Course description:
he course will focus first on the historical background of Paul of Tarsus and the social situation of the early Christian movement.  We will examine the various worlds of Paul - his Jewish background, his Hellenistic training in Philosophy and Rhetoric, and his Greco-Roman political and social world view.  The course will then examine each of the seven authentic letters in their historical context with a focus on the issues of belief and community life that Paul is addressing.  Each letter will be studied for its social background, controlling images, rhetorical features and theological message.  We will look at the place of Paul and his letters in the development of Christian belief and practice, and then consider Paul’s Letters as a resource for the Church today.

As a hybrid-course with only two in-class meetings at each site (Birmingham, Mobile, Jackson), the course material will be presented on-line through articles, PowerPoint Presentations with recorded commentary, Video Presentations and Discussion Boards.  The in-class meetings will provide a chance for the professor to meet with students individually about their own research and papers, and for classroom discussion of the material.  It will provide an opportunity for the professor to develop and explain points in the on-line material that are of interest to the students.  In Mobile the two meeting times will be September 11 and October 16. 

About Dr. Timothy Carmody:
Timothy Carmody has a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from The Catholic University of America.  On the faculty at Spring Hill College since 1989, he just stepped down as Director of Graduate Theology Programs.  He was elected as Vice-President for the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry, to serve as President in 2009-2010.  His areas of specialization are narrative criticism of the Gospels and the Pentateuch, and historical analysis of Early Christianity.  He lectures extensively in the Southeast on topics ranging from the creation stories to the parables and from The DaVinci Code to Fairy Tales.  His first book, Reading the Bible, was published by Paulist Press in 2004, and his second book for Paulist, Mark: Question by Question, is now available.

Textbooks:
· Michael Gorman, Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and his Letters. Eerdmans, 2004.   ISBN: 978-0802839343

· Luke Timothy Johnson,  Reading Romans: A Literary and Theological Commentary. Smyth and Helwys.  2008.   ISBN:  978-1573122764

·    Bible (an academic translation)

Course description:
A graduate-level introduction to the nature, tasks, and methods of theological inquiry. It is intented to assist adult learners as they return to critical academic study. The course will introduce questions concerned with the possibility and form of divine revelation, the relationship between faith and reason, sources for theology, the relationship between scripture and tradition, and the place of reflection and experience in critical inquiry. On a practical level, the course will introduce students to the academic resources, methods of research and writing, logical agrumentation, and styles of documentation utilized by the various branches of theology.

About Dr. John Switzer:
John Switzer is assistant professor of theology at Spring Hill College, and is the director of graduate programs in theology and ministry.  He is also the 2008-2009 Edward B. Moody, S.J., Teacher of the Year.  In 2006 he completed the interdisciplinary Ph.D. in theology and education at Boston College.  His primary areas of interest include historical, comparative, and pastoral theology as well as issues revolving around the challenge of interreligious understanding.  A popular speaker in churches and parishes throughout the southeast, his articles on theological, pastoral, and intercultural issues have appeared in numerous publications, including U.S. Catholic and National Catholic Reporter.  He is the author of two articles in the Encyclopedia of Love in the World Religions published by ABC-CLIO.

About Dr. Joy Blaylock:
Joy Blaylock received her Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from The Catholic University of America in 2003.  She has taught as an adjunct at Catholic University and is an ongoing Adjunct Professor for the Spring Hill Theology program.  She has authored numerous articles for The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of American Catholic Women.  

Course description:
From its inception, the church has manifested itself to the world by coming together for the “breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42). Moreover, the Eucharist can be seen as the “summit and source” of the church’s life (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 10). The purpose of this course will be to use historical and theological analyses to explore the structure, meaning, and wider significance (i.e., ecumenical relationships and moral indices) of the Eucharist, both in the past and in the present.

About Dr. Steve Wilson:
Dr. Steve Wilson is associate professor of theology at Spring Hill.  He received his Ph.D. in Liturgical Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 2001 after earning his Master of Divinity at Duke University.  He teaches liturgical and moral theology at the graduate and undergraduate levels.  “As my father said, I must have liked college so much that I decided to never leave,” Wilson jokingly says. In all seriousness, he adds, “I teach because I have the ability to transform people, and there is no high quite like when the proverbial light bulb goes off and a student understands something he or she did not before.”  Dr. Wilson believes that his main goal as a teacher is to “create an environment in which students can come to experience learning as a fun and rewarding activity.”  Outside the classroom he enjoys weightlifting, endurance sports (cycling and running) SCUBA diving, backpacking and playing guitar.