Taking advantage of a snow day here in Boston to post the second of Tom Schwanda’s two syllabi. The first was posted last week. Here’s the description:
This course traces some of the dominant themes of Christian spirituality. Through biblical, theological, and historical study we will examine how various individuals and movements have experienced and sought to nurture their relationship with the Triune God. Particular attention is paid to developing the skills of discernment for reading primary sources.
As before, copies of the syllabus are available to SSCS members by contacting the moderator.
Tom Schwanda of Wheaton College is making two syllabi available. Here is a description of the first:
Spiritual theology is the practical, experiential exploration into the major themes of Christian theology. It is concerned with both how we think about God and how we live our lives with God and others. Therefore, this course seeks to integrate the principles and practices of doctrine and life. Special attention will be placed upon our experience of God and how we can reflect upon those experiences to deepen our knowledge and love of God and our neighbor.
Copies of this syllabus are available to SSCS members by contacting the moderator. SSCS membership information is available here.
The third syllabus we’ve received comes from Dale M. Schlitt,omi, who teaches at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio , Texas. Titled a Pro-Seminar in Spirituality, it has the following course description:
History and nature of the academic study of spirituality, including a consideration of the role of second order reflection on spiritual experience. Research tools and resources. Approaches, and accompanying methodology considerations, in spirituality studies with the identification of the presuppositions and limitations of such approaches and methodologies. Critical and constructive reading of historical documents. Nature, purpose and writing of a doctoral dissertation. Identification of research subjects of interest to seminar participants and of approaches, with various methodologies, appropriate to those subjects.
Copies of the syllabus are available to SSCS members by contacting the moderator.
Our second syllabus comes from Charles J. Scalise. He describes it as a syllabus for “a course I taught last year to master’s-degree students at both Fuller Northwest in Seattle and Fuller Seminary in Pasadena.” Here is the course description:
This reading seminar seeks to involve students in spiritual reading, historical study, and critical interpretation of diverse classics of Christian spirituality across major historical periods of the Christian movement. Emphasis will be placed upon a blend of spiritual and critical understanding of the common readings and student-chosen spiritual classics. Attention will also be given to the disciplines of regular spiritual reading of Scripture in the history of the church and individual retreat.
Members of the SSCS can get a copy of the syllabus by contacting the moderator.
The first syllabus added to the CSS blog (!), it provides the outline for a course taught by Carla Mae Streeter, OP, professor emerita at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. SSCS members can request copies of the syllabus by sending a request to the blog moderator.
Here’s the course description:
The course is a systematic study of the two-fold foundation of an integrated, incarnational spirituality: the anthropological component and the grace component. Central to the course is the study of conversion in its religious, moral, psychic, and intellectual forms. Grace, Theological and Moral Virtue will be explored, as they engage the human, as well as the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Fruits, Charisms, and the Beatitudes. Religious phenomena of our day, such as the occult, new agism, and fundamentalism will be addressed. Contemporary spiritual writers will be evaluated.
