Ethics/Religion in Society
The core of the Xavier core is the E/RS series of courses, which will develop students' abilities to critically reflect on issues of social significance through the lenses of multiple disciplines.
Theology 111: The Ignatian Imagination (Year 1)
What is the meaning of life? How ought we to live? Is God real? Are we really capable of empathy and compassion? In the face of so much human suffering and ecological degradation, what or who is the basis of our hope? The Jesuit values and the Ignatian tradition will serve as a point of entry for critical thought, creative imagination, and dialogue with other traditions. Through this course, students will explore human encounters with the sacred, attending to questions of meaning, hope, justice, and social transformation.
Philosophy 100: Ethics as an Introduction to Philosophy (Year 1 or 2)
As long as there have been human beings, justice has been a question-its nature, its forms, and its very possibility. By studying classic works of philosophy, especially Plato's Republic, students will examine different views on justice and human goodness, tracing them back to the principles on which they depend, and reflect critically on these principles. They will also develop your ability to identify, understand and critique a variety of ethical issues. Finally, they will be introduced to other basic human questions and philosophical ways of thinking about them.
Literature and the Moral Imagination 205: (Year 2 or 3)
Literature offers a pathway for engaging with ethics, religion, and society. This course will explore important ethical question within the context of the creative imagination. Literary study fosters understanding and empathy with diverse perspectives, facilitates social criticism and change, teaches students to develop skills of critical thinking and rhetorical strategy, and invites them to reflect upon their personal values as an individual in relation to society. Literature 205 is primarily offered in the English and Classics and Modern Languages Departments.
E/RS Elective: (Year 3 or 4)
Through the E/RS elective, students will develop a more proficient and durable ability to reflect critically on ethical and/or religious questions of social significance. These courses are offered by many different departments. Use the "Attributes" feature in the course search window to identify them.