Theology keeps existential questions open that other sciences usually leave untouched. More than almost any other subject, it encourages people to put their own values to the test and to develop well-founded ideological and ethical positions. In doing so, it takes account of an obviously ineradicable human need: to believe.
Like philosophy, scientific theology also deals with Kant's four famous questions: What can I know? What can I hope for? What should I do? What is man? It deals with these questions by examining the (textual) material of the Bible and Christian tradition, in which experiences from almost 3000 years have been reflected. It examines the content of this tradition from a literary-exegetical as well as philosophical-argumentative, historical as well as practical contemporary perspective. At the Institute of Catholic Theology, we understand the biblical and Christian tradition as a resource that can become significant in an ecclesiastical-Christian as well as a religiously plural and secular environment for thinking about people today and the search for guidelines for personal and social action.
The course begins with an introduction to the four subject areas of Catholic theology (biblical, systematic, historical and practical theology) in terms of method and content. Building on this, students specialize in two subject areas of their choice. A further specialization module is both interdisciplinary and interreligious.
Admission requirements for the Bachelor's minor in Catholic Theology are admission to a Bachelor's major. The course begins in the winter semester, but can also be started in the summer semester if necessary. The Institute of Catholic Theology in Kassel is characterized by a personal and approachable atmosphere as well as intensive supervision by the teaching staff.
