Theology Concentrations
DSPT students in the MA Theology or Concurrent MA Option, as well as GTU MA students whose home school is DSPT, focus their personal research interests by selecting an area of concentration. Each concentration gathers faculty from both DSPT and GTU so as to provide a focused approach to coursework and research that represent current sub-disciplines within theological inquiry. If you are interested in Religion and Psychology, Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish and Orthodox Christian Studies, you may want to look at the GTU Areas of Study and pursue the GTU Common MA of Theology.
Foundational to Dominican academic formation since its earliest days, Biblical Studies integrates the study of literary, historical and theological aspects of Sacred Scripture, with a view towards both scholarly contribution and application of the texts within the ministry and mission of the church. Students within this concentration follow the example of St. Thomas by developing a mastery of the biblical texts themselves, taking into account their reception within both modern scholarship and the early doctors of the church, and by learning to engage disputed questions in Scripture with fairness, rigor and charity.
Associated faculty: Matthew J. Thomas, DPhil; Robert Holmstedt, Ph.D. (visiting)
Recent course offerings:
- Intro to Sacred Scripture
- Pentateuch and Histories
- Prophets
- Wisdom Literature
- The Gospels
- Pauline Literature
- Acts, Catholic Epistles & Revelation
- Patristic-Medieval Exegesis
- Josephus Seminar
- Christianity from Christ to Constantine
- Intermediate Greek (Reading course): Revelation / Galatians
- Intermediate Greek (Reading course): Romans
In systematic theology, the rationality, order, and coherence of the truth of faith is investigated and expressed. Supported by philosophical reflection, it draws upon Sacred Scripture according to the Catholic tradition. At DSPT, our approach in this discipline is particularly informed by the method and teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas. Encompassing both fundamental and dogmatic theology, systematic theology includes subdisciplines such as Christology, Trinitarian Theology, Pneumatology, Mariology, Ecclesiology, Theological Anthropology, Theology of Creation, Theology of Grace, Sacramental Theology, and Eschatology. Systematic theology helps Christians better understand and communicate their own beliefs, thereby equipping them to engage with other religious traditions more thoughtfully and fruitfully.
Associated faculty: Joe Boenzi, SDB; Michael Dodds, OP; Marianne Farina, CSC; Justin Gable, OP; Michael Glowasky, Ph.D.; Dennis Klein, OP; Edward Krasevac, OP; Bryan Kromholtz, OP; Anselm Ramelow, OP
Recent course offerings:
- Secularism and Faith: Beliefs as more than Therapy
- The One Creator God
- Augustine Through His Sermons
- Historical Development of Christology
- Theology: Nature and MethodThe Seven Councils
- God at Work: Gifts, Graces, & Inspiration
- Truth & Authority in Augustine's City of God
- Sacraments: Eucharist & Orders
- Trinity
- Catherine of Siena on the Self and Self-Knowledge
- God After the Death of God
- Passion of the Western Mind
- Ecclesiology: Foundations
- Theology of Sacraments
- Food Production and Consumption in the Anthropocene
- Charism & Mission
- Theological Phenomenology
- Aquinas on Law, Practical Reason, & Social OrdersGod and Suffering
- Contemporary Christology
- Theological Anthropology
- Christian-Muslim Dialogue
- Ecclesiology: Christian Movements
- Issues In Divine Action
- Theological Movements in The First Half of The 20th Century
- Do We Have Free Will?
