This class is an exploration into the complexity and depth of the human experience through a Catholic lens. St. Ignatius will be a key dialogue partner, using his life as a springboard for students to uncover their own spiritual path and desires. Animated by the Catholic belief in the sacramentality of all creation, students will be challenged to reflect on the rituals, objects and symbols that charge their own lives with meaning. Core learning outcomes are to support student’s promotion of human dignity and developing a desire to build the Reign of God. Special focus will be on forming students to do a faith that does justice, exploring questions of inclusion, conscience, culture and identity. Toward this end, all students participate in the Frosh Retreat in the context of this course. The retreat includes a service project and reflection activities organized by the campus ministry department. Finally, students will conclude the year examining the relational and sexual dimension of human experience, probing ancient wisdom for guidance in discerning how to live towards greater healing and liberation.
Religious Studies 102: History of Covenant
What does it mean to “Find God in All Things”? This class is an exploration into the complexity and depth of the religious imagination as modeled by St. Ignatius. The course proposes “covenant” as a historical thread that has followed Abrahamic religions throughout their histories as students are introduced to religious studies through the examples of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students will apply a framework of belief, ritual, morality, and community in learning about how religions gain historical traction and relevance, and how culture and moral vision endure in many covenantal contexts today. Animated by the Catholic belief in the sacramentality of all creation, students will be challenged to reflect on the history, rituals, and symbols that charge their own lives with meaning. Special focus will be on forming students to do a faith that does justice, exploring questions of inclusion, conscience, culture and identity.
Religious Studies 103: Literature of Covenant
How do stories reveal to us who we are? How does our literature create our shared values and community? This course seeks to create a basic foundation of understanding the Hebrew Bible. In investigating the many types of literature within the Hebrew Bible, students will better understand the various ways to read texts and apply shared narratives to their own individual and communal experiences. As a lasting record of “covenant,” students will understand the Bible as constitutive for how different faith communities have come to understand themselves and their identities, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students will conclude the course examining the relational and sexual dimension of human experience, probing covenantal wisdom for guidance in discerning the healing and liberative nature of human relationship.