St. Ignatius Institute Course Descriptions
Seminar which gives students the opportunity to engage the literary and cultural discourse of Greece and Rome so as to see many of the foundations of our intellectual and religious categories, values and beliefs. Offered Fall.
This course is designed to give students the basic tools for understanding the study of Sacred Scripture. Topics to be covered include: the senses of Scripture, the development of the canon, form criticism, historical criticism, and magisterial teaching since Pope Leo XIII on the study of God's word. Offered Spring/Fall.
Course in the liberal arts of grammar and rhetoric which enables students to write persuasive essays. Paper topics are correlated to seminars in Greek and Roman Culture and Literature in the Ancient World. Offered Fall.
Course continues the writing practicum curriculum of the first semester with emphasis on research. Fulfills the Arts and Sciences writing requirement. Offered Spring.
Introduction to the foundational theology of Catholic Christianity that draws on classic texts of Western theology. Issues examined include the problem of God, sacraments, spirituality, and prayer. Offered Spring.
Seminar which discusses the historical forces that shaped the evolution of Mediterranean society and religion from about 100 to about 500. Focus is on Christianity, but other religious traditions which pre-existed Christianity will also be considered. Offered intermittently.
Seminar studying representative literary texts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, with reference to historical, religious, and philosophical developments. Offered Fall.
Seminar studying texts in ancient philosophy, principally Plato's early dialogues, and Aristotle's ethics and philosophy of human nature. Offered Spring.
Seminar which seeks to attain an intellectual synthesis, philosophical, theological, and spiritual, of the main currents of Christian thought in the Middle Ages. Offered Spring.
This is a course on ethics and the nature of morality, with an emphasis on the careful study of some of the seminal texts of broadly Western tradition of systematic ethical inquiry, with some attention to recent developments and applications of those theories. Our inquiry will be guided by questions about the nature of moral goodness, the relative moral significance of consequences, character, and motive in moral action, the nature of moral claims, the foundations of moral norms, and the connection of moral theory to issues in moral psychology and how these theories apply to concrete moral problems. Examples of theories typically covered in this course include consequentialism, deontology, divine volitionalism, virtue theory, and contractualism. Prerequisite: SII 210 or equivalent, or, permission of the SII Director.
This is an ethics course for students in the St. Ignatius Institute, focused on historical and contemporary ethical theory, including its practical applications. Prerequisite: St. Ignatius Institute student or permission of instructor.
Historical examination of major political, economic, and cultural movements in the western world in the modern period.
This seminar focuses on sociological and psychological theory and research on humans and their place in the world. Topics may include: the construction of identity; the extent to which our perceptions are created by objective and rational thinking as opposed to emotional and subjective motives and biases; and the nature of humans as a social animal. Prerequisite: St. Ignatius Institute student or permission of instructor.
Examination of the development of art and music within the Western tradition from the Middle Ages to the present through the study of representative figures. Focuses on the direction of changes as seen in the work of a few major artists and musicians. Offered Fall.
Seminar studying key texts of European literature in the modern period with reference to historical, social and philosophical developments. Offered Spring.
Study of philosophical issues from the 16-17th century to the 20th century. The course can include: Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Hume, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzche. Philosophical topics addressed: the existence and nature of the physical world, human nature and morality, including human freedom. Offered Spring.
The course links the study of gender and sexuality to the values and practices of power in ancient Greece and Rome. The readings trace the articulation of gender historically through epic, lyric, Greek tragedy, Plato's moral position, and Roman pronouncements and orientations. The readings are substantiated by illustrations from Greek and Roman art.
The St. Ignatius Institute Symposium is a two-credit course intended for SII students in which they have the opportunity to study a great book or books, an author, idea, or movement in the Western tradition in the context of a small, informal, seminar. Symposia will be offered every semester. Their structure, meeting time, and curriculum will be determined by the professor. However, Symposia will emphasize student leadership and participation, direction and input, as well as encourage professors to utilize educational opportunities off campus including theatre, opera, museum visits, and lectures. SII students are expected to complete one Symposium each academic year which they are on campus.
Seminar studying the great religious and literary classics (including modern) of three ancient cultural domains' India, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Offered Fall.
Utilizing a critical historical-comparative approach, this course will examine the development of Asian societies and cultures from antiquity (about 3000 B.C.) to modern times, covering the period beginning with the rise of the great civilizations through to the long classical and medieval periods, European colonialism, the period of anti-colonial nationalism and finally to the post-independence period. Offered Fall.
Introduction to the Roman Catholic tradition of fundamental moral theology. In addition to an exploration of major themes in moral theology, selected issues in special ethics, especially sexual and medical ethics, will be used to show how the Church applies the fundamental themes of moral theology to practical life situations. Offered Spring.
A study of the methodologies, movements, and writings of major figures within the field of psychology. Emphasis on the influence of psychology in 20th century thought. Offered Spring.
An intensive study of selected topics in the Humanities. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: St. Ignatius Institute junior or senior, or permission of instructor.
A close study of Dante's great work, this course encourages an aesthetic appreciation of the poem. It follows Dante's prescription for reading the Commedia: consider its historical context and engage the poem's erudition and multiple allusions from Classical Antiquity. It will also look at the poem's influence on contemporary literature, as well as reflect on the ethical, political and spiritual relevance of the Commedia in our days. Elective. Cross-listed With: SPAN 413.
Intensive study of selected interdisciplinary topics. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Prerequisite: St. Ignatius Institute junior or senior, or permission of instructor.
