Latino Studies

Coordinator for Latino Programs at the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education:
Claudio M. Burgaleta, S.J., A.B., M.Div., S.T.L., Ph.D.

I. M.A. in Religious Education – Concentration in Latino Studies
The GSRRE provides a program of study that includes a focus on the general arts of pastoral ministry and the study of Scripture and theology, as well as Latino studies. The program prepares men and women for Christian leadership and ministerial roles within the Church. It is also of interest to those seeking personal faith enrichment and who are striving to deepen the connections between their Christian faith and their everyday lives. Graduate courses for the focus in Latino ministry are taken from those offered at the GRE and the Latin American and Latino Studies Institute of Fordham University (www.fordham.edu/lalsi).
II. Doctor of Ministry – Latino Studies Specialization
Director: Patrick J. Holt
Phone: 718-817-4800
Email: holt@fordham.edu

Overview

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY Curriculum (36 CREDITS beyond the MDiv or its equivalent)
1. LATINO STUDIES CONCENTRATION (36 credits) (Coordinator, Fr. Claudio M. Burgaleta, S.J., Ph.D.)
A. Required Courses (21 credits)
B. Electives (15 credits)
C. Dissertation or Project

Program Objectives

The goal of the Doctor of Ministry degree offered at Fordham University is to provide advanced understanding of the nature and purposes of religious ministry, increased competencies in pastoral analysis and ministry skills, sustained theological reflection on the practice of ministry, and new knowledge about the practice of ministry. The program, combining theory and pastoral practice, strives for the integration of theological and social science knowledge to advance excellence in religious ministry. The purpose of the program is to enhance the general practice of ministry in its many forms as well as provide expertise in specialized areas of ministerial practice.

In keeping with Fordham University’s Jesuit mission the program gives special, though not exclusive, attention to the Christian and Catholic religious tradition. A major concern of the program, in keeping with the mission of Jesuit education, is to explore the social role that religious ministry can play in dealing with cultural and theological issues.

The D.Min. degree is designed to prepare reflective and competent professionals for positions of leadership in religious ministry. The program strives to discover and nurture sound scholarship, meaningful research, and the interdependence of theory and practice. The D.Min. is conferred on the basis of scholarship, research skills and practical application demonstrated by the student’s course work, examinations, doctoral dissertation and ministerial experience.

Curriculum

The D.Min. program offers an advanced level of study in pastoral and practical theology and involves their integration with religious ministry. The curriculum also focuses on the acquisition of skills and competencies in pastoral practice and research. A doctoral level dissertation serves as the capstone for the student’s program.

Various kinds of learning comprise the program of studies: lectures, readings, community, discussions, self-directed learning, peer learning, library research, workshops, experiential learning and E-learning. Close attention is also given to the various contexts in which students exercise their religious ministries.

The D.Min. program includes the designing, writing and presentation of a doctoral level dissertation or project that deals in a significant manner with theory and practice of ministry. This work should reach the level where it contributes to the practice of ministry and is applicable to other ministerial situations. To complete this work each student identifies a ministerial issue, conducts the necessary research using appropriate methodology, and presents a practical proposal for dealing with the issue. Doctoral dissertations are evaluated by a committee, presented orally, placed in the university library, as well as in Dissertation Abstracts.

The D.Min. program requires that students take a minimum of 36 advanced credits beyond the Master of Divinity or its equivalent as well as complete a doctoral dissertation or project. Twenty one credits are taken in a required core of courses; 15 credits are in either additional required courses or electives. Normally, the degree requires not less than two and no more than six years to complete.

All D.Min. students are required register to register for the D.Min. “Maintenance of Matriculation” after they complete their coursework. They must enrolleach semester until they defend their dissertation or present their project.
Doctor of Ministry Curriculum (36 credits beyond the M. Div or its equivalent)

1. LATINO STUDIES SPECIALIZATION (Coordinator, Fr. Claudio M. Burgaleta, S.J., Ph.D.)
A. Core Studies (18 credits):
o    Foundations of Pastoral and Practical Theology (3 credits)
o    Seminar in Pastoral Theology and Practice (3 credits)
o    Theology of Ministry (3 credits)
o    Ministerial Ethics (3 credits)
o    US Latino Christianities or an equivalent introductory course to Intro to Hispanic Ministry (3 credits)
o    US Latino Theology (3 credits)

2. Electives (18 credits):
In addition to courses offered by the GSRRE, students, with the approval of their advisors, may take graduate courses offered by Fordham University's Latin American and Latino Studies Institute (LALSI). Consult their website for graduate offerings at www.fordham.edu/lalsi

3. Dissertation or Project:
On some topic related to Latino/Hispanic Ministry