Summer 2017 Course Schedule

HOLY LAND/STUDY ABROAD

Biblical History and Sites (1)

Michael Patella, OSB | SSOT 406 

May 16 - June 7, 2017

This course forms the educational component for the study tour of the Holy Land. It surveys the historical and archaeological sites which provide the context for both the Old and New Testaments as well as includes visits to places held sacred by Christians and those revered by Jews and Muslims.

ON-CAMPUS COURSES

The classes listed below will be held at Saint John's campus.
  • June 12-30, 2017
  • Classes will meet M-T-TH-F
  • Wednesday is a study/reading/rest day
  • Class time are listed below each course

SHORT COURSE

A Love-story on the Verge of Scandals -
The Book of Ruth (1)

Laszlo Simon, O.S.B. | SPIR 468/SSOT 468

Ruth the Moabite excellently represents "the other." She is a woman in a man's world; a widow and without a child in a society for which infertility was a mark of shame; a foreigner and also an enemy. Her arrival in Bethlehem, inevitably, shakes the Judeans' sociopolitical foundations. What is more, the Book of Ruth is the only one in the Bible carrying the name of a Gentile. All things considered, this little book seems to have all the ingredients that can make it a subversive document.

The course aims at reading the story of Ruth from three different points of view. First, a narrative analysis will delve into the subtleties of this finely chiseled short story. Second, the plot will be read as a commentary on the Law. Third, it will be illustrated that, setting against the backdrop of recent gender studies concerning the Bible, the Book of Ruth can play an essential role in a feminist canonical hermeneutic which both accepts the normative function of the canon and also resists the androcentricity of much of the canonical literature.

  • Cross listed: SSOT 468--SPIR 468.
  • June 5-9
  • Class meets M-T-W-TH-F
  • 8:00-11:15 AM

THREE WEEK COURSES

Prayer in the Bible (3)

Laszlo Simon, O.S.B. | SSNT 468/SSOT 468/SPIR 468

Prayer is the lifeblood of religion, the indispensable factor in every form of piety and faith. It expresses a person's deepest convictions about God, this world, human life and all human relationships. Prayer - in addition to being a datum of religious experience generally - is also a task for theological understanding. That means, for the Christian, an understanding of prayer as it is portrayed in the life and teaching of Jesus, and as it is presented in the writings of his followers - giving attention always to its basis in the Old Testament and its development within the New Testament itself. The course will focus on three main topics: the Book of Psalms, New Testament hymns, and the Lord's Prayer.

  • Cross listed: SSNT 468--SSOT 468--SPIR 468.
  • Class meets 8:00-11:15 AM

Dynamics of Spiritual Direction (3)

Becky Van Ness | PTHM 418

The study of spiritual direction allows student to develop skills in guiding others to identify and articulate their relationship with God through the life of faith, religious experience, discernment, and prayer. Students learn various models of spiritual direction and the purpose and dynamics of peer and individual supervision.

  • Prerequisites: SPIR 437 The Practice of Discernment in Prayer
  • Class meets 8:00-11:15 AM

HYBRID COURSES

The classes listed below will be structured as hybrid classes, with starting components on-line, a one-week intensive session on the Saint John's campus, and final work again on-line. Plan to come to Collegeville for an amazing week of learning, community events, prayer, and the beautiful Minnesota summer experience!
  • May 15 Classes open with on-line components
  • July 15 Classes are completed with on-line work/submissions
  • Date below the course titles are the on-campus meeting times determined by instructors. Plan on 5-6 hours per day, Monday-Friday.

A Sacramental Reading of Mark's Gospel (3)

Charles Bobertz | SSNT 468

On-Campus June 5-9, 2017

This course will be an in-depth exploration of the narrative structure and theology of the Gospel of Mark based on the text The Gospel of Mark: A Liturgical Reading (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic Press, 2016). The sacramental reading of Mark will be compared and contrasted with other recent approaches to understanding the second Gospel.

History of Christianity II  (3)

Kevin Mongrain | HCHR 404

On-Campus June 12-16, 2017

This course will examine the development of the Christian tradition, including the expression of seminal doctrines within the Christian church, from the 11th century to the present day. The course will explore the main trends in the development of the institution and primary doctrines of the church within the larger philosophical, social, and political contexts of the second millennium, paying attention to the ways in which the lived experience of Christian peoples informs and shapes its thinking.

Eschatology (3)

Jakob Rinderknecht | DOCT 414 

On-Campus June 19-23, 2017

Students will explore the eschatological dimensions of the Christian experience. This engagement with the Christian hope of eternal life will also attend to the place of Mary in the Church's theology and a theology of the saints.

FIELD EDUCATION 

Clinical Pastoral Education (3)

Barbara Sutton | PTHM 412

Students participate in a basic unit of an accredited Clinical Pastoral Education program.

Practicum/Theological Reflection (1-6)

Barbara Sutton | PTHM 459 01A- 09A

Students work with an organization, project, or parish in the area of their ministerial interest. The supervised experience requires students to integrate theological competence with pastoral practice in developing vocational identity as a public minister, exploring issues of leadership, power and authority; and gaining facility in articulating the Christian faith and in fostering the development of faith with others. Students will reflect on the practice of ministry in theological reflection groups.

  • Class dates: May 19/June 2/June 9/August 4
  • 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon
  • + Three sessions Theological Reflection -- Schedule TBA

FOCUS AREAS:

      • 01A General Parish
      • 02A Religious Education
      • 03A Social Ministry
      • 04A Liturgy
      • 05A Homiletics
      • 06A Pastoral Care
      • 07A Campus Ministry and Young Adult Ministry
      • 09A Ministry on the Margins

LITURGICAL MUSIC

Applied Organ (1)

Kim Kasling | LMUS 407

TBA

Students will develop technical skills and knowledge of performance practices at the graduate level, including the ability to play a large variety of repertoire fluently and with understanding. Major works of significant periods and schools of organ literature will be studied and performed. Secondary organ students will develop sufficient techniques and familiarity with the instrument to play knowledgeably and/or coach others in parish settings.