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Summer 2013 Course Schedule

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Course Descriptions (Classes subject to change.)

May 14 - June 5
School of Theology • Seminary Study Abroad - The Holy Land

 SSOT 406 01A - Biblical History and Sites (3) | Michael Patella, OSB

  • This course expands the biblical text by emphasizing the culture, geography, history, archeology, and people of Western Turkey and the Holy Land.  Students and pilgrims will experience the world of sacred scripture in the lands that gave birth to the Bible. (2013 Summer Study Tour Itinerary)

  • Michael Patella, OSB (S.S.L., Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, S.S.D., École biblique etarchéologique française de Jérusalem,  Israel), is Professor of Theology and Rector at Saint John's School of Theology•Seminary.

June 10-14

 LMUS 410 01A - Gregorian Chant I (1) | Anthony Ruff, OSB

  • June 10-11: 9:00-11:30 AM, 1:00-3:30 PM
  • June 12: 9:00-11:30 AM
  • This course is an introduction to Gregorian chant: historical development, notation, rhythm, accompaniment, Latin pronunciation, and its use in the modern liturgy. Some knowledge of the basics of music theory is expected.

LMUS 411 01A - Gregorian Chant II (1) | Anthony Ruff, OSB

  • June 12: 1:00-3:30 PM
  • June 13-14: 9:00-11:30 AM, 1:00-3:30 PM
  • This course is a practical seminar on singing Gregorian chant well. It includes advanced study of early notation (St. Gall and Metz schools) as found in the Graduale Triplex, for the purpose of semiological rhythmic nuance. The course will discuss practical issues of chant performance in the liturgy, such as selection of chants, rehearsal techniques, vocal techniques, and other information.
  • Anthony Ruff, OSB (Th.D., University of Graz, Austria), is Associate Professor of Theology and Founder and Chaplain of the National Catholic Youth Choir at Saint John's School of Theology•Seminary.

June 17-28 and July 29-August 2 (both weeks listed required)

THY 404 01A - Introduction to Christian Tradition I  (3) | Kevin Mongrain

  • June 17-21:  8:00-11:30 AM
  • July 29-August 2:  1:00-4:15 PM 
  • June 17-21 and July 29-August 2 (both weeks listed required)
  • This course is an introductory survey of theology, studying representative texts from the Biblical Era to the Enlightenment (Pre- Christian-1650 AD).  Figures and issues will be situated within the philosophical and theological currents of their time.
  • Kevin Mongrain (PhD,  Yale University)  is Associate Professor and  holds the inaugural Ryan Endowed Chair for Newman Studies at Duquesne University, Pittsburg, PA.

PTHM 459 01A-06A - Practicum (1-6) | Barbara Sutton

  • June 18-22:  8:00-11:15 AM
  • July 23-27:  1:00-4:15 PM
  • June 17 -21 and July 29-August 2 (both weeks listed required)
  • Students work with an organization, project, or parish in their area of ministerial interest.  The supervised experience requires students to integrate theological competence with pastoral practice in developing vocational identity as a public minister, exploring issues of leadership, power, and authority and gaining facility in articulating the Christian faith and in fostering the development f faith in others.  Students will reflect on the practice of ministry in theological reflection groups.
  • Barbara Sutton (DMin, Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity) is Asscoiate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Outreach and Director of Field Education at Saint John's School of Theology•Seminary.

DOCT 406 01A - Christology (3) | Michael Byron

  • June 24-28:  8:00-11:30 AM
  • July 29-August 2:  8:00-11:30 AM 
  • June 24-28 and July 29-August 2 (both weeks listed required)
  • Student examine the nature and structure of the Roman Catholic Church, including its apostolic origins, Church as communion and sacrament, magisterium and authority local and universal Church, evangelization, ministry, and mission.
  • J. Michael Byron (STL, STD, Weston Jesuit School of Theology) is former Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, University of Saint Thomas, Saint Paul, MN and Pastor of Saint Paschal Baylon Parish in Saint Paul, MN.

