Marymount University

Section Home

Theology and Religious Studies

Theology and Religious Studies (B.A.)

This program invites students to examine the significance of religious experience through the disciplines of theology and religious studies. Courses explore the human encounter with the divine through its historical and contemporary expressions in the lives of individuals and communities.

As a Catholic university, Marymount offers courses that examine the richness of the Catholic faith and its theological heritage. This program offers introductory and advanced courses in systematic and moral theology, scripture studies, and church history. These theology courses are combined with religious studies courses that introduce students to the complexity of the religious experience in human existence, the major religious traditions of the world, and the interaction of religion and culture. The department reflects the university’s emphasis on ethics by offering an array of courses concerned with social justice and employing service learning.

The major in theology and religious studies aims to develop in students a critical understanding of basic religious beliefs and their embodiment in dynamic religious traditions. The approach to theology and religious studies is critical and analytical. Students in the major are expected to take introductory courses in both theology and religious studies. Students will then concentrate their upper-division courses. Senior students complete a senior seminar, which assesses the comprehensive knowledge of the student and requires a thesis.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to

  • demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the moral and spiritual dimension of the self and the individual’s role in establishing a just community;
  • demonstrate an awareness of the dialogue between faith and reason;
  • demonstrate an awareness of elementary scriptural, historical, and doctrinal source materials;
  • demonstrate respect for the dignity of the human person and for the condition of human diversity through thoughtful engagement with diverse religious traditions;
  • practice civil engagement through discussion of religious differences and the possibility of pluralism; and
  • demonstrate a global and historical perspective by examining a wide range of religious traditions in their cultural contexts.

Degree Planning: Students in this program who are interested in pursuing graduate studies are strongly encouraged to take a foreign language to fulfill the Global Perspective component of the University Requirements, as well as the history of philosophy sequence, PH 325 Ancient Philosophy and PH 326 Medieval Philosophy.

Degree Requirements — Theology and Religious Studies

Liberal Arts Core and University Requirements

See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core for details. Theology and religious studies majors will satisfy the three-course university Writing-Intensive (WI) requirement in the following way: TRS 499 Senior Seminar and two (2) elective courses from TRS 320 American Religious History, TRS 361 Grace and Sin, Heaven and Hell, TRS 362 Friendship, Marriage, and God, TRS 380 Early Christian History, and TRS 381 Medieval and Reformed Theology.

Major Requirements

To fulfill the requirements of the major, all students in this program will take the following coursework in a sequence determined in collaboration with a faculty advisor. Some courses also satisfy Liberal Arts Core and/or University Requirements.

TRS 100 Theological Inquiry

TRS 201 Understanding Religion

TRS 202 Religions of the World

TRS 400 Internship

TRS 451 Christian Faith in the Modern World

TRS 499 Senior Seminar

One (1) course from the following: TRS 251 The Religion of the Old Testament, TRS 260 The New Testament Gospels, TRS 261 The New Testament Epistles

One (1) course from the following: TRS 380 The History of the Early Church, TRS 381 Medieval and Reformed Theology, TRS 382 The Church in the Modern World

Twelve (12) credits in theology and religious studies electives

Sample Degree Plan — Theology and Religious Studies

Please note that this is a sample plan; all students must consult with an advisor in making course selections.

Year One — Fall

EN 101 Composition I (WR core course)*

Mathematics (MT) core course*

Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course*

TRS 100 Theological Inquiry (TRS-1 core course) § *

DSC 101 DISCOVER First-Year Seminar*

Year One — Spring

EN 102 Composition II (WR core course)*

Introductory History (HI-1) core course*

Natural Science (NS) core course*

PH 200 Introduction to Philosophy (PH-1 core course)*

One (1) elective

Year Two — Fall

TRS 201 Understanding Religion § *

TRS 251 The Religion of the Old Testament, TRS 260 The New Testament Gospels, or TRS 261 The New Testament Epistles §

Fine Arts (FNA), Advanced History (HI-2), or Advanced Literature (LT-2) core course*

Introductory Literature (LT-1) core course*

Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course*

Year Two — Spring

TRS 202 Religions of the World §

TRS 380 The History of the Early Church, TRS 381 Medieval and Reformed Theology or TRS 382 The Church in the Modern World (TRS-2 core
course) § *

