Each year the Graduate Theological Union recognizes a group of doctoral students as Newhall Scholars, providing the opportunity to work collaboratively with core faculty to develop and teach new courses, lead research, and expand the boundaries of innovative scholarship. These fellowships were made possible through the generosity of Jane Newhall, a Trustee Emerita and longtime friend of the GTU.

2008-2009
2007-2008
2006-2007
2005-2006
2004-2005

2008-2009

"Christian Asceticism in the Church of Late Antiquity"
Andrei Antokhin

"Contemporary Asian Cultural Perspectives on the Trinity"
Chung-Hyun Baik

"Pedagogy as Talking Story: Critical Pedagogies within Asian/ Pacific Island Contexts"
Michael Campos

"Dreaming in World's Religions"
Patricia Davis

"Christian Iconography"
Rebecca Davis

"Music and Worship in the Twenty-First Century: Tools for Discernment and Diversity"
Alicia Dean

"Social Theory as Moral Inquiry; Ethics as Social Inquiry"
Jay Feist, Katherine Hennessey, Jamie Wright

"Desire and the Spiritual Life"
Elizabeth Ford

"Between Tradition and Modernity: American Jewish Literature of the Twentieth Century"
Shaina Hammerman

"Diversity, Church and Theology: Theologies of Cultural Pluralism from the US Context"
Brett Hoover

"Social Visions of the Hebrew Bible"
Moa Imchen

"Invoking Trinity and Moral Imagination: Ethical Implications of Naming God"
Melissa James, Elizabeth Lee

"Judges, Prophets, and Kings: Leadership in the Deuteronomicistic History"
Alison Joseph

"Spiritual Practices for Korean American Churches"
Kang Hack Lee

"Religion and American Popular Culture"
Richard Lindsay

"Bringing Back Virtue in Liberal Society"
Eli Sasaran McCarthy

"Christian Roots of Queer Liberation"
Eugene McMullan

"Art of the Jesuit Missions: Images, Economics and Values"
Christy Newton

"Inventing Tradition: The Turn to the Past in Modern Hebrew and Yiddish Literature and Film"
Riki Ophir (JDP), Zehavit Stern (JDP)

"Religion and the Cinema"
J. Ryan Parker

"Nonviolence, Power and Evil"
John Roedel

"The Liturgical and Sacramental Life of American Lutheranism"
Kyle Schiefelbein

"Conversion: Dynamics of Religious and Spiritual Transformation"
Shijung Shim

"Buddhism and the Arts in America"
Larry Taylor

"Mormonism"
Sheila Taylor

"Web Enhanced Foundational Course in Old Testament"
Halyna Teslyuk

"Dance in Comparative Religions: Living Traditions in the Bay Area"
Angela Yarber

"Exegeting Mark for Preaching"
Beringia Zen

2007-2008

“Rethinking Women in Paul”
Laura Anderson

An introduction to the women portrayed in the Apostle Paul’s New Testament letters, with an examination of the impact of subsequent interpretation, considering gender, textual voice and presence, power, work and economics, family life, and religious practice.

“Theories of Conversion: Models and Methods of Religious Change”
Steve Bauman

A multidisciplinary study of the phenomenon of conversion, with attention to modern conversion theory and experiences across a broad spectrum of spiritual traditions and marginalized groups.

“Biblical Women in Art and Literature”
Bobbi Dykema Katsanis

An examination of the ways biblical women have been depicted in Western art and literature. Through biblical texts and works of art, students will study the effects of these depictions on theology, biblical studies, and ministry as well as their relationship with goddess figures from European and Near Eastern traditions.

“Wisdom Literature and Spirituality”
Elizabeth Ford

A focus on Wisdom and Deuterocanonical texts as well as contemporary wisdom figures in students’ lives to determine the process by which text and life form and inform wisdom spirituality.

“Biblical Translation: History, Theory and Ethics”
Courtney Gulden

A focus on major biblical translations within the context of historical periods. Students will translate passages to help them understand how words and ideas evolve from cultural, social and political influences of the period, as well as how myths regarding “literal” and “original” texts arise.

“Asian Hermeneutics and Postcolonial Reading of Biblical Wisdom Literature”
Ha SungAe

A study of biblical wisdom texts in the context of Daoist texts that emphasize a feminist spirituality focused on nourishing life as well as freedom from conventional thinking and patriarchal social order.

