Note that all courses can be accessed online for those who are out of state and/or outside the Rochester or Albany areas. For details on our Distance Learning Program, click below.
Distance Learning & Online Education Program
Summer 2021 Courses - Session 1
May 10th - June 25th (Note: our add/drop deadline is May 21st)
ALB (Albany Campus) | BUF (Buffalo Campus) | ROC (Rochester Campus)
(NB: if you're looking to audit one of our summer 2021 courses for free, please select the Online Auditor Application below and click "yes" to the summer audit question on the application. Any difficulties, please feel free to contact our Admissions Director!)
A203 - Christian Scriptures (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
This course will introduce students to the literature, history, and theology of the New Testament. It focuses on key books of the New Testament with a primary focus on Jesus of Nazareth, the four canonical gospels, and the development of early Christianity.
Tuesdays, 5/11, 5/18, 6/1, 6/8, 6/15, 6/22, 6-9 pm EST, | ROC & Online
A411 - Elementary Greek I (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
A thorough and rapid introduction to the forms and grammar of the Greek language, with a focus on examples from the New Testament and Septuagint.
Thursdays, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27, 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24, 6-9 pm EST | ROC & Online
B/C451 - Wounded by Beauty: The Gift of the Life and Thought of Luigi Giussani to the Church and the Modern World (Marco Stango, Ph.D.; Apolonio Latar, S.T.L.)
Msgr. Luigi Giussani was a man, in the words of Joseph Ratzinger, "wounded by the desire for beauty" and "kept the gaze of his life, of his heart, always fixed on Christ." The course introduces the life and thought of the Italian priest, theologian, educator, and Servant of God, Monsignor Luigi Giussani, the founder of the Catholic ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation. By studying Giussani’s famous “PerCorso” trilogy and his other important texts and lectures, the course explores Giussani’s engaging Catholic proposal to the questions of the modern world: What is man? What is freedom? How can we recover a true sense of what we are in a world where it seems that we have lost God and our humanity? Why is it still reasonable to be a Christian today?
Tuesdays, 5/11, 5/18, 5/25, 6/1, 6/8, 6/15, 6/22, 6-9 pm EST | Online
C226- Worship and Sacraments (Rev. Anthony Barratt, PhD.)
An historical, anthropological and theological investigation of Christian worship and sacrament with special attention to the Roman Catholic Sacraments of baptism and Eucharist; historical overview of liturgical practices, texts, and theology from Jewish and Scriptural origins to the 20th-century Vatican II reforms; basic principles of liturgical and sacramental theology; and groundwork for interpreting liturgical documents and ritual texts from pastoral practice, multi/inter-cultural concerns, and ecumenical considerations.
Mondays, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 5-8pm EST | Online
C344: Mary, Mother of God (Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.)
An introduction to Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. The course will explore Mary’s historical, and theological significance from a Catholic perspective, providing an overview of her role in scripture, doctrine, and devotion. Particular attention will be given to dogmatic formulations and artistic expressions over the centuries.
Wednesdays, 5/12, 5/19, 5/26, 6/2, 6/9, 6/16, 6/23, 6:30-9:30 pm EST | BUF & Online
CP641: Philosophy of God (Dr. Matthew Pietropaoli, Ph.D.)
This course concerns the natural ascent of the human mind to a knowledge of the existence and the attributes of God – can God’s existence be proven, and can our language at least begin to represent God’s attributes without falling purely into metaphorical language or simple anthropomorphisms.
Wednesdays, 5/12, 5/19, 5/26, 6/2, 6/9, 6/16, 6/23, 6-9 pm EST | Online
CT671: The Revelation of God: Doctrine, Liturgy, and Sacraments (Catechism 1 and 2)(Anthony Coleman, Ph.D.)
This course introduces us to those teachings that are central to the Catholic Faith as guided by Part One of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Profession of Faith” §§1-1065, and to the liturgical practices and sacraments of the Catholic Faith as guided by Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Celebration of the Christian Mystery” §§1066-1690.
Thursdays, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27, 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24, 6-9 pm EST | Online
D217: Pastoral Care (Ian Buterbaugh, LCSW)
This course is designed as a beginning course in pastoral care and serves as an introduction to understanding its basic principles and methods. The course addresses the traditional and changing definitions of pastoral care and the various issues that have emerged. In the broadest sense, pastoral care includes liturgy, administration, catechesis, as well as visitation and counseling. This course will look at the varying roles for both clergy and laity, while especially focusing on interpersonal skills and effective communication skills, particularly empathy.
Thursdays, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27, 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24, 6-9 pm EST | Online
Summer 2021 Courses - Session 2
June 29th - August 15th (Note: our add/drop deadline is July 9th)
ALB (Albany Campus) | BUF (Buffalo Campus) | ROC (Rochester Campus)
(NB: if you're looking to audit one of our summer 2021 courses for free, please select the Online Auditor Application below and click "yes" to the summer audit question on the application. Any difficulties, please feel free to contact our Admissions Director!)
