Current Course Offerings

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to different methods used to interpret texts. Students will learn and develop skills of closely reading texts, analyzing historical and contemporary contexts, and thinking critically through issues. This class will introduce students a wide range of sacred and secular texts. Students will learn to apply rhetorical strategies to construct interpretations that promote inclusivity, social consciousness, social justice, and speak to the current social and political contexts. This is an introductory level course and requires no prerequisite.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to preaching through various artistic mediums. Students will read and analyze selected biblical texts in their historical, social, and political contexts and use different artistic mediums to construct interpretations of these particular texts. The use of art will help students construct interpretations from different perspectives and different social locations leading to a deeper reflection and addressing ethical and moral issues relevant to our contemporary context. Various artistic forms will be engaged such as movement, drama, poetry, music, song, painting, etc. Preaching using artistic mediums achieves an analogous effect in retelling narratives and bringing to the surface the silent and invisible voices that have often been ignored in our written analysis of the texts. This course will seek to expand the genre of text to include other artistic mediums as texts that attempt to decenter the written word where the rules of interpretation are not predetermined for the audience.

This course introduces students to theories of ethical discernment, behavior, and formation in Christian traditions. The course prioritizes ecological wellbeing as an ethical demand of Christian living and will use case studies about human relationships with our other-than-human kindred to practice the ethical theories studied.

PSR DMin students use this course number for registering during terms when they are not registering for coursework. This course indicates continuation in the program and carries a fee per semester. (This number is also used during a term while the student is engaged in coursework away from PSR.) Pass/Fail only.

This “In Thesis” course is designed as a space for doctoral students to be working on their final project under supervision with their advisor. As such, the requirements for the course are defined by the approved final project goals for the student. The preliminary requirements involve developing a proposal for the final project that has been approved by the student’s defense committee. After being approved for final project, students must file their “Proceed with Project” form located on the Registrar’s page on the PSR website under Doctor of Ministry Program online forms. Two 3-credit courses of DM6011 are required for the DMin program. Upon graduation after successful defense of the final project, these credits are given a grade of pass.

This course provides a cohort pedagogy for DMin students to participate regularly throughout the term in a continuous online platform where they share what they are learning and experiencing in their other coursework and in their research, and where they engage the learning journeys and evolving projects of their doctoral colleagues. Regular interactions every month are guided by the rubric provided for the course.

Course includes attendance at 3 hours per week class session and 15 hours per week internship work at field placement site. Class sessions include full-group Plenary discussions and small-group Cohort discussions. Completion of both Fall (FE-1005) & Spring (FE-1006) Concurrent Field Education courses in the same academic year REQUIRED to receive grade. Failure to complete either semester results in Fail grade for full 6 credits of field praxis. 
Completion of both Fall & Spring semesters meets PSR M.Div. Congregational Track Field Praxis requirement.  Open to MTS students with faculty approval. Pass/Fail only.   
Prerequisites: Completion of Stackable Curriculum 1st year required courses. 
To register, students must have a meeting with the Associate Director of Community Engaged to identify and approve a Field Education placement site and mentor. All students (required) and mentors (strongly advised) attend Field Education Orientation at first class session, Sept 07, 2023 
Coursework includes: Fall Learning/Serving Covenant (Learning Goals), Site Analysis and Case Study presentations to small cohort group, and completion of Midyear Evaluation from student & mentor to be submitted before first session of Spring semester course. (FE-1006) 

“The movement of the Spirit of God in the hearts of people [men] often calls them to act against the spirit of their times or causes them to anticipate a spirit which is yet in the making. In a moment of dedication, they are given wisdom and courage to dare a deed that challenges and kindle a hope that inspires” The course will reflect upon the roles of imagination, mysticism, and alternative consciousness in creating alternative, beloved communities. We will develop and share our visions of tomorrow, how they align with visions within the assignments, and steps toward manifesting them in our communities. Alternative methods of evaluation will be utilized including research and/or reflection papers, artistic work as well as class participation. Class is open to MDiv, MA/MTS, DMin and PhD students.

United Methodist History, Doctrine, and Polity II is the second United Methodist Studies course and is intended to provide a broad overview of the theology, history, and governance structures of The United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies. This course, in particular, focuses on the theological perspectives of the Methodist Movements that emerged in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which later came to be embodied in the Articles of Religion and the doctrinal standards of a multi-national denomination. This course is designed to fulfill one half of the credits required for United Methodist students seeking ordination in The United Methodist Church. The course will incorporate a mixture of lectures and small group discussions, and students will be evaluated through short papers, a presentation, and a notebook project.

For many faith communities, worship forms the heart of communal life. It is a place where participants learn the behaviors, rhythms, and patterns of discipleship that they hope to embody as faith-filled people of the world. Worship also marks times of transition in the life of individuals and communities. From birth to death, communities ritualized these liminal spaces that are rife with meaning and sacredness. In this course, we will examine the ways in which pastoral liturgies (e.g. dedictions, weddings, healing rites, funerals, etc.) and sacraments both shape and are shaped by culture, history, theology, language, and practice. Students will integrate their learning by practicing leading these rituals that make up a worship-full life.

The purpose of this hybrid—concurrent format—course (3 credits) is to help students explore the New Testament with Greek Tools. In this course, students will learn and explore the creative, innovative, and important ways to interpret biblical texts in their respective contexts. The exercises in this class will help foster an environment of application of Greek in biblical hermeneutics and help students read the New Testament through the postmodern lens. The course will cover the basics of phonology (sounds), morphology (forms), and syntax (word order and function) in biblical Greek and explore how a grammatical form could change the interpretation of the text. Issues of exegesis and interpretation will be discussed where appropriate to promote a better understanding of the New Testament that encourages a more inclusive, ethical, and moral interpretation of texts. 

This course asks key questions about the work of spiritual care and caring—what is care and what does it means for leaders to care for individuals and organizations. We will explore the character of care, models of caring, and strategies and skills for offering care in particular contexts. This course presumes that effective leaders and flourishing mission-oriented organizations require tangible skills for providing care. Students will be invited to trace the unique needs embedded in particular dynamics and patterns of contemporary cultures through different contexts of care: personal, communal, systemic, and cosmic. This course is suitable for those who are preparing for congregational leadership and those in private, public, and not-for-profit service.

One of the foundational education commitments that undergirds this course is the assertion that all knowledge is contextual. In the various settings of ministry and social transformation, context plays an important role in shaping our work, our approaches to that work, our understandings of our own role in that work, and the meaning we make of it. At its core, this course seeks to ground our theological explorations in a deeper understanding of our own social contexts, as we develop facility in translating from one context to another and engaging across difference. Focusing in particular on the case of race, this course is designed as a path for exploring and understanding the ways that race in all of its intersections operates as a social fiction and lived experience in ourselves and in the communities we serve. Making use of historical, theoretical and theological lenses, we will engage in selfexploration, deep formation, readings, dialogue, and experiences with artists and activists as we build our capacity to address issues of prejudice, power, and privilege while cultivating cultural humility and cross-cultural competency.

This course offers an opportunity to deepen spiritual life in personal, interpersonal, communal, and cosmic dimensions. It will focus on engaging contemplative practices from across the inter-spiritual tradition as well as study the teachings of mystics, privileging those who lived engaged in the pursuit of collective justice. Participants will have a chance to explore the nature of spiritual formation while discerning which practices, resources, and attitudes are appropriate for sustaining vitality, rootedness, and creativity in their personal life, faith, leadership, academic, and social justice work.