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Cannon Chapel

Candler School of Theology

 

Master of Divinity (MDiv) Concentrations

Formation and Witness

The concentration in Formation and Witness is designed to allow students to explore in greater depth issues of Christian formation, mission, and public witness as matters of both personal and ecclesial practice.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Requirements: Upon selecting the Formation and Witness concentration the student will select among the following:

  1. One of the following courses:
    • RE 501 Religious Education as Formation and Transformation, or
    • RE 601/RP 601 The Dynamics of Identity and Faith.
  2. At least one course on the history, theology, or psychology of Christian formation:
    • CH 614 Reforming the Church and the People
    • CH 616 Pietism: The Development of Modern Piety
    • CH 640 History of Clergy and Their Office
    • CH 645 History of Ministry in America
    • CH 656 Eastern Christianity
    • CH 661The Black Church
    • CH 698 Dividing Community: Race, Doctrine, and Identity in America (or its equivalent)
    • ES 660 Moral Perspectives in the Black Church
    • HT 609 Theology and the Christian Life in the Early Church
    • HT 629 Mystical Theology
    • RP 649 Psychology of Moral Development and Education
    • RP 653William James: Psychology, Religion and Ethics
    • SR 621 Howard Thurman:Spirituality and Community
    • ST 672 Trinitarian Praxis: The Trinity, The Person,and the Christian Life
    • ST 698 Sex, Sin and Salvation: The Christian Doctrine of the Human Person (or its equivalent).
  3. At least one course on the practice of Christian formation:
    • CC 698 Community Ministries as Religious Education (or its equivalent)
    • EV 501 Enabling an Evangelizing Church
    • EV 511 Seminar: Issues in Renewal and Revitalization of the Church
    • EV 621 Theology of Evangelism
    • LA 503 Leading the Congregation
    • RE 530G or H The Congregation as Educator
    • RE 605Dynamics of Difference
    • SR 619 Congregation in Context
    • SR 635 Christian Communalism in America.
  4. At least one course in Missions (M) or Preaching (other than P 501).

Leadership in Church and Community

The mission of the concentration in Leadership in Church and Community is to form students in the analytic frameworks, critical perspectives, practices, skills, and practical theological patterns of reflection necessary for effective leadership in contemporary churches and community organizations.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Requirements: Upon selecting the Leadership in Church and Community concentration the student will choose among the following:

  1. Nonprofit Leadership and Management:
    • CC 645 Nonprofit Leadership and Management
    • SR 625 The Church and Institutional Life
    • CC 698 Philanthropy,Fundraising, Charitable Choice
    • Regulation of Nonprofit Organizations (Emory Law School)
    • Leading People and Organizations (Emory Business School)
    • Ethics for Leaders (Emory Business School)
    • Principled Leadership (Emory Business School)
    • Entrepreneurial Leadership (Emory Business School)
    • Introduction to Nonprofit Sector (Georgia State University)
    • Nonprofit Leadership and Management (Georgia State University)
    • Fundraising for Voluntary Nonprofit Organizations (Georgia State University)
    • Urban Policy Arena (Georgia State University)
    • Urban Policy Planning(Georgia State University)
    • Managing Through Public-Private Partnerships (Georgia State University).
  2. Congregational Leadership:
    • CH 640 History of Clergy and Their Office
    • CH 645History of Ministry in American
    • LA 501 Introduction to Religious Leadership and Administration
    • LA 503 Leading the Congregation
    • LA 505 Leading the Small Membership Church
    • LA 515 The Theology and Ministerial Practice of Priesthood:Leadership in the Community of Faith
    • LA 521 Administration, Leadership, and Stewardship
    • LA 612 Leadership and Administration in Black Church Traditions
    • LA 613 Women in Religious Leadership and Administration
    • P 620 Prophetic Voices for a New Century
    • Leadership and Church Systems (McAfee School of Theology)
    • Christian Education Administration and Leadership Development(Interdenominational Theological Center)
    • Leadership, Learning and Ministry in the21st Century (Columbia Theological Seminary).
  3. Community Leadership and Social Transformation:
    • CC 501 Church and Community Ministries
    • CC 502 Church and Community Leadership
    • CC 511 Urban Ministries
    • CC 519 Nonviolent Strategies for Social Change
    • CC 525 Faith and Health: Transforming Communities
    • CC 602 The Church and Public Policy
    • CC 655 The Church and the Border
    • ES 661 Christianity and Politics
    • ES 669 Theology and Ethics of Reconciliation
    • ES 698 International Human Rights
    • M 650 Faith Based Care for International Communities of Health
    • PC 610 Crisis Ministry
    • OT 670 The Bible and the Care of the Earth
    • RE 698 Community Ministries as Religious Education
    • RE 623Spirituality and Liberative Pedagogy
    • SR 635 Christian Communalism in America;Understanding Urban Mission (McAfee School of Theology); Church Involvement in Community Life (Interdenominational Theological Center); Religious Leadership and Community Organizations (Interdenominational Theological Center); Advanced Leadership Seminar (Interdenominational Theological Center).