A/B370: Archaeology and the Bible (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
This course brings together texts from the Bible and archeological remains from the ancient world. We will study the methods archeologists use to interpret artifacts and discuss what role the Bible has had in the framing of archeological questions. We will discover how archeological artifacts can enrich our understanding of the Bible and explore the role of modern politics in archeological debates. The course will focus on a period of over fifteen hundred years, from the Late Bronze Age (1550 BC) through the early Roman period (70 AD), and will cover such matters at stratigraphy, ceramics typology, iconography, sacred space, text materiality, and forgeries in order to build a richer understanding of ancient Israel and early Christianity.
Tuesdays, 6/29, 7/6, 7/13, 7/20, 7/27, 8/3, 8/10, 6-9 pm EST, | BUF & Online
A411 - Elementary Greek II (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
A thorough and rapid introduction to the forms and grammar of the Greek language, with a focus on examples from the New Testament and Septuagint.
Thursdays, 7/1, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12, 6-9 pm EST | ROC & Online
B/C492: Catholicism and Political Imagination: Governance, the Good, and the Crisis of Liberalism (Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.)
What is the nature and scope of the “Catholic political imagination”? How does Catholic teaching relate to political philosophy and governance? This course will engage these questions by way of a theological and philosophical discussion of the relationship between the Catholic intellectual tradition and political philosophy. Major contributions to political philosophy will be considered alongside saints and theologians whose writings pertain to the common good and political governance. Particular attention will be given to reflection upon our own political context and the unfolding debate about the nature of political Liberalism.
Wednesdays, 6/30, 7/7, 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11, 6:30-9:30 pm EST | ROC & Online
CP611: Our Search for Meaning: The Beginning of the Greatest Conversation (Ancient Philosophy) (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)
A survey course from the beginning of philosophy with the pre-Socratics, through Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and ending with the Cynics, Skeptics, Epicureans, Stoics, and Neoplatonism. In particular, those problems posed by Heraclitus, Parmenides, Socrates, and Plato that are important to the philosophical tradition will be considered, Aristotle’s philosophy will be surveyed as a whole, and the themes that are central to post-Aristotelian philosophy will be examined.
Tuesdays, 6/29, 7/6, 7/13, 7/20, 7/27, 8/3, 8/10, 6-9 pm EST | Online
Spring 2021 Courses
January 11th - April 29th (Note: our add/drop deadline is February 5th)
ALB (Albany Campus) | BUF (Buffalo Campus) | ROC (Rochester Campus)
A202: Introduction to Hebrew Scriptures (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
A202 introduces exegetical methodology and theology of the Old Testament. Students will consider the fruits and the assumptions of exegesis, using and examining its methodologies both as helpful tools and as products of a particular era. Hebrew poetry and narrative, ritual and ethical instruction, prophecy, historiography, and novella will be analyzed as literature, and students will also examine the development of traditions within the texts of the canon. Since Sacred Scripture is double-authored, by both man and God, and interpreted in the context of the Catholic Church, A202 will also emphasize the theology of the Old Testament, with a special focus on the People of God, and will present spiritual readings of the Old Testament from the Church Fathers to present.
Every other Tuesday, 1/12, 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/9, 3/23, 4/6, 4/20, 6-9 pm EST | ROC & Online
B/C310: History and Practice of Catholic Social Thought (Sr. Nancy Hawkins, IHM, Ph.D.)
This course examines the development of Catholic Social Teaching from an historical and theological perspective. Students will become familiar with the numerous social documents of the Church, beginning with Rerum Novarum. The content and implications of these documents will be discussed and evaluated. The life and work of Dorothy Day and other key figures in the area of Catholic social teaching will be offered as examples of how we can integrate social teaching in our ministries and spirituality.
Every other Thursday, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25, 4/8, 4/22, 6-9:30 pm EST | ROC & Online
B/C462:
Twentieth-Century Catholic Literary Imagination
(Heather Hughes Huff, M.A.)
Some of the best fiction of the 20th century was written by Catholic authors. In this course we will explore the work of writers like Flannery O'Connor, Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, and Muriel Spark, focusing on the ways faith influenced their portrayal of life in the modern era. We will explore themes of virtue and vice, the startling choice of belief in the bloodiest century in history, and the humor, hope, and challenge these works still bring to contemporary readers.
Every other Wednesday, 1/20, 2/3, 2/17, 3/3, 3/17, 3/31, 4/14, 4/28, 6-9 pm EST | ROC & Online
B/D390: Hellscapes: Geographies of Punishment, Prayer, Penance, and Purgatory
(Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
In this course, we will investigate the theological maps people use to understand various forms of suffering. We will begin in Sacred Scripture by looking at punishments that remove people from places, then examine the shady netherworld in the biblical Lament tradition, and then study the early images of Hell as an after-worldly place of punishment. We will see how these images of hell develop alongside practices of penance and prayer in Christianity, including the role of hell in Christ’s descent and ascent, the theology of Purgatory, Dante’s mapping out the afterlife by combining schemes from Virgil and Thomas Aquinas, and the gnostic contrast in the Mandaic afterworld journey in Diwan Abatur. The course will end with modern post-apocalyptic depictions of punishment, corruption, cities, disasters, and lament using film, literature, and music, including Cormac McCarthy’s On the Road, the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man, and Pope Francis’ pandemic-era Urbi et Orbi. Throughout the course, we will build a theology of suffering, with special attention to the role of punishment, in light of the development of Sacred Tradition.
