Catalogue 2008 Book - Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

In Phase II, candidates enroll in TDS.802 The Doctoral Seminar, a methodology
course designed to introduce research tools and methods necessary for undertaking
and completing the three elective courses in Phase III, and to prepare students to
develop a sound, clear, and workable doctoral project proposal in Phase IV. Included
in this seminar is library orientation for doctoral project research; review of topics
such as empirical research methods, theses, hypotheses, testable learning goals,
sociocultural contexts, the rudiments of Congregational Studies and family systems
theory, models of theological refl ection, and writing skills; and group discussion
and critique of doctoral project proposals.
Candidates are strongly encouraged to begin articulating ideas for their doctoral
project during Phase II, thereby allowing the elective courses taken in Phase III to
better inform the fi nal doctoral project, Phase IV. The course TDS.802 is valued
at 12 credits.
PHASE III: AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
Each candidate selects one area in which to develop particular ministry skills. Three
courses are required in this phase, ordinarily from the same area of concentration.
Permission of the director is required to take a course outside the candidate’s area
of concentration.
In each Phase III course, participants develop in-ministry projects which focus
on their ministry settings and which ordinarily involve congregation members or
others in the local setting. A written presentation of this project and refl ection on
it is evaluated by the faculty supervisor and a peer in the program.
Throughout Phase III, candidates also refi ne and retool their doctoral project
proposals. If, at the end of Phase III, the doctoral project proposal is not completed
and approved, the candidate is expected to reenroll in TDS.802 The Doctoral
Seminar and complete the proposal. When repeating TDS.802, the candidate is
enrolled as an auditor. The audit fee is waived for current degree students. Each
Phase III course is valued at 12 credits. Courses of two-weeks duration are offered
each term in the following areas:
I. CHRISTIAN NURTURE
In this area students focus on the nurturing aspects of the church’s ministry and
the work of the ordained minister. Students refl ect on the signifi cance of nurture in
their own lives and in their particular ministry contexts, and examine the meaning
of nurture in Scripture and the Christian tradition. Projects in this area are designed
to increase one’s ability to understand theologically the task of Christian nurture and
its relation to the total mission of the church. Participants are challenged to develop
their professional competencies with special reference to Christian education and/or
pastoral care. Basic courses in the Christian Nurture concentration are:
CN.801 THE CHURCH’S MINISTRY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
This course examines contemporary perspectives on human development in order to explore
the relationship between human growth and growth in the life of Christian faith. Students
identify tasks and concerns related to different moments in the life cycle and refl ect on their
implications for the practice of ministry.
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DMIN - PHASE III