Leadership is explored as (1) a matter of individual gifts and skills; (2) a community practice shaped by shared or contested needs and expectations; and (3) rooted in vision lived out in practices of administration and management.
This course is designed to examine multicultural issues in pastoral care and counseling. It will help students to explore the dynamics and complexities of culture, race and other socializing factors in pastoral care conversations.
These courses: (a) introduce students to the main movements in Christian theology since the late nineteenth century and their particular historical foundations; (b) introduce students to the tasks of Christian theology: its varying criteria, methods and substantive proposals on what it has often taken to be the fundamental human questions; and (c) enable students to develop a systematic statement of their own theological perspective, with attention to: (1) its clarity, coherence and capacity to illuminate experience; (2) its relationship to the resources and limitations of a particular historical tradition and the interests of a particular social location; (3) its relationship to alternative Christian perspectives, especially those of a traditionally excluded peoples; and (4) its possible implications in terms of social and personal praxis.
This course examines sacred spaces and sacred places from a comparative perspective. Through close reading and discussion of primary and secondary sources, students will be challenged to think critically and theoretically about sacred spaces and places.
An intensive, critical analysis of the interreligious dialogue project. Through reading and discussing a number of different perspectives within the interreligious discourse, we will explore these and other questions, with the aim of developing an acceptable methodological and ideological position.
An historical survey of the role of racism, sexism and classism in shaping the oppressive institutional structures of the existing world order and of how sociological analysis of these structures can help justice and peace activists direct effective action toward the elimination of race, gender and class oppression. The systemic link between racism and other forms of structural oppression, including sexism and classism, will be addressed. THEO 6304 (Jt. PhD students register at DU)
An umbrella designation for a number of courses, each investigating particular issues related to justice, peace and social change contexts. Recent offerings include Community Organizing, Disrupting Privilege, Issues of the Global Economy, Conflict Transformation and Pine Ridge and Colonial Residue. May be repeated for credit.
This is a four-credit course over two quarters. (Fall: 2 credits and Winter: 2 credits). It will meet for two hours per week in a seminar fashion. Its purpose is to introduce students to the study of religion: its history, approaches and contemporary issues. It also introduces students to their particular sub-disciplines, enabling them to locate themselves within their particular fields. It works with student to develop research skills and identify thesis topics. This colloquium is required of all M.A. students.
The course allows students to explore the ongoing process of vocational discernment, with particular attention to how vocational journeys intersect with the experience of formal theological education.
This course focuses on the implications of social location and professional identity formation within the cultural matrices of identity, power, and difference. The class aligns formational work with Iliff’s commitments to diversity across the curriculum.
During an academic year students engage in the supervised practice of ministry in a congregational or agency setting for 14 hours per week. They develop learning goals that guide their field experience, meet weekly with a site supervisor, and work with lay or consultation committee. In addition, they participate in a two-hour weekly reflection seminar on campus led by a faculty member and an adjunct with ministry experience. They do a social analysis of the field setting, present a case study, and write a theology of ministry paper. Prerequisite: colloquium/Basic Field Education. All three quarters must be successfully completed in sequence in a single academic year. Pass/Fail.
Involvement in full-time ministry for 9 to 12 consecutive months under the supervision of a qualified minister or other professional. A student is eligible after completing at least 60 quarter credits of academic work. Pass/Fail.
This course examines Unitarian Universalist history from precursers in early Christianity to the present day. The course will pay particular attention to the rise of Unitarian and Universalist movements in America, to the history of the last 45 years, and to the prospects of the movement.
Continuation of Hebrew Bible I.
An introduction to the literature of Christian origins that begins with a look at the context out of which the New Testament emerged, then turns to the earliest extent texts, Paul's letters.
This course explores the contentious historical relationship between Islam and the West. Topics covered include the status of minorities in Muslim societies, colonialism, Orientalism, the veil, shari’ah, and Islamic reform.
An examination of institutional, cultural, and ideological aspects of Christianity in the contemporary United States. Topics include denominational and doctrinal divisions, congregational cultures, membership growth and decline, gender and sexuality, and racial minority communities.
An examination of representative postmodern thinkers, how they have changed the context for theology, and how theology has responded to them.
This course focuses on the implications of social location and professional identity formation within the cultural matrices of identity, power, and difference. The class aligns formational work with Iliff’s commitments to diversity across the curriculum.
