CATHOLIC STUDIES (CATH)
College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Catholic Studies
Sitzmann Hall,(55S) (651) 962-5703
Boyle (chair), Deavel, Foote (Director of Catholic Studies Rome Program), Junker, Kennedy, Kidd, Naughton, Schlag
Catholic Studies Department Page
The Department of Catholic Studies is an interdisciplinary program that brings students to an encounter with the breadth and diversity of Catholic culture as an historic reality, shaped by and expressed in philosophy, literature, theology, and the arts, and lived in community. By examining the role it has played in various cultures, students are challenged to engage critically Catholicism’s transforming power in every aspect of intellectual, spiritual, and social life.
Faculty are united by a deep respect for both the depth and the breadth of the Catholic Tradition and are committed to a high degree of interaction among themselves as well as with students. Students enter into a community at once faithful and intellectual.
The curriculum can appeal to students of any faith tradition who seek to deepen their knowledge of Catholicism’s rich and living heritage. The interpersonal approach of the program and the opportunities for sustained reflection on important issues invite students to a more profound and mature experience of faith.
Students graduated with a major in Catholic Studies will have engaged major Catholic figures from a variety of cultural and historical settings and explored a broad range of resources from the Catholic intellectual tradition. This will permit them to reflect critically upon the history and contemporary significance of Catholicism and to appreciate the complex and broad history of the tradition and the faith that has shaped it.
Requirements for the major and minor
The major consists of 32 or 36 credits: 12 credits in required core courses, 20 credits in distribution area electives, with an additional 4 credits in electives required for single-majors. At least 7 courses (28 credits) must have a CATH designation.
The minor consists of 20 credits: 8 credits in required core courses, 12 credits in distribution area electives. At least 16 credits (4 courses) must have a CATH designation.
Students who participate in the Catholic Studies Rome program may use up to three courses towards their major or minor course of studies.
Beyond the first course (CATH 101), courses in Catholic Studies are grouped into three categories.
- 2XX-level courses are “Traditions” courses, which explore and reflect critically upon the reality of the Church in its intellectual and practical dimensions and as a community situated in time and place. These courses tend to focus on historical periods, events, or distinct locations in which the Church has taken root.
- 3XX-level courses are “Concepts” courses, which explore and reflect critically upon important themes and ideas in the life of the Catholic Church from an interdisciplinary perspective.
- 4XX-level courses are “Persons” courses, which focus on the work of one person, or on a group of persons, of significance for the Catholic tradition, which could include persons whose work is in dialog or tension with that tradition. These courses would ordinarily require junior standing.
Major in Catholic Studies
- CATH 101 The Search for Happiness (4 credits)
- CATH 205 Crisis and Development in the Church (4 credits)
- CATH 301 The Catholic Vision (4 credits)
Plus:
- At least four credits at the 2XX-level ("Traditions" courses)
- At least four credits at the 3XX-level ("Concepts" courses)
- At least four credits at the 4XX-level ("Persons" courses)
Plus:
- Eight credits in CATH electives or a suitable course from another department approved by the chair of Catholic Studies. (Students majoring only in Catholic Studies must take 12 credits)
Fast Track B.A./M.A. in Catholic Studies
Students may choose to, in consultation with the department, to enroll in graduate level catholic studies courses (CSMA) and have those courses count towards electives in the B.A. in Catholic Studies as well as count towards the M.A. in Catholic Studies when applying for admission.
