M2 in theology concentration Philosophy

Length: 1 year (can be spread over 2 calendar years)

Preparing for degree: Master of Arts in Theology

Entry requirements: MA1 in Religious Studies or MA1 in Theology (or equivalent)

Choose 4 courses and 1 research seminar from below - to be approved by the Director of Studies

YEAR 2 OF THE MASTER’S IN THEOLOGY - CONCENTRATION: Philosophy

Within the scope of the second year of Master’s in Theology (M2, Master 2) - Concentration: Philosophy, it is possible to specialize in Philosophy, particularly with regard to fundamental issues at the intersection of faith and reason. Prior philosophical knowledge is necessary to complete the research thesis in this specialization. This knowledge can be acquired or consolidated through a prerequisite of 15 to 30 ECTS in philosophy.

During this year, the student writes a research thesis under the direction of a qualified professor, which he or she is required to defend before a jury. The thesis is to be of 350 000 characters - (including spaces). Successful completion of the Master’s degree would enable students to teach and to go on to PhD studies.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

The program is structured into:

an Educational component with specialized courses and interactive online seminars
a Research component with a thesis, supervised by a research director

Courses and assignments	4 courses	24 ECTS
Online seminars and assignments	1 seminar	6 ECTS
Research	1 thesis	30 ECTS

The courses available for the Master 2 in Theology program - Concentration: Philosophy can be seen below, with a detailed description for each one. The student should choose their courses after completing the administrative registration application and this choice will be validated by the Board of Studies.

SEMINARS

The pedagogy of Domuni does not rely solely on reading. The interactive seminars are regularly offered for Master’s students. These are research seminars where students work synchronously: the seminars take place at fixed times and all participants study at the same time. Seminars are an opportunity for real dialogue-based research, led by a professor. The findings from seminars can lead to publication in Telos, the university’s journal.

ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE

Each course is evaluated by

- a 10-question quiz

- a long paper (10-15 pages)

At the end of the academic year

- The thesis defense concludes the MA 2.

FLEXIBILITY

In addition to the fact that students can take more time and study one academic year over two calendar years, examinations, since the Covid 19 pandemic, can be done by videoconferencing, in front of the jury. For the thesis defense, assessments last one hour and are recorded. This arrangement helps to protect the environment (by avoiding travel), to save time and money and of course to avoid transmitting the Covid 19 virus.

It is also worth noting that enrollment happens daily. As soon as the registration process is completed, students receive a code that allows them to access the Domoodle teaching platform and begin studying. As mentioned above, each academic year can be spread over two calendar years without the need to re-enroll or pay tuition fees again.

List of Courses

Introduction to Plato

Plato ranks as one of the most important thinkers in the Western philosophical tradition. This module introduces the student to some of the fundamental ideas that inform his works as well as guiding the student through some developments in his presentation of these ideas.

Aristotle and the Aristotelian Tradition

This course introduces some of the key elements in Aristotle's thought.

A Brief History of Medieval Philosophy I

Can we be both Christians and genuine philosophers? Are faith and philosophy mutually exclusive, or not?

A Brief History of Medieval Philosophy II

Can we be both Christians and genuine philosophers? Are faith and philosophy mutually exclusive, or not?

Metaphysics - Part 1

Metaphysics is the study of things in their ultimate causes. As such, the specialty of metaphysics is that it seeks the final explanation or the ultimate causes of things precisely in so far as they are, in so far as they exist, or in so far as they are real. Aristotle called it “First Philosophy” or “Theology” since it leads to the first principle or the ultimate explanation of all things.

Metaphysics - Part 2

All human knowledge begins with sense experience but can terminate sometimes in the senses, or in the imagination or in the intellect alone . Accordingly we can distinguish between three levels of scientific knowledge corresponding to the three degrees of abstraction from matter which can be made by the intellect in its examination of reality.

Foundations of Ethics

Ethics, like philosophy, is in search of principles and universals. Ethics reflects on a particular human experience, namely, the experience of the good or of being good, and sets it in the context of the whole. One could also say that ethics reflects on what is the good and how our lives are oriented towards it

Bioethics III: Clinical Ethics & Legal Implications

Concerned with restoring and strengthening bonds between professionals, patients and families, not simply dealing with principles like bioethics.

