Home | The
University of Chicago | The
Divinity School | The
Marty Center
The Religion, Culture, and Family Project
Project Resources
Sample Course Syllabi
The following courses on issues concerning religion and the family have been
taught at colleges and universities in the United States. Click on course title
to link to description and bibliography.
Religious Ethics and Family Theory
Objectives: Introduces the student to central secular and theological alternatives
for conceptualizing the family in the Western cultural traditions.
Marxism and Historicism on the Family
- Frederick Engels, Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State
- Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality
Feminism and Rational Choice Theory
- Susan Miller Okin, Justice, Gender, and the Family
- Richard Posner, Sex and Reason
Aquinas and the Family
- Summa Theologica, Supplement, III, QQ. 41-52
- Summa Contra Gentiles, III, ii, ch. CXXII-CXXV
- Summa Theologica, II, ii, Q. 26
Luther and the Family
- "The Babylonian Captivity of the Church" (1520), Works 36, pp.
92-107
- "On Monastic Vows" (1521), Works 245-400
- "The Estate of Marriage" (1522), Works 45, pp.13-49
- "Exhortation to the Knights of the Teutonic Order That They Lay
Aside False Chastity and Assume the True Chastity of Wedlock" (1523),
Works, p.133-158
- "The Order of Marriage for Common Pastors," Works 12, pp. 110-115.
Calvin and the Family
- "Epistle to the Ephesians," 5:21-6:4,Commentaries on the epistles of
Paul
to Galatians and Ephesians (1548)
- Commentaries on the Book of Genesis (1554), pp.57-66, commentary
on Gen. 1:25-31, 2:19-3:24
- Institutes of Religion I, "Seventh Commandment," Bk. II, Ch. VIII
- Institutes of Religion II, Bk. IV, Ch. XII, para. 23-28
Love: Human Fulfillment in Religion and
the Social Sciences
Objectives: Examines contemporary and classical theological, philosophical,
and social scientific resources for understanding the meaning and purpose of
love.
Some Contemporary Theological Alternatives
- Anders Nygren, Agape and Eros, pp. 27-60
- Reinhold Niebuhr, Nature and Destiny of Man II, pp. 68-97
- Gene Outka, "Universal Love and Impartiality," in Santurri and Werpehowski,
The Love Commandments, pp. 6-91
- L. Janssens, "Norms and Priorities of a Love Ethic," Louvain Studies
- Christine Gudorf, "Parenting, Mutual Love, and Sacrifice," Woman's
Consciousness, Women's Conscience
- Andolsen, "Agape in Feminist Ethics," Journal of Religious Ethics
Some Models of Love in the Social Sciences
- Jonathan Lear, Love and Its Place in Nature: A Philosophical Interpretation
of
Freudian Psychoanalysis, Intro.-ch.3
- Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents
- David Buss, The Nature of Desire
- Stephen Pope, "'Equal Regard' vs. 'Special Relations': Reaffirming the
- Richard Posner, "Sex and Rationality" and "Sexuality from the Perspective
of
Economics," in Sex and Reason
Some Classic Ancient Philosophical and Theological Perspectives
- Plato, Symposium
- Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, bks. 8-9
- Victor Furnish, "Love of Neighbor in the New Testament," Journal of
- Marcus Barth, Ephesians, selections
- Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica 2a2ae, QQ. 23 and 26
- Stephen Pope, "The Order of Love and Recent Catholic Ethics,"
Family Life, Faith, and Society
Objectives: Explores the relationship of theological ethics to historic and
contemporary forces shaping family life and sexual behavior. Focuses on directions
for theological ethics, pastoral practice, and church policy.
Some Common Bases for Discussion
- Leon Kass, "Man and Woman: An Old Story," First Things (no. 17, Nov.
1991).
- David Popenoe, et al., Promises to Keep (Rowman and Littlefield,
1996),
- E. O. Lauman, et al., The Social Organization of Sexuality (U. of
Chicago, 1994).
- Michel Foucault, History of Sexuality, Volume 1 (trans. R. Hurley,
1978).
What are the Churches Saying?
