UCOR Section Descriptions

Course Description

How does a Christian person respond to the presence of suffering and injustice in the world? The tradition of liberation theology developed to provide tools to respond to this question. This course will explore the biblical and Catholic roots of liberation theology, then look at how it has expanded and adapted beyond its birthplace in Latin America in the 1960s. We will use the "pastoral circle" to engage an experience of injustice or oppression that arouses one's own passion, moving through social analysis, theological reflection, and pastoral planning to discern a personal, practical response.

Course Description

The focus of this course will be on how Catholic theological and spiritual traditions have shaped the way Catholics have engaged with aspects of life in U.S. society, such as education, wealth and poverty, war and peace, work and leisure and the arts and literature.

Course Description

This course will introduce students to some of the primary characteristics of Ignatian spirituality and the ways in which this spiritual heritage has shaped the approach of Jesuits and others to education, the arts, issues of social justice, and interreligious dialogue.

Course Description

Perspectives on Jesus explores Jesus' identity and his meaning for the people of his day as well as in the present. We will try to understand what drew people to Jesus and why he has continued to inspire so many even today. To do this, we will begin with the Christology of the New Testament but will move into how Jesus' identity and significance are interpreted in more recent theological reflection and in artistic representations. We will give attention to the influences of culture and gender on how people interpret Jesus' identity and meaning and consider the social justice implications of these views.

Course Description

Perspectives on Jesus explores Jesus' identity and his meaning for the people of his day as well as in the present. We will try to understand what drew people to Jesus and why he has continued to inspire so many even today. To do this, we will begin with the Christology of the New Testament but will move into how Jesus' identity and significance are interpreted in more recent theological reflection and in artistic representations. We will give attention to the influences of culture and gender on how people interpret Jesus' identity and meaning and consider the social justice implications of these views.

Course Description

How do my theological beliefs and disbeliefs relate to my life in society? What does it mean to live a "moral life" in a world of exquisite beauty that also is brutalized by racism, a soul-shattering gap between rich and poor, gender inequity, and "ecocide"? What is my vision for a more just, compassionate, and sustainable world? In what God or ultimate reality do I disbelieve? In what God or ultimate reality do I believe? Where do I find hope and moral power? Students will explore these and other questions through the lens of Christian theological social ethics.

Course Description

This course helps students understand the influence of Christian theologies both in reinforcing and in resisting systemic racism, whiteness, and white supremacy. Special attention is given to Black and POC perspectives in contemporary theological thought.

Course Description

Through the lens of Ferguson Uprising, this course argues that BLM is a rejection of the popular myth of King and the Civil Rights movement and an extension of the tradition of Black Liberation Theology. A careful re-reading of Martin Luther King offers both a corrective to a mythological narrative and sets the stage for critical assessment of a contemporary social movements and theological reflection. Both BLM and MLK will be viewed through the work of womanist and Black Liberation Theology.

Course Description

This course is designed for students who are wary about religious faith and self-identify as atheists and agnostics, as well as those of any faith tradition who wish to become more knowledgeable and articulate about why they believe in God. Drawing upon the resources of the Catholic tradition, it will examine the challenges posed by the privileging of the epistemology of the natural sciences and the reality of evil and suffering. The Catholic emphasis on the compatibility of faith and reason explicitly undergirds this exploration.

Course Description

This course will introduce students to some of the primary characteristics of Ignatian spirituality and the ways in which this spiritual heritage has shaped the approach of Jesuits and others to education, the arts, issues of social justice, and interreligious dialogue.