Catholic Studies Interdisciplinary Concentration

Under the auspices of the Institute of Catholic Studies, this concentration aims at promoting serious reflection on the richness and vitality of the Catholic intellectual tradition through the ages.  This concentration is interdisciplinary in nature, highlighting within the history of ideas the contribution of Catholic intellectuals and scholars across various disciplines.  The Catholic Studies concentration enables students to assess human intellectual activity and experience in the light of the Catholic faith, and to examine the Roman Catholic Church’s dynamic interaction with and interpenetration of cultures, traditions, and intellectual life. 

The concentration consists of 18 credit hours from approved Catholic Studies courses distributed among the following disciplines:  one course in religious studies, one course in philosophy, one course in the humanities, one course in the social or natural sciences, one elective from approved Catholic Studies courses.  The final course in the concentration is a required seminar, “The Classics of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition,” an interdisciplinary course in which students read the works of significant Catholic intellectuals from across the ages as a way of integrating the perspectives studied in their other courses within the concentration.  In fulfilling these requirements, a student must take a minimum of three courses at the 300-400 level.  Courses offered as part of the Catholic Studies concentration may satisfy Core Curriculum requirements or major/minor requirements within a specific discipline. 

Students in the concentration are encouraged to study abroad in programs that offer their own courses in Catholic thought and experience.  These include the JCU program in Rome.  Scholarships and summer internships are also available.  Coordinator:  Dr. Paul V. Murphy, Department of History, and Director, Institute of Catholic Studies.

For more information, please refer to the Catholic Studies website.

Institute of Catholic Studies

Over the centuries the Catholic tradition has encountered many opportunities to formulate faith in the context of the intellectual and scientific climate of the age.  The Institute of Catholic Studies examines this interaction through a variety of initiatives:  an undergraduate interdisciplinary concentration in Catholic Studies (see page 82); faculty development workshops and seminars; sponsorship of a public lecture series; offering course development grants; and publication of Prism magazine.  Each of these programs seeks to highlight, within the history of ideas, the contribution of Catholic intellectuals and scholars from a variety of disciplines. 

The institute also promotes the investigation of the interaction between the Church and society.  In addition, the institute is the home of the international scholarly journal, Archivum Historicum Societatis Ieus, which publishes multilingual scholarly articles on various aspects of the history of the Society of Jesus.  Director:  Dr. Paul V. Murphy, Department of History.

For more information, please refer to the Catholic Studies website.