Philosophical Ethics (PH-E) core course*

Advanced Social Science (SS-2) core course*

One (1) elective

Year Three — Fall

Two (2) theology/religious studies courses §

Three (3) electives

Year Three — Spring

Two (2) theology/religious studies courses §

Fine Arts (FNA), Advanced History (HI-2), or Advanced Literature (LT-2) core course*

Introductory Social Science (SS-1) or Natural Science (NS) core course*

One (1) elective

Year Four — Fall

TRS 451 Christian Faith in the Modern World § *

Four (4) electives

Year Four — Spring

TRS 400 Internship § *

TRS 499 Senior Seminar § *

Three (3) electives

§ Requirement for the major

* Fulfills Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements. See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core and Course Descriptions for further information.

Theology and Religious Studies (Minor)

Minor Requirements

TRS 100 Theological Inquiry

TRS 201 Understanding Religion or TRS 202 Religions of the World

Twelve (12) credits in theology and religious studies electives

Catalog Contents

General Information

Admission

Financial Information

Academic Support Services

Academic Information and Policies

University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core

Academic Opportunities

Undergraduate Programs

Course Descriptions

Accounting Courses

Applied Arts Courses

Astronomy Courses

Biology Courses

Business Law Courses

Center for Career Services

Chemistry Courses

Communication and Media Design Courses

Criminal Justice Courses

Economics Courses

Education Courses

English Courses

EN 090 Introduction to College Reading

EN 100 Introduction to College Writing

EN 101 Composition I

EN 102 Composition II

EN 150 Introduction to American Sign Language

EN 200 Elements of Literary Study

EN 201 World Literature: The Ancient World

EN 202 World Literature: The Middle Ages

EN 203 World Literature: Renaissance through Enlightenment

EN 204 World Literature: Romanticism through Post-Modernism

EN 205 American Literature I

EN 206 American Literature II

EN 207 Theater History

EN 211 Principles of Language

EN 212 Topics in Acting

EN 220 The Movie or the Book? Narrative Adaptation in the Cinema

EN 225 Literary Superheroes

EN 227 Short Fiction

EN 230 American Multicultural Literature

EN 240 Introduction to Visual and Cultural Studies

EN 250 Introduction to Shakespeare and Elizabethan Literature in London

EN 270 Approaches to Creative Writing

EN 280 Perspectives on Language Acquisition

EN 290 Literary Theory and Practice

EN 301 The Writing Process: Theory and Practice

EN 303 Literary Nonfiction

EN 305 Topics in Creative Writing

EN 308 Style and Revision

EN 321 Modern Drama

EN 322 19th-Century British Poets

EN 323 Modern Poetry

EN 330 Chaucer and the Courtly Love Tradition

EN 340 Major Women Writers

EN 350 The American Dream

EN 351 Literature of Childhood and Adolescence

EN 355 Shakespeare

EN 357 Topics in Literature Before 1800

EN 385 Approaches to Teaching Secondary English

EN 400 Internship

EN 421 Project

EN 424 Senior Seminar

EN 426 Studies in the Novel

EN 428 Studies in Contemporary Literature

EN 429 Topics in Performance

EN 433 Research

EN 490 Major Author(s)

Finance Courses

Fine Arts Courses

First-Year Seminar Courses

French Courses

Geography Courses

Geology Courses

German Courses

Global Scholars Courses

Health And Human Performance Courses

Health Care Management Courses

Health Information Management Courses

History Courses

Honors Courses

Human Resource Management Courses

Humanities Courses

Information Technology Courses

Interdisciplinary Studies Courses

Interior Design Courses

Legal Administration Courses

Liberal Studies Courses

Literature Courses

Management Courses

Management Science Courses

Marketing Courses

Mathematics Courses

Multidisciplinary Studies Courses

Nursing Courses

Philosophy Courses

Physical Science Courses

Physics Courses

Politics Courses

Psychology Courses

Sociology Courses

Spanish Courses

Theology and Religious Studies Courses

University Leadership

Notices to Students

Index