400. INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION 3 cr.  Problems of and approaches to understanding the Jewish and Christian scriptures.  Special focus on the methods essential for doing exegesis, biblical interpretation, and contemporary applications.
404. PROPHECY IN ISRAEL AND THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST 3 cr.  Study of prophecy and prophets in ancient Israel and its ancient Near Eastern context.  Specific focus on such biblical prophets as Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.

406. NEW TESTAMENT ETHICS 3 cr.  A seminar centering on the ethical prescriptions and perspectives conveyed by the New Testament.  The teaching and praxis of Jesus, including his concern for the poor and solidarity with the marginalized, provide the center of gravity for analysis of a cross-section of the paraenetic teaching and ethical traditions in the NT.  Students develop sophisticated tools for understanding the NT’s contribution to contemporary ethical debates.
               
408. PAUL AND HIS WRITINGS 3 cr.  Introduction to the cultural and historical background of the life and career of the Apostle Paul and examination of his major writings and their impact.

420. EARLY CHRISTIANITY 3 cr.  Emergence of Christianity into the Greek and Roman world from the first to the sixth centuries.  Trinitarian theology and Christology, Church and State, the role of women, monasticism, the interaction with pagan culture, the establishment of ecclesiastical structures, early Christian art, and the Church’s growing self-understanding. 

430. INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 3 cr.  Nature, method, and content of systematic theology, with emphasis on the influence of history and culture on the articulation of doctrine.  Readings and discussions centered on significant contributors to Christian systematic theology.

437. READINGS IN FEMINIST THEOLOGY 3 cr.  Various topics in feminist theory and its impact on religion and theology.  Specific content and number of credit announced when the course is offered.

466. JUSTICE AND THE ECONOMY 3 cr.  Team-taught interdisciplinary seminar.  Interrelationship between economic and ethical choices and their ethical and economic implications.  Basic economic and theological-ethical frameworks for decision making.  Case studies.

480. INTRODUCTION TO CANON LAW 3 cr.  Introduction to the 1983 Code in its historical context, with a view to its pastoral application.  Special attention to canons on Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Marriage.

489. THE NEW CONVENANT & SOCIAL JUSTICE:  A PRAXIS APPROACH 3 cr.   A seminar linking theological theory with religious and pastoral practice.   Participants investigate the connection between New Testament theology and its concrete implications for social justice by engaging in research and community action with respect to a specific social-justice problem, combined with seminar discussion and written reflection in light of the essential gospel message.

489L. PRAXIS LAB 1 cr.  Required lab and co-requisite for RL 489.

499. SPECIAL TOPICS 1-3 cr.  Selected topics in one of the areas of religious studies.  Specific content and number of credits to be announced when offered.

501. OLD TESTAMENT EXEGESIS 3 cr.  Detailed exegetical analysis of a major Hebrew Bible text that will be specified when the course is offered.

505. NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS 3 cr.  Detailed exegetical analysis of a major New Testament book that will be specified when the course is offered.

506. HISTORICAL JESUS 3 cr.  History of research on the historical Jesus from Strauss through Wrede and Schweitzer to the present.  Analysis of the primary data using the standard criteria of authenticity.  Examination of the value of historical Jesus research for contemporary Christology.

507. SYNOPTIC GOSPELS 3 cr.  In-depth analysis of current research on theories of synoptic relations; the relationship of the Synoptic Gospels to such  non-canonical gospels as the Gospel of Peter and Gospel of Thomas; the literary and theological characteristics of each of the Synoptic Gospels (e.g.; Christology, soteriology and ecclesiology).

509. SPECIAL TOPICS IN OLD OR NEW TESTAMENT HISTORY AND LITERATURE 1-3 cr.  Selected questions from the text and background of the Old or New Testament.  Specific content and number of credits to be announced when offered.

522. GOD AND RADICAL EVIL IN THE MODERN WORLD 3 cr.  Development of the idea of God’s relation to evil from the Renaissance until today; emphasis on the changing notion of evil in response to cultural changes such as the Enlightenment and Darwinism; the demonic and the Gothic in the nineteenth century; modern literary and philosophical theodicies; scientific theories; theological response.