Social and political philosophy

There are many different definitions of Social Political Philosophy (SPP): the political can be defined as social decision making; philosophy is the most general form of inquiry that is the attempt to say what it is true and why.

Philosophy of Religion

Philosophy of Religion is also known as Philosophical Theology or Philosophy of God. Other names include Natural Theology and Theodicy.

Introduction to critical thinking. Part I

Etymologically, the word "Epistemology", from the Greek, means the science of knowledge. It is an investigation of knowledge and its problems. A synonymous term is Criteriology which again from the Greek means to distinguish or judge. It deals with testin g knowledge to find truth or detect error.

Introduction to critical thinking. Part II

The modern epistemological problem has two aspects:

1. The opposition between science and philosophy or truth and error. We find this basically in Descartes and Kant.

2. The conflict between science and science or that of contemporary and classic physics and not an opposition between science and philosophy or truth and error.

The Origins of Philosophy (Presocratics)

This course is divided into six sections : What is Philosophy? ; Why Study Philosophy? ; The place of philosophy in theology ; Main Areas of Philosophy ; Presocratic Philosophy ; Socrates

Thomas Aquinas Studies

A specialised course in Thomistic issues by fr. Gilles Emery, OP, a leading specialist in this discipline !

For MA students only

Kant: A philosophy of Freedom

According to Gibelin in his Foreword to Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone, Freedom is the central theme of Kant’s philosophy. This course will introduce to Kant, centering on Freedom as a key concept to understand his philosophy, in the three spheres defined by the critical project: Metaphysics, Moral and Aesthetics.

Issues in Genomic Research

A Systematic Review and Hermeneutic Exploration of the Management of Incidental Findings in Genomic Research

Philosophical Anthropology

The term ‘anthropology’ is derived from two Greek words: ἀνθωπος (anthrōpos) and λογος (logos).

Introduction to Moral theories in Bioethics I

This course will introduce the students to the historical beginning of bioethics, as well as some of the moral theories employed in bioethics discourse.

Introduction to Moral theories in Bioethics II

This course is the second part to Introduction to Moral theories in Bioethics I.
The course will introduce the students to the historical beginning of bioethics, as well as some of the moral theories employed in bioethics discourse.

Contemporary Issues in Bioethics I

To show the implications of normative theories for specific moral issues or contemporary debates on particular ethical issues.

Contemporary Issues in Bioethics II

To show the implications of normative theories for specific moral issues or contemporary debates on particular ethical issues.

Michel Foucault, analyst of the norm

The norm is the idea central to the thought of Michel Foucault. It is the point from which he studies modern society. He distinguishes the norm from other forms of power.

Newman's Theory of Doctrinal Development

Application of the Newmanian Criteriology on the Axiom "Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus"

A Brief Introduction to and Overview of Classical Religious Hinduism

There are many different spiritual pathways that were born in the Indian sub-continent: Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, for example, and others that came to India such as Christian and Muslim. Hindu spirituality which represents the spiritual quest of the vast majority of the people of India is rooted in the relentless and uninterrupted search of the seers from the Indian sub-continent.

Philosophy of Language

Philosophy of language is an extraordinarily rich field. It has a history stretching back, in the Western tradition, to the preSocratics.

David Hume: The Great Empiricist

This is a comprehensive and systematic course on the philosophy of David Hume – a prominent Scottish Enlightenment philosopher widely known for his influential system of philosophical empiricism, naturalism and scepticism. Based on his influential and extreme Empiricist ideas, Hume can be rightly considered as one of the most important philosophers of all time.

Introduction to philosophy of law

Important issues in legal philosophy range from abstract conceptual questions about the nature of law and legal systems, to normative questions about the relationship between law and morality, politics and other norms as well as the justification of various legal institutions. Although this course will deal with conceptual themes of philosophy of law especially in the first section, the course generally focusses on the practical and readily applicable aspects of the field.

E-Seminar: Upholding Human Rights and Justice Today: Religion, Media, and NGOs

SEM48 - Human Rights, Philosophy and Religious Studies

4th October - 29th November 2021

presented by Isaac Mutelo

From 3rd October to 28th November 2022

E-Seminar: Learning to Dwell

E-seminar in Philosophy
by Jaco Kruger
From 17th April to 12th June 2023