Minor in Catholic Studies
- CATH 101 The Search for Happiness (4 credits)
- CATH 205 Crisis and Development in the Church (4 credits)
or CATH 301 The Catholic Vision (4 credits)
Plus:
- Twelve credits in CATH electives not all at the same level
Catholic Studies Undergraduate Courses
| Course Number | Title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATH 101 | The Search for Happiness | 4 | |
| Description of course The Search for Happiness : | This course provides a critical investigation into the quest for meaning and happiness as found in the Catholic tradition. Beginning with fundamental Catholic claims about what it means to be a human being, this course explores the call to beatitude in materials from several disciplines, including theology, philosophy, literature, and art, as well as ancient, medieval, and contemporary sources. Topics explored include a consideration of human persons in relation to divine persons, the supernatural end to human life, the human person as experiencing desire and suffering, the Christian paradox that joy may be found in the giving of one's self, and the search for happiness through friendship and love. Through all these topics, the course particularly examines the question, "What is the specifically unique character of Christian happiness?" | ||
| CATH 201 | Path/Expres/Pract in Cath Spir | 4 | |
| Description of course Path/Expres/Pract in Cath Spir : | This course provides an investigation into the various forms and expressions of spirituality which derive their inspiration from a common origin in Christian Revelation and the teachings of the Catholic Church. We will examine in depth a selection of topics and themes having to do with differing expressions and practices of Catholic spirituality across a number of historical eras and cultures. Possible topics include prayer and contemplation; the varieties of lay and religious spiritualities in both their solitary and communal dimensions; virtue; and vocation and work. Interdisciplinary course materials will draw on sources in theology, philosophy, history, literature, and art or music. | ||
| CATH 205 | Crisis and Development | 4 | |
| Description of course Crisis and Development : | This course explores from an interdisciplinary perspective the history of the Catholic Church as it interacts with the secular world and is shaped by its dominant personalities and events. No other institution in history has survived, and flourished, for so long and in the face of so many challenges. This course will critically reflect upon the history of the Church, from its origins in the Apostolic Age to the modern period, as a series of cycles with a common pattern of creativity, achievement, and retreat. Students may expect to complete the course with an awareness and understanding of the major personalities and events, secular and ecclesial, that have shaped the life of the Church. | ||
| CATH 222 | Catholic Literary Tradition | 4 | |
| Description of course Catholic Literary Tradition : | What makes a text a work of Catholic literature? How do Catholic writers struggle with the existential questions of meaning, purpose, or suffering in a unique fashion? How do the themes they engage—such as forgiveness, redemption, or the power of grace in the world—place them within the Catholic tradition? Is there a sacramental imagination or incarnational theology at the root of a work of Catholic literature? Such questions will be explored in a chronological framework through extensive readings of representative texts of Catholic literature in both English and translation from the medieval era through the present. Prerequisites: ENGL 201, 202, 203, or 204. | ||
| CATH 225 | Metaphysical Poetry | 4 | |
| Description of course Metaphysical Poetry : | Much lyric poetry of late 16th-17th century England is known as "metaphysical" poetry because of its breadth and ambition. This poetry is able to link anything to anything else, and everything to God. The metaphysical poets wrote about love: friendship, marriage, sex, and the soul's love of God. They often did this all in the same poem. They also wrote at a time of religious and political crisis in England as the Reformation unsettled everything. They wrote about that too and often in the same poems. This course will read selected poems of Donne, Herbert, Crashaw, Marvell and others with an eye to how their poetry weaves themes of love and faith together in a time of religious and spiritual crisis. No previous experience in reading poetry needed. | ||
| CATH 243 | Individual Study | 2 OR 4 | |
| Description of course Individual Study : | No description is available. | ||
| CATH 269 | Research | 2 OR 4 | |
| Description of course Research : | No description is available. | ||
| CATH 280 | Mary, Mother of God | 4 | |
| Description of course Mary, Mother of God : | This course takes an interdisciplinary look at one of the most important figures of Catholicism—Mary, the Mother of God. Drawing on philosophy, theology, poetry, music, and the visual arts, we will focus on three key moments in Mary’s life as mother: the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Stabat Mater (Mary at the foot of the cross). These culturally and historically diverse depictions of Mary set the stage for an investigation into the meaning of her role, within Catholicism as a whole and within the lives of individual Christians. | ||
| CATH 295 | Topics | 2 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 296 | Topics | 2 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 297 | Topics: Tradition | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics: Tradition : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 298 | Topics: Tradition | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics: Tradition : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 301 | The Catholic Vision | 4 | |
| Description of course The Catholic Vision : | At the center of the Catholic vision are the two great works of divine love: creation and redemption. This course considers the implications of these divine works for a radical reconsideration of the world and the human person. Students will examine characteristic Catholic approaches to and emphases concerning creation, redemption and ecclesiology, and discuss how Catholic understandings of creation and redemption inform, respond to, and critique Catholic practices in various cultural settings. In addition, the course will compare and contrast contemporary Catholic cultural monuments with that produced in earlier eras, and compare and contrast Catholic Christianity with other forms of Christian and non-Christian belief and practices. In illustrating its themes, the course draws upon sources in art, literature, history, philosophy, and theology with special attention given to the intellectual, spiritual, and cultural consequences of Catholic doctrine. Prerequisites: CATH 101 | ||
