University of Dubuque Theological Seminary

The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary’s initiative, “Attention and Connection: Engaging Brains, Bodies, and Ecologies for Ministry,” seeks to learn from the sciences in order to prepare students for ministry in the changing contexts of the 21st century. In the diagram, the areas shaded in blue represent the three foci of the project: place, learning, and brains and bodies. The grant will enable Dubuque to give sustained attention to these areas of interest and to learn from the sciences that intersect with them, namely ecology, the science of learning, and neuroscience. Science integration will occur in the following courses: God’s Redemptive Mission, Disciple Formation III, Theology in Place, Gospel in Context, Introduction to the New Testament, and Greek I. The project will also make use of UD’s Wolter Woods and Prairies, over 100 acres of newly-acquired land, perfect for immersive educational experiences.

Additionally, the grant will fund two campus-wide lecture events. The main grant-funded campus event will feature a speaker whose work and research is at the intersection of science and faith. A second grant-funded campus event will be held during the August Residency 2022 lecture series. The invited speaker will offer a Chapel presentation, workshop, and Tuesday dinner lecture.