- Max Stackhouse, Covenant and Commitments (Westminster/
- Phyllis Airhart and Margaret Lamberts Bendroth, Faith Traditions
and the Family (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996).
Sex and Gender
- Anne Carr and Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, Religion, Feminism and
the Family (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996).
- Lisa Sowle Cahill, Sex, Gender, and Christian Ethics
(Cambridge U. Press, 1996).
- Choon-Leong Seow, Homosexuality and Christian Community
(Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996).
Divorce and Children
- Sara McLanahan and Gary Sandefur, Growing Up With a Single Parent:
What Hurts, What Helps (Harvard U. Press, 1994).
- John Witte, Jr., "The Legal Transformation of the Western Family,"
Family Theology
- James Gustafson, Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective, Volume 2
(U. of Chicago, 1984), ch. 5.
- Max Stackhouse, Covenant and Commitments (Westminster/
John Knox Press, 1997), ch. 5.
Objectives: To learn how to think systems about families, identify the ordinary
and extraordinary transitions in a families history of significance for the
church, to be aware of the relation of family to society, and to develop a theology
of the family.
Every Family Has a Legacy
Herbert Anderson, The Family in Pastoral Care (Philadelphia: Fortress
Press, 1984), ch.s 1, 3, 5, 7
- Edwin Friedman, Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church
and Synagogue (New York: Guilford Press, 1985), ch.s 1 and 2
- Froma Walsh, ed. Normal Family Process (New York: Guilford Press,
2nd
The Delicate Art of Living Through Transitions
- Edwin Friedman, Generation to Generation, ch. 7
- Herbert Anderson, "The Family as a Context for Change and Changing
Context: A Sign That God is Always Making Something New," Journal of
Psychology and Christianity, Vol.3, No. 4, 1984
- Frank S. Pittman, III MD, "A Theory of Crisis," Turning Points: Treating
Families in Transition and Crisis (New York: W.W. Norton and Co.,
1987)
The Context of the Family
- Jaime Inclan and Ernesto Ferran, Jr., "Poverty, Politics, and Family
Therapy: A Role for Systems Theory," The Social and Political Contexts
of Family Therapy, ed. M. P. Mirkin (Allyn and Bacon, 1990)
- Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, "Dan Quayle Was Right," Atlantic Monthly,
- Judith Stacey, Brave New Families: Stories of Upheaval in Late
Twentieth Century America (New York: Basic Books, 1990)
- McGoldrick, Pearce, and Giordano, eds., Ethnicity and Family Therapy
(New York: Guilford Press, 1982)
If You Want to Know How Well a Family Functions, Ask About Leaving Home
- Herbert Anderson, Leaving Home (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox
- Edwin Friedman, From Generation to Generation, ch. 6
- B. Carter and M. Goldrick, The Changing Family Life Cycle (New York:
Gardner Press, 1988), ch.s 13, 14, 19
You Must Leave Before You Can Cleave
- Herbert Anderson and Robert Cotton Fite, Becoming Married (Louisville:
Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993)
- Edward Foley and Herbert Anderson, "A Wedding of Stories," Mighty
Stories, Dangerous Rituals: Waving and the Human and the Divine (San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997)
- Edwin Friedman, Generation to Generation, ch.s 3, 7
- Wallerstein and Blakeslee, The Good Marriage: How and Why Love Lasts
(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1995)
- Popenoe, Elshtain, and Blankenhorn, eds., Promises to Keep: Decline and
Renewal of Marriage in America (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield,
1996)
Raising Children
- Herbert Anderson and Susan Johnson, Regarding Children: A New
Respect for Childhood and Families (Louisville, Westminster/John
Knox Press, 1994)
- Urie Bronfenbrenner, "Discovering What Families Do," in Blankenhorn,
et al., eds, Rebuilding the Nest (Milwaukee: Family Service America,
1990)
- Victor Fuchs, "Are Americans Underinvesting in Children?," ibid.
