MICHAEL
UNIVERSITY
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Religious Studies -
Homiletics
The Doctorate Program in Religious Studies - Homiletics has been created to prepare
someone to become a professor of religious studies. It also provides the ability to bring a
deep and theoretically sophisticated understanding of religion and its influences to
other professions
This program has been designed to address the needs of practitioners by linking theory
to the best practices of religious studies. It provides all students, regardless of
background, with a strong foundation in methods and theories, as well as insight into
the history of the concept of religion. These courses prepare students to teach
introductory courses in Religious Studies and to facilitate informed conversations
between religious and non-religious people of all kinds, so as to raise the level of public
discourse on topics of religion.
Curriculum:
- Person, Community, and Religious Life
The Person, Community, and Religious Life (PCRL) Course of Study provides
opportunities to explore basic questions of religious practice that occur at the
intersection of religious and social science studies of persons, communities, and cultural
systems.
- Theological Studies
Theological Studies provides an introduction to the rich theological traditions of
Christianity, covering the history, belief, practice, and implications of Christian theology
from the early church to the present day. You will explore ways in which Christianity is
being expressed and lived out today in different areas of the world, and you will learn
about the distinctive challenges to faith presented by modern secular culture and, as
importantly, how Christian theology engages with these challenges.
- Methods and Theories in the Study of Religion
This course will expose students to fundamental theoretical and methodological issues
in the academic study of religion.
In addition to familiarizing students with a variety of approaches to understanding
religion (as a social phenomenon, an “experience,” and a body of lived practices), the
course gives attention to the construction of the category of “religion,” ethical issues
involved in the study of religion, and issues and topics (gender, secularism, pluralism,
postcolonialism, etc.) profoundly affecting our changing understanding of religion
today.
Required Text:
Nine Theories of Religion by Daniel Pals. Oxford
University Press; 3rd edition (September 8, 2014)
Berger, Peter L. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a
Sociological Theory of Religion. New York: Anchor
Books, 1990 [1969].
Recommended Texts:
Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of
Religious Life. Trans. Carol Cosman. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2008 [2001].
Freud, Sigmund. The Future of an Illusion. Trans.
James Strachey. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 1961.
- Theories and Processes of Organizations
The course focuses on the key processes of organizational design: charter the design
process; assess the current state of the business; and design the new organization. This
course also emphasizes the applications of organization theory in topics that are
essential to organizational success, including strategy implementation, innovation,
organizational structure and culture, change management, and power and influence.
Required Texts:
Miles, J. A. (2014). New Directions in Management and Organization
Theory. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
- Teaching & Public Engagement on Topics of Religion
Through this course you will use the tools of social science to understand how religion
shows up in public life, both in the United States and around the globe. Despite many
predictions that religion would gradually fade away at the dawn of modernity, scholars
have documented the remarkable persistence, or even growth, of religion around the
world.
Required Texts:
The Cambridge Handbook of Service Learning and Community
Engagement. Ch2- Religion and Civic Engagement
- Leadership to Shape the Future
This course aims to increase your awareness of Leading Self and prepare you to embark
on a journey of self-discovery, assessment, and reflection. In highly dynamic and
complex contexts, leaders’ decision making requires profound judgment that is
anchored in strength of character.
Required Texts:
Developing Christian Servant Leadership: Faith-based Character Growth
at Work. Gary E. Roberts
- Genealogies of Religion
Students will explore some of the key concepts that inform contemporary
understandings of religion as a force in the world, the history of these concepts, how
they enter into various political and ethical projects, and the extent to which they
predefine ‘religion’ as an object of anthropological study. Specific areas of focus may
include: the relationship between ‘religion’ and ‘secularism’; conceptions of ‘religious
freedom’; conversion; inter-religious conflict; the ethnography of religious minorities;
the anthropology of religious movements; and the comparative anthropology of
‘religions’.
Required Texts:
Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in
Christianity and Islam. by Talal Asad.
- Varieties of Religion in the Contemporary World
The study of religion is rich and fascinating — and goes well beyond beliefs and ritual
practices. In this course, learners explore the diversity and evolution of the religions
around the world.
Students will cover a sampling of religious traditions, all of which contribute to that
larger category of world religions, and hope that by introducing the history, beliefs, and
practices of some of these traditions that they will be prepared to study the global world
in a more critical and expanded way.
Required Texts:
Religion Matters: An Introduction to World Religions. Stephen Prothero
(Norton, 2020)
- Historical Studies in Theology and Religion
The aim is to enhance each student’s self-critical awareness of the diversity of fields and
approaches in historical studies while helping the student to develop specialized
Students may focus their work in a single tradition (e.g. Christianity, Hinduism,
Buddhism, Islam, Judaism), a single time and place (e.g. medieval Europe, the
contemporary Middle East), or a comparative or shared aspect of more than one
tradition, time, or place.
Required Texts:
The World's Religions by Huston Smith
- Dissertation
Wach student proposes and completes a substantive, scholarly work relevant to
Religious Studies. The dissertation must represent a student's individual work and
should not exceed 20,000 words in length. The examiners may also prescribe an oral
examination on the subject of the dissertation.
The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive
Guide to Planning, Writing, and Defending Your
Dissertation (Updated)
How to Finish and Defend Your Dissertation: Strategies to
Complete the Professional Practice Doctorate
Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches
Optional Reading for Specialization in Homiletics:
The Homiletical Plot, Expanded Edition: The Sermon as
Narrative Art Form by Eugene L. Lowry
Why Johnny Can't Preach: The Media Have Shaped the
Messengers
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A
Contemporary Hermeneutical Method, by Sidney
Greidanus
Preaching the New Testament by Ian Paul, David
Wenham