“New Media in Worship/Preaching”
Micah Jackson

An exploration of the role of media, including film and static images, as an aid to public worship and preaching. Students will create media-enhanced “worship offerings.”

“Music as Art and Theology”
Walter Knowles

An ecumenical study of music used in Christian worship communities from an historical, theological, and theological aesthetics perspective. Students will examine ritual and social context for music from the New Testament through the 19th century.

“The Spirituality of Henri Nouwen”
Kang Hack Lee

An introduction to the theology and spirituality of Henri Nouwen, a late-20th century Catholic priest and spiritual writer who focused on such topics as art, community with the disabled, and compassion and social justice.

“Harmony in Faith: Asian Identities and Worship”
Ricky Manalo

A survey of liturgical celebrations and devotional practices from Asian Christian heritages that incorporate Asian cultural symbols, rituals, and stories. The course will present the subject from a Roman Catholic perspective within a large r ecumenical context.

“Environmental Ethics”
Marilyn Matevia

An exploration of the moral status of animals through scriptural, philosophic, and scientific sources of norms and rationales that shape human relations with animals. Students will also study how these relations are reflected in the world biodiversity crisis.

“The American Jewish Experience: History and Culture”
Rachel Miller

An overview of American Jewish history and culture from the arrival of the first Portuguese Jews in New Amsterdam to the present day. In addition, the course will cover internal tensions within the Jewish community and the interaction of Jews with the larger American culture.

“History of Christianity in China”
Hyung Shin Park

A study of Chinese Christianity from the Tang dynasty on, including its origins, cultural expressions, and theological developments that include the early diversion from a European style of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, evangelism, missionary work, and Christianity in the new China.

“Success and Failure in Religious Nonviolence”
John Roedel

An introduction to principled, unconditional nonviolence based on strong religious commitment in contrast to “strategic” nonviolence used as a tactic. Students will explore both successes and failures of nonviolence to evaluate its effectiveness.

“Minimalism and Spirit: Body/Land”
Larry Taylor

A study of the spiritual dimensions minimalist art presents and the religious experience such works can engender. Students will investigate Judeo-Christian traditions, Buddhism, phenomenology, ecology, and more to help understand the implications of minimalist art and the relationship between religious and aesthetic experience.

“Grace and Freedom”
Sheila Taylor

An examination of the “problem of grace and freedom” or the relation of divine action to human action in the work of Christian salvation during both historical and contemporary times. Is grace contingent on human choice? Or, is human freedom illusory due to the sovereign power of grace?

“Slavery and Scripture”
Katy Valentine, Richetta Amen (pictured)

An historical survey of Greek and Roman slavery and its relationship to New Testament literature that both supports and condemns the practice. Students will interpret these passages with other readings, including author Toni Morrison’s novel “Beloved.”

“Christianity and the Ottoman Empire”
Jason van Boom

An exploration of the role of the early Ottoman Empire in European history, starting with the battle of Manziker in 1071 through the dissolution of the Ottoman sultanate in 1923. The course will also study the influence of this early history on modern relations between Islam and the West, and ask whether religious historians can contribute to a dialogue that would improve possibilities for peace.

“Rediscovering Kierkegaard in the Present Age”
Jennifer Veninga

An opportunity for students to investigate larger themes in the writings of noted 19th century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, including how to live a meaningful life and make sense of one’s existence, the importance of decision-making, and the role of the individual in church and society.

“New Religious Movements in the USA”
Emily Wu, Natalie Fisk, Ofelia Villero

Once known as cults, new religious movements are well established in the U.S. This course is an examination of what historical and social conditions cause such groups to form and whether they present a danger or are examples of broad theological diversity outside white Judeo-Christian traditions.

