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Courses	Major	Minor	Honors

Courses in The Roberts Department of Christianity

The Roberts Department of Christianity offers the following courses. Not all courses are offered each term or every year. Class schedules, which include the names of the professors of record for each section, are published by the Office of the Registrar twice a year.
 
101. Old Testament (3 hours)
An introduction to the history, literature, and theology of the Old Testament.
 
150. New Testament (3 hours)
An introduction to the history, literature, and theology of the New Testament.
 
210. History of Christianity (3 hours)
An introduction to developments in Christian history from the first century to the present.
 
250. Theological Research and Writing (3 hours)
An introduction to basic theological vocabulary, bibliography, library resources, and research methodologies with a rigorous emphasis on improving writing skills.
 
300. Introduction to Christian Theology (3 hours)
An introduction to the major topics in Christian theology. Issues explored include the nature of theological language and theological methods, the concept of revelation, the character of God, the character of humankind, the reality of sin, the significance of Jesus the Christ, the identity of the church, and the shape of Christian hope.
 
302. Biblical Interpretation (3 hours)
A study of the principles and methods by which the Bible is interpreted.
 
305. Old Testament Prophets (3 hours)
Prerequisite: CHR 101.
A study of the prophets of the Old Testament, including the nature and history of the prophetic movement in Israel and the messages of selected prophets. Emphasis will be given to Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Second Isaiah.
 
310. Jesus (3 hours)
Prerequisite: CHR 150.
An investigation of the Gospels' portraits of Jesus in the light of other ancient literature, the world of Jesus, and scholarship about the Jesus of history.
 
315. Paul (3 hours)
Prerequisite: CHR 150.
A study of the life and thought of Paul based on Acts and the letters of Paul in their literary, historical, social, and religious contexts.
 
320. New Testament Theology (3 hours)
An introduction to the theology of the New Testament.
 
325. Contemporary Christian Theology (3 hours)
A survey of Christian theology in the 20^th century, with emphasis on developments since 1960. Theologians explored include Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, James H. Cone, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Donald Bloesch, Stanley Hauerwas, and selected others.
 
330. Approaches to Christian Ethics (3 hours)
An exploration of Christian ethics that focuses on classic texts drawn from a broad range of church history. Although the course will deal with some specific moral issues, the focus will be on how thinkers have used insights from the Bible, theology, philosophy, the sciences, and human experience to address a range of questions that may include: "What does it mean to be moral?" "Why be moral?" "How do we know what is moral?" "How do we become moral?" "How can we make responsible decisions?"
 
335. Christian Ethics in America (3 hours)
An exploration of Christian ethics that focuses on the implications of Christian faith for life in civil and political society in the United States. The course will engage readings in Christian ethics since the 1960s that address a variety of issues that may include character, race, economic justice, the environment, family/marriage, gender, sexuality, the professions, politics, and violence. The course may also require participation in service-learning opportunities.
 
350. World Religions (3 hours)
An introduction to the thought and practice of the major world religions.
 
353. Religious Groups in America (3 hours)
An examination of the history, theology, and numerical status of various religious groups in contemporary America with primary focus on Christian denominations.
 
363. Women and Christianity (3 hours)
(Same as WGS 363)
A biblical, historical, and theological examination of the role of women within the Christian tradition.
 
365. The Baptist Tradition (3 hours)
A study of the Baptist identity and its free-church character in the light of Baptist history.
 
370. History of Christian Theology (3 hours)
A study of the major Christian thinkers and the impact of their ideas in the development of Christian theology.
 
380. Biblical Hebrew (4 hours)
An extensive introduction to biblical Hebrew, covering grammar, vocabulary, and readings from the Old Testament. The schedule includes a one-hour per week laboratory session. This course does not count toward credit in foreign languages.
 
385. Junior Colloquium (1 hour)
Prerequisite: Junior-level major in the department.
A course of readings and discussion based upon topics selected by members of the department and essays prepared by Senior-level majors in the department.
 
400. Supervised Independent Reading (1-3 hours)
An intensive study of a topic in religion, limited in scope, for the purpose of developing a bibliography, concentrated reading, and tutorial discussion with the instructor.
 
410. Seminar on Selected Topics in Religion (1-3 hours)
An in-depth investigation of a significant topic in religion not available through other departmental offerings.
 
420. Directed Independent Research (3 hours)
Prerequisites: Junior or senior status and departmental approval. Requirements include selection of a problem area or project, survey of relevant literature, research, and formal report of findings.
 
485. Senior Colloquium (2 hours)
Prerequisite: Senior-level major in the department.
A course of readings and discussion based upon topics selected by members of the department and essays prepared by Senior-level majors in the department. Each Senior enrolled will prepare an essay under the direction of a member of the department and present the essay in the class.