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RELIGIOUS STUDIES
The associate’s degree requires two courses from each of the areas and two electives. Two Religious Studies courses are required of all students as part of the Core Curriculum; moreover, a Core Curriculum course in ethics is chosen from either Philosophy or Religious Studies.
RELIGIOUS STUDIES Chairperson:
Thomas Forsthoefel, Ph.D.
FACULTY Professors: Thomas Forsthoefel, Ph.D.; Mary Hembrow Snyder, Ph.D. Associate Professor: Daniel McFee, Ph.D. Assistant Professors: Verna Ehret, Ph.D.; Richard McCarty, Ph.D.; Robert vonThaden, Ph.D. Instructor: Mr. Caesar Montevecchio, MTS Adjunct Faculty: Rev. Michael Allison, M.Div.; Gregory Baker, M.A.; Edward Curtin, M.A.; Rev. James Piszker, M.Div.; Christine Brotherson, M.S., MTS; Irene Lucas, M.A.; Peter Riefstahl, M.Div. Mercyhurst College understands the academic study of religion as an important discipline within the overall humanities curriculum. Religious experience and inquiry are taken seriously in the Mercy educational tradition because they are integral to the human quest for meaning and value. The Religious Studies Department respects the religious freedom of its students who are encouraged to think creatively and critically about religious and theological questions. The spirit of ecumenical and interfaith openness is a characteristic of both Mercyhurst College and the religious studies department. The College affirms its Roman Catholic heritage and identity while also honoring and studying other religious traditions. The department also fosters awareness of justice issues that emerge within religious traditions and our global society. The department offers a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, consisting of ten courses, a Religious Studies minor, consisting of six. A 2.5 GPA is required of all seeking a major, minor or associate degree from this department. The study of a foreign language is highly encouraged for all students in this major. At Mercyhurst the Religious Studies program is organized into these principal areas: biblical-historical, systematic-ethical, and comparative-cultural. The Religious Studies major requires at least two courses from each of the three areas and four electives. The Religious Studies minor requires one course from each of the three areas and any other three electives from those areas. Among the ten or six courses for majors or minors, students in their junior or senior years are required to take RLST 480 Seminar in Religious Studies, the capstone course of the program.
RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND MINOR Biblical-Historical Rlst 110 Understanding Scripture Rlst 190 Western Christian Heritage Rlst 205 Western Christian Heritage Rlst 210 NewTestament Rlst 240 Christian Spiritual Traditions Rlst 270 Women and Scripture Rlst 280 Prophetic Tradition Rlst 290 Wisdom Literature Rlst 310 Religion, Modernity & Postmodernity Rlst 320 American Religious Thought Systematic-Ethical Rlst 200 Contemporary Moral Issues Rlst 255 Religious Perspectives on Human Relationships Rlst 260 Catholic Symbols and Sacraments Rlst 275 Liberation Religion & Society Rlst 300 Science and Religion Rlst 345 Philosophy of Religion Rlst 375 Religion and the Environment Rlst 380 Christology Rlst 405 Social Ethics Rlst 440 Peace and Justice Comparative-Cultural Rlst 100 Religious Person and Traditions Rlst 250 Eastern Philosophy Rlst 285 World Religions Rlst 330 Hinduism Rlst 360 Buddhism Rlst 370 Islam Rlst 385 Poetry of the Sacred Rlst 420 Mysticism
SECOND YEAR EVALUATION
At the end of two years, each major/minor student’s progress is reviewed to determine continuation in the program. Special attention is paid to an ongoing commitment to intellectual growth and to the maintenance of the 2.5 GPA minimum requirement. A formal request for delay of this review into the third year requires special permission from the department director.
WRITING TO LEARN
Courses in Religious Studies feature writing and the development of writing skills as a constitutive part of the program. All courses require essays, papers, critiques and give the opportunity for revisions and for consultation with faculty for improving critical writing skills.
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS Rlst/Rled 100. RELIGIOUS PERSON AND TRADITIONS In the interest of religious literacy, students explore various ways of being religious in both Eastern and Western religious traditions. The course examines the beliefs, symbols and behaviors central to these traditions. Concepts of faith development, religion, and theology are considered. 3 credits. Rlst/Rled 110. UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE A survey is made of Jewish and Christian Scriptures. Special attention is paid to the multiplicity of voices in the biblical texts and the continuation of biblical storylines outside of the biblical canon may be explored. The latest findings of biblical scholarship will be used to illuminate the tests under investigation.This course presumes very little knowledge of scripture. 3 credits. Rlst/Rled 200. CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES Course explores moral issues both personal and social, in light of Christian Scriptures, tradition, and human experience. A Roman Catholic perspective on these issues is emphasized. 3 credits. Rlst 205. WESTERN CHRISTIAN HERITAGE This course examines the impact of significant Christian thinkers on Western culture. As we will see, the development of a Western Christian heritage was neither monolithic nor predetermined. It is rather the historical result of argument and debate among a plurality of voices throughout the centuries. We will explore the influence these voices have on the way various contemporary Christians groups conceptualize theology and authority. 3 credits. Rlst 210. NEW TESTAMENT This course studies the biblical traditions and texts of the Christian Scriptures as products of particular historical and cultural faith communities, and as literary and theological documents. 3 credits. Rlst 245. CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS This course presents an overview of the development of the spirituality in the Christian West by examining the major movements and trends from the post-apostolic era until the present. 3 credits. Rlst/Phil 250. EASTERN PHILOSOPHY This course examines various traditions of Indian philosophy, specifically the ‘orthodox’ schools (the socalled “six views”) and their Buddhist counterpoints. Our concern will be the methods, presuppositions, arguments, and goals in Indian reflection on the nature of the human person (philosophical anthropology), the nature of reality (metaphysics), and the nature and process of knowing (epistemology). The goals of this course include showing the traditions of systematic, critical thinking in India and highlighting, where appropriate, their significant parallels to Western philosophical thought. 3 credits. Rlst 255. RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON Human Relationships This course will examine the many ways Christianity has interpreted the dynamics of marriage and family. The course will begin with a historical survey of marriage and family and then move to contemporary questions related to family life and marriage.
2010-2011 Mercyhurst College Course Catalog • www.mercyhurst.edu