- Edwin Friedman, Generation to Generation, ch. 4
Promising Again
- Herbert Anderson, et al., Promising Again (Louisville:
Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995)
- Carter and McGoldrick, The Changing Family Life Cycle, ch.s 13, 14,
Living Alone
- Herbert Anderson and Freda Gardner, Living Alone (Louisville:
Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997)
- Schwartzberg, Berliner, and Jacob, Single in a Married World: A Life
Cycle Framework for Working with the Unmarried Adult (New York: W.W.
Norton, 1994)
Interventive Methods in Pastoral Work With Families
- Augustus Napier and Carl Whitaker, The Family Crucible (New York:
- Deborah Anna Luepnitz, The Family Interpreted: Feminist Theory in
Clinical Practice (New York: Basic Books, 1988)
- Michael Nichols and Richard C. Schwartz, Family Therapy: Concepts and
Metaphors (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1995)
- Carl Whitaker and David Keith, "Counseling the Dissolving Marriage," in
Stahmann and Hiebert, eds, Klemer's Counseling in Marital and Sexual
Problems (Baltimore: Williams and Wilkens)
- Michael Lawler, Secular Marriage, Christian Sacrament (Mystic Ct:
What We Believe About Families and What Families Believe
- Herbert Anderson, The Family in Pastoral Care, ch.s 2, 4, 6
- Gerald Foley, Family-Centered Church: A New Parish Model (Kansas
City: Sheed and Ward, 1995)
- Pope John Paul II, "The Apostolic Exhortation on the Family," Origins
- Phyllis Airhart and Margaret Bendroth, Faith Traditions and the Family
(Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996)
Psychology and Theology: The Family
Objectives: Focuses on images of generativity in contemporary society in order
to acquaint students with changes in patterns of work, love, marriage, and family.
Loving and Working
- Bonnie Miller-McLemore, Work and Family as Theological Dilemma
- Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, Gender and Grace: Love, Work and Parenting
in a Changing World (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 1990)
- Rosemary Curran Barciauskas and Debra BerryHull, Loving and Working
- Sara Ruddick and Pamela Daniels, Working It Out (Pantheon, 1987)
- John Raines and Conna Day-Lower, Modern Work and Human Meaning
- Francesca Cancian, Love in America (Cambridge, 1987)
- Lisa Sowle Cahill, Between the Sexes: Foundations of a Christian
Ethics of Sexuality (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985)
Family and Kin
- Judith Stacey, Brave New Families (Basic Books, 1990)
- Susan Miller Okin, Justice, Gender, and the Family (Basic Books,
1989)
- David Popenoe, Disturbing the Nest (Aldine De Gruyter, 1988)
- Barrie Thorne and Marilyn Yalom, eds., Rethinking the Family
- Janet Fishburn, Confronting the Idolatry of Families: A New Vision for
the Household of God (Nashville: Abingdon, 1991)
- Richard Louv, Childhood's Future (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990)
- Harriet McAdoo, ed., Black Families (Beverley Hills: Sage, 1988)
- Sanford Dornbusch and Myra Strober, eds, Feminism, Children, and the
New Families (New York: Guilford, 1988)
Pastoral Theology and the Family
Cultural Critiques
- Christopher Lasch, Haven in a Heartless World
- Robert Bellah, et al., Habits of the Heart
- Stephanie Coontz, The Way We Never Were
- Dizard and Gadlin, The Minimal Family
- David Popenoe, Disturbing the Nest
- Sara McLanahan and Gary Sandefur, Growing Up With a Single Parent
Psychology and the Family
- Jessica Benjamin, Bonds of Love: Psychoanalysis, Feminism, and the
- Boyd-Franklin, Black Families in Therapy: A Multisystems Approach
- Friedman, Generation to Generation
- Minuchin and Fishman, Family Therapy Techniques
- David Blankenhorn, Fatherless America
- William Doherty, Sould Searching: Why Psychotherapy Must Promote
Social Science and the Family
- Collins, Black Feminist Thought
- Berry, The Politics of Parenthood
- Brazelton, Families: Crisis and Caring
- Leach, Children First
- Weston, The Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, and Kinship
Pastoral Theology
- Herbert Anderson and Johnson, Regarding Children
- Herbert Anderson, The Family and Pastoral Care
- David Balch, Let Wives Be Submissive
- Olson and Leonard, Ministry With Families in Flux
- Patton and Childs, Christian Marriage and Family
- Deotis Roberts, Roots of a Black Future: Family and Church
- Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, After Eden
Catholicism and the Family
Objectives: To develop a richer understanding of the theology, history, and
existential situation of the Catholic family.
