Hartford Seminary

Not to be confused with Hartford Female Seminary.

Coordinates: 41°46′12″N 72°42′27″W / 41.7699°N 72.7076°W / 41.7699; -72.7076

Hartford Seminary
Former names
Hartford Theological Seminary
Hartford Seminary Foundation
Type Theological college
Established 1833
President Heidi Hadsell
Location Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Website www.hartsem.edu

Hartford Seminary is a theological college in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

History

Hartford Seminary

Hartford Seminary's origins date back to 1833 when the Pastoral Union of Connecticut was formed to train Congregational ministers.[1] The next year the Theological Institute of Connecticut was founded at East Windsor Hill, Connecticut. The institution moved to Hartford in 1865 and officially took the name Hartford Theological Seminary in 1885.[1] The Bible Normal College affiliated with the Seminary in 1902 and changed its name to Hartford School of Religious Pedagogy.[2] The Kennedy School of Missions became another affiliated activity,[2] originally organized by the Seminary as a separate organization in 1911. In 1913, these three endeavors were combined.[1] In 1961, the entities were legally merged and adopted the new name Hartford Seminary Foundation, which was used until 1981, when the current name came into use.[1]

From 1926 until 1981, the institution was located in the buildings that currently constitute the campus of the University of Connecticut School of Law.

The Hartford Seminary Foundation published the Hartford Quarterly (originally named Bulletin - Hartford Seminary Foundation) from 1960 to 1968.[3]

Hartford Seminary began to offer niche concentrations in Christian-Muslim dialogue in 1972, and in 1990 Hartford Seminary officially claimed non-denominational status.

The main seminary building, designed by architect Richard Meier, was completed in 1981.[1]

Research Centers/Graduate Degree Programs

Hartford Seminary

RESEARCH CENTERS Hartford Seminary is centered around two academic centers:

"From the New York Times to The Wall Street Journal to the ABC television network, when reporters need to understand religious life in the U.S., they are likely to call on faculty at the Institute. Today the World Wide Web provides creative new avenues for making research findings accessible to a broad public of religious leaders and concerned citizens. Thousands visit the Institute's web site each month. This site, established in 1997, include up-to-date survey findings, reports on national studies of religion and venues for interactive exchange of knowledge."

"The Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations is the country’s oldest center for such study. The Macdonald Center embodies Hartford Seminary’s long-term commitment — begun in 1893 — to the study of Islam and Christianity and the complex relationship between the two religions throughout history and in the modern world."

Hartford Seminary

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

"Hartford Seminary has cooperative agreements with Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) and Yale Divinity School (YDS) that allow qualified Master of Arts (M.A.) students to begin their studies at Hartford Seminary and, if accepted, to proceed to either of the cooperating seminaries to pursue a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree."

The Seminary has a Black Ministries Program, founded in 1982. Also, in 1994, the Seminary launched a similar program called Programa de Ministerios Hispanos. This certificate program, offered in Spanish, works with the region's Hispanic churches.

In 1995, the Seminary launched the Women's Leadership Institute: A Program in Applied Spirituality. WLI is a certificate program based on feminist values and designed to prepare leaders for the 21st century world.

The Doctor of Ministry degree "stresses the reflective practice of ministry, that is, ministry grounded in a practical theology that grows out of an understanding of the social context in which it occurs." [4]

The seminary has a distance education program that includes online courses, plus one and two-week intensive courses that can be taken on site.

Hartford Seminary offers the only accredited Islamic chaplaincy programs in North America. Initially spearheaded by Ingrid[Mattson], the Islamic chaplaincy program at Hartford Seminary aims at preparing Muslims to enter the chaplaincy field.[5]

The Muslim World Publication

Hartford Seminary has been home to the academic journal The Muslim World since 1938. The journal was founded in 1911 and "is edited and published quarterly by the Macdonald Center and Wiley-Blackwell. This scholarly journal, which reaches subscribers in 65 countries, is dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of scholarly research on Islam and Muslim societies and on historical and current aspects of Christian-Muslim relations. The journal includes research articles on historical and contemporary topics, comparative essays, and book reviews. At least one issue each year is devoted to a unifying theme."[6]

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of Hartford Seminary". Hartford Seminary. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  2. 1 2  Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). "Hartford Theological Seminary". Encyclopedia Americana.
  3. "The Hartford Quarterly". Johns Hopkins University Libraries.
  4. "Doctor of Ministry | Hartford Seminary". Hartsem.edu. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  5. "Islamic Chaplaincy Program | Hartford Seminary". Hartsem.edu. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  6. "The Muslim World Journal | Hartford Seminary". Hartsem.edu. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  7. "Imam Yahya Hendi". The Muslim 500: The World's Most Influential Muslims. Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. Retrieved December 13, 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hartford Seminary.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, January 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.