Academic Catalog 2010-2011 - Union Presbyterian Seminary

Union Presbyterian Seminary Academic Catalog 2010-2011EDU677 Doctoral Seminar in Theology and Christian Education. This seminar explores classical theologicalthemes (e.g., sin, grace, sanctification, religious anthropology, and ecclesiology) in relation to their significanceas guides for contemporary understandings of Christian education. Students will read and converse withtheological texts from a variety of historical periods and perspectives.TBA.COURSESHistory (Required Courses)HST101 History of Christianity I. Prerequisite: None. This course is a survey of the history of Christianityfrom the second century to the sixteenth century. The purpose is to familiarize students with basic developmentsin doctrine and institutional life from the age of the early apologists into the early years of the Reformation.Considerable attention is given to primary sources so that students have an opportunity to become acquaintedwith the literature characteristic of the period being studied.Fall 2010.HST201 History of Christianity II. Prerequisite: HST101. The purposes of the course are to provide the studentwith basic knowledge of the history of Christianity from the time of the Reformation, to enable the student todevelop skills in historical method and explanation, and to assess the past for the present work of ministry. Theaim is also to stimulate a historical consciousness and an appreciation of the church as a historical community.The course provides preparation for electives in this field and for continuing education in history. Emphasis isplaced on American Christianity, the missionary movement, and the ecumenical movement.Spring 2010.History (Elective Courses)HST108 History of Christianity in Africa. The course will focus on the history of the Christian church inAfrica from apostolic times to the present. Particular attention will be given to North African Christianity in antiquity,Roman Catholic missionary expansion into sub-Saharan Africa during the Age of Discovery and afterward,Western Protestant efforts to evangelize Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the diverserange of theological expression encountered in African Christianity today.TBA.HST116/616 Religion of Islam. An examination of Muslim religious beliefs and practices from the originsof Islam to the present, stressing Islamic religious ideas and institutions from a historical perspective. Topics tobe addressed include: Arabia and the rise of Islam; Muhammad and the Qur’an; Muslim tradition and religiouslaw; Islamic philosophy and theology; basic beliefs and practices of the Muslim community; religious institutionsand modern trends; issues of dialogue and proclamation of the Christian faith to Muslims.Fall 2010.HST121/605 History of Christian Mission to 1900. A survey of the history of Christian mission throughthe long nineteenth century. Patterns of mission discernible in Scripture and the early church will be examined,as will the record of medieval and post-Enlightenment mission history. Among the goals of the course: to identifycritical missiological themes at work within the broad sweep of mission history to 1914; to become acquaintedwith key figures, events and institutions that shaped this history; to begin to understand how missionhistory interacts with institutional and doctrinal developments in Christianity; and to bring to light from thepast new resources for contemporary reflection on the basis, methods and purpose(s) of Christian mission.TBA.HST122 Celtic Christianity. This course will provide an opportunity for students to examine the range andrichness of an area of Christian history that is receiving increasing scholarly and popular attention: Celtic Christianity.The focus will be upon the forms and emphases of the Christian faith as found in Ireland, Wales, Englandand Scotland in late antiquity and the early middle ages. The remarkable range of texts (e.g., sacredbiography, monastic Rules, poetry, liturgy, homilies, exegesis) allow for a variety of perspectives from which to3-11