| CATH 308 | Sex, Gender, and Catholicism | 4 | |
| Description of course Sex, Gender, and Catholicism : | This course examines the topics of sex, gender, and Catholicism at various points of intersection. Drawing on a variety of Catholic and non-Catholic historical, philosophical, and literary lenses on these topics, this course gives special attention to under-represented voices, as well as to the teachings, practices, and institutional reality of the Catholic Church. Readings may cover topics such as friendship, sexuality, priestly ordination, marriage, erotic desire, parenthood, and more. Readings offer an opportunity to examine preconceptions, stereotypes, and assumptions surrounding these topics. Attention is also given to the exercise of power (including institutional power, and power based on gender), both historically and in contemporary culture. This course aims to deepen, diversify, and inform students’ imaginations on these topics and their connection to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Prerequiste: CATH 101. | ||
| CATH 321 | Modernity and the Church | 4 | |
| Description of course Modernity and the Church : | It is hard to overestimate the impact of the striking changes that have occurred in the world during the last two hundred years, changes that have had their focal point in European civilization. These have also been years of great moment for the Catholic Church. This course aims both at dealing with key people, events and developments in the Church in its relation to Europe since the French Revolution, beginning with an overview of the Ancien Regime and examining the social, political and ecclesiastical changes that came about through Enlightenment thought, political revolution, and scientific discovery. At the same time we will investigate what it means to do history and to do history from a Catholic perspective. We will pay particular critical attention to the historical vision of Christopher Dawson, and will read mostly from primary sources. Students will write weekly short assignments and one longer paper. Prerequisite: CATH 101 or permission of the instructor | ||
| CATH 334 | Lit/Christian Perspective | 4 | |
| Description of course Lit/Christian Perspective : | This course provides an in-depth exploration of how literature engages Christian thought, experience, and practice and how a reader engages works of imaginative literature from an intellectually serious Christian perspective. The course will also provide an introduction to theories in the interdisciplinary field of religion and literature. Religious themes studied will come from a variety of literary forms, including those of myth, history, parable, short story, essay, children's literature, poem, and novel. The literature chosen may reflect a variety of cultural backgrounds so that, among other things, we may consider how meaning may be affected by changes in worldview. Specific topics vary; accordingly, credit may be earned more than once for this course number. Prerequisites: ENGL 201, 202, 203, or 204. | ||
| CATH 340 | Church&Culture:Soc Dim of Cath | 4 | |
| Description of course Church&Culture:Soc Dim of Cath : | This course provides an investigation into the ways in which Catholicism is inherently social and ecclesial. Its specific focus is on the Christian engagement with the world. The course's framework will be taken from the analysis of society into three spheres of action (culture, politics, and economics) as described in Centesimus annus. We will examine the ways that Revelation, the sacramental life, and the teachings of the Church call Catholics to seek holiness and to witness to their faith in the world. Specific topics may include social and economic justice, politics and public policy, lay and religious apostolates, education, and marriage and family. Course materials may include resources from philosophy, theology, history, economics, and political science. | ||
| CATH 355 | Catholic Studies in Rome | 4 | |
| Description of course Catholic Studies in Rome : | The city of Rome is a city rich in history and religion both pagan and Catholic. This is seen in the physical and spiritual reality of the city, in its geography, in its streets and their layout, in its ruins and churches and monuments. As part of the Catholic Studies Rome program, this course engages the physical and spiritual reality that is the city of Rome in an interdisciplinary way (e.g., history, theology, art history, literature, philosophy) so as to help students understand more deeply and more richly Rome’s unique place in the Roman Catholic Church. As Rome is a spiritual and cultural reality, this course may well engage other parts of Italy and Italian history and culture beyond the physical confines of the geographical city of Rome, but with an eye to how the city might illuminate such further points of study and experience. Prerequisite: CATH 101 | ||
| CATH 380 | Church Leadership | 4 | |
| Description of course Church Leadership : | In the vision of the Second Vatican Council, clergy and laity together compose the Church but each is called to play a different role in the practical working out of the Church’s mission in the world. That mission is not limited to the activity of the Church as an organization but encompasses the lay vocation to bring the Gospel to the world of work and social life. This course will consider both vocations, giving attention to management in a parish context (as a clerical function) but also to the vocation of the laity to management as this plays out in a variety of Church related organizations. Students will critically engage principles and practices of organizational operation, management, and leadership as they are shaped and applied to the specific needs and realities of Church related institutions. Students can expect to take away from the course a fundamental understanding of the structure and essential operations of organizations associated with the Church and a basic grasp of management principles and skills as informed by the Catholic Intellectual tradition and the Catholic understanding of vocation. | ||
| CATH 389 | Research | 2 OR 4 | |
| Description of course Research : | No description is available. | ||
| CATH 393 | Individual Study | 2 OR 4 | |
| Description of course Individual Study : | No description is available. | ||
| CATH 395 | Topics | 2 | |
| Description of course Topics : | No description is available. | ||