PTHM 405 01A - Introduction to Theology of Ministry (3) | Barbara Sutton

  • June 24-28:  8:00-11:30 AM
  • July 29-August 2:  8:00-11:30 AM 
  • June 24-28 and July 29-August 2 (both weeks listed required)
  • This course introduces students to the theology of ministry, including historical and contemporary theologies of ordained and lay ministry. Students also explore basic methods in the practice of ministry.
  • Barbara Sutton (DMin, Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity) is Associate Dean of Ministerial Formation and Outreach and Director of Field Education at Saint John's School of Theology•Seminary.

June 17 - July 5

SSNT 420 01A     Pauline Letters (3)  |  Charles Bobertz

  • 8:00-11:15 AM
  • A theological, historical and literary analysis of the Pauline letters, the topics studied may include the conversion and mission of Paul, the historical situation of the Pauline communities, the literary and rhetorical quality of the letters, and major theological themes.
  • Charles Bobertz (PhD, Yale University) is Professor of New Testament and Church History at Saint John’s School of Theology•Seminary.

SPIR 468 01A - Spiritual Guidance:  Theology, Sources, and History (3) | Eileen Flanagan

  • 8:00-11:15 AM
  • This course offers a theologically critical, historically-rooted approach to Christian spiritual guidance, with emphasis on monastic and Benedictine components.  Primary and secondary sources will be consulted and assessed.  Theological implications and ethical challenges for the contemporary practice of ecumenical and interfaith spiritual direction will be addressed.
  • Eileen Flanagan (PhD, Temple University) is Professor of Pastoral and Theological Studies at Neumann University, Aston, PA.

SSOT 468 01A - The Books of Samuel:  History, Poetics, and Theology (3) | Laszlo Simon, OSB

  • 8:00-11:15 AM
  • The books of Samuel treat a crucial period in the history of Ancient Israel - the transition from the period of the judges, represented by the last two judges, Eli and Samuel, to the period of the monarchy, represented by the first two kings, Saul and David. The narrative of these books is a unique combination of historiography, literary poetics and theological perceptions. The course aims at helping students to appreciate the narrative art of the Books of Samuel, to engage the historical-critical study of some selected passages, and to interpret theologically the variegated presentations of King David. The course, after presenting 1-2 Samuel against the backdrop of the Deuteronomistic History, also aims at introducing students to the narrative criticism of the Bible. This approach, which has recently become rather widely applied in biblical exegesis, has also turned out to be a useful complement to the historical-critical method. Narrative criticism is essentially concerned with how the biblical stories make an effect on the reader and how they are constructed. Being an apex of ancient Hebrew literature, 1-2 Samuel are extremely suitable texts for those who want to get acquainted with the ins and outs of this method.
  • Laszlo Simon, OSB (S.T.D., Gregorian University) is Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo, Rome, Italy.

LTGY 424 01A | DOCT 424 01A - Theology of Sacraments and Worship (3) | Kim Belcher

  • 1:00-4:15 PM
  • This course examines the roots of Christian worship in human myth, symbol, ritual, and celebration. Students will study the historical development of sacramental life in the Church and theological reflection upon it. Contemporary approaches to a theology of sacrament, especially in relation to Christology and ecclesiology, will be included.
  • Kimberly Belcher  (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is Assistant Professor of Liturgy at Saint John's School of Theology•Seminary.

June 17-21 

MORL 468 01A - Food and Faith, Hunger and Hope (1 credit) | Bernard Evans

  • 8:00-11:15 AM
  • The Scriptures, early Christian writers and Catholic social teachings all tell us to get busy and feed people who are hungry - this in a world with more than 900 million people suffering from hunger.  So how are we to look at these teachings without drowning ourselves in guilt or in the paralysis that often accompanies a challenge with no clear solution in sight?  This short course looks at these teachings and at the hopeful possibilities before us.
  • Bernard Evans (PhD, The Catholic University of America) is Professor of Theology, holds the Virgil Michel Ecumenical Chair in Rural Social Issues, and serves as Associate Dean for Faculty for Saint John's School of Theology•Seminary.

