THEOLOGY 2310 EXPLORATIONS in CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY:  The Human Person

Next Offering--Spring 2012

This Manresa-awarded course on the human person intersects with Marquette’s mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university dedicated to serving God by contributing to the advancement of knowledge, striving for excellence of the whole person, developing faith in God, and establishing leadership in one’s vocation in life for the glory of God.  Beginning with an historical overview of ways in which humans have been conceptualized, students will examine biblical, patristic, medieval, Renaissance and early modern texts, including autobiographies and biographies of individuals who have written about and demonstrated their quests to experience and understand the human-God relationship.  Attention will be given to the contexts of the times in which these individuals lived and the world views from which they reflected on the human place in God’s creation.  Basic findings about the human from contemporary physics, biology, neurophysiology and psychology will be identified and used to model the human person today.  Subsequently, each student will particularize this model for themselves as unique persons committed to orienting their lives to God.

     The primary goals of Theology 2310 are: (1) To discover ways in which the human has been conceptualized and demonstrated throughout the history of Christian theology; (2) to become sufficiently knowledgeable about basic scientific findings on the cosmological-biological evolution of the human species and the neuro-physiological makeup that enables humans to open consciously to and strive for a relationship with God; (3) to develop a realistic model of the human grounded ultimately in God; (4) to recognize your innate talents and acquired abilities and to identify ways of developing them as you move into the near future; and (5) to apply your model to your vocational goals for the future as a person living for the glory of God.


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