MTSO offers week-long summer classes for auditing

Methodist Theological School in Ohio is offering two one-week courses for auditing during the summer term. Audit fees are $200 per class, with a reduced fee of $75 for those 60 or older. Auditors simply need to complete the brief non-credit application at www.mtso.edu/courseauditing.

Visiting students pursuing graduate degrees at other seminaries or divinity schools are welcome to register at www.mtso.edu/visitingstudent to take either course for three hours’ credit at MTSO’s standard tuition rates.

Both courses meet 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

African-American Religious History (July 19-22) provides an introduction to the development of religious movements and institutions within African-American communities, including moral traditions and spiritual dynamics. Attention will be paid to current problems and issues in the writing and interpretation of this history. The course is taught by Mark Kelly Tyler, a fully affiliated faculty member in homiletics and African-American studies.

African-American Religious History will meet online.

Evaluating the class, one student wrote, “Dr. Tyler was an engaging professor who challenged my worldview with kindness. Growing up as a white person from a predominantly white area of the Midwest, I was ignorant of much of the content of this course. African-American Religious History made me a more informed and empathetic person, and I would recommend the course to anyone.”

Field Theology: Water and Watersheds (July 25-29) explores place, space, boundaries and possibilities through the reality and metaphors of water. The course will explore two primary watersheds of Ohio (Lake Erie and the Ohio River) as sources for life, commerce, political action, environmental degradation and communal renewal. It is taught by MTSO Associate Professor in the Alford Chair of Christian Education and Youth Ministry Tim Van Meter, who also serves as the school’s coordinator of ecological initiatives.

Students and auditors may opt to take Field Theology either in person or online. In-person students and auditors are required to be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19.

“The watersheds course provides crucial information connecting the theoretical understandings of the range of ecotheologies with the ecosystem that each of us inhabits,” said one student’s evaluation of Field Theology. “Our watersheds are what connect us together. Understanding that connection in all its complexity was a key piece of turning my theological thinking into transformative action.”

To learn more about taking either of the above courses, contact the Admissions Department at admissions@mtso.edu or 800-333-6876.

Methodist Theological School in Ohio provides theological education and leadership in pursuit of a just, sustainable and generative world. In addition to the Master of Divinity degree, the school offers master’s degrees in practical theology, social justice and theological studies, along with a Doctor of Ministry degree.

CONTACT:

Danny Russell, communications director
drussell@mtso.edu, 740-362-3322