June 24-28

PTHM 468 01A - Bridges, Hinges and Glue: The Hierarchical Structure of the Catholic Church
DOCT 468 01A - in Theory and Law  (1) | Nancy Bauer, OSB

  • 1:00-4:15 PM
  • Can a pope resign? Which came first - the red birds or the prelates with red hats? What's so particular about a particular church? And what is the glue that holds the church together? In this one-week course, you will learn who, besides the pope, possesses infallibility; why someone needs to raise sheep for the Vatican; and all kinds of stuff about the office of the Roman Pontiff, the Roman curia, conferences of bishops, dioceses and parishes. Some of it is even true. Pay attention. There will be a quiz at the end.
  • Nancy Bauer, OSB (JCD, The Catholic University of America), is former editor of The Saint Cloud Visitor, former Vice-Chancellor of the Diocese of Saint Cloud and former Prioress at Saint Benedict's Monastery, Saint Joseph, MN.  She is currently a freelance writer, photographer, and adjunct instructor at Saint John's School of Theology•Seminary.

July 8 - 26

MONS 468 01A - American Benedictines  (3 ) | Joel Rippinger, OSB

  • 8:00-11:15 AM
  • This course provide a broad narrative of the history of Benedictine life inthe United States for both men and women, concentrating on important figures and central themes in the period from 1846 up to the present day.
  • Joel Rippenger, OSB (STL, Pontifical Ateneo Sant' Anselmo) is Faculty/Staff Chaplain and Instructor at Marmion Academy, Aurora, IL and Retreat Master and Spiritual Director.  

SSNT 468 01A - The Resurrection in the Gospels (3) | Laszlo Simon, OSB

  • 1:00-4:15 PM 
  • Christians claim that the crucified Jesus had been raised from the dead and remains powerfully present in our world. Jesus was crucified and nobody expected the Messiah to be raised from the dead, for the simple reason that nobody in Judaism at the time expected a Messiah who would die, especially who would die shamefully and violently. So, the early Christian worldview represents a startling, fresh mutation within second-Temple Judaism. Nevertheless, when the early Jewish Christians came to believe that God had given Jesus new life, they had a word already available in their vocabulary to communicate this experience and belief. The word was "resurrection", a term and concept drawn from the apocalyptic ideas and literature that developed in postexilic Judaism. Consequently, it is important to clarify the various meanings of "resurrection" in biblical and parabiblical literature. In the Christian movement the belief in resurrection has moved from being a peripheral item of belief, as it is in Judaism, to the center. What did this concept mean for New Testament authors? Resurrection meant something for and about Jesus. If the resurrection, however, meant something for Jesus only, it is difficult to imagine that it would have captured the attention of the early followers of Jesus. But the resurrection of Jesus also means hope for the believers. And in conclusion, in raising Jesus, God is ultimately vindicating God's self. The resurrection of Jesus manifests that "God is a God who refuses to be God without humanity" (K. Barth, The Humanity of God).The course, after a brief analysis of 1 Corinthians 15, will focus on the Easter stories of the four canonical gospels. 
  • Laszlo Simon, OSB (STD, Gregorian University) is Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo, Rome, Italy.  

DOCT 468 02A - Christianity and World Religions (3) | Bradley Malkovsky

  • 8:00-11:15 AM 
  • This course is an introduction to the basic teachings and spiritualities of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.  Historical and theological approaches to determine where they converge and differ from Christianity on such perennial issues as death, meaning, the nature of the ultimate Mystery, the overcoming of suffering etc.  Explore other religions' significance in relation to Christian faith; examine traditional and contemporary Catholic and Protestant approaches to the truth claims of other religions.
  • Bradley Malkovsky (PhD, University of Tübingen) is Associate Professor of Comparative Theology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN.   
LMUS 501 01A - Liturgical Music Seminar (3) | David Jenkins
  • 1:00-4:15 PM
  • Students study the interpretation of music and liturgical theology, including the history of liturgical music; official documents; issues, problems, and positions in liturgical music practice; worship aid evaluation; presentation of music/liturgy plans.
  • David Jenkins (D.M.A. , Eastman School of Music) is Liturgical Music Director at the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity in Saint Paul, MN.
SPIR 468 02A - Early Christian Spiritual Practices for Today (3) | Carmen Maier

