Theology Minor
Drawing on an internationally recognized theological faculty, students pursuing a minor in theology may choose either to explore the various areas of the discipline of theology generally, or to focus on one area in particular. For example, a minor might engage the teachings and spirituality of the Roman Catholic Church; or a particular era in the history of the Christian theology; or current ethical issues; or Jewish Studies; or biblical studies; or the beliefs and practices of another major world religion鈥攐r all of the above.
Requirements
The Theology minor consists of the Theology Core requirement plus five 3-credit courses that are Level Two or above.
Focused Minors
The joint minor in Catholic Education and Theology is offered by the Teaching Curriculum and Society Department (TCS) in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development (LSEHD) and the Morrissey听Theology Department.
The Catholic Education and Theology minor requires 18 credits/6 courses, which include three foundational Catholic Education courses and three Theology courses. Students will study the theological and spiritual foundations of Catholic education along with the current landscape, as well as possibilities for the future of traditional and non-traditional Catholic education.
The minor is designed for students interested in careers in Catholic education or are discerning a vocation toward post-graduate volunteer or professional service in traditional or non-traditional Catholic educational positions, such as: elementary or high school teaching; school administration (athletics, admissions, fundraising, etc.); educational consulting; instructional design; non-traditional educational settings; and other roles in diocesan or order sponsored schools at all levels.
Academically, after graduation, the students can also pursue either one of the following two masters:听Dual degree with M.Ed., offered by the Boston College Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry; the听Curriculum and Instruction M.Ed. with Urban Catholic Teacher Corps, offered by the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.
Learning Goals
Students will:
- Understand the goals and purposes of Catholic education historically and presently.
- Explore the contributions of Catholic theology to Catholic education.
- Analyze the Catholic theological and historical foundations of Catholic schooling.
- Engage with analysis of the contributions of Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit schooling to Catholic education in the United States.
- Experience and reflect upon an authentic Catholic educational praxis.
Requirements
- Three courses in Catholic education, offered by the Lynch School of Education and Human Development
- Three courses in theology, offered by the MCAS Theology Department
Requirement #1: Foundations in Catholic Education: Choose one course (3 Credits)
The courses are offered by the Lynch School of Education and Human Development
- Exploration of Faith, Justice, and Evangelization in Catholic Education: Exploring the History of Catholic Parish Schools in the United States (new course)
- Jesuit Education (potential future course)
- The Growth, Fall, and Future of Catholic Schooling in the United States (potential future course)
Requirement #2: Theological Foundations for Catholic Educators: - Choose three courses (9 credits)
- THEO 2001 Tradition and Traditions
- THEO 2002 Trajectories in Contemporary Theology
- Two alternative options:
- THEO 1422 The Sacred Page: The Bible
- One theology elective (level 2000 or above)
Requirement #3: Catholic Education Praxis: Choose one course (3 credits)
- Catholic schools in theory and practice (new course)
- Includes practice seminar and 75 hours of field experience in local Catholic education
Requirement #4: Education Course: Choose one course (3 credits)
- EDUC 1030 Child Development*
- EDUC 1031 Family, School and Society*
- EDUC 1044 Education and Development for Students with Disabilities
- EDUC 2039 Learning and Curriculum in the Elementary School
- EDUC 2211 Secondary Curriculum and Instruction
* To be replaced with alternate TCS foundational courses when the department develops them and has approved them
The Faith, Peace, and Justice Minor offers students the opportunity to explore, in an interdisciplinary manner, how their own serious questions about faith, peace, and justice are related to concrete work for peace and justice in our world. The goals of the FPJ Program are to help undergraduate students acquire and develop skills in:
- empirical, social scientific analysis of concrete issues related to justice and peace.
- gaining a solid intellectual and moral grasp of the ethical and theological principles which arise from these issues.
- learning how to formulate public policy or to initiate social change which would help solve these problems.
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The minor in Interreligious Studies is rooted in the commitment of Jesuit education and service to quality teaching, critical thinking, and rigorous academic standards. The minor seeks to provide undergraduate students with a focused opportunity to explore spirituality, engaging with more than one religious tradition toward the goals of attaining deeper knowledge, wisdom, and ethical engagement within their own spiritual experience and in connection with the experiences of others, including those in other traditions.