525. WOMEN IN CHRISTIAN TRADITON 3 cr.  Lives and writings of prominent women within the Christian tradition from the viewpoint of contemporary feminist theology.  Emphasis on women’s contribution to theology in light of their historical context.

529. SPECIAL TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT 1-3 cr.  Selected questions from the history of Christian thought with emphasis on reading in primary sources.  Specific content and number of credits to be announced when offered.

531. MODELS OF GOD 3 cr.  Comparison of several models for understanding God and God’s relations to the world. Personal models (Parent, Friend); the Soul-Body model; Traditional models (Monarch, Being Itself); Process models (Cosmic Lover, Creator-Redeemer-Liberator); God as Mystery.

532. SIN, GRACE AND WHOLENESS 3 cr.  The human being understood in relation to God and in conflict with evil, as seen in the Bible and in the works of Paul, Augustine, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, Karl Rhaner, and contemporary liberation and feminist theologians.

533. METAPHYSICS AND THEOLOGY 3 cr.  Examination of the ideas of several modern philosophers whose thought has been utilized by important theologians.  Among the philosophers to be read are Whitehead, Heidegger, and Hartshorne.  Among the theologians are Rahner, Ogden, and Griffin.

534. CHRISTOLOGY 3 cr.  The person and work of Jesus Christ according to the scriptures, historical theology, and contemporary theology.

535. THEOLOGY OF THE CHURCH 3 cr.  Origin, nature, and mission of the Church in light of its evolution from the preaching and mission of Jesus and his disciples, through its developing history, to its current self-understanding since Vatican II.

538. SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY 3 cr.  Focus on sacramental theology and PRAXIS with particular attention to symbol, liturgical celebration, and pastoral issues which have emerged in the historical and theological development of sacraments in the Christian tradition.

539. SPECIAL TOPICS IN SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 1-3 cr.  Selected problems or authors in systematic theology.  Specific content and number of credits to be announced when offered.

554. ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY 3 cr.  An elaboration of the mystical/Sufi tradition of Islam and the emergence of Islamic spirituality.  Detailed study of the Qur’anic verses and paradigms from the sayings of the Prophet that constitutes the main sources for the spiritual dimensions of Islam.

559. SPECIAL TOPICS IN WORLD RELIGIONS 1-3 cr.  Focus on different topics in non-Christian religions.  Specific content and number of credits to be announced when offered.
562. CHRISTIAN SOCIAL JUSTICE 3 cr.  Examination of Catholic and Protestant social teachings which contribute to a social ethic.  Special focus on political, economic, and cultural problems, including war and peace, poverty, and prejudice.

569. SPECIAL TOPICS IN RELIGIOUS ETHICS 1-3 cr.  Selected issues or authors in the history of Christian ethics.  Specific content and number of credits to be announced when offered.

573. CLASSICS IN SPIRITUALITY 3 cr.  Selected readings from the works of religious leaders with attention to historical and cultural background, theological and psychological insights, and practical application. Authors to be considered:  Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton.

580. PASTORAL COUNSELING 3 cr.  Theory and practice of pastoral counseling.  Emphasis on specific approaches to intervention that match the needs, populations, and contexts in which the pastoral counselor functions.  Offered in conjunction with HU 580.

585. TUOHY CHAIR 3 cr.  Specific content will be announced; see the most recent Undergraduate Bulletin or the Tuohy website (www.jcu.edu/religion/tuohy07) for further information.

592. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH 1-3 cr.  Directed research on a topic selected by the student, in consultation with a Religious Studies faculty member who will supervise the project, and culminating in one or more papers. The RL 592 Independent Study Contract form may be obtained from the department secretary or from the JCU website at:   www.jcu.edu/graduate/forms/.  Approval for the course should be obtained no later than three weeks prior to the semester in which the student wishes to enroll in the course.

598. SPECIAL TOPICS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES 1-3 cr.  Selected questions and issues in the field of religious studies.  Specific content to be announced when offered.

599. MASTER’S THESIS 6 cr. upon approval.