The Loyola Institute offers access for extra-mural attendees to its undergraduate courses.

For full information on these courses please visit our website: http://www.tcd.ie/loyola-institute/undergraduate

The making of Catholic theology: the modern period

The purpose of this course is to survey the political, cultural and religious context in which, through a series of movements of thought, Catholic theology changed and developed profoundly in the period 1900-2000.

Catholic theology in a secular age: a critical introduction

The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the foundational concepts of Catholic theology as a living tradition with deep roots of intellectual enquiry. There will be an examination of the concept of living tradition as it is used in this context and of the roots of Catholic theology in its ecclesial context.

At the same time it is recognised that in a secular age, others also seek understanding in theological terms. A study is undertaken of the concept of secularity and post-secularity. There will be an examination of the argument that there is a sort of ‘buried’ theological narrative in Western culture and its consequences explored.

Theological anthropology

This course studies what it means to be human from the perspective of theology. The study begins within the horizon of Jewish experience as articulated especially in the early chapters of the book of Genesis and chapters in Exodus which narrate the gift of Covenant. Within these chapters the themes of the human reality as the Imago Dei as well as the theme of deep seated human alienation are studied.

Early Irish iconography, including the great High Crosses, will be studied as a distinctive treatment of these themes. In the Western tradition grace became a key concept in the articulation of the interplay of divine and human in history.

Foundations for theological ethics

This course introduces students to the central concepts and key debates in theological ethics, with a focus on the manner in which they are developed within the Catholic tradition. The course will examine the nature of moral experience and its relation to religious faith.

The course will introduce students to key debates in theological ethics including natural law and the universality of ethics; the nature and role of conscience, moral reasoning and the role of moral principles; the role of Church teaching authority in the Catholic tradition (the magisterium) in the moral area.

How to apply

Applications can be made to the Director of the Loyola Institute, Irish School of Ecumenics and Loyola Institute Building, Trinity College, Dublin 2. Applications should be received by 16 September 2013.

Fee

€150 for each course. For security reasons payment should be by cheque/draft/postal money order only, made payable to Trinity College no. 1 account. A concession rate is available to second and third level students, unemployed persons and those in receipt of a social welfare pension.

Date

Teaching in Michaelmas term commences during the week beginning 23 September 2013. Please note these are day-time courses.

Duration

The courses run for a total of eleven weeks in Michaelmas term.

Further information

Contact: Emma Lindsay, Executive Officer, Loyola Institute, Trinity College, Dublin 2. Email: Loyola@tcd.ie

The making of Catholic theology: the Patristic period

The purpose of this course is to explore the emergence of the discipline of theology in its historical, social and cultural contexts in the early post-New Testament period. The Patristic period exerted a great influence on such important areas as the establishment of the canon of scripture, the science of the interpretation of the biblical text, the development of liturgy, and both reflection and catechesis on the sacramental rites. The Fathers of the Church contributed greatly to the development of Christian theology in such vital areas as Christology, pneumatology and Trinitarian theology.

Liturgical theology

This course will introduce the student to the idea of sacrament, in the first part, as a central theological hermeneutic that underpins some of the key ways of thinking in the Catholic tradition. The idea of the ‘sacramental imagination’ will be explored from the perspective of the early Christian writers (for example, Augustine), as well as in modern theological discourse.

Theological anthropology

The vocabulary of grace is redeployed, but also re-fashioned, argued over, refined. Among many others there are breakthrough theologies of grace articulated by Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Trent. Perspectives on graced desire and graced bodiliness will be seen as foundational to Catholic thinking on sexuality, justice, and the dignity of human life. The course will also give attention to the different and distinctive vocabularies that developed in the Eastern tradition around themes of sanctification and deification. The course will explore, in summary form, other important narratives of human alienation, including Freud, Marx and Lacan. In this regard it will debate whether there are resources in theological anthropology for an understanding of human nature which have been lost in modern culture.

Ethics and society in Catholic traditions

This course examines the modern tradition of Catholic social thought. It has a dual focus, namely, on the social encyclicals of different pontiffs in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and on the diverse theological traditions of interpretation in different historical, cultural and geographical contexts. Key concepts including solidarity, subsidiarity and common good will be considered through the lens of these texts and the interpretative traditions. Theological analyses of, and responses to, specific social and political issues will be assessed. Among the issues considered will be: religious liberty, economic justice, war and political conflict.

How to apply

Applications can be made to the Director of the Loyola Institute, Irish School of Ecumenics and Loyola Institute Building, Trinity College, Dublin 2. Applications should be received by 13 January 2014.

Fee

€150 for each course. For security reasons payment should be by cheque/draft/postal money order only, made payable to Trinity College no. 1 account. A concession rate is available to second and third level students, unemployed persons and those in receipt of a social welfare pension.

Date

Teaching in Hilary term commences on 13 January 2014. Please note these are day-time courses.

Duration

The courses run for a total of eleven weeks in Hilary term.

Further information

Contact: Emma Lindsay, Executive Officer, Loyola Institute, Trinity College, Dublin 2. Email: Loyola@tcd.ie