Religion, Health and Science

The concentration in Religion, Health and Science seeks to provide students with greater depth of reflection on the relationship between faith communities and the sciences, especially the health sciences. In particular, it explores issues of social justice within the church, as well as in the larger society.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Requirements: Upon selecting the Religion, Health and Science concentration the student will select among the following:

  1. The student must take one of the required seminars: CC 698 Faith and Health: Transforming Communities, or Religious and Cultural Literacy for Health and Healing.
  2. The student must take at least one of the following courses:
    • BSHE 563 AIDS:Public Health Implications
    • BSHE 565 Violence as a Public Health Problem
    • BSHE 567 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Identities and Public Health
    • BSHE 572 Health Care Issues in Minority Populations
    • PC 698Understanding Religion and Health in the Context of HIV
    • WS 385 Women,Health and Development.
  3. The student must take at least one of the following courses:
    • BSHE 504 Social Behavior in Public Health
    • BSHE 578 Ethics in Public Health
    • ENVS 329/REL 329 Religion and Ecology
    • ENVS 350 Environmental Thought: Ethics,Philosophy and Issues
    • ES 642 Ecological Ethics
    • ES 651 Biomedical Ethics
    • ES 652 Health Care Ethics: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
    • GH 507 Health as Social Justice
    • GH 508 Health and Human Rights
    • GH 557 Global Health:Anthropological Perspectives
    • REL 385R Religion, Health and Healing
    • ST 698 Natural Science and the Doctrine of Creation.
  4. The student must take at least one of the following courses:
    • BSHE 577 The Role of Faith Communities in Health Care
    • M 650 Faith-Based Care for International Communities of Health (or its equivalent)
    • OT 670 The Bible and the Care of the Earth
    • PC 603 Pastoral Genetics
    • PC 610 Crisis Ministry
    • PC640 Pastoral Care of Women
    • PC 650 Global Perspectives in Pastoral Care
    • PC 670E Pastoral Care in Trauma and Loss (or its equivalent)
    • REL 323Death and Dying.

Religion and Race

The concentration in Religion and Race seeks to provide students with greater depth of reflection on the history, construction, expression, and influence of race and ethnicity in our modern world.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Requirements: Upon selection of the Religion and Race concentration, the student will select among the following:

