Academic Resources
Index
Books & Readers GTU Consortium Additional Resources
Libraries Centers & Affiliates MDiv Resources
GTU Library PSR Centers & Affiliates MA Resources
Moodle GTU Centers & Affiliates Dean's Office Staff
UC Berkeley Library UC Berkeley
Berkeley Public Library Faculty
Books and Readers
GTU Bookstore
The Graduate Theological Union Bookstore is part of University of California (UC) at Berkeley bookstore and is located in the Student Union building on the UC campus. The bookstore will provide textbooks for all GTU courses
Textbooks are available for purchase at the UC Berkeley store, located in the Cal Student Union building, which is about a 15 minute walk south from PSR through the Cal campus. Textbooks are currently located in the lower level of the store. Books of general theological interest are available on the main level of the bookstore. Students may also purchase texts online at the GTU Bookstore website and either have them shipped to their homes or pick them up at the store. The bookstore is located at:
Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union
Corner of Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-4504
Phone: 510/642-9000
Fax: 510/643-7836
Readers
The GTU Bookstore will additionally sell readers for all GTU courses except for PSR courses in the Fall 2008 semester. For the Fall 2008 semester, readers for PSR courses will still be purchased from Copy Central just two blocks down the hill from PSR toward the UC Berkeley campus.
2483 Hearst Avenue (cross street Euclid Street)
Berkeley, CA 94709
Tel: 510.849.9600 Fax: 510.845.2724
Email: northside[at]copycentral[dot]com
Libraries
Flora Lamson Hewlett Library (GTU Library)
The GTU is fortunate to have one of the largest theological libraries in the world. The staff at the Reference Desk will acquaint you with the collection and introduce you to the online catalog. Individual sessions and workshops about the necessary techniques for successful library research are also available each semester. The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library also has access to UCB’s online catalog, the catalog for the entire UCB library system, and interlibrary book-loan services.
Moodle
If you are taking an online course or your course is using an online tools to post things like articles, lectures, discussion boards, and such, you may access your classroom via Moodle, which operates out of the GTU Library. Log in with your WebAdvisor code.
UCB Libraries
The GTU has negotiated borrowing privileges for GTU member-school students with all UCB branch libraries. Take your GTU ID card that has a current validation sticker on it to UCB’s Main Library Service Desk (not the Flora Lamson Hewlett Library) to obtain borrowing privileges throughout the UC library system. Most of your library needs, if not met by the GTU Library, will be met by using the Main Library or one of the many UCB branch libraries on campus. Access to Moffitt, UCB's undergraduate library, is restricted. When the material you are seeking is located only at Moffitt and nowhere else on the UCB campus, you can obtain a referral form from the Information Desk at the UCB Main Library to get into Moffitt. If the book you want is in the UCB Main Library and in Moffitt, you will need to obtain the Main Library’s copy. If the UCB’s Main Library copy is checked out, you can recall it. Check with the Information Desk at the UCB Main Library for more information.
Berkeley Public Library
The Berkeley Public Library is located in downtown Berkeley, about a ten minute walk southwest from the PSR campus. With photo ID and proof of residence in Berkeley, you may be entitled to a Berkeley Public Library card.
Graduate Theological Union (GTU)
The GTU is a structurally unique organization that embodies a set of ecumenical and academic ideals. It consists of nine denominational, or inter-denominational member schools — all of which are theological institutions preparing people for ordination and church leadership. GTU has an informal but highly significant relationship with UCB (University of California at Berkeley). The GTU is further enriched by the presence of a number of affiliates and programs representing a range of religious traditions and theological perspectives. Each of the nine schools is an autonomous institution with its own faculty, Board of Trustees, and a distinctive mission based on its denominational affiliation(s). These autonomous institutions come together in a number of ways to create the GTU consortium. The nine GTU consortium schools share a library. There is also a GTU Common Registrar who establishes the Schedule of Classes and assigns classrooms for the consortium. For the most part, consortium schools that have classrooms share classroom space. The nine schools have open cross-registration agreements. The consortium awards the Ph.D. and Th.D. degrees, and governance of those programs is by the GTU Dean and the Core Doctoral Faculty, not by any one of the nine schools. The GTU has a small number of its own faculty in fields that do not readily fit into the member schools (e.g., Jewish Studies, Chinese Studies, Eastern Orthodox Christianity). By and large, faculty of the doctoral programs are culled from the nine member schools, whose services are available to all students through consortial agreements and arrangements.
