COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Christian Theology
COURSE NUMBER: THST 198
SECTIONS/TIMES/DAYS: 05 M,W,F 8:00 - 8:50am 06 M,W,F 11:00 - 11:50am
INSTRUCTOR: Cecilia González-Andrieu, PhD.
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
This course is an overview of the development of Christian Theology ( reflection on the relationship between God
and Creation). Viewed principally through the lens of the Catholic tradition the course brings together the words
of Scripture, the faith witness of the arts, and the vital context of the migration and re-embodiment of the
Christian reflection on God’s presence with us in Christ in diverse cultures and contexts. As a community of
inquiry we will look carefully at how the religious experience of Christianity has been interpreted, expressed and
passed on leading to insights about God’s communication with us, our place in Creation, the purposes of being
Church, and the relevance of the Christian witness to the saving mission of Christ to the world.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Acquire familiarity with theological language, key figures and events of the Christian Scriptures, and
some of the major historical moments in the development of the Christian faith.
2. Develop the critical skills to read pivotal texts in the Bible and other sources of the Christian tradition.
3. Build up the capacity to access the richness of the inherited tradition by querying the arts for their
theological importance.
4. Increase an awareness of the universality and relevance of the Christian witness by retrieving
theologically rich reflections (whether written or expressed in other forms) from other cultures and
ecclesial communities.
5. Situate the Catholic tradition within the Christian Church in its diverse expressions, and also in dialogue
with world religions and secular culture.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND: None is required.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. The Bible (any edition is accepted, the New American Bible Student Text Edition is recommended).
2. The Christian Theological Tradition Reader. ed. Catherine A. Cory. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall, 2000. ISBN 0-13-084793-3
3. The Christian Theological Tradition [2nd edition] eds. Catherine A. Cory and David T. Landry.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000. ISBN: 0-13-099167-8
4. The Image of Christ. Finaldi, Gabriele. London [New Haven, Conn.]: National Gallery; Distributed
by Yale University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-300-08365-3
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Be present at every class meeting. Come prepared to have a fruitful dialogue having read all assigned texts and
viewed art and cultural expressions. There will be three short papers, one art/creative project, a midterm exam
and a final examination.