2006-2007

"Jewish Magic in Late Antiquity & the Middle Ages"
Julia Watts Belser

"Apocalypse Now-A-Days"
Sharon Betsworth, Katy Valentine

"Worship in the 21st Century: New Wine and the Ferment of Worship in Postmodernity"
Jennifer Wilkins Davidson, Sharon Fennema

"Psychology of Religion"
Patricia Davis

"Islam, Christianity and Science"
Daren Erisman

"Engaging Religious Difference"
Matthew Haar Farris

"Liturgy and Architecture"
David Friend

"The History of anti-Semitism"
Robert Galoob

"Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell, Christian Iconography "
Jenny Patten Gargulio

"American and Asian Women & Christianity"
Ha Hee-Jung

"Path of Wisdom That is Constructed, Deconstructed, and Reconstructed: A Comparative Study on the Wisdom Tradition in the Hebrew Bible and in Daoist Classics"
Ha Sung Ae

"Korean Spirituality"
Kang Hack Lee

"Passover and Eucharist: Common Roots, Diverging Traditions"
Dale Loepp

"Protestant Christianity in the Region of Yunnan and Guizhou: from 19th Century to the Present"
Lin Manhong

"Asian American Christianity"
Hyung Shin Park

"Liturgies in Reformed Churches"
Heather Reichgott

"History of Old Testament Interpretation – The Samson Narratives "
Ryu Chesung Justin

"From Senderl the Woman to Yentl the Yeshiva Boy: The Sexual Transformation of Ashkenazi Culture"
Zehavit Stern (JDP)

"Body, Mind and Soul:Theological Anthropology in Reformation Thought"
Jason van Boom

"The Traditioning of Benedictine Spirituality"
Theresa Ladrigan Whelpley

2005-2006

"Globalization and Empire: Challenge to the Mission of the Church"
Ajit Abraham

"Ecofeminist Philosophy and Theology"
Whitney Bauman

"The Concept of Human Dignity in Contemporary Bioethics"
Gaymon Bennett

"Organizational Leadership in Church and Community"
J.D. Benson

"Breaking the Mold: Rethinking Women in the Synoptic Gospels"
Sharon Betsworth

"History of Christianity in Asia since 1500"
Yongkeun Choi

"Postcolonial Readings in Christian History: Spiritual Identity and National Identity"
Elizabeth Drescher

"Christian Theology and Natural Science"
Daren Erisman

"Queering Liturgy: Centering Queer Church-goers in Liturgy and Theology"
Sharon Fennema

"New Religious Movements"
Natalie Fisk, Myungwon Jung

"Post Biblical Hebrew Texts"
Saul Friedman

"Theorizing the Flesh: The Body in Literary and Social Theory"
Lynne Gerber, Lisa Webster

"Grace and Freedom in Lutheran Theology"
James Haag

"Ethics and Public Policy"
Lauren MacKinnon

"Jewish Liturgy: Tradition and Innovation"
Rachel Miller

"Understanding Asian Women's Christian Spirituality: Context and Methods"
JungEun Sophia Park

"Seminar on US Hispanic Theology"
Julia Prinz

"Reading the Jewish Library: A Survey of Classic Jewish Sources"
Devorah Schoenfeld

"Biblical Women and the Novel"
Sarah Steele

"Church, Power, Justice"
Allison Tanner

"History of Christianity in Asia before 1500"
Marina True

"The Early Mendicant Movements"
Theresa Ladrigan Whelpley

"Body Spirituality: Chinese Spirituality and Healing"
Emily Wu

2004-2005

"Psychology of religion: Theories of religious belief, behavior, and experience"
Steven Bauman

"Genetics, Theology, and Ethics"
Gaymon Bennett

"Queer Theory and the Study of Religion"
Jason Crawford

"Intersections of Black Women Novelists"
Kerry Danner-MacDonald, Beatrice Morris

"Desert Pilgrimage: Negotiating Place, Community, Identity, and Commodification at the Burning Man Festival"
Lee Gilmore

"Vice and Virtue in a Culture of Fear"
Rebecca Gordon

"Interpreting the Bible: Post-Biblical Hebrew Texts"
Ruth Haber

"Evolution, Eugenics, and Theology"
Nathan Hallanger

"Globalization, Ecumenism and Ethics"
Eileen Harrington

"Staging Judaism"
Donny Inbar

"Contextual Theology as Found in the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC)"
Abraham Kadaliyil

"Elementary Biblical Hebrew"
Robert Kramish

"Trans-Pacific Religious Experiences"
Hyung Shin Park

"Social-Political Dimensions of Biblical Spirituality"
Julia Prinz

"Latin-American Christology: Theology and Religious Practice from an Interdisciplinary Perspective"
Jennifer Scheper-Hughes

"Jewish and Christian Bible: Interpretation in the Middle Ages"
Devorah Schoenfeld

"Reading Religion"
Lisa Webster

"Spiritual Cultivation in Confucianism and Daoism"
Xu Chuan

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