This course offers a critical introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Students will learn about the ancient Near Eastern context of the OT/HB, the history of ancient Israel, the different parts and books within the OT/HB, the processes from oral original to canonical books, different streams of tradition (theologies) within the OT/HB, etc. Evaluation method: classroom participation, several short exams, three short papers.

This course is an introduction to the life, work, and theology of Paul as they are reflected in his seven undisputed epistles in the New Testament and in other related documents within and outside the NT. The course will discuss Paul's life/work and survey his letters in their chronological order. Special attention will be paid to the particular historical circumstances and theological concerns of each letter. The primary mode of inquiry in this course is historical-critical, but hermeneutical questions will also be raised with regard to the application of Pauline theology to current theological issues.

This course is an introduction to the life, work, and theology of Paul as they are reflected in his seven undisputed epistles in the New Testament and in other related documents within and outside the NT. The course will discuss Paul's life/work and survey his letters in their chronological order. Special attention will be paid to the particular historical circumstances and theological concerns of each letter. The primary mode of inquiry in this course is historical-critical, but hermeneutical questions will also be raised with regard to the application of Pauline theology to current theological issues.

This course is the first semester of a two-semester introduction to Christian theology. Beginning with the meaning of religious faith, we move into the "method" question of the relation between divine revelation and the authority of scripture, human reason and experience. From there, we investigate the meaning of "God" using ancient and contemporary Trinitarian theology; feminist theologies; African-American theology; and Asian theologies. We conclude with differing understandings of creation, and God's relationship to human suffering. Three exams (with option of substituting papers for exams).

This course is an introduction to the history of Christianity and historical theology from the second to the seventeenth centuries. The course introduces the continuities and varieties of Christian experience and belief in different times and places across the globe, and the complexity of Christianity's social, cultural, and political entanglements in all these places.

This course is an introduction to the history of Christianity from the Sixteenth century to the present. Topics will include the roles of Christian churches in European colonialism, the impact of expanding cultural networks across the globe on religious knowledge, cultural hybridization; Christianity and the rise of nation-states; the conflict of religion and science; the role of Christianity in slavery and in anti-slavery, suffrage, fascist, and labor movements; the rise and fall of American denominations; and the competition of orthodox and pluralistic theologies.

This course is the second semester of a two-semester introduction to Christian theology. It covers topics ranging from original sin, the person and work of Jesus Christ, including angles from African American, African feminist, and Asian perspectives, and the meaning of our being "saved by grace through faith alone."

This course will explore classics of Christian spirituality from medieval mysticism to the civil rights movement. Emphasis will be placed on careful reading of primary texts. In addition to shorter papers on specific texts, a term paper will be due at the end of the course.