History of the Catholic/Christian Family
- Leo Perdue, et al., Families in Ancient Israel (Louisville:
Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997)
- Carolyn Osiek, "The Family in Early Chrisitanity." Catholic Biblical
- Lisa Sowle Cahill, Sex, Gender, and Christian Ethics (Cambridge,
- Robert W. Shaffern, "Christianity and the Rise of the Nuclear Family,"
- National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Families, the Economy, and
Catholic Family Theology
- Alvin Werth, "The Family," from Papal Pronouncements on Marriage and
the Family, From Leo XIII to Pius XII, 1955
- John Paul II, On the Family: An Apostolic Exhortation, 1981
- John Conley, "Family, Tradition, and Papacy," America, 4/29/95
- Mary M. Pedersen, "The Family: A Symbol of God's Love," The Catholic
- Dennis Edwards, "The Open Table: Theological Reflections on the
Family," The Australasian Catholic Record, 7/1/95
- Tim Unsworth, "Anatomy of an Annulment," in Here Comes Everybody,
- Ernie Cortez, "Reflections on the Catholic Tradition of Family Rights,"
in One Hundred Years of Catholic Social Thought, 1991
The Catholic Family Today
- Christine Hinze, "Catholic: Family Unity and Diversity Within the Body
of Christ," in Faith Traditions and the Family, 1996
- Jane Redmont, Generous Lives, 1992 (selections)
- Toinette Eugene, Black Catholic Belonging, 1983 (selections)
Genetics, Theology, and Family Ethics
- Ted Peters, For the Love of Children: Genetic Technology and the Future
of the Family (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996)
- Ted Peters, Playing God? Genetic Determinism and Human Freedom
- Lisa Sowle Cahill, Sex, Gender, and Christian Ethics (Cambridge,
1996)
- Roger L. Shinn, The New Genetics (Wakefield, RI: Moyer Bell, 1996)
- Thomas A. Shannon and Lisa Sowle Cahill, Religion and Artificial
Reproduction (New York: Crossroad, 1988)
- Ronald Cole-Turner, The New Genesis: Theology and the Genetic
Revolution (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993)
- Ruth Hubbard and Elijah Wald, Exploding the Gene Myth (Boston: Beacon,
- David Heyd, Genethics: Moral Issues in the Creation of People
(Berkeley: Univ. California, 1992)
- John Paul II, The Gospel of Life(New York: Random House, 1995)
- Paul Lauritzen, Pursuing Parenthood: Ethical Issues in Assisted
Reproduction (Indiana University, 1993)
- Bruce R. Reichenback and V. Elving Anderson, On Behalf of God: A
Christian Ethic for Biology (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1995)
- Barbara Katz Rothman, Recreating Motherhood: Ideology and Technology
in a Patriarchal Society (New York: Norton, 1989)
- William Storrar and Iain Torreance, Human Genetics: A Christian
Perspective (Edinburgh: Church of Scotland, 1995)
- David Suzuki and Peter Knudtson, eds, Genethics: The Clash Between
the New Genetics and Human Values (Cambridge: Harvard University
Press, rev. ed. 1990)
Ethics of Sex and Gender
- C. Curran, M. Farley, R. McCormick, eds., Feminist Ethics and
Catholic Moral Tradition (Paulist Press)
- M. Foucault, History of Sexuality, Vol 1 (Vintage)
- Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pastoral Care for Homosexual
Persons (US Catholic Conference)
- John Paul II, On the Family (US Catholic Conference)
- S. Parsons, Feminism and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press)
- J. Noonan, Contraception selections (1-6, 509-533)
- J. Bernauer and D. Rasmussen, "Michel Foucault's Ecstatic Thinking" in The
Final Foucault (Cambridge University Press)
- E. Schussler Fiorenza, "Patriarchy and Diuscipleship" in Feminist Ethics
(Cambridge University Press)
- M. Hunt "Friendship as Inspiration: Friendshp as Theo-Politics" in Feminist
Ethics (Cambridge University Press)
The Family
- S. Hewlitt, When the Bough Breaks (HarperCollins)
- D. Blankenhorn, Rebuilding the Nest (Family Service America)
- S. Okin, Justice, Gender and the Family (Basic Books)
- B. Thorne, Rethinking the Family (Longman)
- Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, Gender and Grace (Intervarsity Press)
- P. Couture, Blessed are the Poor? (Abingdon)
- M & K Finley, Christian Families in the Real World (Thomas More Press)
- John Paul II, On the Family (U.S. Catholic Conference)
- U.S. Bishops Follow the Way of Love (U.S. Catholic Conference)
- Cahill and Mieth, eds., Aging (Orbis)
- B. Emecheta, The Joys of Motherhood (George Braziller)
Families in Theological Perspective
Objectives: To address key family problems of fundamental concern to pastors
from the perspective of classic and contemporary Christian theology in conversation
with contemporary socio-cultural analyses, and looking at possible practical
implications for ministry and the church.
