Doctor's degree Liturgical Studies - Graduate Theological Union

Doctor's degree Liturgical Studies from Graduate Theological Union is a Campus Ph.D Religious Studies degree that prepares you for a Liberal Arts career. The goal of the Liturgical Studies program is to promote the study and understanding of Christian worship as it is lived and expressed through the churches' various traditions and cultures. It assumes that worship is at the heart of the theological enterprise, since it is both the primary context of the churches' encounter with the mystery of the Triune God and a primary actualization of the ecclesial body. Study in this area requires an interdisciplinary approach to liturgical studies that integrates the historical, theological, and social-scientific study of Christian ritual practice. This program is distinctive in its assumption that while liturgical history, liturgical theology , and ritual studies are unique fields of study, they are intrinsically related. While doctoral students may concentrate in one or another of these areas of scholarship, they will need to demonstrate competence in all three. Moreover, they are expected to pursue work in one or two related disciplines that further enables them to address both the multidimensionality of liturgical events themselves and the diverse socio-cultural contexts that have shaped historical and contemporary worship. For Ph.D. and Th.D. students, this means work in another area of the GTU doctoral program. In addition, Ph.D. students are expected to engage critically with a research discipline of the secular university either through course work, directed study, or previous degree work. Objectives The doctoral program in Liturgical Studies prepares students to do critical research in the historical evolution of Christian rites; to speak and think theologically about Christian ritual practice, both historical and contemporary; and to access the ritual strategies involved in particular liturgical events and ritual traditions. This will involve both familiarity with major figures, themes, and tasks in liturgiology, as well as an array of research skills including a critical use of primary sources, textual analysis, and conversance with a range of methods in the disciplines. With these skills, students will be prepared to address both the scholarly and pastoral dimensions of Christian worship through teaching (university or seminary settings), writing, and/or pastoral leadership, serving churches at the local, regional, or national levels. View more details on Graduate Theological Union . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Religious Studies courses.