Catholic Studies (CATH)
CATH 2000 - Catholic Imagination: Introduction to Catholic Studies
3 Credits
This course provides the foundational knowledge and categories necessary for understanding the central aims of Catholic Studies. It seeks to instill a sense of wonder by introducing students to a sacramental imagination in coming to see how the history of arts, literature, science, and culture have relied and assumed ideas of the transcendent in understanding and promoting what it means to be a fully flourishing human person, what a truly free society is, and how divine faith and natural reason have worked together to produce some of the greatest human achievements ever.
Prerequisite(s): (CORE 1500*, SLU English Placement with a minimum score of 1500, SLU Math Placement with a minimum score of 0000, or LP Spanish Placement with a minimum score of 1)
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Elective, Catholic Studies-English, Catholic Studies-History, Catholic Studies-Philosophy, Catholic Studies-Theology, UUC:Theology
CATH 2930 - Special Topics
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
CATH 2980 - Independent Study
1 or 3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
CATH 3001 - Catholic Intellectual Heritage I
3 Credits
This interdisciplinary survey examines the growth and development of Catholic thought from the origins of Christianity in the ancient cultures of Second Temple Judaism and Mediterranean paganism to the flowering of Medieval Christendom. By tracing Catholicism as an intellectual and cultural reality encountering multiple civilizations, this course examines how it grew both in conformity and in tension with other worldviews in the long first millennium of Christianity, up to the point of Dante’s synthetic vision. (Offered in Fall)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Elective, Catholic Studies-English, Catholic Studies-History, Catholic Studies-Philosophy, Catholic Studies-Theology
CATH 3002 - Catholic Intellectual Heritage II
3 Credits
This interdisciplinary survey examines the continued growth and development of Catholic thought in its second millennium. Beginning with the Renaissance and the new spiritual and cultural movements it sparked, the course goes on to consider how Catholic thought responded to and was shaped by the Protestant Reformation, a growing awareness of the diverse array of global cultures, the rise of advanced science and partitioning of academic disciplines, and other key cultural and intellectual movements. (Offered in Spring)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Elective, Catholic Studies-English, Catholic Studies-History, Catholic Studies-Philosophy, Catholic Studies-Theology
CATH 3680 - Chivalry and the Christian Tradition
3 Credits
This course examines the tradition of chivalry and its influence on the development of Catholic thought and culture, paying special attention to Arthurian legend. Beginning with the Song of Roland, the course goes on to consider the complex of stories surrounding King Arthur, Guinevere, and other figures associated with the Knights of the Round Table and the Grail Legend. In addition to exploring the way these stories shaped and were shaped by a Catholic worldview, the course considers the development of this rich tradition over the centuries by successive generations of Catholic and Christian writers. (Offered occasionally)
CATH 3760X - The Politics of Pope Francis
3 Credits
This course examines Pope Francis’ distinctive approach to politics and governance, considering both his own exercise of leadership in Argentina and Rome and how he has articulated his political philosophy in articles, addresses, papal documents, and the like. At the heart of his thought stands the goal of reform. How does he understand the reform process, both of society and of the Church, and the substantive ends to which it is ordered? (Offered occasionally)
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Elective, Catholic Studies-English, Catholic Studies-History, Catholic Studies-Philosophy, Catholic Studies-Theology, Catholic Studies Program, Social Science Req (A&S), UUC:Dignity, Ethics & Just Soc
CATH 3930 - Special Topics
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
CATH 4000 - Catholic Intellectual Heritage and the Good Life
3 Credits
In both East and West, centuries of the Catholic Intellectual Heritage have contributed to a deepening understanding of what it might mean to live a flourishing, meaningful, and fruitful human life. This course explores central components of such an existence, considering such themes as moral and intellectual virtue, prayer and contemplation, friendship and communion, vocation and service of the common good. Special attention will be given to characteristic contributions from the Ignatian tradition such as “finding God in all things” and discernment.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Elective, Catholic Studies-English, Catholic Studies-History, Catholic Studies-Philosophy, Catholic Studies-Theology
CATH 4045X - Rhetoric and Religion: Persuasive Catholicism
3 Credits
Students study rhetorics of religion, particularly (though not exclusively) within the Roman Catholic tradition. The course introduces general rhetorical theory and practice along with explicitly religious rhetorical thinkers such as St. Augustine. The course requires students to read work from a range of disciplines, including rhetoric, theology, philosophy, and sociology, among others. Students also study contemporary religious messages, including encyclical letters and apostolic exhortations. Students also produce an original research and writing project using appropriate library databases and professional citation practices.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1900
Attributes: Catholic Studies-English, Rhetoric, Writing, Technology, UUC:Collaborative Inquiry, UUC:Writing Intensive
CATH 4910 - Internship
1-6 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
This course provides students the opportunity to appropriate the Catholic Church’s rich theology of the laity, focusing in a particular way on the special significance of their work, by which they “consecrate the world itself to God” (Lumen Gentium §34). Students do so by working at an approved internship site and engaging in a regular cycle of reflection upon that work in light of important documents from the Catholic theological and spiritual tradition.
Attributes: UUC:Reflection-in-Action
CATH 4930 - Special Topics
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
CATH 4960 - Catholic Studies Capstone
3 Credits
In order to harmonize one's course of studies, all Catholic Studies students are required to complete the capstone course which is taught from a multitude of perspectives to show how the Catholic faith, spirituality and practices, have all influenced central areas of human knowledge, art, culture, and society.
Prerequisite(s): (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar with a minimum score of S); (CORE 1500*, SLU English Placement with a minimum score of 1500, SLU Math Placement with a minimum score of 0000, or LP Spanish Placement with a minimum score of 1)
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Catholic Studies Program department.
Attributes: Catholic Studies-Elective, Catholic Studies-English, Catholic Studies-History, Catholic Studies-Philosophy, Catholic Studies-Theology, UUC:Collaborative Inquiry
CATH 4980 - Independent Study
1 or 3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)