The location of a course is designated below by one of four geographic areas, indicating the location from which the live course is taught. Students who are within commuting distance to that location are encouraged to attend class in person. All courses can be synchronously accessed online for those unable to attend in person or not in commuting distance. All live course times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST). Further details on distance learning can be found here.
Fall 2021 Courses
August 25th - December 16th (Note: our add/drop deadline is September 22nd)
ALB (Albany Campus) | BUF (Buffalo Campus) | ROC (Rochester Campus)
A202: Old Testament (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
Introduction to the Old Testament 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 read spiritual readings of the Old Testament from the Church Fathers to present.
3 credits | ROC and Online
6-9 pm EST | Every other Wednesday: 9/1, 9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 12/1, 12/15
A319: Johannine Literature (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
Johannine Literature guides students in in-depth study of the Gospel of John and the Johannine Epistles. Students will read the Fourth Gospel with Pastristic, medieval, and modern commentators and secondary literature treating its historical, literary, and theological dimensions. They will also compare the Gospel of John with the Synoptics and study its relationship to 1, 2, and 3 John.
3 credits | ROC and Online
6-8:30 pm EST | Every Thursday from 8/26 to 12/16 (no class on 11/25)
B/C410: Patristics: Introduction to the Church Fathers (Siobhan Maloney, S.T.L.)
This is an introductory course on the writings of the Fathers of the Church and their important contribution to the formation of orthodox Christian theology. The focus of the course is to introduce these early Christian theologians as the great teachers of christian doctrine and highlight their contribution through the Fathers’ explanation of the Christian dogma, and their refutation of heresies. Students will study patristic texts arranged historically and through the common classifications of the Fathers. For example, the Apostolic Fathers, the Apologists, the Latin Fathers, the Alexandrians (both the Fathers of Alexandria, such as Clement of Alexandria, and the great teachers such as Saint Athanasius and Saint Cyril of Alexandria), and the Cappadocian Fathers (i.e. St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nazianzus).
3 credits | Online
6:30pm- 8:30pm EST | Every Wednesday from 8/25 to 12/15 (no class on 11/24)
B/C470: Secularism and the Relevance of Belief (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)
“Secularism” is the epochal phenomenon that has determined over the past centuries a progressive emancipation of society and culture from the centrality of religion in general and Christianity in particular. While some tend to interpret secularism as a merely political phenomenon, this course explores the genesis, development, and nature of secularism understood as a broader spiritual attitude of the West, born in modern times and still shaping our minds today. More precisely, the course puts to test the interpretative thesis that the process of secularization of the West began when the Christian experience could not be perceived any longer as the “concrete universal” of Europe. The authors that will be discussed include contemporary theorists of secularization such as Trueman, Benedict XVI, De Lubac, Taylor, Del Noce, Giussani, D.L. Schindler, Schmemann, as well as classics such as Kant, Hegel, Comte, Feuerbach, Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud.
3 credits | ALB and Online
6-8pm EST | Every Tuesday from 8/31 to 12/14
C226: Liturgical and Sacramental Theology (Rev. Peter Van Lieshout, S.T.L.)
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. (Formerly "Worship and Sacraments").
3 credits | ROC and Online
6-10pm EST | Every other Monday: 8/30, 9/13, 9/27, 10/11, 10/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/6
C302: Christology and Trinitarian Theology (Carmina Chapp, Ph.D.)
This course examines and explores the nature of the Christian God as unity and Trinity. It focuses on God’s reality as creator, as redeemer in the person of Jesus who we proclaim the Christ, and as unifier and advocate in the person of the Spirit. Since the very nature of God implies “communion” the social implications of Trinity are a focal point for the course. The work of various theologians will be explored and there will be a focus on the early Ecumenical Councils of the Church. (Formerly "Theology of the Trinity").
3 credits | Online
6-9 pm EST | Every other Wednesday: 8/25, 9/8, 9/22, 10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 11/17, 12/1
CP605: Beyond Deception: Logic and the Freedom of the Mind (Stephen J. Loughlin, Ph.D.)
An examination of the three activities that define reason (Understanding, Judgment, and Discursive Reasoning), and the development and practice of the techniques that perfect them (definition, the judgment of truth and falsity, the manipulation of propositions, and the formation of a sound argument). The course considers the defects that commonly affect sound reasoning (fallacies), the distinction between sound and cogent reasoning (deductive vs. inductive reasoning) and the criteria that govern the difference between the two, and lastly what constitutes Normative Persuasion Dialogue and how such is to be distinguished from other speech acts.
3 credits | ALB and Online
3-6pm EST | Every Tuesday from 8/31 to 12/14
CP651: Philosophical Anthropology (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)
This course investigates the philosophical discussion surrounding the human person. We appeal to the major writers on this subject with an emphasis upon the Socratic, Platonic, Aristotelian, Augustinian, and Thomistic traditions, engaging primary original texts themselves and also their incorporation into modern models of the human person, particularly the personalism of St. John Paul II. Among the aspects considered in this course are the following: what is meant by “body” and “soul”; how has relation that exists between the two been articulated; how do we distinguish and understand the difference between the human person’s animality and his rationality; how do we describe human cognition, choice/free will, the human person’s affective life, and the social and spiritual aspects of our humanity; what is meant by the human person being made to the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27); can it be shown that the human person survives his death?
3 credits | ALB and Online
6-9pm EST | Every other Thursday: 9/2, 9/16, 9/30, 10/14, 10/28, 11/11, 12/2, 12/16
CT673: The Drama of Life in Christ: Action, Contemplation, Communion (Catechism Parts 3 & 4) (Anthony Coleman, Ph.D.)
In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul boldly proclaims: “to live is Christ” (1:21). What does it mean to live life in Christ and for Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6)? This course provides an extended meditation upon the demands of life in Christ through an exploration of (a) the Christian understanding and realization of the moral life as guided by Part Three of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (“Life in Christ” §§1691-2557) and (b) the practice, life, and purpose of Christian prayer as guided by Part Four of the Catechism (“Christian Prayer” §§2558-2865).
4 credits | ALB and Online
6-9pm EST | Every other Thursday: 8/26, 9/9, 9/23, 10/7, 10/21, 11/4, 11/18, 12/9
D211: Discernment and Formation for Ministry (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)
Within the Biblical tradition, God continually speaks to humanity, calling them to the holiness of life. Recognizing the lifelong development of Christian spiritual formation, this course guides the beginning student in the practice and art of spiritual discernment. Based on the great spiritual masters of the Catholic tradition, this course will help those attempting to discern how God calls and to what ministry within the baptized assembly one is called.
3 credits | ROC and Online
6-9pm EST | Every other Tuesday: 9/7, 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16, 11/30, 12/14
D214: Spiritual Formation (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)
This course provides a broad introduction to the ways in which people appropriate the mystery of faith, the process entailed in that appropriation, and overview of the history of that process and the types of experience which have emerged in that history. The students can achieve reflective understanding of their own practice, develop it more consciously and be enabled to appreciate and assist others in this area of ministry.
3 credits | BUF and Online
6-9pm EST | Every other Tuesday: 8/31, 9/14, 9/28, 10/12, 10/26, 11/9, 11/23, 12/7
D218: Issues in Pastoral Care (Jessica Cole, D.Min.)
This course examines a variety of issues surrounding pastoral care and ministry in the parish. We will examine the theology of pastoral ministry, as well as exploring stages of faith development, ministering to Gen Z, family ministry, Eucharistic affiliation, and the current USCCB Strategic Initiatives.
3 credits | Online
6-9pm EST | Every other Wednesday: 9/1, 9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 11/17, 12/8