Introduction
Introduction to the issues and scope of the course
Video: Bill Moyers, "Listening to America: Families Matter"
In-class writing assignment: my own family story
Family as a Theological Issue
Don Browning, et al., From Culture Wars to Common Ground: Religion and
the American Family Debate (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press,
1997), Introduction, chapters 1-3 (optional: chapters 6 and 8)
Marriage and Divorce I: Early Christian Traditions
Don Browning, et al., From Culture Wars to Common Ground: Religion and
the American Family Debate (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press,
1997), chapter 5
Augustine, "The Good of Marriage," in Augustine, Treatises on Marriage and
Other Subjects (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press,
1969), pp. 3-51
John Witte, Jr., From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law
in the Western Tradition (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997),
Intro. and chapter 1
Marriage and Divorce II: Reformation and Enlightenment Traditions
John Witte, Jr., From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law
in the Western Tradition (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997),
chapters 2, 3, and 5
Either: Luther, "The Estate of Marriage," in Luther's Works, Volume 45
Or: Calvin, Commentaries on the First Book of Moses, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids,
MI: Eerdmans, 1948), pp. 57-66, 128-37
Marriage and Divorce III: Practical Approaches
Scott Stanley, et al., A lasting Promise: A Christian Guide to Fighting
For Your Marriage (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996)
Report due analyzing a church's marriage ministry
Parenting I: The Contemporary Problem
Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Cornel West, The War Against Parents: What We Can
Do For America's Beleaguered Moms and Dads (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1998), chapters 1-6
Optional: Amato and Booth, A Generation at Risk: Growing Up in an Era of
Family Upheaval (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997), final chapter
Parenting II: Two Christian Traditions
Steven Ozment, When Fathers Ruled: Family Life in Reformation Europe
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1983), chapters 3 and 4
Friedrich Schleiermacher, Christmas Eve: Dialogue on the Incarnation,
trans. Terrence N. Tice (San Francisco, CA: EM Texts, 1990)
Parenting III: Practical Approaches
Kathleen and James McGinnis, Parenting for Peace and Justice (Ten Years
Later) (Orbis, 1990)
Report due analyzing a church's parenting ministry
Families and Work
Bonnie Miller-McLemore, Also a Mother: Work and Family as Theological Dilemma
(Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1994), selections
Christie Cozad Neuger and James Newton Poling, eds., The Care of Men,
(Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1997), chapters 3 and 4
Don Browning, et al., From Culture Wars to Common Ground: Religion and the
American Family Debate (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997),
chapter 9
Constructive Conclusions
Don Browning, et al., From Culture Wars to Common Ground: Religion and
the American Family Debate (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press,
1997), chapters 10-11
Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Cornel West, The War Against Parents: What We Can
Do For America's Beleaguered Moms and Dads (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1998), chapters 7-9
Home | The
University of Chicago | The
Divinity School | The
Marty Center