SUMMER SCHOOL
MAY 18 – AUGUST 9, 2025
ACADEMICS / SSU SUMMER SCHOOL
What better way to spend a summer than to nurture your mind and soul?
The SSU Summer School is here to spark your prophetic imagination, upscale your education, and promote critical and creative consciousness in a world of conflict and violence. These curated courses are open to anyone regardless of whether or not you’re already a student at SSU. Take one or take them all, and gain credit and a Certificate of Completion, or just audit one or more courses for your own personal enrichment.
All courses are fully accredited university courses and are a chance to experience what it is like to study at SSU. And any new students can apply any summer courses to a certificate or master's program if you decide to continue your studies with us (some restrictions apply).
TUITION AND FEES:
20% EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT IF YOU REGISTER BEFORE APRIL 1, 2025.
COST FOR CREDIT:
$1,185 CAD (3 credit hours) (APPROX. $825 USD)
$600 CAD (1.5 credit hours) (APPROX. $420 USD)
COST FOR AUDIT (NEW STUDENTS):
$600 CAD (3 credit hours) (APPROX. $420 USD)
$300 CAD (1.5 credit hours) (APPROX. $210 USD)
COST FOR AUDIT (CURRENT SSU STUDENTS AND ALUMNI):
$200 CAD (3 credit hours) (APPROX. $140 USD)
$100 CAD (1.5 credit hours) (APPROX. $70 USD)
STUDENT FEES: $50 CAD per course to a maximum of $200.
How does it work?
Since all SSU Summer School courses are open to the public regardless of whether or not you're a current student at SSU, interested prospective students can simply register for the course(s) they want to take, and an SSU staff member will be in touch with you with further instructions.
The SSU Summer School offers five courses, and you are welcome to take one, all five, or anything in between. Courses are all online and are a combination of recorded lectures and live Zoom sessions. For course titles, professors, and dates, see "Courses at a Glance" to the right.
And to get started, register by clicking the button below.
Courses at a glance.
MIN 5790: MULTIFAITH CHAPLAINCY & SPIRITUAL CARE
3 credit hours
Professor: Dr. Peter Fitch / Dr. Bradley Jersak
THEO/CUL 5580: OUT OF THE EMBERS: FAITH AFTER THE GREAT DECONSTRUCTION
1.5 credit hours
Professor: Dr. Bradley Jersak
THEO/CUL 5560: THE VERY GOOD GOSPEL: GOD'S VISION OF SHALOM
3 credit hours
Professor: Lisa Sharon Harper, PhD (ABD)
PJST/THEO 5880: ZIONISM, THE CHURCH'S COLONIAL LEGACY, & THE PALESTINIAN CALL
3 credit hours
Professor: Dr. Mark Braverman
THEO/PJST 5367: MIMETIC THEORY & ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEOLOGY
3 credit hours
Professor: Dr. Andre Rabe
SSU Summer Courses
MAY 18 – AUGUST 9, 2025
HOVER OVER THE COURSES BELOW FOR MORE INFO AND THE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS.
Multifaith Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care
MIN 5790
DR. BRADLEY JERSAK
3 credit hours
Through (1) online recorded lectures and live Zoom conferences, (2) reading and written reflection, along with (3) engagement with their teachers and cohort, students will gain understanding and skills for multifaith chaplaincy and the art of inclusive spiritual care across traditions. The goal is to prepare spiritual care givers who are sensitive to and welcoming of the Other.
DATES: MAY 18 – AUG. 9, 2025
Out of the Embers: Faith after the Great Deconstruction
THEO/CUL 5580
PROFESSOR: DR. BRADLEY JERSAK
1.5 credit hours
In this 6-week course, Bradley Jersak highlights key themes in his book, Out of the Embers, to explore the necessity, perils, and possibilities of "the Great Deconstruction" ― how it has the potential to either sabotage our faith or infuse it with life.