  1. At least one course on the history of race:
    • AAS 190 History of African American Education*
    • CH 661 The Black Church
    • HIST 362 History of the Caribbean*
    • HIST 566 African Historiographies*
    • HIST 585 20th Century Black Experience*
    • LAS 270 Cultures of Latin America*
    • M 698 The Church in Latin America (or its equivalent)
    • ST 660 Black Religion and Culture
    • or another appropriate course.
  2. At least one course on the construction of race:
    • ANT 585-001 Brazil: Race and Ethnicity*
    • CC 698 The Theologies and Ecclesiologies of Brazil
    • ILA 790 Theorizing Diaspora (or its equivalent)*
    • SR 621 Howard Thurman:Spirituality and Commentary
    • ST 620/ES 620 Black Theology and Ethics
    • ST 636 Contemporary African Theology
    • ST 639 Third World Theologies
    • ST 651 Theologies of Hope and Liberation (or its equivalent)
    • ST 659Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr.
    • WS 585 Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Post-Colonial Africa (or its equivalent)*
    • or another appropriate course.
  3. At least two courses on the expression and influence of race:
    • AAS 190African American Poetry: The Black Arts Movement to Hip Hop*
    • AAS 247/ SOC 247 Racial and Ethnic Relations*
    • AAS 385 Black Music: Culture,Commerce, and Racial Imagination*
    • BI 617 African American Biblical Interpretation
    • CM 620 Music and Worship in the Black Church
    • ES 625Sexuality in the Black Church
    • ES 628 The Civil Rights Movement and the Black Consciousness Movement
    • ES 629 Religious and Ethical Perspectives on the Civil Rights Movement
    • ES 660 Moral Perspectives on the Black Church
    • LA 612 Leadership and Administration in Black Church Traditions
    • LAS 490RSWR Caribbean Women Writers*
    • M 698Race, the Church, and Ministries of Reconciliation (or its equivalent)
    • P 620 Prophetic Voices for a New Century
    • P 631 Contemporary Black Preaching
    • PC 650 Global Perspectives on Pastoral Care
    • RE 530H The Congregation as Educator: The Black Church Experience
    • RE 605Dynamics of Difference
    • SR 607 Morality in American Life
    • SR 632 The Black Church as Social Institution
    • or another appropriate course.

Students are required to take at least one course in a department or unit of Emory University outside of the Candler School of Theology. (*denotes courses outside of Candler.)

Scripture and Interpretation

The concentration in Scripture and Interpretation seeks to provide students with additional depth and proficiencies in the interpretation, teaching, proclamation, or context of the Bible.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Foundational Courses: OT 501 Interpretation of the Old Testament I, OT 502Interpretation of the Old Testament II, NT 501 Interpretation of the New Testament I, and NT 502 Interpretation of the New Testament II.

Requirements: Upon selection of the Scripture and Interpretation concentration

  1. The student will be required to choose between two language options: full language instruction in either Greek or Hebrew (6 hours), or lexical language instruction in Greek and Hebrew (4 hours).
  2. The student will choose to take at least two of the following: a) an exegetical course (a close reading of a single text); b) a synthetic, integrative, or thematic course (comparative reading across texts); or c) a hermeneutical or contextual course (appropriating texts for a particular setting).
  3. The student may also choose to take BI 601 History of Biblical Interpretation,BI 603 Ancient Judaism, BI 698 Issues in Biblical Interpretation, or another appropriate course to fulfill the concentration requirement.

The student who chooses the lexical language option is required to make one additional course selection from items 2 or 3 above. Exegetical course examples: NT 601 Matthew, NT 602 Mark, NT 603 Luke, OT 601Genesis, OT 605 Deuteronomy, OT 616 Job, or a similar course.

Synthetic course examples: NT 605 Studying the Synoptics, NT 625 Theology of Paul,NT 639 Sexuality in the New Testament, OT 615 Wisdom Literature, OT 628 The Apocalyptic Imagination, OT 659 Texts of Terror, or a similar course.

Hermeneutical course examples: BI 615 Feminist Interpretation of the New Testament,BI 617 African American Biblical Interpretation, NT 540 Teaching the Bible, NT 647Preaching the Parables, NT 649 Bible and Sermon, OT 670 The Bible and the Care of the Earth, OT 698 Men and Women in the Bible, or a similar course.

Note: Courses that fulfill the Contextual Education Elective (CEE) and Gender, Race,and Ethnicity (GRE) requirements also count toward fulfillment of this concentration.

Society and Personality

The concentration in Society and Personality explores the personal and social dynamics of religious experience, practice, and community with keen attention to their felt meaning, cultural expression, and institutional embodiment. Through psychological,sociological, and cultural inquiry, it enables students to engage and interpret faith lived out in love and work and public witness, in local churches, national denominations, and global movements, across the lines of gender, race, generation, and nation.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Requirements: Upon selection of the Society and Personality concentration, the student will complete at least one course (3 hours) in Religion and Personality (RP), at least one course in Sociology of Religion (SR), at least one course in World Religions (WR), and a fourth course from either RP, SR, or WR. (With the approval of the concentration director, the fourth course also may be taken outside of Area III or outside of Candler if the academic work addresses the central scholarly concerns of the concentration. Courses offered in the Graduate School in areas such as anthropology, sociology,psychology, and religion require doctoral level academic work. Students must obtain instructors' permission, and along with that of the concentration director, to enroll in such courses.)