Seminar in which the work of such sociologists as Berger, Bellah, Stark, Wuthnow, Warner and others will be examined and critiqued.
Ministry Praxis Seminars are one hour weekend courses offered quarterly that focus on specific aspects of the practice of ministry with attention given to the integration of theory and practice. Topics will vary and may include issues such as life cycle rituals, budgeting and finance, ministry in particular settings, etc. The course may be repeated for credit.
As a post-WWII reconstruction effort and post-colonnial globalization movement, international development has emerged from a complex history of: paternalistic humanitarianism, universal human rights theory, exceptionalist modernization, and neo-colonialism. At its best, international development can co-create appropriate, long-term solutions to community-identified problems and agency for those involved; at its worst, international development can reproduce unjust social, economic, and political structures (à la Pierre Bourdieu & Jean-Claude Passeron). As a method of social change, international development has historically met with mixed reviews as to its efficacy, sustainability, and ethics of approach. In this course we will critically analyze diverse international development efforts with a particular lens focused on ethical and sustainable policies and practices. Through critical reflection, discussion, and dialogue with practitioners, we will explore our own cultural biases and reflect on our identity and vocational role in such work, and identify critiques and best practices for ethical and sustainable approaches.
Students will learn principles for the organization of information and elements of the research process. They will learn how to conduct research in a systematic, efficient and effective manner, using both print resources and electronic databases targeted to religion and theology. They will begin developing a habit of using a Research Journal.
DU course
Buddhist life and thought from its origins to the present in India, Tibet, China and Japan.
DU course
Continuation of PJ 1011 (offered every other year).
An introduction to the social, institutional and intellectual history of Christianity in Europe from the 9th century to the eve of the Reformation. Topics include: the schism between East and West, the growth and reform of the papacy, the medieval monks and friars, Scholasticism, the rise of the universities, the breakdown of the Thomistic synthesis, the decline of the papacy, conciliarism, medieval mystics, late medieval church and people, the Renaissance and Christian humanism.
DU course
The course allows students to explore the ongoing process of vocational discernment, with particular attention to how vocational journeys intersect with the experience of formal theological education.
During an academic year students engage in the supervised practice of ministry in a congregational or agency setting for 14 hours per week. They develop learning goals that guide their field experience, meet weekly with a site supervisor, and work with lay or consultation committee. In addition, they participate in a two-hour weekly reflection seminar on campus led by a faculty member and an adjunct with ministry experience. They do a social analysis of the field setting, present a case study, and write a theology of ministry paper. Prerequisite: colloquium/Basic Field Education. All three quarters must be successfully completed in sequence in a single academic year. Pass/Fail.
DU course
This course will explore various ways to study justice and peace, including normative theories. Special attention will be given to the contributions of religious perspectives. Included in the course are such methods and theories as historiography, social analysis, political and economic theory, peace studies and theological/ethical theory. Attention will also be given to the meanings of justice and peace and the ways their interrelation is construed. (A required Justice and Peace Proseminar.)
This course explores models of practical theological reflection and methods of reflective professional practice as frameworks for religious leadership in the variety of contexts in which students will work. Students will be introduced to disciplined modes of embodying the integration of theory and praxis that allow them to place their coursework across the curriculum into regular conversation with their practice as religious leaders and ministry professionals in a variety of institutional and cultural contexts.
Christian corporate worship is explored in relation to tradition, symbol, music and new forces that are having an impact on the church's ritual life. Close attention is given to the theology, planning and leadership of services, including Sunday liturgies, weddings, funerals and other services that mark life transitions.
What makes a Lutheran “Lutheran”? This course is an exploration of distinctive theological themes in Lutheranism. Students will be invited to identify the gifts and liabilities which Lutherans bring to the ecumenical mix.
This course examines the historical development, transmission, related theories, and methodologies underpinning this African American cultural art form, while articulating its placement in the broader study of Christian Homiletics. Black Preaching may be understood as a critical religious message, delivered in a communal context; a message of cultural relevance, informative, educational, entertaining and motivating. A biblically centered message delivered in the vernacular of the people to whom the message is sent and, at its best, is communicated on three distinct levels of understanding: the cognitive, the intuitive and the emotive.
