Welcome to the Theology Department

In every historical period and cultural context, there are certain questions that continue to be of pervasive concern for human beings: the nature of the universe, the existence and nature of God, the nature of human beings, the proper relationship of a human being to his or her world, the source of evil and the possibility of redemption.

The Department of Theology has designed a sequence of three courses which acquaints students with the nature and importance of these questions and assists students in articulating for themselves responses formulated in light of their knowledge of the Catholic tradition and the Christian faith. These courses contribute in a coherent and cumulative way to the students' liberal arts education in the development of skills in writing, reading and critical thinking.

The first course, "The Christian Theological Tradition," provides students with a theological framework within which individuals and groups have addressed questions of faith and human existence throughout Christian history.Therefore, the core readings for the course are drawn from the Bible and from classical writers of the Christian tradition.

The course also provides students with an opportunity to begin to reflect critically on the content of the Catholic tradition in the diversity of its cultural expressions and in the broader context of other Christian traditions and faiths.

Finally, it provides students with a basic level of theological literacy as a prerequisite for their second and third level
courses.

The second-level courses all focus on the themes of revelation, the theology of the human person, relationships between the believing community and the wider culture, and worship and spirituality. On this level, courses differ from each other on the basis of particular theological areas of inquiry and are tied together through the four themes. Students will have the opportunity to deepen and expand in content and skill, the theological literacy developed on the first level. In addition, they do so in view of the new methodological achievements of the modern period.

Third-level courses are seminars designed for interactive learning, allowing students the opportunity to engage in questions which relate to faith and culture. From within a larger selection of courses, students learn how cultures shape faith and how faith informs cultures. Emphasis on this level is given to those issues which connect theology to other disciplines in the liberal arts tradition, and students will be expected to make more sustained use of analytical skills.

Beyond the three levels which introduce and develop the skills of all students in theological inquiry the department offers a way to study theology further through its major and minor in theology and its major in theology with a concentration in Lay Ministry.