Current courses offered in the RP/SR/WR curriculum include:

  1. Religion and Personality courses:
    • RP 601 Dynamics of Identity and Faith
    • RP 649 Psychology of Moral Development and Education
    • RP 651 Shame, Guilt,and Reconciliation
    • RP 653 William James: Psychology, Religion, Ethics
    • RP 655 Psychology of Adult Development and Generativity
    • RP 658 Classic Readings in the Psychology of Religion
    • RP 698 Studies in Religion and Personality.
  2. Sociology of Religion courses:
    • SR 601 Sociology of Religion; SR 603 Religion in American Society
    • SR 605 Contemporary American Religion and Politics
    • SR 606 Religious Pluralism in Atlanta
    • SR 607 Morality in American Life
    • SR611 Religion and Aging
    • SR 612 Disability Studies in Religion
    • SR 613 Gender in American Religion
    • SR 619 Congregation in Context
    • SR 621 Howard Thurman: Spirituality and Community
    • SR 624 Nonviolent Strategies of Social Change
    • SR 625 The Church and Institutional Life
    • SR 632 The Black Church as Social Institution
    • SR 635 Christian Communalism in America
    • SR 636 The Church in the Public Square
    • SR 658 Readings in the Sociology of Religion
    • SR 667 Morality in Society
    • SR 698 Issues in Sociology of Religion:Understanding Religion and Health in the Context of HIV.
  3. World Religions courses:
    • WR 510 Introduction to Judaism
    • WR 603/BI 603Ancient Judaism in the Mediterranean Diaspora
    • WR 609 Introduction to Islam
    • WR 610 Buddhist-Christian Dialogue
    • WR 698 Studies in World Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam
    • WR 698 Rastafari Religion.

Theology and the Arts

The Theology and the Arts concentration involves theological reflection on and critical engagement with musical, visual, and literary arts.

Number of hours: 15 (minimum)

Requirements: Upon selection of the Theology and the Arts concentration, the student will fulfill the following requirements:

  1. The core seminar on Theology and the Arts.
  2. May choose from among the following Candler course offerings:
    • OT 617 The Psalms
    • OT 698 The Old Testament and its Artistic Interpreters
    • OT 698Through the Museum with the Bible
    • OT 698 The Decalogue and Film
    • P 626Preacher as Theologian
    • RE 698 Theology and Education: Religious Education through Fiction
    • ST 691 Comparative Theologies and Literature
    • CM 610 Congregational Song
    • CM 615 Music for Pastors
    • CM 620 Music and Worship in the Black Church
    • W 642 Writing Liturgical Texts
    • W 648 Women Hymn Writers.
  3. May choose from among the following Emory course offerings:
    • ARTHIST 470Defying Death: Art and Afterlife in Ancient Rome
    • ARTHIST 719 Controlling the Cosmos: Kingship in Ancient Egypt
    • ARTHIST 729 Architecture and Ritual in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace
    • ARTHIST 739 Medieval Art as Text for the Illiterate
    • ARTHIST 739 A Puzzling Mirror: The Image of God in Medieval Art
    • ENG 357WR Southern Literature
    • ENG 389R Special Topics in Literature: Reading Alice Walker
    • ENG 387R/REL 387R Literature and Religion
    • ENG 389RWR Special Topics: West African Fiction and Film
    • ENG389RWR Special Topics: Literature and Psychology: On Going Mad in America
    • FILM 405 Experimental/Avant Garde Cinema: Gender and Sexuality in Experimental Film
    • FILM 392S Genre Studies: The Western
    • FILM 373African American Women and Cinematic Representations.
  4. May choose from among the following School of Music course offerings:
    • MUS 511 Choral Literature I*
    • MUS 512 Choral Literature II*
    • MUS 516Improvisation and Service Playing*
    • MUS 528 Organ Literature*
    • MUS 536Organ Construction and Design*
    • MUS 541 Vocal Pedagogy*
    • MUS 572RSpecial Topics in Choral Literature*
    • MUS 590A and B Sacred Music Colloquy.*

(* Courses in the School of Music require faculty approval.)

