I am officially a doctoral candidate

I want to share some exciting news that you probably gathered from the title – I’ve crossed over into the strange land of ABDism – “all but dissertation.”

For those of you who don’t know, a doctoral program in theology (in the US) consists of two years of coursework during which you’re also required to learn two modern languages. Then, you’re expected to declare primary and secondary areas of specialization as well as a dissertation focus. After developing a reading list of these three areas, a committee provides comprehensive questions for you to respond to in four exams, three written and one oral defense. If you pass, that’s it, you’re a doctoral candidate.

Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

Good news: I passed!

I actually had a lot of fun. To be honest, the writing part was the most enjoyable. The preparation, though, (reading, taking notes, summarizing, memorizing, etc.) was quite intense. I wanted to take the exam in December, which meant preparing the reading list and going through it all in one semester. I was reading at a pace of 2-3 books per week. I don’t know if that’s normal for an academic or not – what I can tell you is I’ve never done that kind of heavy reading before in my life.

I ended up focusing my study on Theology and the Arts, with a secondary specialization in Pneumatology. My dissertation area concerns improvisation, especially musical improvisation. My whole theological outlook (do we want to call it “my brand”?) concerns the action of the Holy Spirit in relation to the arts from the standpoint of improvisation.

When I got into the doctoral program I thought I was something of a trailblazer – I had, of course, encountered books that spoke about the import of improvisation for theology but mostly on the popular level. As it turns out, many people had already thought about it, and though the idea does not have the same amount of literature as, say, literature on Thomas Aquinas, it does prove to be a generative and fertile field for interplay with theology.¹ And the scholarship of theology and the arts, since the turn of the millennium, is only growing.

I thought it would be a good idea to post my exam responses here. That way, I could both create content and document my growth. If you happen to read them, please bear in mind that these are unedited responses. In the exam room, I was just allowed a notebook on which to take notes, and I was writing with a time limit. 

I will post the responses once every two weeks beginning next week, January 26th, which coincidentally is my birthday. But to whet your appetite, here are the questions:

Theology and the Arts

1. In what ways might a contemporary theology of the arts be grounded in a doctrine of creation and new creation? (Jan. 26)

2. What place, if any, should the arts play in social transformation? In your answer, refer to at least two major theologians in depth. (Feb. 9)

3. How appropriate is the language of ‘sacrament’ in describing the role of art in God’s purposes? (Feb. 23)

Pneumatology

1. What, according to the authors on your list, are the main differences between a Spirit Christology and a Word Christology? Are these differences irreconcilable? (Mar. 9)

2. What is old and what is new in Patrick Sherry’s Spirit and Beauty, especially as it relates to a theology of musical performance? (Mar. 23)

Dissertation

1. In what sense, if any, is it appropriate to speak of the Holy Spirit as the jazz improviser? (Apr. 6)

2. Can jazz improvisation enact a Christian model of freedom? If so, what form(s) of jazz would you highlight to make your point? (Apr. 20).

One of these questions (number 1 of the Dissertation portion) I ended up expanding into a full research paper and was accepted to present at an upcoming conference.

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them.

Raf

1. For example, people like Stanley Hauwerwas, Samuel Wells, Kevin Vanhoozer, and even N.T. Wright had already discussed improvisation in relation to ethics (Hauerwas, Wells), biblical interpretation (Wright, Vanhoozer), and Christian living (Vanhoozer).