The minor contributes to Boston College鈥檚 commitment to formative education by enabling students to search for meaning and purpose in their overall lives through intentional engagement with more than one religious tradition as part of their training to become global citizens prepared to make a positive contribution to their communities in lives of service rooted in education and spiritual commitment. The minor equips students with a deep understanding of particular religions, as well as with real and ideal models of interaction between religious traditions. It may thus serve as a complement to any field of study as religion plays an important role in all areas of human life and culture.
Learning Goals
Students will:
- Gain a deep understanding of more than one religious tradition.
- Be able to identify and critically analyze the role(s) religion plays in political, economic and cultural life.
- Develop various strategies to resolve interreligious tensions and violence.
- Become conversant with the methods of interreligious dialogue.
- Engage the quest for truth and meaning that generate theological insight in Christianity and other religious traditions.
- Explore the fundamental texts and practices that shape religious traditions.
- Understand the dynamic relationship between religious truth-claims and their moral implications for individuals, communities and societies.
- Engage textual, historical, cultural, social, political and economic analysis as it pertains to theological reflection.
- Relate theological inquiry to the enduring questions animating the broader liberal arts tradition.
- Enrich their personal engagement with spirituality and its influence on relationships, society, and future careers.
Minor Requirements
One (new) course:听
- THEO 3200 Engaging Interreligious Leadership
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Four electives at level 2000 or above. Possible electives include but are not limited to:
- AADS 2162 Muslim Africa
- EALC 4151 Readings in Chinese Literature and Philosophy
- ENGL 2162 Gods and Heroes in Chinese Literature
- PHIL 4476 Classical Chinese Philosophy
- PHIL 4477 Ethical Principles in Comparative Perspectives
- THEO 3001 Hinduism: Past and Present
- THEO 3006 The Same God? Jewish and Christian Views
- THEO/ICSP 3xxx Islamic Mysticism
- THEO 4010 The Samurai and the Cross: Christian encounters with Japan
- THEO 5007 Mahayana Buddhism: Thought and Practice
- THEO/ICSP 5050 Great Books of Islam
- THEO/ICSP 5xxx Christians Reading the Qur鈥檃n
- THEO 5201 Scriptural Reasonings
- THEO 5436 The Theology of Abraham Joshua Heschel
- THEO 5437 Jewish and Christian Readings of Scripture
- THEO 5449 Jewish Liturgy
- THEO 5358 How Israel Matters
- THEO 5474 Jews and Christians: Understanding the Other
- THEO 5487 Passover Liturgy in Midrash and Talmud
- THEO 5500/ICSP 3310 Women and Gender in Islam
- THEO 5533 Antisemitism, Racism, and Christian Nationalism
- THEO 5700 Indian Christian Theology
- THEO 5xxx Christians Reading the Qur示膩n
- THEO 5xxx The Church and Interreligious Dialogue
- THEO 5xxx Comparative Mysticism
- THEO/PHIL 5xxx Buddhism, Brain, Consciousness
- THEO/ICSP 7010 Islam and History of the Middle East
- THEO/ICSP 7855 Modern/Contemporary Islam in Practice
Advisory Committee
- Dr. Catherine Cornille
- Dr. Natana DeLong-Bas
- Dr. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkosky
- Dr. Ruth Langer
- Dr. Matthew Vale
- Dr. Jason Welle
Affiliated Faculty
Faculty in the African and African Diaspora Studies program; Art, Art History, and Film Department; Asian Studies minor; Communications Department; Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies Department; History Department; International Studies major; Islamic Civilization and Societies program (ICSP); Jewish Studies minor; Philosophy Department; and Political Science Department.
- Marsin Alshamary (Political Science Department, ICSP)
- Kathleen Bailey (Political Science Department, ICSP)
- Benjamin Braude (History Department, ICSP)
- Aurelia Campbell (Art, Art History, and Film Department)
- Sing-Chen Lydia Chiang (Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies Department)
- David Johnson (Philosophy Department)
- Jonathan Laurence (Political Science Department, ICSP)
- Lorelle Semley (African and African Diaspora Studies program)
- Matthew Sienkiewicz (Communications Department, Jewish Studies minor)
- Erik Owens (Theology Department, International Studies program)
- Kristin Peterson (Communications Department, media, religion and cultures with expertise in Islam)
- Antoni Ucerler, S.J. (Ricci institute, History Department)
Religion and Public Life Interdisciplinary Minor
The Religion and Public Life minor will offer students a way to explore and connect diverse conversations about the role of religion in public life. Bringing together a wide array of courses to choose from, the Religion and Public Life minor will have an interdisciplinary emphasis and be composed of six courses, one introductory course and five electives.