Theology and Ethics

The concentration in Theology and Ethics seeks to provide students with an opportunity to explore the ways in which theology and ethics inform each other as complementary disciplines oriented to critical reflection on the proper shape of Christian faith and practice in the world.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Foundational Requirements: ES 501 Christian Ethics and CT 503 Introduction to Systematic Theology. It is recognized that students will generally not have completed both these courses when they enroll in the concentration. The concentration is designed with the expectation that some concentration requirements can be fulfilled prior to or concurrently with completion of ES501 and CT 503.

Requirements: In order to complete the Theology and Ethics concentration, students will fulfill the following course requirements (in addition to ES 501 and CT 503).

  1. One of the following courses in theology:
    • HT 672 Contemporary Roman Catholic Theology
    • ST 607 Doctrine of God — Women's Voices Past and Present
    • ST 620 Black Theology and Ethics
    • ST 636 Contemporary African Theology
    • ST 639 Third World Theologies
    • ST 641 Christology and Ethics
    • ST 651 Theologies of Hope and Liberation
    • ST 653 Christology in Feminist, Womanist, and Mujerista Theologies
    • ST 672 Trinitarian Praxis: The Trinity, The Person, and the Christian Life
    • ST 681 Sex, Sin and Salvation:The Christian Doctrine of the Human Person
    • ST 698 Introduction to Feminist Theology
    • ST 698 Ecclesiology: The Church and the Public Square
    • ST 698 Justification and Justice
    • ST 698 Natural Science and the Doctrine of Creation
    • ST 698 Introduction to Womanist Theology
    • ST 698 Introduction to Womanist Theological Anthropology
    • ST 698 Process Theology
    • and ST 698 Teaching with Authority(?): Scripture, the Church, and Congregational Self-Understanding.
  2. One of the following courses in Christian ethics:
    • ES 620 Theology and Ethics
    • ES 621Christian Sexual Ethics
    • ES 624 Christian Feminist Ethics
    • ES 625 Sexuality in the Black Church
    • ES 629 Religious and Ethical Perspectives on the Civil Rights Movement
    • ES641 Christology and Ethics
    • ES 642 Ecological Ethics
    • ES 649 Morality of Peace and War
    • ES 651 Biomedical Ethics
    • ES 652 Healthcare Ethics: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
    • ES 660 Moral Perspectives in the Black Church
    • ES 661 Christianity and Politics
    • ES 669 Theology of Ethics and Reconciliation
    • ES 698 Issues in Christian Ethics
    • and ES 649/RP 649 Psychology of Moral Development and Education.
  3. Either one additional course in theology or ethics from those listed in 1 or 2 above, or one of the following:
    • ES 618/HT 618 Ethics of Aquinas
    • HT 623 Theology of Augustine
    • HT 625 Theology of Thomas Aquinas
    • HT 627 Theology of Luther
    • HT 741 John Wesley's Theology
    • ST 616 Theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher
    • ST 647 Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
    • ST 656 Theology of Jürgen Moltmann
    • ST 659 Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr.
    • ES 615 John Wesley's Ethics
    • ES 630 Kierkegaard as Religious Ethicist
    • and SR 621 Howard Thurman: Spirituality and Community.
  4. ST/ES 698 Theology and Ethics in Conversation, the concentration's capstone course.

With the approval of the concentration coordinator, students may substitute a directed study course for any one of the requirements of 1, 2, or 3 above. Contextual Education Electives (CEE) of any of the above-listed courses also fulfill the requirements of the concentration.

Traditions of the Church

The Traditions of the Church concentration will allow students to reflect on aspects of Christian tradition and history in a focused way. It will allow students to develop historical and denominational interests with some explicit attention given to interpretative and methodological questions.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Foundational Requirements: CT 501 History of Christian Thought I and CT 502 History of Christian Thought II.

