Catholic Studies
Maeve M. O’Donovan, Ph.D., Coordinator
The Catholic studies minor is offered to students in the Women’s College. It is an interdisciplinary program that provides students with opportunities to encounter the Catholic intellectual tradition in a variety of academic disciplines, including the arts and literature, the natural and social sciences, and philosophy and theology. Students will engage the wealth and depth of Catholic thought and culture in the past and present, and probe issues of faith, reason and culture raised by the dialogue of Catholicism with other fields of inquiry. Courses in the minor highlight the distinctive contributions of Catholic intellectuals and scholars and reflect on the challenges facing Catholics in the contemporary world. Students will gain a solid interdisciplinary foundation for understanding the interaction between Catholic faith and culture, as well as for appreciating the richness, diversity and vitality of the Catholic intellectual tradition.
A minor in Catholic studies can benefit students in a variety of careers, including art, business, communication, counseling, education, health, journalism, law, music, nursing, pharmacy, politics, psychology, public policy, religion, and social services.
The minor in Catholic studies consists of seven courses and 21 credits, including Introduction to Catholic Studies and Seminar in Catholic Studies. Introduction to Catholic Studies will introduce students to the discipline of Catholic studies, and Seminar in Catholic Studies will serve as a capstone for the specific distribution of courses that each student chooses for her course of study.
A student wishing to minor in Catholic studies is encouraged to meet with the program coordinator to design an appropriate program of study to complement her major and to receive information about course cycling.
Program of Study
Required Courses for a Minor in Catholic Studies (Credits)
IDS-340 Introduction to Catholic Studies (3)
IDS-455 Seminar in Catholic Studies (3)
Any one of the following courses in the Arts
ART-212 Medieval Art (3)
ART-213 Baroque Art (3)
ART-214 Renaissance Art (3)
ART-411 Topics: Iconography of Christian Art (3)
HIS-209 Central American History (3)
HIS-252 Latin American History (3)
MUS-106 Music and Culture (3)
MUS-107 Music and Culture (3)
MUS-109 Listening to Music (3)
MUS-360 Music and Social Issues (3)
MUS-320 Women and Music (3)
MUS-313 World Music (3)
MUS-314 Music in the United States (3)
Any one of the following courses in the Sciences
POL-253 Latin American Politics (3)
POL/HIS/LSP-427 Study Tour to Latin America (3)
Any one of the following courses in Philosophy and Religious Studies
PHL-304 Medieval Philosophy (3)
PHL-305 Philosophy of Religion (3)
PHL-320 Aesthetics (3)
PHL-321 Epistemology (3)
PHL-330 Ethics (3)
PHL-339 Medical Ethics (3)
PHL-374 Metaphysics (3)
RST-300 American Catholicism (3)
RST-303 Christian Ethics (3)
RST-304 Christian Social Ethics (3)
RST-305 Marriage and Family (3)
RST-306 Christian Bioethics (3)
RST-307 Trinity: Images of God (3)
RST-312 Sin and Grace (3)
RST-315 Old Testament (3)
RST-317 New Testament (3)
RST-325 Jesus Christ (3)
RST-345 Justice and Peace (3)
RST-347 Introduction to Spirituality (3)
RST-401 Topics in Religion (3)
RST-415 Church (3)
RST-421 Christian Worship (3)
RST-431 Teaching Religion to Adolescents (3)
RST-432 Faith Development of Children and Adolescents (3)
RST-433 Teaching Religion to Children (3)
RST-471 Honors: Theological Investigation (3)
Any two elective courses from the above offerings (6)