Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York · Courses
MPS
8 courses with the subject MPS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
MPS 107This course will demonstrate the importance of a holistic approach to ministries. Foundation
Foundations of of Ministry assists students in deepening and expanding their understanding of the nature Ministry (3 credits) and challenge of ministry and the mission of the church in an increasingly urban and global Sing Sing world. Attention will be given to developing analytical skills in relationship to the nature of Nancy Fields ministry, the nature of systemic evil, and the nature and function of prophetic ministry. The student is invited to attend to his personal narrative and formation and track their own vocational exploration and discernment. Focus will be on “imagining” a new vision of church and ministry for the 21st Century in US prisons and communities historically vulnerable to incarceration.
MPS 108This foundational course offers an introduction to the nature, methods, and basic themes of
Introduction to Christian theology. Central doctrines are explored both in their classical formulations and Theology (3 credits) contemporary reconstructions in the context of global Christianity. Special attention will be Sing Sing given to the emergence of different types of liberation theologies in the United States, Mark Chapman including Black/African-American, feminist/womanist, Hispanic/Latino (a), and ecological theologies.
MPS 114This course provides an introductory survey to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity in their global
Christianity, Islam, context and varied expressions. The USA has long been a land of religious diversity, a place of Judaism, and the religious strangers and neighbors living together. Attention is paid to the relationship Marginalized (3 between these religions and marginalized peoples in a variety of contexts, the wider social credits) and political context in which communities of faith live out their ministries, the role of Sing Sing women and others who have been socially marginalized through history, and the Darren Ferguson development of theological ideas in diverse cultural locations. The course mines the co- mingled histories of violence and justice-centered work of these religions, profiling persons and people groups associated with these histories. The student will identify and explore resources for building religious community committed to social change, equity, and human sacredness.
MPS 201This course will explore selected issues and topics in leadership formation, contexts, and
Leadership, personalities. Exploring classic and contemporary leadership theories, students assess the Mentorship, and strengths and weaknesses leadership theories as well as the challenges associated with each. Prison Ministry (3 Other social disciplines such as organizational behavior, ethics, sociology, history and political credits) science will be examined to show their relationship to the development of leadership and Sing Sing mentorship practices in urban communities and the prison setting respectively. The class Eric Waters offers theoretical understanding and professional skills needed for effective, ethical leadership of a group of any size. The learner will engage strategies for building consensus and mobilizing constituents to achieve specific ends. MPS 209 – Pastoral This course is being offered to introduce you to theories and methods of pastoral care. As an Care, Counseling, and introductory course in pastoral theology, care and counseling, emphasis is on the learner’s the Self (3 credits) pastoral identity, critical self-reflection and self-awareness as care giver and leader in 77
MPS 208Theories This course will explore paradigms of highly celebrated and effective written and oral
of Justice and Public communication aimed at shaping public opinion and opening the political window on issues Leadership (3 credits) of justice in American history, giving the student opportunity to engage multiple theories of Sing Sing communication. From sermons to essays, public communication continues to appeal to John Ducksworth shared values and identity concerning questions of public policy, political practices, and organizational mission. During this class, students will explore the arts of public speaking, persuasive writing, and professional presentations to advance a specific issue that impacts their communities. The class will take inventory and analyze one’s own strengths and weaknesses as a public communicator as well as those of the other students. 78
MPS 314This course is an overview of methods of theological reflection as a practice of justice
Theological centered and culturally responsive leadership in the public square. It provides an Reflection, Justice, interpretative framework for learners to build a working knowledge of classical and and the Public Square contemporary theories of justice and commence a development and articulation of one’s (3 credits) person definition of justice. Creating space for present-day application, the theo-political Sing Sing inquiries centered in the course press learners to mine public discourse on race, class, Jawanza Clark gender, sexuality, citizenship, and the like, raising concerns related to duty and rights. The student is invited to practice a model of theological reflection germane to one’s own experiential and ministerial context. Moreover, the learner forms a theological language to address the social crises of racism, sexism, heterosexism and homophobia, xenophobia, and economic exploitation with an eye toward creating communities of faith and advocacy.
MPS 401MPS The MPS Capstone Project is an integrated theoretical and practical assignment that
Capstone Project I (3 represents the student’s theological and applied knowledge. The project is a culminating credits) paper of 30 to 40 pages, which systematically mines the student's own beliefs and proposals Sing Sing for improving society and/or the carceral realities. The student will seek to analyze, integrate, John Ducksworth and evaluate his experience of theological education as it relates to the contemporary practice of prophetic ministry in urban communities and prison contexts with an eye toward anti-incarceration advocacy and social justice leadership practice. In essence, grounded in the theories from course work, the students identify a problem, define a program or ministry intervention or innovation, and critically articulate its potential to change said problem and contribute to the public good. SPRING 2027 MPS 109 – Bible and This course presents an overview of the Bible with a particular emphasis on the formation of Hermeneutics of biblical literature and the historical and cultural contexts in which biblical texts were written. Justice (3 credits) The course will assist students in developing exegetical skills necessary to extract meanings Sing Sing out of the biblical text in a sober and responsible manner. Alongside liberationist Bedford Hills interpretative traditions, special attention will be paid to the prophetic tradition and themes TBA of Justice as a Biblical theme. Implications for theological reflection, ministry, and the prison context will also be explored.
