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Xavier University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 2023-2024
Theology, B.A.
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Theology is the study both of the human experience of God and of the transmission of that experience through religious traditions, doctrines, ethics, and rituals. It is essentially a dialogue between religious traditions and human experience. Such dialogue is critical for human understanding in a time of increased encounters among world religions. The theology faculty attempts to assist students in this critical dialogue through courses about religious traditions, especially the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, and by other courses that focus on contemporary issues from a theological perspective. The theology major prepares students for graduate studies in theology, law, history, journalism, and other forms of communication, as well as for directing religious education, teaching religious studies in secondary schools, and other forms of ministry. With appropriate counseling, a student can combine this major in the liberal arts with a major in another field (e.g. classics, business, biology, English, history, psychology, secondary education), both for the student’s personal enrichment and in view of broader career opportunities.
Undergraduates who attend Xavier University have a unique opportunity to begin work towards their master’s degree during their undergraduate programming. The 5-year path, concluding with both the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees, provides a focused, cost-effective way for our most qualified undergraduate students to prepare for a broad variety of professional careers in the service of faith and the promotion of justice in a diverse and pluralistic world.
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Requirements for the Theology Major
Core Curriculum Requirements:
48 credit hours, including
Theology Requirement:
- Included within the major.
Major Requirements:
31 credit hours, as follows
12 hours of foundational courses:
3 hours of a common seminar:
1 hour of a theological project:
15 hours of a required concentration:
Christian Life and Community
In this concentration, majors choose one course from each of the following categories:
- Scripture: The biblical course must be from the testament not chosen as the foundational biblical course.
- Historical Theology: The historical course must be from the period not chosen as the foundational historical course.
- Perspectives on God and the Human Person
- Spirituality
- Community & Christian Practice
Contemporary Ethical and Religious Challenges
In this concentration, students take THEO 386, Spirituality and Solidarity, and four additional courses from the following categories:
- One course from Scripture: The biblical course must be from the testament not chosen as the foundational biblical course.
- One course in interreligious dialogue or non-Christian religious tradition.
- Any two theology courses from an approved list of courses giving substantive attention to contemporary ethical challenges or to contemporary religious challenges.
Interfaith Concentration
The Interfaith Concentration offers theology majors an educational experience that prepares them for becoming global citizens by equipping them with conceptual and practical tools to analyze and engage a religiously pluralistic world and to create meaningful and transformative lives. A particular focus is a deep understanding of the impact of the Abrahamic traditions upon contemporary civilization and culture. This concentration would be particularly beneficial for students preparing for campus ministry, as they provide formation in interreligious literacy and collaboration.
Students will take:
- THEO 363: Comparative Theology (required)
- Two courses from this required category. One course must deal substantively with Judaism; one other course must deal substantively with Islam:
- THEO 283: Jewish-Christian Dialogue
- THEO 347: Holocaust, Religion and Ethics
- THEO 352: Judaism: Customs, Practices and Beliefs
- THEO 354: Race, Gender, and Islam
- THEO 355: Introduction to Islam
- THEO 357 Islamic Philosophy and Theology
- THEO 376 Sufism
- HIST 262 Jewish Civilization II
- HIST 263 Jewish Civilization III
- Two elective courses that have substantive content concerning non-Christian religions or interreligious/interfaith encounters:
- THEO 335 African Religions
- THEO 342 World Religions
- THEO 343 Dialogue Among World Religions
- THEO 359 Confucianism and Taoism
- THEO 368 Buddhism
- THEO 374 Buddhist-Christian Exploration
- THEO 442 Seminar in Israel
- THEO 444 World Religions and Environment
Build Your Own Concentration
In this concentration, students, together with the student’s faculty adviser and with the approval of the chair, choose a coherent course of studies comprised of five courses, in addition to the foundational courses that every major completes. This option is available only to students who have demonstrated high academic performance and seriousness of purpose in the foundational theology courses. Normally, the student may not choose this option before the completion of at least three of the foundational courses.
Note(s):
- A 2.000 cumulative average must be attained in the theology courses.
TOTAL Minimum Hours Required for Degree: 120 Semester Hours
B.A. Theology
This block serves as a guideline for progress toward a degree. See your academic advisor. First Semester
- ENGL 101 - English Composition or ENGL 115 - Rhetoric
- First Year Seminar (CORE 100) (3)
- Second Language 1 (3)
- General Elective (3)
- General Elective (3)
Total (15)
Second Semester
- THEO 111 - Theological Foundations
- Second Language 2 (3)
- Historical Perspectives (3)
- General Elective (3)
- General Elective (3)
Total (15)
First Semester
- THEO 209 - Exploring the Christian Past I or THEO 351 - Intro to Hebrew Scriptures
- First Theology course in chosen concentration
- PHIL 100 - Ethics as Intro to Philosophy
- Mathematical Perspectives (3)
- Creative Perspectives (3)
Total (15)
Second Semester
- THEO 210 - Exploring the Christian Past II or THEO 328 - Intro to Christian Scriptures
- Second Theology course in chosen concentration
- Philosophical Perspectives (3)
- Scientific Perspectives (3)
- General Elective (3)
Total (15)
First Semester
- THEO 303 - Christian Ethics: Methods & Questions
- THEO 295 - Map to Theological Diversity
- Literature 205 - Literature & Moral Imagination
- Natural Sciences Elective (3)
- Oral Communications Flag**
Total (15)
Second Semester
- Third Theology course in chosen concentration
- Fourth Thology course in chosen concentration
- Diversity Core Requirement (DCR) Flag*
- Social Sciences Elective
- Humanities Elective (3)***
Total (15)
First Semester
- THEO 490 - Senior Project (1)
- Fifth Theology course in chosen concentration
- E/RS Flag (3)
- Writing-Intensive Flag (3)**
- Quantitative Reasoning Flag (3)**
- General Elective
Total (16)
Second Semester
- General Elective (3)
- General Elective (3)
- General Elective (3)
- General Elective (3)
- General Elective (2 or 3)
Total (14 or 15)
Note(s):
- * Any course in the THEO 200s sequence may fulfill the Theological Perspectives core requirement.
- ** The five flags (E/RS, Oral Communications, Writing-Intensive, Diversity Core Requirement, Quantitative Reasoning) can double-count liberally with major and core.
- *** Any course in the THEO 300s or 400s sequence may fulfill the Humanities Elective or Theological Perspectives core requirement. The Humanities Elective may not double count as an E/RS flag (though may be an E/RS flagged course).
Scheduling Notes:
- Consult the “Undergraduate Core Curriculum ” requirements of the Catalog.
- E/RS Focus Elective requirement may be used to satisfy another element of the core.
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