- Celebration of the Sacraments
This concentration examines studies the moral life as it is envisioned, lived, and addressed within the more encompassing area of systematic theology. It is studied in conversation with Scripture and tradition, other religious traditions, such as Judaism and Islam, as well as with other disciplines like philosophy, politics, law, and medicine. Through engagement with the most pressing personal and social concerns that shape the moral life, this concentration imparts an overall understanding of the Catholic moral tradition, particularly the tradition of the virtues stemming from Aquinas in the context of his understanding of the relation between grace and nature
Associated faculty: Marianne Farina, CSC; Edward Krasevac, OP
Recent course offerings:
- Confessional Ministry
- Catholic Social Teaching
- Roman Catholic Sexual Ethics
- Fundamental Moral Theology
- St. Thomas' Moral Vision: Reading Course: Christian Virtue
- Biomedical Ethics
- Personhood and Human Rights
- St Thomas On The Cardinal Virtues
This concentration offers intensive study and inquiry into the character of Salesian spirituality, an appreciation of the Salesian educational heritage, and the life and times of the Founder, Don Bosco. It originated as a result of the ongoing cooperation between DSPT and Institute of Salesian Studies (ISS), an affiliate of DSPT which offers a program of study and formative experiences in the tradition of the Salesian Family of St. John Bosco. Critical analysis of the intersections between theological topics and the Salesian charism in contemporary ministerial contexts is at the heart of this concentration.
Associated faculty: Joe Boenzi, SDB; Alejandro Rodriguez, SDB
Recent course offerings:
- Francis de Sales: Sources and Spirit
- Don Bosco's Environment
- Educating for Leadership
- Catholic Education in the Contemporary World
- Salesian Identity and Charism
- Educating from the Heart: Salesian Leadership
- Salesian Youth Ministry and Spirituality
- Salesian Identity And Charism
- Salesian Prayer Styles
A concentration in Thomistic Studies is both historical and systematic. Responsible studies of the Thomistic tradition demand a knowledge of the background and context of St. Thomas’s teachings and an examination of how they have been interpreted and received. Guided by the words of St. Thomas himself, this concentration aims for a wisdom that pertains not only to what is eternal but also to human actions. Its goal is to prepare scholars to engage contemporary issues primarily by drawing upon and applying St. Thomas’s method and thought. Because Thomistic Studies inherently includes the dialogue of faith and reason, this concentration is intended for students in the Concurrent MA Option and provides a solid basis for doctoral work at any institution.
Associated faculty: Michael Dodds, OP; Marianne Farina, CSC; Justin Gable, OP; Bryan Kromholtz, OP; Edward Krasevac, OP; John Hilary Martin, OP; Anselm Ramelow, OP; Michael Glowasky, Ph.D.; Dennis Klein, OP
Recent course offerings:
- Secularism and Faith: Beliefs as more than Therapy
- The One Creator God
- Theology: Nature and Method
- Philosophical Anthropology
- Knowledge of Self and Other
- Aristotelian Logic
- Philosophy of Nature
- Philosophical Ethics
- History of Philosophy: Medieval
- Metaphysics
- Theory of Knowledge
- Fundamental Moral Theology
- Augustine and Aquinas on the Self
- Aquinas's Disputed Questions on Evil
- Medieval Theories of Cognition
- Thomas on Nicomachean Ethics
- Aquinas on Law, Practical Reason, & Social Orders
- St. Thomas' Moral Vision (Reading Course): Christian Virtue
- Aquinas on Law & Social Orders
- Aquinas's Commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics
- 1270/1277 Condemnations
- Thomas Aquinas On Truth
- Do We Have Free Will?
- Thomas on Analogy
- St Thomas On The Cardinal Virtues
- Thomas Aquinas on Politics and Ethnic Activity
The Early Christian Studies concentration bridges the disciplines of New Testament, Patristics, and early Church History, providing students with a well-rounded understanding of the phenomenon of early Christianity within the ancient world. The concentration is designed to cultivate an expertise in i) the New Testament writings themselves; ii) the reception and interpretation of these texts by theologians in the early centuries of the faith, and iii) the beliefs and practices that characterized Christians within their early historical contexts.
Associated faculty: Matthew J. Thomas, DPhil; Michael Glowasky, Ph.D.; Ambrose Sigman, OP; Eugene Ludwig, OFM Cap
Recent course offerings:
- The Corpus Aeropagiticum
- Augustine Through His Sermons
- Historical Development of Christology
- The Seven Councils
- Church History I: 1st c. to 15th c.
- Truth & Authority in Augustine's City of God
- Patristic-Medieval Exegesis
- Augustine and Aquinas on the Self
- Patristics
- Christianity from Christ to Constantine
- The Gospels
- Pauline Literature
- Acts, Catholic Epistles & Revelation