  • 1:00-4:15 PM
  • This course invites students to consider early Christian spiritual practices, rooted in the monastic tradition, as applicable to their daily lives and leadership roles. The theological and sociological goals of early Christian asceticism, with these four practices of renunciation with four affirmative counterparts will be covered: silence and careful speech, simplicity and hospitality, chastity and friendship, fasting and feasting.  This course will equip students to investigate spiritual practices in early Christian texts, to evaluate and revise them, and to integrate them into life lived in community.
  • Carmen Maier (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary), is visiting instructor at assorted programs.  Her interests include inquiry into early Christian writings for their potential relevance today.

July 15-19

MONS 468 02A - Monasticism is For the Birds (1) | Nancy Bauer, OSB

  • 1:00-4:15 PM
  • An historical overview of monastics and their relationship to the natural environment. The early notion of monasticism as "paradise restored," the wonderful whimsical stories of monastics' relationships with winged and feathered critters (think of Benedict and the crow), monastics as farmers, today's monastics restoring prairies, etc.
  • Nancy Bauer, OSB (JCD, The Catholic University of America),  is former editor of The Saint Cloud Visitor, former Vice-Chancellor of the Diocese of Saint Cloud and former Prioress at Saint Benedict's Monastery, Saint Joseph, MN.  She is currently a freelance writer, photographer, and adjunct instructor at Saint John's School of Theology•Seminary.

July 22-26

PTHM 468 01A - Exploring Forgiveness (1) | Joyce Zavarich

  • 1:00-4:15 PM
  • Perhaps the most difficult issue we face personally and collectively is: "Can we forgive after harm has been done?" This course in practical theology explores forgiveness as a transformational practice and foundational Christian value and provides an opportunity to examine the concepts and process of forgiveness through the lens of theology, philosophy, and social sciences.  An understanding of the power of forgiveness and healing in terms of intrapersonal, interpersonal and societal/political conflict will be explored. Examples of forgiveness in film and real life cases will focus our discussion.  
  • Joyce Zavarich (D.Min., Episcopal Divinity School), is the Director of the Center for Graduate Pastoral Ministry Education & Internships, Villanova University, Villanova, PA.

June 17 - July 26 -- Arranged Individually

Applied Music

LMUS 407 01A     Applied Organ (1)  |  Kim Kasling

  • TBA
  • Students will develop technical skills and knowledge of performance practices at the graduate level, including the ability to play a large variety of repertoire fluently and with understanding. Major works of significant periods and schools of organ literature will be studied and performed. Secondary organ students will develop sufficient techniques and familiarity with the instrument to play knowledgeably and/or coach others in parish settings.
  • Kim Kasling (A.Mus. D., University of Michigan) is Professor of Music at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict. 

LMUS 408 01A     Applied Voice (1)  |  Carolyn Finley

  • TBA
  • This course covers the fundamentals of singing and vocal pedagogy (breathing, efficient use of voice, diction, etc.) and addresses differing musical styles and the need to interpret the music based on the performance practices of given periods in music history. Voice majors will study and perform significant bodies of solo repertoire. Majors and secondary voice students will emphasize technique and pedagogical skills appropriate to roles as choral directors, section leaders and coaches for cantors/song leaders in parishes.
  • Carolyn Finley (D.M.A. , University of Minnesota) is is Professor of Music at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict. 

LMUS 409 01A     Applied Composition (1)  |  Brian Campbell

  • TBA
  • Individualized coaching in advanced composition of sacred music and music appropriate for liturgical performance. Work in various forms and styles is possible, depending on the needs and interests of individual students. Students should normally have a bachelor’s degree in music or equivalent training and have significant experience in music composition. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor and the liturgical music program director.
  • Brian Campbell (PhD, University of Minnesota) is Associate is Professor of Music at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict. 

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