This course explores the act of pluralizing the term queer relative to the study of Ethics. Known predominantly as an umbrella term for LGBT(QIA) persons, this course explores the possibility of defining queer as be both a noun and verb for the study of Ethics. This course will survey an discuss both the "classics" of Queer Theory and those writers who often are not cited as being Queer Theorists, or ones who are only recently 'canonized' as Queer Theorists. This course will mine these authors for their ethical ideas and put Queer Theories into conversation with authors whose discipline is Ethics. Among the thinkers and authors covered in this course are: Michel Foucault, Eve Segewick, Marcella Althaus-Reid, Sara Ahmed, and Gloria Anzaldúa. Additionally, this course explores leading definitions of the term "queer." Because “queer” resists any sort of domesticity and/or containment, defining this term necessarily becomes the act of difference and repetition. It is, in many ways, learning to become a nomad and embracing the wandering of what queer is and what queer becomes. queer(ing)Ethics, then, becomes much more about orientation and knowing practices which then compel us to act in morally significant ways. This class will avoid making normative claims concerning actions, and this resistance should be seen as an effort to be queer, over against exercising relativistic claims concerning ethics.
Continuation of Hebrew Bible I.
An introduction to the literature of Christian origins that begins with a look at the context out of which the New Testament emerged, then turns to the earliest extent texts, Paul's letters.
An introduction to the social, institutional, and intellectual history of Christianity in Europe from the beginnings through the century following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Topics include: context and origins, structures of worship and ministry in the early church, persecution and martyrdom, early Christian thought and Greek philosophy, unity and diversity in early Christianity, orthodoxy and heresy, the rise of Constantine the Great, the Arian controversy and the Council of Nicea, early ascetic movements, and the theology of Augustine.
A brief survey of classic texts in the history of Christian thought, with particular emphasis on the period from the Reformation to the early modern period. Designed as an exploratory introduction to the major themes, movements and key thinkers which have shaped the Protestant tradition and the ever-changing landscape of modern theology. It seeks to enable students to develop a critical appreciation of the historical basis of the different ways in which the presuppositions and assumptions of traditional Christian thought have interacted with the challenges of modernity. The first part of the course (1500-1750) will describe and articulate the theological causes and consequences of the emergence of the Reformation, the intersecting and conflicting pathways through which subsequent Protestant thought traveled and the reaction of Catholic theology through the Council of Trent. The second part of the course (1750-1834) will explore the entry of Protestant theology into the modern period, especially its confrontation with the intellectual forces which defined that period and were eventually to culminate in the Enlightenment.
These courses: (a) introduce students to the main movements in Christian theology since the late nineteenth century and their particular historical foundations; (b) introduce students to the tasks of Christian theology: its varying criteria, methods and substantive proposals on what it has often taken to be the fundamental human questions; and (c) enable students to develop a systematic statement of their own theological perspective, with attention to: (1) its clarity, coherence and capacity to illuminate experience; (2) its relationship to the resources and limitations of a particular historical tradition and the interests of a particular social location; (3) its relationship to alternative Christian perspectives, especially those of a traditionally excluded peoples; and (4) its possible implications in terms of social and personal praxis.
Introduction to ethical reflection about contemporary moral issues in an ecumenical and global context drawing on ethical and sociological theory and analysis and on theological and psychological perspectives.
An introduction to theories of care, counseling, and psychotherapy in relation to theories of humanity and personhood. Special attention will be given to theological, psychological and ethical perspectives. Course normally requires one extra hour TBA in small group meetings. Normally, 4SQ 108 Pastoral Theology and Care is a prerequisite for all other courses in the area. Petitions for exceptions should go to the are faculty before registration.
Draws on social theory, ethnography and reception studies to examine how religion is embedded in media, and how ritualized media practices function as religion.
