Religious & Theological Studies
Objectives
- To prepare students to reflect critically on issues of faith, morality, religion, and theology either as the main focus of their college career (as a major) or in conjunction with other studies.
- To serve the particular Mission of Lewis University and its Lasallian principles.
- To be a resource for the University to maintain its Roman Catholic identity while honoring and dialoguing with people of other religious traditions and worldviews.
Program
The Department of Religious and Theological Studies is key to the Mission of Lewis University. Our offerings invite students to consider the questions that confront people in every age and culture. These include questions of God’s existence and life’s meaning, as well as the relationship of humans to one another and to God. A theological approach involves working to understand what one believes ; a religious studies approach explores the nature of religion and a variety of religious traditions within their cultural and social contexts. The sequence of courses acquaints students with foundational considerations and assists them in articulating their own personal questions and responses in light of diverse contemporary faith traditions, paying particular attention to Roman Catholic and Lasallian traditions.
As part of the study of religion (through theological, religious studies, or pastoral lenses), students are afforded opportunities for community engaged learning, preparation for further academic study in and outside the discipline, study abroad, and preparation for service within faith traditions or religiously affiliated nonprofit organizations. Emphasis is placed on developing communication skills, especially in writing, in all courses at all levels.
Among our goals is the inclusion of “(a) the search for an integration of knowledge, (b) a dialogue between faith and reason, (c) an ethical concern, and (d) a theological perspective” as we teach within the discipline (Pope John Paul II, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 15). Furthermore, consistent with the Mission of Lewis University and guided by its Catholic and Lasallian heritage, we attempt to provide “to a diverse student population a liberal and professional education grounded in the interaction of knowledge and fidelity in the search for truth.”
The Department regards its overarching purpose as “public theology,” by which we mean that our work emerges from and engages with our diverse modern lives. The study of religion is both interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse. We seek to connect ideas from many religious traditions with human realities in an informed and analytical manner in order to challenge and deepen thinking on important questions within our contemporary contexts. In so doing, we aim to speak in languages and with arguments persuasive outside of any single religious context and, especially, to speak truth to power, siding with oppressed, marginalized, or excluded persons and communities across the world.
Religious & Theological Studies Requirements for the Majors and Minors
Students in the program for majors study the religious dimension of humanity in its historical and contemporary expressions while investigating theological and religious studies questions in biblical, historical, systematic, and moral approaches to religion. The minor provides students majoring in other disciplines the opportunity to consider core questions and analyses about religion and theology. Students may choose to double major in Religious & Theological Studies and another discipline.
Concentration One, Theological Studies (38 credits), prepares majors for teaching, graduate education, and a number of other career paths. It provides the study of an essential theological core of the various sub-disciplines within theology, including history, scripture studies, church, Christology, and culture.
As an additional pathway within the Theological Studies major concentration, the Department of Religious and Theological Studies and the Department of Education jointly offer a program in Teacher Education for Teaching Theology in Catholic Schools. Candidates are required to major in Religious and Theological Studies, fulfilling the requirements of Concentration One (38 hours), and minor in Education (29 hours), fulfilling the requirements of the Secondary Education in Teaching Theology Minor (see Department of Education section in this catalog). For specific requirements of the Education minor, students should contact the Program Director for Secondary Education in the Department of Education. Also required is a passing score on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) exam. Concentration One provides candidates with the essential theological background required for teaching a range of theological courses in Catholic secondary schools. The Education minor will provide candidates with the pedagogical knowledge, clinical practice, and teaching skills needed to become a successful teacher of theology. This is a non-certified program as the State of Illinois does not certify the teaching of Theology. At the same time, the Secondary Education in Teaching Theology minor provides candidates with the same excellence in instruction offered to all students enrolled in Department of Education programs.
Concentration Two, Pastoral Ministry (38-41 credits), is designed for majors who are considering a career in lay, vowed, or ordained ministry, as well as those interested in religious education and teaching theology. Essential sub-disciplines studied include history, church, social justice, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and spirituality. The study of a world language is strongly recommended for pastoral ministry, and interdisciplinary studies in psychology or education are also recommended as helpful supplements to the concentration. This program also includes courses that incorporate community engaged learning and practical experiences with theological study.
Concentration Three, Religious Studies (38 credits), offers the opportunity for students to explore multiple religious traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, or others. Students engage questions about the public and private roles of religion in society, investigating how religious claims and institutions affect and are affected by the world. Religious Studies offers a method of studying religions, religious beliefs, and religious practices through a variety of interdisciplinary methodologies. Students apply a comparative religious framework to understand, appreciate, and contextualize religious ideas, beliefs, and practices across different cultures and historical periods. Religious Studies also offers approaches that go beyond the comparative method to investigate religious impulses rooted in the universal search for meaning and our shared human needs. This track offers a place to consider the intersection of religion with various aspects of culture, such as: gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, the state, violence, memory, ethics, emotions, politics, economy, power, art, literature, the media, and more.
The Religious & Theological Studies Minor (18 hours) The Religious & Theological Studies minor provides a core introduction to the study of religion through religious studies, theological, or pastoral lenses. A foundational basis is first achieved through required introductory courses to the study of religion and religious scriptures. In-depth topics in history, ethics, spirituality, interfaith, or other domains within the study of religion are then explored further through elective coursework, creating a highly flexible program tailored to each student's academic trajectory. This minor prepares students to critically and authentically engage the intersections of religion with culture, social contexts, or other domains of both knowledge and practice in diverse professional contexts.
Peace & Justice Studies Major (36 credits) and Minor (22 Credits) Peace and Justice Studies is an interdisciplinary program housed in the Department of Religious and Theological Studies through which students can apply knowledge and skills of interfaith and intercultural just peacebuilding to promote the common good and imagine ways to move dialogue and knowledge into action for justice. Students with a Peace and Justice Studies (PJS) Major or Minor will ground themselves in the foundations of justice-seeking and praxis in core courses. By choosing a designed curricular pathway based on specific interests in just peacebuilding , PJS students will select electives from a broad range of courses within partner disciplines of communications, English studies, environmental science, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious and theological studies, social work, sociology, theater, and justice, law and public safety studies. Career opportunities for those who have studied PJS include negotiation, mediation, government office, education, community organization, human rights advocacy, environmental protection, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, international law, equitable development, victim/offender advocacy, restorative justice, and more.
Disability Studies Minor (18 credits) The Disability Studies minor is a program of interdisciplinary coursework and community-engaged learning experiences exploring the construction of normalcy. The minor is sponsored by members of departments across the university and enriched by faculty expertise in many disciplines. Transformative strategies for addressing unjust local and global realities are at the heart of this program which promotes a nuanced understanding of the meanings and consequences of disability in a range of cultural, historical, geographic, socioeconomic, and theological contexts. Students will consider how disability intersects with other categories of identity and what new understandings emerge when the knowledge and experience of disabled people moves from the periphery to the center.