Courses in Christianity & Culture

A study of Christian worship which includes biblical principles for worship, the historical development of liturgy, cultural dynamics in contemporary worship, and explores the rich and varied resources with the ecumenical Christian community. Themes to be studied include praise and lament, confession and proclamation, use of the lectionary, sacraments, liturgical dance, the use of art in worship, the relationship of worship and justice, and more. There will be a strong emphasis on the music of worship. Students will have an opportunity to attend various worship services as well plan, lead, and participate in worship. This course meets the senior level foundation theology requirement only for students with music as their major/first concentration. Same as THEO 376

This course is a close study of selected biblical theological themes and their social-ethical implications for contemporary society. Themes investigated may include Christian political responsibility, war and peace, gender and sexuality, environmental stewardship, etc.

Using case studies taken from film, television, music, and other media, this course will examine the presentation of religion and religious topics in popular culture as well as how popular cultural texts and practices have influenced the beliefs, structures, and practices of religious groups. In addition, the economics and ethics of popular culture will receive some attention.

Through studies of the histories, sacred texts and practices of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, native Canadian and tribal religions, students will gain some understanding of the variety and complexity of living religious traditions in the modern world. Attention will be paid to the current debate on religious pluralism and Christian claims about the person and work of Jesus Christ in this context.

Monstrous creatures, zombies and aliens, global catastrophes and a doomed earth...the language of apocalyptic is everywhere: in movies and TV shows, video games, and popular literature. Some of this language draws on scripture, imagining a violent end to a sinful and rebellious creation. But is this all there is to apocalyptic - which has also been called "the mother of theology"? What is the "end" that apocalyptic speaks of? Can it be used constructively to speak hopefully about a creation in bondage but under promise? This course will examine the origins of biblical apocalyptic, its social and historical contexts, and its way of viewing the world. Specific study will be made of the books of Daniel and Revelation, with an eye to recovering apocalyptic for protest against injustice, for cultural engagement and for creational transformation.

This course will address the experience of evil in our world by examining the biblical literature about evil and its relation to the central biblical confession of a good creation. How did biblical authors respond to the experience of evil in their day? How did their responses relate to the cultural climate of their times? The course will then survey prominent theological and philosophical options for thinking about evil today. Finally it will struggle to articulate a faithfully Christian response to the reality of evil in our time.

Just as within contemporary philosophy there is a new interest in the meaning of theology for political life, so within contemporary theology there is a new engagement of the political as mapped within the discourse and practices of the historic church. This course will explore this engagement, examining the retrieval of classical and medieval sources into a post-modern context, African and Latin American liberation theologies, and European and American political theologies.

This course will present historical background to and engagement with selected themes and theologians of importance in contemporary Christian discussion, with special emphasis on North American theology. Topics may include feminist theology; evangelicalism, post-liberalism, and post-modernism; and current trinitarian theology, represented by contemporary theologians.

What about "other religions"? This course engages issues that are raised by the encounter of the Christian faith with other religions. We explore biblical and theological perspectives on the reality of multiple religions, addressing such questions as revelation, truth, pluralism, salvation, mission, tolerance and politics.

This course is intended for students in their senior year of study and will focus on the dialogue between scientific and other ways of knowing. Topics will be drawn from Physics, Theology and Sociology that will illuminate such motivating questions as 1) How can Science and Theology engage in a conversation of mutual understanding and transformation? 2) How, or in what ways, has science changed our ideas about what it means to be human? and 3) Given these changes, how then ought we to live our lives?

A study of Christian worship which includes biblical principles for worship, the historical development of liturgy, cultural dynamics in contemporary worship, and explores the rich and varied resources with the ecumenical Christian community. Themes to be studied include praise and lament, confession and proclamation, use of the lectionary, sacraments, liturgical dance, the use of art in worship, the relationship of worship and justice, and more. There will be a strong emphasis on the music of worship. Students will have an opportunity to attend various worship services as well plan, lead, and participate in worship.

An examination of the nature of ethics, the relationship between the Bible and Christian ethics, several biblical concepts determinative for Christian ethics and ethical issues in areas such as politics, business, law, medicine and personal decision-making.

An inquiry into selected philosophical issues concerning religion such as the presuppositions underlying various accounts of the origin of religion, the relationships among faith, reason and revelation, the possibility of giving a rational defense of religious belief, and such topics as the problem of evil, immortality and the supernatural.