The Very Good Gospel: God’s Vision of Shalom
THEO/CUL 5560
3 credit hours
<< Course description coming soon >>
Zionism, the Church's Colonial Legacy, and the Palestinian Call
PJST/THEO 5880
PROFESSOR: DR. MARK BRAVERMAN
3 credit hours
With Palestine as the entry point, we will focus on the church's struggle to reclaim the core of the gospel given its historical entanglement with colonialism and Empire. We will train a critical theory lens on Christian Zionism in light of the philojudaic revisionism that theologians and church leaders have undertaken in the post-holocaust era. We will enter deeply into the kairos theology of the South African church struggle and the flowering of Palestinian kairos theology, and understand the weapon-ization of antisemitism in the context of Christian nationalism through the lenses of scripture, public theology & church history
Mimetic Theory and Theological Anthropology
THEO/PJST 5367
PROFESSOR: DR. ANDREW RABE
3 credit hours
This course explores René Girard’s mimetic theory and its theological implications. Desire, violence, and conversion are key theological concepts given new meaning through this anthropological perspective. You’ll also gain new insights into the origins and development of ritual, religion, and culture and see how the human story finds a crescendo in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
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BIB 5728: Hebrews – Team Taught – 3 credit hoursThe book of Hebrews is structured very much like a letter but it reads like a sermon. It contains some of the most sophisticated writing in the NT, yet for all the glory of its’ prose it remains an enigma to many and is ignored by most. Like a textual bridge linking the Old and the New, this brilliant piece of ancient literature connects all of scripture as the revelation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to walk with our panel as we discuss how and why the writer of Hebrews believes that Jesus is superior to all that we have ever known or ever will know. This promises to be another thought provoking and delightfully encouraging adventure in discovering how good God really is. Like our previous discussions of the Gospel of John and the Apocalypse, this event will be a unique experience offering a panel of six highly qualified biblical scholars and theologians contributing insights and perspective in our discussions of Hebrews. Instructors: V. Rev. Dr John Behr Dr. Bradley Jersak Dr. Chris E.W. Green Dr. Cherith Nordling Fee Kenneth Tanner John MacMurray Guest Panalists: Brian Zahnd Julie Canlis Wm. Paul Young Visit https://www.opentableconference.com/hebrews-class for more info.
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BIB 5729: John's Paschal Gospel – Team Taught – 3 credit hoursFor two thousand years the Gospel of John has been one of the most essential texts in shaping the theological landscape of the Jesus Way. The profound impact of John continues for his ancient narrative has captured the imagination and love of every one of our panelists and continues to ground and shape their lives. Instructors: V. Rev. Dr John Behr Dr. Bradley Jersak Wm. Paul Young Dr. Cherith Nordling Fee Kenneth Tanner John MacMurray Visit https://www.opentableconference.com/john-class for more info.
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BIB 5726: John's Apocalypse – Team Taught – 3 credit hoursRegardless of what religious persuasion a person identifies with, the idea of looking into a crystal ball to see the future or "end times" has sparked the curiosity of just about every person on the planet. (Have you heard of the "Left Behind" Series?) Not surprisingly, Apocalypse (or the book of Revelation) has fascinated students of the Bible for centuries. Yet, because of the unique way it was written (riddled with symbolism and metaphor wrapped in visions and dreams) it has also stimulated more controversy and debate than probably any other book in the Bible. There is no shortage of opinions about the meaning of this book. But what if Revelation was meant to be read as a companion to John's Gospel, similar to Luke-Acts? We are excited to take a deep dive and explore this question, along with a plethora of other questions that this provocative book offers. Instructors: V. Rev. Dr John Behr Dr. Bradley Jersak Wm. Paul Young Dr. Cherith Nordling Fee Kenneth Tanner John MacMurray Guest Panalists: Brian Zahnd Julie Canlis Dr. Chris E.W. Green Visit https://www.opentableconference.com/revelation-class for more info.
Summer School FAQs
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