The Catholic Church is among the oldest and most prominent institutions in the world.
In accordance with the mission of Emmanuel College and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, this interdisciplinary minor seeks to develop student understanding of the rich academic traditions, cultural heritage and commitment to social justice that are the hallmarks of the Catholic Church. Through the study of theology, art, literature, ethics and other disciplines, students will learn the ways in which the Church's trajectory has been shaped by the thinking and actions of ordinary and extraordinary Catholics.
Minor Requirements
View the 2015-2016 Academic Catalog to find course titles, numbers and descriptions.
Requirements for Minor in Catholic Studies
In continuity with the mission of Emmanuel College and of its founding congregation, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the Catholic Studies program at Emmanuel seeks to educate students in the rich academic tradition, cultural heritage and commitment to social justice that are hallmarks of the Catholic tradition. Drawing on a variety of courses from across the college’s curriculum, this interdisciplinary program deepens students’ understanding and appreciation of the ways in which the church’s history and traditions have shaped and been shaped by the thinking and actions of ordinary and extraordinary Catholics.
Two introductory courses:
THRS1103 Introduction to Catholic Theology
THRS1111 Exploring the Bible
Two courses from the following offerings:
ART2223 From Patronage to Practice: The Catholic Art Tradition
ENGL2325 Spirituality and the Literary Imagination
HIST2127 Religion, Society and Europe
HIST2128 Immigrants in the American Experience
PHIL3115 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
THRS2108 Religion and the Environment: Ethical Explorations
THRS2111 Love and Justice
THRS2203 Ethics in the N.T.: Discipleship and Community
THRS2205 The Gospels: Portraits of Jesus
THRS2207 The Church: Sacramental Community for Justice
THRS2209 History of Christianity: Between Prophecy and Compromise
THRS2217 Women in the World Religions
THRS2219 Women in Christian Traditions
THRS2131/ SOC2131 Catholic Social Teaching
One of the following: (With the approval of the instructor, the student seeking to apply one of these courses to a Catholic Studies minor will be required to write the main paper for the course on a Catholic topic.)
THRS3133 Social Justice and Religious Traditions
THRS3135 Contemporary Issues in Roman Catholicism
THRS3143 Interpreting Vatican Council II: Tradition and Transition
Learning Goals + Outcomes
Upon completion of the major in Theology + Religious Studies, students will be able to:
Compare and contrast popular misconceptions of religion with scholarly knowledge of religion.
Demonstrate an understanding of religions as historically rooted and constantly developing traditions.
Apply theological claims to moralreasoning and practice.
Competently analyze primary texts from at least one major religious tradition.
Analyze the interaction of religion with society, politics, the arts and culture.
Evaluate theological claims for internal consistency, coherence with human experience and social expression.
Synthesize acquired knowledge into an original work of critical scholarship.
Demonstrate the skills to write cogently, reason critically, present professionally and discuss competently.
