CONCENTRATIONS FOR THE MAJOR
Students in the primary or secondary major are required to choose a concentration as part of their studies. A concentration gives shape and focus to the major and allows students to tailor the program to their specific educational and professional goals.
A concentration is a cluster of elective courses organized around a field of inquiry or an independent topic of your creation. It allows you to define your specific theological and religious interests by carefully choosing what courses you take as your electives. Courses from other departments may count towards your concentration, thus enabling you to make your concentration interdisciplinary.
In some concentrations, two elective courses outside the TRS Department may be in a classical language (Latin or Greek) or a critical language (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Russian). They need the Undergraduate Program Director's prior approval.
This concentration is chiefly designed to give you a sense of the range and diversity in theological studies and permits you to discern the relevance of Christian theology for your life and values.
Primary majors must take one elective course in each of the following fields of inquiry for a total of five courses.
- Biblical Texts and Topics
- Historical Theology, History of Christianity, and Augustinian Studies
- Fundamental, Systematic, and Sacramental Theology
- Christian Ethics
- Christian Spirituality
Secondary majors must take one elective course in each of the following fields of inquiry for a total of four courses:
- Biblical Texts and Topics
- Historical Theology, History of Christianity, and Augustinian Studies
- Fundamental, Systematic, and Sacramental Theology
- Christian Ethics or Christian Spirituality
This concentration engages topics in systematic, fundamental and sacramental theology, theology and culture, philosophical theology, and philosophy of religion. The primary major requires five electives and the secondary major requires four electives.
This concentration focuses on biblical texts, topics, and traditions and the sacred texts of, and topics in, non-Christian traditions. The primary major requires five electives and the secondary major requires four electives.
This concentration focuses on historical theology, history of the Christianity, and Augustinian studies. The primary major requires five electives and the secondary major requires four electives.
This concentration is designed to accommodate the interests and career goals of students with broad interests that cannot be satisfied within one of the other concentrations. Students clearly articulate educational and career goals in consultation with the director of undergraduate programs, and then choose elective courses consistent with these goals. Students may concentrate in one particular field of inquiry or pursue an overarching theme or cross-disciplinary interests. The primary major requires five electives and the secondary major requires four electives.
This concentration encourages students to understand those whose values and senses of the sacred differ from our own. The primary major requires five electives and the secondary major requires four electives in Christianity and the non-Christian religions of the Middle East, South, Southeast and East Asia.
This concentration engages questions of Christian living from biblical, ethical, peace and justice, social, and Catholic Social Thought perspectives. The primary major requires five electives and the secondary major requires four electives.
This concentration engages the faith–culture relationship from diverse perspectives: faith and science; religion, media, and literature; science and religion; religion and society; and theology and culture. The primary major requires five electives and the secondary major requires four electives.
This concentration focuses on spirituality, contemplation, and mindfulness studies. The primary major requires five electives and the secondary major requires four electives.