Course Description:

Religion 209 is an introduction to central issues in Christian theology as seen in the light of feminist critiques and reformulations.  The course will address questions about theological method, about the character of the Bible’s authority, about the content of Christian beliefs about God and Christ, about Christian understandings of human nature as male and female, about the character of sin; and all of these will be viewed from the perspective of feminist critiques of Christian patriarchalism and androcentrism.  The course is intended to provide an opportunity for students to evaluate both traditional, and recent feminist theological positions--to ask about those positions whether they are coherent, faithful to Christian origins, or true.  The course is also intended to provide an opportunity for students to articulate and defend their own theological judgments.

Required Texts:

Anselm.  Cur Deus Homo, in Basic Writings.
Augustine.  Confessions.
Brock, Rita Nakashima.  Journeys By Heart.
Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler.   Bread Not Stone.
McFague, Sallie.  Models of God.
Plaskow and Christ, eds.  Womanspirit Rising.
Ruether, Rosemary Radford.   Sexism and God-Talk.
Photocopied Handouts (Niebuhr, Cannon, Heyward, Soelle).

Course Requirements:

1. Participation in classroom discussion based on regular reading of daily assignments.
2. Responsibility for round table discussions.
3. Essays developed from round table presentation (2 pages).
4. Mid-term Exam
5. Essay (8-10 pages) due on exam day.
 

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