The Theology and Philosophy Minor calls students to an interdisciplinary reflection on God, self, and world through both theology and philosophy. The Minor seeks to encourage students to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between theology and philosophy by deepening the student鈥檚 knowledge of each discipline by discovering connections and overlaps. The Theology and Philosophy Minor builds on the foundation of the core curriculum, in particular the interdisciplinary programs of听Perspectives and听PULSE which are structured upon the intersecting nature of theology and philosophy. With over eight hundred students already participating in these two programs, many undergraduates are already studying at this intersection, while still more discover an authentic curiosity for both disciplines through the richness of other courses taken to complete the core requirements in Theology and Philosophy. The Theology and Philosophy Minor offers students an opportunity to continue to pursue their interests in both disciplines and build upon the foundational understandings they acquire through their core courses in Theology and Philosophy.
Boston College has particularly exceptional Theology and Philosophy Departments, with many faculty members whose research sits at the crossroads of theology and philosophy. The Minor in Theology and Philosophy encourages students to explore the cross-pollination of ideas that already exists at Boston College, and invites students whose interests may lie between theology and philosophy. Mindful of Boston College鈥檚 excellent听M.A. program in Philosophy and Theology, the Minor in Theology and Philosophy offers undergraduate students considering graduate studies an excellent opportunity to explore these interests with the numerous faculty members in each department who work at this exciting intersection.
Learning Goals
Students will:
- Understand the complexities of the relationship between theology and philosophy, as well as the overlaps, divides, aporias, and boundaries.
- Explore various explanations of the relationship between faith and reason as found in major theologians and philosophers.
- Encounter theological explorations of philosophical methods and concepts.
- Perform theological and philosophical reflections on matters of significance.
Minor Requirements
- Completion of both core course requirements in Theology and Philosophy (12 credits)
- Completion of four additional courses at the 2000 level or above (12 credits) *
* The four additional courses beyond the core are distributed as follows:
- three courses (2000 level or above) in one field, one at the 5000 level
- one course (2000 level or above) in the other field
Examples
Examples of possible coursework for the Minor in Theology and Philosophy:
Example 1:听 PULSE (Person and Social Responsibility) (12 credits) 鈥� theology and philosophy cores
- two 2000 level courses in Theology (6 credits)
- one 5000 level course in Theology (3 credits)
- one 2000 level course in Philosophy (3 credits)
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Example 2:听 Philosophy of the Person I & II (6 credits) 鈥� philosophy core
- one 1000 level course in Theology (Christian Theology core) (3 credits)
- one 1000 level course in Theology (Sacred Texts and Traditions core) (3 credits)
- two 2000 level courses in Philosophy (6 credits)
- one 5000 level course in Philosophy (3 credits)
- one 2000 level course in Theology (3 credits)
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Examples 3: Perspectives I (Perspectives on Western Culture) (12 credits) 鈥� theology and philosophy cores
- two 2000 level courses in Theology (6 credits)
- one 5000 level course in Theology (3 credits)
- one 2000 level course in Philosophy (3 credits)
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In any combination the Minor in Theology and Philosophy consists of the completion of the four courses in the core, plus four additional courses 2000 level or above. Among those (plus) four courses, there exists a concentration in either theology or philosophy, composed of three of the four courses in one field, including one at the 5000 level, and one 2000 level (or above) course in the other field.
Related Minors
The Asian Studies Minor is interdisciplinary and open to all students across the University. It is sustained by faculty with expertise in East Asia, South Asia, and Central Asia. Students can pursue individual interests as they engage on a wide range of topics, including the study of religions.
The Catholic Studies minor at Boston College seeks to develop an intellectual and academic approach to Catholicism which does justice to the full human reality, integrity and pluralism within this major world religious tradition.
The Islamic Civilization and Societies Minor is interdisciplinary and allows students to learn the history, culture, politics, economics, religion, and social conditions of the countries of the Middle East and broader world of Islam.
The Jewish Studies minor examines the multiple dimensions and complexities of Jewish civilization throughout its broad chronological and geographical range. In so doing, the program contributes to Boston College鈥檚 efforts to internationalize and enrich its curriculum by creating a space for reflection on an ethnically and religiously diverse campus.