Requirements: Students concentrating in Traditions of the Church may choose three courses relating to the Church's history and tradition identified below and must complete a capstone seminar that includes explicit reflection on methodology and historiography.

Three courses in addition to the capstone seminar are required to complete this concentration. These include courses with the CH and HT numbers. Many ST courses count as well, including but not limited to: ST 616 Theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher;, ST 631 Christian initiation:Baptism, Confirmation, and Renewal; ST 634 Foundations of Christian Spirituality: Theology and Prayer; ST 647 Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer; and ST 659 Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Courses outside of Area II can also count toward fulfilling this concentration. These include: BI601 History of Biblical Interpretation: ES 628 The Civil Rights and the Black Consciousness Movements; ES 630 Kierkegaard as Religious Ethicist; ES 690 Comparative Legal History; SR621 Howard Thurman; SR 635 Christian Communalism; BI 603/WR 603 Ancient Judaism; EV625 Evangelism and the Camp Meeting Movements in North America; RE 525 Prophetic Pioneers in Religious Education; and DS 522 Systematic Theology in Baptist Perspective.

Additional courses may qualify with a term paper or major project that focuses on an historical aspect: M 698H Global Church in God's Mission; P 642 Women and Preaching; and ST 627 Theology of Church and Sacraments upon application to the concentration coordinator and explanation of the project.

Relevant courses relating to the traditions of the Church elsewhere in the university, especially but not limited to the Law School, History Department, and Art History are also eligible as long as they meet Candler requirements for graduate work and receive the approval of the concentration coordinator.

One directed study can be counted toward concentration fulfillment with the approval of the concentration coordinator.

Introductory denominational studies courses do not count toward the fulfillment of this concentration: DS 511-513 Methodism; DS 521 Baptist Traditions; DS 561 Disciples History and Polity, and similar courses. Courses beyond the introductory level do fulfill the concentration requirement, including those offered at ITC and Columbia through the ATA.

Women and Religion

The concentration in Women and Religion explores issues regarding women and Christianity, to be introduced to issues emerging from women in other religious traditions, and to gain introductory proficiency in one form of gender analysis. Unlike the certificate in Women, Theology, and Ministry (WTM), this concentration does not contain a programmatic component. Students in this concentration, however, should be aware that courses that qualify for the WTM certificate at Candler will also qualify for the concentration, and are not limited to the courses listed below.

Number of hours: 12 (minimum)

Requirements: Upon selecting the Women and Religion concentration the student will select among the following:

  1. At least two courses on the history of women or feminist theory:
    • AAS 385Reading Alice Walker
    • BI 605 Feminist Biblical Interpretation (or NT 632Feminist Interpretation of the New Testament)
    • BI 617 African American Biblical Interpretation
    • CH 615 Women in Radical Protestantism
    • ES 624Christian Feminist Ethics
    • SR 613 Gender in American Religion
    • ST 653Christology in Feminist, Womanist, and Mujerista Theologies
    • ST 698Introduction to Feminist Theology or Sex, Sin and Salvation: The Christian Doctrine of the Human Person
    • WS 585 Race, Gender and Visual Culture (or its equivalent)
    • WTM 503 Global Feminisms and Christian Theology.
  2. At least one course on a topic related to women or gender identity and culture:
    • BSHE 567 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Identities and Public Health
    • ES 625 Sexuality in the Black Church
    • ES 660 Moral Perspectives in the Black Church
    • NT 639 Sexuality in the New Testament
    • REL 328 Women, Religion, and Ethnography
    • SR 607 Morality in American Life
    • WS 385 Women, Health and Development
    • WS 585 Caribbean Women Writers (or its equivalent).
  3. At least one course on the expression or influence of women in a religious context:
    • LA 613 Women in Religious Leadership and Administration
    • P 620Prophetic Voices for a New Century
    • P 631 Contemporary Black Preaching
    • P 642 Women and Preaching
    • PC 605 Pastoral Care of Marriage and Family
    • PC 640 Pastoral Care of Women
    • RE 525 Prophetic Pioneers in Religious Education
    • RE 605 Dynamics of Difference.

 

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