| CATH 396 | Topics | 2 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 397 | Topics: Concepts | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics: Concepts : | This course will examine in detail a small focused set of questions arising from one or more areas of the interdisciplinary program in Catholic Studies. Topics will vary from year to year but will not duplicate existing courses. The selection in any given semester will depend upon the interest of the students and instructors and on the availability of community resources (for example, guest lecturers). Some examples of subject matter include: Is Christian tragedy possible? Does Catholic belief conflict with the findings of modern science? What is the relationship of Catholicism to various economic systems? The odd number is used if the course fulfills a core curriculum requirement. Please see here for the searchable class schedule on Murphy Online View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 398 | Topics: Concepts | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics: Concepts : | This course will examine in detail a small focused set of questions arising from one or more areas of the interdisciplinary program in Catholic Studies. Topics will vary from year to year but will not duplicate existing courses. The selection in any given semester will depend upon the interest of the students and instructors and on the availability of community resources (for example, guest lecturers). Some examples of subject matter include: Is Christian tragedy possible? Does Catholic belief conflict with the findings of modern science? What is the relationship of Catholicism to various economic systems? The odd number is used if the course fulfills a core curriculum requirement. Please click here to view the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 402 | Dante's Divine Comedy | 4 | |
| Description of course Dante's Divine Comedy : | This interdisciplinary Catholic Studies/literature course explores Dante Alighierl's Divine Comedy in its literary, historical, theological, religious, political, and linguistic contexts. The course studies in critical detail the complete text of the Commedia in English as well as portions of related works such as Dante's La Vita Nuova. Throughout the course, particular attention will be paid to the Divine Comedy's Catholic Christian themes. | ||
| CATH 405 | John Henry Newman | 4 | |
| Description of course John Henry Newman : | John Henry Newman has been called, somewhat misleadingly, the father of the Second Vatican Council. According to Jarsoslav Pelikan, "(n)ot only to his latter day disciples, ...but to many of those who have drawn other conclusions from his insights, John Henry Newman has become the most important theological thinker of modern times." T.S. Eliot had insisted that he is one of the two most eloquent sermon writers in the English language. Pope Benedict XVI stressed his importance as the theologian of conscience when he presided at his beatification in England. In this course we will examine not only Cardinal Newman's most important theological works focusing on the development of doctrine and the role of conscience in relation to Church authority, but also his philosophical works addressing the relations of faith and reason, his work on university education and selected poetry, meditations and devotions, and sermons. | ||
| CATH 406 | The Many Worlds of Chesterton | 2 | |
| Description of course The Many Worlds of Chesterton : | A natural controversialist, G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) seemed to write about everything: Christian apologetics, philosophy, social issues, politics, literature and art. He was also a poet, short story writer, and novelist. In the course of his life he was an atheist, a Protestant, and finally a Catholic. In all things, he brought his own peculiar joyful genius to his writings. In this course, we will study representative samples of Chesterton’s voluminous writings both to understand and evaluate his approach to many different areas of study, and also to see how, ultimately, his Christian faith provided a unifying intellectual vision of reality. Works to be studied could include Orthodoxy, The Everlasting Man, The Thing, St. Francis, The Man who was Thursday, and What's Wrong with the World. | ||
| CATH 407 | The Many Worlds of Chesterton | 4 | |
| Description of course The Many Worlds of Chesterton : | A natural controversialist, G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) seemed to write about everything: Christian apologetics, philosophy, social issues, politics, literature and art. He was also a poet, short story writer, and novelist. In the course of his life he was an atheist, a Protestant, and finally a Catholic. In all things, he brought his own peculiar joyful genius to his writings. In this course, we will study representative samples of Chesterton’s voluminous writings both to understand and evaluate his approach to many different areas of study, and also to see how, ultimately, his Christian faith provided a unifying intellectual vision of reality. Works to be studied could include Orthodoxy, The Everlasting Man, The Thing, St. Francis, The Man who was Thursday, and What's Wrong with the World. | ||
| CATH 410 | English Writers in CATH Trad | 4 | |
| Description of course English Writers in CATH Trad : | English authors writing in the Catholic tradition have been a small minority in modern England, but have produced an extraordinary number of first-rank writers. Coincidence? Or is there something about the Catholic position in England that has attracted a certain kind of artists and thinkers? We will attempt to look at crucial historical questions concerning modern England and English Catholicism using the lens of literature, paying special attention to: the rise of romanticism and its relationship to classicism, the emerging challenge of modernity and the Church's place in responding to that challenge, and the personalities of certain important literacy figures. Possible authors may include Wordsworth, Coleridge, John Henry Newman, Gerard Hopkins, Alice Meynell, Robert Hugh Benson, Ronald Knox, Hilaire Belloc, G.K. Chesterton, T.S. Elliot, C.S. Lewis, Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, and J.R.R. Tolkein. | ||
| CATH 476 | Experiential Learning | 1 TO 4 | |
| Description of course Experiential Learning : | No description is available. | ||
| CATH 486 | Seminar | 4 | |
| Description of course Seminar : | No description is available. | ||
| CATH 487 | Topics | 2 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 488 | Topics | 2 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 489 | Topics: Persons | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics: Persons : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 490 | Topics: Persons | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics: Persons : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| CATH 495 | Individual Study | 2 OR 4 | |
| Description of course Individual Study : | No description is available. | ||