Mondays, 1/11, 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 6-9 pm EST | ROC & Online
B301: The Gift of Meaning: The History of the Church (Anthony Coleman, Ph.D.)
“All those in history who have really done anything with the future have had their eyes fixed upon the past” (G.K. Chesterton). This course will provide a survey of Church history, tracking the Church of God across time and space from Pentecost to our present day. The course content will privilege a theological approach to history: it will investigate the historical unfolding of the Church’s doctrines, charisms, and spiritualities, and will assess the temporal development of the institutional Church. The investigations undertaken will be accompanied by a determined effort to learn from history for the sake of the present.
Every other Thursday, 1/21, 2/4, 2/18, 3/4, 3/18, 4/8, 4/15, 4/29, 5/13, 6-9 pm EST | ALB & Online
C/D398: Catechesis and the New Evangelization: Content, Method, and Challenges (Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.)
In Catechesi Tradende, Pope St. John Paul II contends that, “the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ…” (§5). Taking this statement as a point of departure, this course explores the nature, content, and method of catechesis. It does so in the context of the call for a New Evangelization, which proposes a renewed emphasis on the Church’s missionary nature and the mission-character of discipleship itself. After addressing the history of catechesis and its sources in Scripture and Tradition, the course will focus upon the Church’s penetrating reflection on catechesis in the 20th and 21st centuries. Attention will be given to present-day challenges, as well as recent catechetical models which attempt to address these challenges. The general aim of the course is to answer two fundamental questions: (1) “what is catechesis?” and (2) “how can catechesis bear fruit in our age?”
Every other Wednesday, 1/13, 1/27, 2/10, 2/24, 3/10, 3/24, 4/7, 4/21, 6:30-9:30 pm EST | ROC & Online
C215: Orientation to Theological Studies (Nancy Hawkins, IHM, Ph.D.)
This course orients students to the various aspects of Catholic theological studies and the way Catholic theology functions in the faith community. Key issues such as faith, revelation, Scripture, tradition, the magisterium, and theological method are explored with an eye to how they are integrated into the entire discipline of theology. The course aims at helping to develop a framework in which to understand how one engages in theological reflection. Specific theological terms will be defined and discussed. This course will use various methods to assist students in the process of learning: lecture, class discussions, group work, use of technology and media, and oral presentations.
Every other Tuesday, 1/19, 2/2, 2/16, 3/2, 3/16, 4/6, 4/13, 4/27, 6-9:30 pm EST | ROC & Online
CP601: Introduction to Catholic Philosophy
(Marco Stango, Ph.D.)
This course centers the student upon the discipline of philosophy as it has been developed and practiced within the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. The methods particular to philosophical investigation will be examined as the philosopher seeks to articulate the nature of wisdom, how it can be attained, and especially incorporated into the entirety of one’s life. The student will understand the differences between philosophy, the sciences, and theology, as well as their respective complementarities, with a focus upon the supportive and illuminative role that philosophy plays in theological education.
Thursdays, 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 6-9 pm EST | ALB & Online
CP631: Metaphysics (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)
This course examines the basic concerns and principles that undergird the whole of reality and guide the way by which we think of the ultimate things to which the mind can aspire: existence, essence, the categories of being, the transcendentals, the analogy of being, and the existence and creative activity of God. This course acts as a capstone study to the whole of philosophy and is preferably engaged upon at the end of one’s certificate/degree studies.
Wednesdays, 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 6-9 pm EST | ALB & Online
D207: Canon Law and Ministerial Leadership (Rev. Peter Mottola, J.C.L.)
An introduction to Canon Law, especially as applicable to parish ministry. A particular focus will be given to the canon law of marriage. In addition to a brief summary of the history and development of Canon Law, and a brief survey of the structure of the Roman Curia, an overview will be given according to the organization of the 1983 Code of Canon Law:
I. General Norms (canons 1–203)
II. The People of God (canons 204–755)
III. The Teaching Function of the Church (canons 756–833)
IV. The Sanctifying Function of the Church (canons 834–1258)
V. The Temporal Goods of the Church (canons 1259–1310)
VI. Sanctions in the Church (canons 1311–1399)
VII. Processes (1400–1752)
The goal of this course is give students an exposure to the basic concepts of canon law and canonical thought, especially as these principles are frequently encountered in parish ministry, and most importantly, an understanding of how it is that the salvation of souls is the supreme law in the Church.
Every other Thursday, 1/21, 2/4, 2/18, 3/4, 3/18, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 6-9 pm EST | ROC & Online
