Carpenter Certificate Program
Through an individually designed course of study, students in the certificate program explore the complex set of issues presented under the interdisciplinary rubric of "religion, gender, and sexuality." Open to full-time students in Vanderbilt Divinity School, the Vanderbilt Graduate School, and the College of Arts & Science, the certificate program normally requires candidates to have a 3.0 GPA and the support of their faculty advisor. Application may be made at any time following the first semester of study. Courses taken at Vanderbilt prior to admission to the program can be counted toward the certificate requirements.
The certificate requires eighteen credit hours encompassing the fields of textual interpretation, theology, ethics, and contemporary practice; a project relating to community issues; and a culminating exercise presented and defended in an open forum. A minimum of twelve hours of course work will be chosen from a list of core courses listed annually and found on the website. Six hours of core courses may be taken as independent study (see course listings below). The remaining six hours may be chosen from either the core courses or electives chosen with the advice of the Program Director. To avoid the potential of having the topic of sexual orientation receive only cursory attention, at least one course or independent study must directly address this subject.
For M.A. and Ph.D. students, at least two of the courses must be outside
of the student's primary field. The student, his or her advisor, and the
director of the Carpenter Program will plan the course of studies for
the certificate. When appropriate, representatives from Field Education
will be consulted.
COURSE LISTINGS AT VANDERBILT DIVINITY SCHOOL IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY, 2007
Fall 2007
3047. Seminar in Shame and Guilt
Students enrolled in this seminar will examine the dynamics of shame and guilt in social and personal lives from theological, psychological, and pastoral perspectives.
2516. Early Christian Women
This course explores the roles and authority of women in early Christian communities. Beginning with the New Testament writings, there is conflicting evidence regarding the participation of women. Some language suggests a prohibition of women as leaders and teachers; other texts provide evidence of women who performed these roles. A variety of texts from the first four centuries of Christianity, from Asia Minor to Egypt, show a similar discrepancy. The course will focus on laying out the evidence for women's participation and them assessing the implications of that evidence.
3909. Theories of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Disability
Recently many subfields of religious studies, including theology, haven taken up theories of race, gender, and sexuality generated by scholars in the humanities and social sciences. This course will cover important texts in the theoretical literature with an eye toward their import for constructive work in theology and other subfields. In addition to critical race theory, gender theory, and queer theory, we also will explore the emerging field of disability theory. Permission of the instructor is required.