Understanding the U.S. policy on poverty requires a multi-lens and multi-disciplinary approach. In this course, students will critically analyze: individual experience, intersectionality of justice issues, policy development history, cultural and social frameworks, and social change strategies as they relate to the development of an effective U.S. policy on poverty. There are two main threads that run through this course that will frame how we explore and analyze the intent and impact of U.S. policy on poverty. The first is through an avatar research project. An avatar is essentially the embodiment of an alternate self. I have developed 10 avatar identities based on current demographics data about which populations are currently hit the hardest by homelessness and some specific issues they face. You will each take on an avatar identity for the duration of the quarter and through research, learn how to navigate the public welfare system with this identity in mind. This assignment aims to give you some level of insight into the individual experience (micro level impact) of public policy. Concurrently, the second thread of the course will take us to the macro level of evaluating U.S. policy on poverty through weekly themes. These themes will focus our analysis in order to demonstrate the breadth and depth of issues related to poverty policy--as well as their intersectionality. I have selected themes based on current relevancy and in an effort to demonstrate a diverse range of issues, however, we cannot cover everything. This said, if there is a theme that you think is missing or that you would prefer to discuss rather than what is listed on the syllabus just let me know and we can make substitutions with at least two weeks advance notice. These two threads are meant to intertwine and challenge us to simultaneously look at both the micro and macro levels using research and online discussion as our primary tools. This structure will illuminate certain aspects of policy, and likely miss other aspects. It is our mutual responsibility to engage beyond the syllabus and assignments to critically analyze both that which is at the center of our focus and to thoughtfully consider what might be missing.
Two year weekly training program leading to certification as a spiritual director. Iliff degree students may earn up to 8 credit hours over the two years. The program broadens and personalizes students’ understanding of Christian beliefs and trains students who discern a call to become spiritual directors in practices of listening and discernment. Students apply directly to BSFP for admission.
Two year weekly training program leading to certification as a spiritual director. Iliff degree students may earn up to 8 credit hours over the two years. The program broadens and personalizes students’ understanding of Christian beliefs and trains students who discern a call to become spiritual directors in practices of listening and discernment. Students apply directly to BSFP for admission.
This course offers an introduction to the critical questions, disciplinary perspectives, and skills needed for initial engagement with graduate theological education. It serves not only as an introduction to the Iliff curriculum and faculty, but also to broader issues of theories, methods, and approaches within theological education. Sessions will be led by a variety of members of the Iliff faculty, introducing you to their work and to the key questions and themes that emerge in their particular disciplines, drawing from all five of the Iliff sequence areas. Another faculty member will serve as facilitator of the course as a whole, offering opportunities for reflection on connections and disjunctions between these various areas of study, and helping each student develop a sense of identity and place within Iliff and theological education more broadly.
A consideration of the theology and development of Anglican worship as reflected in The Book of Common Prayer with particular attention to the Rites of Initiation and the Eucharist. The role of symbol and ritual in worship will be examined. PLEASE NOTE: Students must prepare and submit a video tape of an onsite practicum done with a local site. Please contact instructor for further details.
This course wil be experiential, guiding participants to find their grounding in God from which spiritual leadership springs. In addition to presentations, a variety of teaching/learning methods will be used icluding guided imagery, self reflection, small group sharing, class discussion, movement, music and prayer. Brief readings will be required during the class as well as reflective homework assignments, followed by a final reflection paper.
Full-time clinical experience under supervision, directed by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Students making this course a part of their Advanced Field Education requirement must submit a petition to the director of Ministry Studies before enrolling.
Full-time clinical experience under supervision, directed by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Students making this course a part of their Advanced Field Education requirement must submit a petition to the director of Ministry Studies before enrolling.
An exploration of the doctrinal heritage of United Methodism: its sources, distinctive marks, development in the United States, relation to contemporary doctrinal standards and practices of the UMC and role in ecumenical dialogue. This course meets the disciplinary requirements for ordination to elder or permanent deacon or diaconal ministry in the U.M.C. Offered each year.
Organization and methodology of The United Methodist Church. This course meets the disciplinary requirement for diaconal ministry or ordination to elder or permanent deacon in the U.M.C. (offered each year).
DU course
During an academic year students engage in the supervised practice of ministry in a congregational or agency setting for 14 hours per week. They develop learning goals that guide their field experience, meet weekly with a site supervisor, and work with lay or consultation committee. In addition, they participate in a two-hour weekly reflection seminar on campus led by a faculty member and an adjunct with ministry experience. They do a social analysis of the field setting, present a case study, and write a theology of ministry paper. Prerequisite: colloquium/Basic Field Education. All three quarters must be successfully completed in sequence in a single academic year. Pass/Fail.
Involvement in full-time ministry for 9 to 12 consecutive months under the supervision of a qualified minister or other professional. A student is eligible after completing at least 60 quarter credits of academic work. Pass/Fail.
Students with further learning goals may arrange for a special project in field education with the approval of the director of Ministry Studies. These credits do not replace the advanced field education or fulll-time internship requirment.