An examination of the theory, methods and substance of sociology. The course also gives an overview of the major systems of thought vis-a-vis questions about social order, social change and social institutions.

A critical examination of mass media as a cultural and institutional phenomenon. Examining film, television, print and electronic media, and popular music in the context of culture, major social institutions and everyday life.

This course will examine the complex interrelationship between culture, the artist and society. The course will evaluate the tension linking the creative individual to his or her society.

This course examines simplicity at the individual, community, and societal scales, emphasizing its contributions to environmental sustainability, social justice, community vitality, personal well-being, and spiritual health. It considers how overconsumption, as an individual practice and a societal norm, contributes to environmental degradation, social inequality, and personal lack of wellness. Practices of simplicity as alternative value systems and lifeways are explored, highlighting in particular the opportunities and limitations of movements such as Voluntary Simplicity, Minimalism, etc.

This course examines the rise of Christian social and political movements within Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions since the French Revolution (1789). It explores the context in which these movements arose, their distinctive ideas and strategies, as well as the practical changes to the establishment they advocated. Attention will be given to movements such as the British anti-slavery movement, faith-based schools, Christian democracy, American civil rights movement, liberation theology, Bonhoeffer & the Confessing Church, and creation care.

An examination of some recent figures and movements in continental philosophy. Attention is given to philosophers such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Gadamer, Ricouer, Adorno, Habermas, Foucault and Derrida as well as to movements such as phenomenology, existentialism, philosophical hermeneutics, neo-Marxism, structuralism and post-structuralism. Attempts are made to discover historical connections not only among various philosophies but also between those philosophies and selected developments in the arts, the sciences and European society.

A critical examination of the nature of morality by means of an analysis of classical and contemporary texts. Questions examined include: What is the nature of moral judgment? How are moral decisions justified? What is the relationship between virtue and moral behavior? What is the relationship between happiness and moral duty? Why be moral at all?

An inquiry into selected philosophical issues concerning religion such as the presuppositions underlying various accounts of the origin of religion, the relationships among faith, reason and revelation, the possibility of giving a rational defense of religious belief, and such topics as the problem of evil, immortality and the supernatural.

This course will explore the history of World Christianity since 1500, focussing on Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Among other subjects, we will analyze missionary movements and cross-cultural encounters in the Global South and the growth of charismatic and Pentecostal Christianities.

This course seeks to examine various aspects of the religious culture of British North America and Canada from the 18th century to the present. It will consist of a combination of lectures by the instructor and seminar discussions based on extensive readings in the most recent literature. Among the topics to be considered are Protestant-Catholic relations, evangelicalism, ultramontanism, the Victorian crisis of belief, the social gospel, secularization, fundamentalism, and popular religious culture. Readings in English, Scottish, Irish and American religious history are intended to provide a transatlantic and comparative perspective on the Canadian scene.

This course will examine the relationship between film and literature by studying films that have been adapted from literary texts. Like literature, films are narratives that can be examined and discussed using similar methodologies. However, film has its own distinct techniques and terminology. This course will augment our understanding of both art forms, as well as their complementary themes such as identity, memory, and violence.

What creative strategies have women used historically to get their writing published? What does gender matter when one is writing or reading a text? This course explores both a history of women and the printed word and a reflection on contemporary issues: genre, authorship, canonicity and tradition, material production of texts, and relations to feminist thought. By reading a wide selection of texts -devotional works, polemical essays, diary entries, poems, "serious" novels and "chick lit" - this course considers women's writing today in the context of the women who came before.

Tracing our literary landscape reveals that contemporary Canada is constantly changing. Through voices in poetry and prose in English, this course explores our shifting national and regional identities from the contemporary (post-1970) period forward by investigating literary questions of historical and cultural significance.

Arthur of Britain has figured in legend from the 6th Century to the present day. What accounts for this enduring appeal and influence? In our quest for an answer, this course traces the growth of Arthurian legend, or a specific theme within it, from its medieval roots to its contemporary realization.

This is an applied writing course about news journalism in a variety of media, its function as business, art, and public service, and how the character of "The News" changes with new technology and social media. It examines what is included and excluded from "The News" and the impact of those choices on news consumers. Interviewing, journalistic ethics, liability, writing news stories and opinion pieces, and critical reflection on the role of "The News" in society will all be introduced. Media professionals in news-related careers will present. Students will contribute to the King's student newspaper.