Religious and Theological Studies Curriculum

B.A. in Religious and Theological Studies

The Religious and Theological Studies major at The King’s College builds upon the required Core Curriculum to challenge students to think critically about a wide range of texts and topics through​ a theological lens.

Within the Core Curriculum in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, students read the literature, sacred texts, laws, and philosophical inquiries that have come to shape our civilization. Within the social context of these developments, students learn the religious, historical, philosophical, political, and economic components that have brought us to where we are today. The Core consists of eighteen courses—nearly half of the courses students need to graduate—spaced throughout all four years of study.

The RTS major adds to this foundation with studies in Hebraic and Christian thought, hermeneutics, comparative religions, apologetics, philosophy, and cultural anthropology and interpretation. The program will also offer regular departmental electives in world religions, comparative theology, apologetics, the philosophy of religion, and other courses that explore the intersections of faith and culture. These electives, combined with a student’s choice of minors and concentrations, emphasize the interdisciplinary connections between religion, theology, and other areas of study at King’s.

Religious and Theological Studies Course List

On top of all courses within the Core Curriculum, RTS majors will take the following courses:

• Ancient Philosophy
• Medieval Philosophy
• Modern Philosophy
• Epistemology of Scripture
• Biblical Theological Exegesis
• Systematic Theology
• Principles of Biblical Interpretation
• Principles of Cultural Interpretation
• Masterworks of Literature, Classical Literature, Shakespeare, English and American Poetry
• Internship/Practicum

Religious and Theological Studies majors will additionally take three electives from a list of relevant courses, including one that is either Islam, Comparative Religions, or an approved non-Christian religion course. Course descriptions, codes, prerequisites, and a full course map are available in the college catalog.

Concentrations

Students with a particular interest in one aspect of the Religious and Theological Studies major may pursue that subject as a concentration. A concentration provides a documented record of having studied some area with particular depth. This can help a student prepare for graduate school or for employment in that field of interest.

In harmony with the Manhattan Declaration, the Religious and Theological Studies program at the King’s College offers interdisciplinary concentrations in Eastern Orthodox Studies, Roman Catholic Studies, and Jewish-Hebraic Thought and Culture. These programs allow Christians from multiple traditions to become grounded in Christian social, economic, and political thought as a basis for building solidarity across the Christian traditions in order to address the moral and social issues of our time.

Faith and Culture

Students with this concentration will take these required courses:

• The Intellectual World of the Bible
• Arts and Ideas of the Modern World
• Islam OR Comparative Religions, or an approved non-Christian religion course
• The Postmodern World
• Christianity and the City, or an approved city-related course

The faith and culture concentration allows students to specialize their theological education at the intersection of human faiths and cultures, particularly Christian faith and its interaction with the cultures and subcultures of New York City and beyond. Rather than viewing Christian faith as an isolated entity, the faith and culture concentration is designed to help students consider both the possibilities posed by the Christian faith for the world and the various cultural influences present upon their own faith and that of others. The goal of the concentration is to develop a student’s faith in a manner that is self-aware, intelligible, and compelling to the world around them while remaining faithful to the Christian tradition. By the end of their degree, students in this concentration should have the requisite knowledge and praxis to be an effective witness in the public square in a variety of fields and vocations.

Interdisciplinary Jewish-Hebraic Thought and Culture

Students with this concentration will take three required courses:

• Judaism Second Temple Period to the Present
• Introduction to the History and Politics of Israel and Palestine
• Hebrew Thought and the Intellectual World of the Bible

This concentration includes an opportunity to take a ten-day trip to Israel, over eighty percent of which is funded. In addition, students will select one interdisciplinary course subject to the approval of the Program Chair. To complete their concentration, students must complete six credit hours of internships or practica of a religious nature.

Interdisciplinary Catholic Studies

Students with a concentration in Interdisciplinary Catholic Studies take two required courses:

• Introduction to Catholicism
• Catholic Social Thought

In addition, students will select two interdisciplinary courses subject to the approval of the Program Chair. To complete their concentration, students must complete six credit hours of internships or practica of a religious nature in an approved Roman Catholic institution.

Interdisciplinary Orthodox Studies

Students with a concentration in Interdisciplinary Orthodox Studies will take two required courses:

• Introduction to Orthodoxy: History and Doctrine
• The Church Fathers

In addition, students will select two interdisciplinary courses subject to the approval of the Program Chair. To complete their concentration, students must complete six credit hours of internships or practica of a religious nature in an approved Orthodox institution.

Course descriptions, codes, and prerequisites are available in the college catalog.