congregations and denominations, the course will begin with a brief overview of women in world religions. Attention will be focused on the history of women’s participation and leadership in American Christian churches over the last two centuries, to stimulate a discussion of what themes and trends might be predicted for the 21st century. The differences among and between women and men in the membership and leadership of Catholic, mainline liberal Protestant, and evangelical conservative Protestant denominations will be explored to better understand the present reality and possible future of churches in the USA. At the same time, students are welcomed to make comparisons in their on-line writing and papers between women’s experiences in USA churches and those of women in other religions in the USA or in other countries. Adair Lummis, Faculty Associate in Research
Strength at Any Size: Exploring the Qualities of Large and Small Congregations* (RS-687) NEW View Syllabus
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 16, April 13 and May 4
Half of US churches have under 100 attenders but half of all attenders are in very large churches. What is to be made of this? Congregations of all sizes have distinctive strengths and weaknesses, but exactly what are these and can their strengths also be their detriment to reaching new persons? Using recent national surveys of congregations, this course will explore the issue of size and its effect on congregational life. Attention will specifically be paid to the role of a church’s size in relation to issues of commitment, growth, and spiritual vitality both in the national surveys and in a local congregational context. Scott Thumma, Professor of Sociology of Religion
SCRIPTURE (SC)
New Testament Survey I* (SC-531) View Syllabus
Tuesdays, 7 p.m. - 9:20 p.m., beginning Jan. 26
This course introduces students to the study of the origins of Christianity by means of its canonical literature, the New Testament. We will undertake a historical study of the New Testament documents, seeking to understand their plan, origin, purpose and content within their broader historical and cultural context. Appropriate interpretive methods for each genre of the New Testament will be discussed. We will also seek to clarify the theological message of each document in light of its historical circumstances. Efrain Agosto, Professor of New Testament and Academic Dean
Reading Judges for Our Time (SC-627) NEW View Syllabus
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 16, April 13 and May 4
Framed between the narratives of the conquest of the establishment of monarchy, the book of Judges gives conflicting accounts of how ancient Israelites came to occupy the land. There are other issues in the book that need attention in light of ideological, political, cultural, and religious disputes that are raging in our times. This course will identify and examine some of these concerns in Judges and reflect and engage them with issues that need our utmost attention today. Uriah Kim, Professor of Hebrew Bible
THEOLOGY (TH)
Readings in the Shi’a Tradition* (TH-652) NEW
Mondays, 7 p.m. – 9:20 p.m., beginning Jan. 25
This seminar will examine the Shi’ite tradition from within. We shall read and discuss primary-source materials in English translation including samples of Qur’an exegesis (tafsir), hadith tradition, philosophy, mysticism and theology. Additionally, we will examine some of the writings of Imams Khomeini and Ali Shari’ati, the two most important makers of modern Shi’ite thought and history. Mahmoud Ayoub, Faculty Associate in Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations
The Triune God in Christian Life* (TH-654) NEW
Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. – 6:50 p.m. beginning, Jan. 28
This course explores what contemporary Christians mean when they say that God is triune. After reading classical Trinitarian theologies from Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine, students will read and critically discuss modern descriptions of divine triunity (e.g. Schleiermacher, Barth, Rahner) and contemporary lines of thinking (e.g. process, liberation, feminist and womanist). Class discussions will focus on three questions: Why do Christians say that God is triune? How may teachings about God’s triunity shape Christian reflection and action in everyday life? How may everyday experiences inform Christian conversations about God the trinity? Marcus Elder, Adjunct Professor of Theology and Ethics
Classical Islamic Philosophy* (TH-684) NEW
Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. beginning Jan. 26
This course explores the evolution and main debates of Islamic philosophy (falsafa) from the great translation movement of ancient Greek texts under the ‘Abbâsid dynasty (8th-9th centuries) until the golden age of inter-disciplinary intellectual, scientific and spiritual debates under the Mamlûks of Egypt and the Mongols of Iran (13th-14th centuries). Besides the major falâsifa known to the medieval Latins (Kindî, Fârâbî, Avicenna, Ghazâlî, Averroes…), attention will also be given to several other thinkers, generally less famous in the West, but nevertheless important: The Ikhwân al-Safâ, Miskawayh, Ibn Tufayl, Râzî, Tûsî, Qûnâwî… A selection of representative texts will be read in English translation and commented on. A basic knowledge of Greek philosophy, Islam and the history of Muslim societies (7th-14th centuries) would be useful for this course. Yahya Michot, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations
SPIRITUALITY, LITURGY AND WORSHIP (WS)
Women’s Leadership Institute* (WS-553)
Fridays, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 22-23, Feb. 26-27, March 19-20, April 16-17, and May 14-15
This continuation of the yearlong six-credit course in leadership and applied spirituality rooted in women’s experience and from a feminist perspective meets monthly through May. Students interested in joining next year’s class should contact the Admissions Office at 860-509-9512. Miriam Therese Winter, Professor of Liturgy, Worship and Spirituality and Director, Women’s Leadership Institute
Holiness in Time and Space: A Jewish Approach to Spirituality* (WS-624)
Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m. – 6:50 p.m., beginning Jan. 27 View Syllabus
The Jewish people are called to consecrate both time and space, the two pillars of a this-worldly spirituality. After an introduction to Jewish identity and vocation, the focus will shift to the Sabbath and other holy days in the Jewish calendar. The metaphysical dimension of these holy times will be examined along with the behavioral norms and rituals associated with the festivals. Next, the sacred dimension of space/place/land will be addressed, with specific reference to the “Holy Land,” Jerusalem/Al-Quds, and Hebron/Al-Khalil. The political disputes over holy places and cities in Israel/Palestine will be considered from a spiritual perspective linking the Jewish experience with Christian and Muslim sensibilities. Yehezkel Landau, Faculty Associate in Interfaith Relations
The Essential Writings of Howard Thurman * (WS-627)
Thursday, 7 p.m. – 9:20 p.m., beginning Jan. 28
This course is a study of the major writings of Howard Thurman, the mystic, prophet, poet, philosopher and theologian, who promotes the idea that out of religious faith emerges social responsibility. Thurman's understanding of the role of meditation and the contemplative life informed his every action. As a man of quiet spirit he found the unity in all living things, which created for him a harmony with nature, self, people and, more importantly, with God. Through his writings we will explore that harmony and center ourselves for a deeper spiritual journey. Benjamin K. Watts, Faculty Associate in the Arts of Ministry and Senior Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church, New London