Centers and Affiliates
PSR Centers and Affiliates
Pacific School of Religion is home to several centers and programs that provide critical scholarship resources on some of today's most cutting-edge theological, social, cultural, and ethical issues. Many of these centers are key in contributing to the curriculum PSR offfers as well as support and resource to students whose areas of interest may intersect with those of the centers. For a list of centers and their websites, go to the PSR Centers and Affiliates page.
GTU Centers, Affiliates, & Programs
Over the past 30 years, a variety of specialized centers, programs, and institutes have become a vital part of the life and identity of the GTU. Some of these organizations originated within, and have been sponsored by the GTU itself; others have entered into the informal association or contractual affiliation with the GTU from outside. As a group, the GTU Centers and Affiliates, & Programs provide important perspectives and resources to the GTU community. They have broadened the ecumenical and inter-religious representation in the GTU beyond the denominations represented in the member schools. They have expressed and advocated the identity and interests of women and ethnic minorities within the GTU — academically, culturally, and socially. In addition to providing academic resources and expertise relevant to the overall curriculum of the GTU, these affiliates have conceived, sponsored, and produced forums, public lectures, and conferences — bringing outside scholars and religious leaders into direct conversation with the GTU community. The PSR catalog (which is sent to prospective students) has brief descriptions of GTU affiliates and programs.
University of California at Berkeley
The UCB roster of courses is stunning and extends, vastly, the academic opportunities for GTU students. Course availability may be limited. Instructions for cross-registration are available in the hallway outside PSR’s Registrar’s Office. Note: The academic calendars of the GTU and UCB do not coincide, so if you cross-register, you will juggle two different academic schedules. The semester at UCB usually begins two weeks before the GTU semester, so students who cross-register must be sure that they are available for UCB’s first class meeting.
Faculty
PSR Faculty
The PSR faculty, your most important resource for succeeding in your program, is committed to working with students as advisors and instructors. Members of the faculty have a wide range of interests and experience in ministry and see their work with students as a priority. It is possible to request a change of advisor, but we recommend that you wait to do this until you have completed at least one semester of your program at PSR. There is a form available outside the Dean’s Office to request a change of advisor. Your advisor must be a regular (not adjunct) member of the PSR faculty. Your advisor oversees your program, but you are expected to take initiative in formulating the precise requirements of the program.
GTU Faculty
The resources of the GTU faculty are immense in their range and variety — giving both an interreligious/ecumenical dimension and a broader intellectual dimension to theological education. The GTU has a common course schedule and cross-registration agreements among its members. Thus the approximately 700 courses taught annually by 120 full-time faculty and over 50 adjuncts will almost all be possible resources for your studies. You will undoubtedly want to take some courses with faculty outside PSR. The GTU ecumenical structure enhances the education of our students. Whether or not your topic of interest is defined denominationally, we believe that perspectives from other denominations and religions assist in the formation of a critical perspective of one's studies.
Additional Resources by Program
MDiv: Field Education & Contextual Learning Faculty and Staff
The Field Education Office and Contextual Learning Office are two important resources to students during the MDiv program. The faculty and staff in this office are not only able to help you with matters concerning your field education placement, they are vocational advisors who can guide you in discerning the ministry to which you feel called and direct you to people and places that will assist you to equip yourself for that ministry. They are extremely knowledgeable about the wide variety of ministries being practiced in the Bay Area and can help you find a worshiping community or social ministry in which to become involved. Visit the Field Education & Contextual Learning Offices early in your program for assistance in your vocational discernment and preparation.
MA: GTU Director of MA Program
The GTU consortial registrar and Director of the MA Program are two important resources to MA students, as well as their advisor: http://www.gtu.edu/academic-degrees-programs/m-a-programs
Dean's Office Staff
Although the faculty does advising of students, the staff of PSR’s Dean's Office will be happy to help you answer any questions. Most of the forms mentioned in this manual are located immediately outside the Office of the Dean and Registrar (Room #135, first floor of the Holbrook Building). Staffing the office includes Mary Donovan Turner, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean; Delphine Hwang, Assistant Dean for Academic Programs & Registrar. In general students should contact the Assistant Dean for Academic Programs & Registrar for matters related to their programs requirements, progress through the degree, special needs or disability accommodations, and academic policies, course registration, verification of current student status, grade reports, and transcripts.