Pastoral Theology and Human Mobility

Learning Objectives

Migration, a widespread and structural phenomenon in all societies, is one of the great challenges to the Church’s mission at the dawn of the third millennium. It is a challenge that requires pastoral creativity and constitutes “an apostolate on the border”, to be handed over to the apostles of the new evangelization.

License

The License aims at enabling those who attend it to understand the interpretative models of pastoral action and human mobility proposed by the theological and human/social sciences, building communication channels between the different disciplines and training experts and operators capable of dialogue, planning and transmission. The course promotes a multi-inter-intra-disciplinary methodology privileging the intercultural dimension, favoring in the student the competences and both comprehension and learning skills, the application of knowledge, the autonomy of judgment and communication skills.

Learning requirements

Enrolled students have to certify an appropriate knowledge of French, English and German. For those who do not certify the knowledge of these language attendance of and Italian language course and passing the respective examination is compulsory. (Module P – 12 ECTS are not included in the study plan).

Admission

General conditions for admissions are:

1. Mark of Baccalaureate degree not lower than cum laude;
2. For those who are coming from a seminary or other school, approved by the competent ecclesiastical authority, the completion of six years of philosophical-theological studies and an average mark of 24/30 in theological disciplines;
3. In addition to a basic knowledge of biblical-Greek, Latin and Hebrew, it is necessary of a good command of Italian and of other two modern languages, one of which has to be English or German and the other Spanish or Portuguese.

The Dean has to examines possible cases in which the conditions for admissions are not present. Course or exams requested as an integration of the above conditions do not provide “credits”.

Outline of courses

Courses have six months’ duration (2 hours per week); special cases of different scheduling may be agreed in accordance with the Dean. There are three different types of courses:

1. Common courses;
2. Curriculum-specific courses and seminars;
3. Auxiliary courses.

In the two-year period the student will have to attend the following number of courses: 5 common courses, 16 specific courses; 3 seminars to choose from the Specialization program.

The license degree is awarded after a total of 120 ECTs divided as follow:

• 72 ECTS for courses and seminars;
• 30 ECTS for the written exam;
• 18 ECTS for the comprehensive exam.

Students enrolled in the Specialization in Pastoral Theology and Human Mobility has to subdivide the 16 specific courses in 8 compulsory courses for everyone and 8 to be chosen according to the curriculum.

At the beginning of the academic year each student, in accordance with the advisor and co-advisor and with the approval of the Dean, have to develop a study plan for the academic year (I and II semester). The first-year study plan does not exceed 60 ECTS.

Exams

Attendance to courses is mandatory in order to get course credits required for completing the two-year specialization degree. At the end of each semester students have to pass an examination for every single course. The exam may be either oral or written. To obtain the Licentiate academic degree, candidates have to write a dissertation of about 50 to 100 pages.

Doctorate

The purpose of the third cycle is to initiate students to the acquisition of full scientific maturity, which makes them fit for research in the theological field and enables them to teach. The duration of the cycle is at least two years mainly dedicated to the preparation and writing of the thesis, which must represent a real contribution to progress in scientific research in the theological field and in undertaking, under the guidance of the advisor, some teaching experience. In addition to courses and seminars, the student is required to have a close and personal dialogue with the thesis advisor and co-advisors.

Admission

General conditions for admission are:

1. Those who have a Licentiate in Theology need a mark of degree equivalent to magna cum laude;
2.  The knowledge of classical languages and of three modern languages beyond the mother tongue.

The Dean has to examines all the cases not included in these general conditions.

Outline of courses

At the enrollment procedure students have to show a general idea of the research project on which to work. Students develop a status quaestionis of the thesis under the guidance of the advisor. Once obtained the agreement of the advisor, and according to the academic calendar, the student will present the research framework to the Academic Office to be approved by the Faculty Council. Once the research framework is approved it lasts 7 years at the end of which the student has to present a new research framework.

In accordance with the advisor and co-advisor and with the approval of the Dean, the student has to develop a two-year study plan which includes courses for at least 9 ECTS. The student can choose 3 academic activities among courses and seminars within the Licentiate program.

Students who choose the Section of Biblical Theology have to complete their study plan with two courses from “Lettura corsiva dei testi biblici”. The course of “Metodologia biblica” (TPB 2001), is not included in the calculation for the obtainment of the academic degree.

To obtain the degree of Doctorate it is necessary to have a minimum total of 108 ECTS divided as follow:

• 9 ECTS for courses and seminars;
• 70 ECTS for the written exam;
• 29 ECTS for the public dissertation defense.

Dissertation and academic degree

In order to defend the thesis, the student has to have passed the exams of the courses included in the study plan and have obtained the nulla osta of the advisor and of the two co-advisors.

The doctorate thesis, of at least 150 pages and which has to represents a real and original scientific advancement in the field, has to be defended before the advisor and co-advisors which can ask questions in order to evaluate the thesis and demonstrate the full intellectual maturity of the candidate.

The Doctorate diploma in Biblical Theology, Dogmatic Theology, Moral Theology or Pastoral Theology and Human Mobility is granted after the student, in accordance with the advisor and co-advisors, have published the whole or an extract of the thesis.

The final mark is calculated as follow:

• 25% average of the marks of the course’s ad lauream;
• 50% assessment of the written thesis;
• 25% assessment of the oral dissertation of the thesis.

Piano di Studi 2021/ 2022

Download here a PDF version of the Curriculum 2021-2022