Get
your books from our bookstore and
have them mailed to your
door!
Visit our online bookstore or send an email to mlezak@hartsem.edu.
For more information, call (860) 509-9527.
An asterisk (*) indicates that the course fulfills core area requirements for the Master of Arts program.
Summer Session 2009 Course Schedule
While we will make every effort to hold to this schedule, it is subject to change. Please refer back to this website or to the official semester course brochure for up-to-date information before registering.
AM-691 Church Administration
Bennett- Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-9:00 p.m. from May 26-June 25
This course is designed to probe the ways church and ministries are a business. Topics covered will include techniques for managing and developing a budget, record-keeping, fundraising, supervision of staff, marketing and community relations.
DI-650 Building Abrahamic Partnerships
Landau - May 31-June 7 (intensive schedule, includes some evenings)
This eight-day intensive training program offers a practical foundation for mutual understanding and cooperation among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Participants learn about the tenets and practices of the three faiths, study texts from their respective scriptures together, attend worship at a mosque, synagogue, and church, and acquire pastoral skills useful in interfaith ministry. Combining the academic and the experiential, the course includes ample time for socializing over meals and during breaks. Building on Hartford Seminary’s strengths as an interfaith, dialogical school of practical theology, this team-taught program is a resource for religious leaders who are grounded in their own traditions while open to the faith orientations of other communities. Due to the interfaith nature of this course, we aim for equal representation among each of the three Abrahamic traditions in admitting students to this course.
DI-651 Building Abrahamic Partnerships II
Landau - June 22-26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This course is designed primarily for students who have taken the basic Building Abrahamic Partnerships course. It presumes a familiarity with the beliefs and practices of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and some experience in interfaith dialogue. The focus is on developing practical skills for interfaith leadership, including: facilitating interreligious encounters; compassionate listening and nonbelligerent communication; joint study of sacred texts; designing interreligious worship; and spiritual resources for conflict transformation. Some evenings will be devoted to informal socializing and networking. Prerequisite: DI-650 Building Abrahamic Partnerships or permission of the instructor.
HI-656 Religion and Liberal Democracy in Modern Societies* NEW
Wilmot - June 15-19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This course examines questions related to the relationship between religion and liberal democracy in modern, pluralistic societies. The focus will be on the interplay between faith and public life, theological discourse and political discourse, and religious conceptions of the good versus the liberal emphasis on individual liberty and autonomy. We will also consider some contemporary legal arguments in the United States on issues ranging from prayer in public schools to the funding of faith-based groups to the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. There will be opportunities for Muslims to reflect on similar themes in the Islamic tradition.
(RS-677) Islamic Congregations, Organizations and Movements in the U.S. Context* NEW Monday, June 16 - Friday, June 20, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This course will explore the diversity of Islamic congregations, organizations and movements in the U.S. We will explore demographic data describing the number and size of Muslim congregations and organizations. Students will be given the opportunity to understand the diversity of culture and sect found in Islamic congregations, as well as organizations and movements that emerge from these. Multimedia tools will be used to foster an interactive environment. Challenges related to immigrant communities and their assimilation, differences of sects within Islam will also be discussed. At the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of what makes for a healthy and effective Islamic congregation. This course will also provide an overview of the landscape of American Muslim organizations and movements across the country. Sayyeda Mirza-Jafri, Adjunct Instructor in Religion and Society
RS-686 Megachurches*
Thumma - June 8-12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Imagine a congregation where 10,000 people gather each week for worship, where church budgets are 15 million a year and where thousands of people volunteer for programs weekly. Welcome to the world of megachurches. The past thirty years have seen a proliferation of these massive congregations throughout the nation. There are over 850 of these congregations in the U.S., and while less than half a percent of all congregations, they attract more attention than all other religious communities in the nation combined. This course will look at the phenomenon to understand the common characteristics of megachurches, how they function, why they are attractive. In doing this we will discover what lessons can be learned from them which can be used effectively by churches of all sizes and denominational traditions.
SC-621 The Qur’an and Its Place in Muslim Life and Society*
Staff - June 22-26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
As the sacred scripture of Islam, the Qur’an has primary authority in the way Muslims understand their faith. This course will examine Islamic concepts of the Qur’an as divine revelation and guidance. Major Qur’anic themes will be studied in English translation, with reference to classical and contemporary Muslim commentaries. Attention will be paid to ways in which the Qur’an functions as sacred scripture in Muslim history and contemporary life, examples of which will include Muslim communities in the United States.
SC-660 The Bible and the Habits of the Soul: Psychological Perspectives on Scripture
Rollins - June 1-5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This course is an introduction to psychological studies of scripture, focusing on the contribution of the life and thought of C.G. Jung, but including the contributions of other fields of psychology. The course will also consider the psychological aspects of the newer forms of criticism (e.g. feminist, liberationist, ideological, and contextual/cultural criticism) to our understanding of the Bible and its therapeutic as well as pathogenic effects in the lives of its readers, past and present.
WS-601 Rituals and Responsibilities of Muslim Leaders in America*
Nur Abdullah - June 15-19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This course is designed for Muslim leaders, including Imams and chaplains, who are serving American Muslim communities. The course examines Muslim leaders’ role and responsibilities as well as the proper application and performance of some important areas of Islamic ritual law. Emphasis is on practical application of the law and much of the course is taught in workshop format.
WS-639 Islamic Spirituality*
Staff - June 8-12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This course explores Islamic spirituality by going through mystical interpretations of both the Qur’an and sayings of the Prophet. We will also look at the development of Islamic spiritual thought and practices in history. The course will remain anchored by focusing on important personalities in the mystical tradition of Islam through their literature and poetry.
WS-641 Spirituality in a Quantum Universe*
Winter - June 22-26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
How do we live in a world of chaos, where everything is in flux, and still remain rooted in that which is everlasting? When we are attuned to the song of the universe, when cosmic rhythms resonate within us, shaping who we are and are becoming, we are saint in the making, mystic on the move, experiencing more often and in many more ways the synchronous presence of God-with-us in our everyday lives.
WS-697 Dreams as a Resource for Ministry
Watts - June 15-19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This course will examine the various traditions, both secular and sacred of dream interpretation. Students will understand the significance of dreams and how they connect to daily living consciously and subliminally. The integration of psychological, biblical, theological, and folk wisdom will foster an environment where spiritual perspectives on dream interpretation will flourish. The deeper exploration of dreams is made possible as participants explore their own experience with dreams while seeking deeper level truths. Ultimately, students will be enabled to interpret (in whole or part) dreams and to use this knowledge as a resource within their ministry context.
