Literature and the Moral Imagination

Literature and the Moral Imagination

Can be fulfilled with CLAS 205, ENGL 205, FREN 205, GERM 205, or SPAN 205

Core Course Description

In an effort to increase student understanding of the purpose of and interconnectivity between core courses, the syllabus should include the following statement (which is not a Catalog text):

"Consistent with the mission of Xavier University as a Jesuit, Catholic university rooted in the liberal arts tradition, the Ethics/Religion and Society (E/RS) sequence of courses provides a basis for you to become intellectually, morally and spiritually educated individuals capable of critical reflection on ethical and religious questions of social significance from the perspective of multiple disciplines with unique methods. In this course, that method is literary.

"Purpose of Literature 205: 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 you to develop skills of critical thinking and rhetorical strategy, and invites you to reflect upon your personal values as an individual in relation to society."

Ideally, the professor of the course should regularly draw the students' attention explicitly to the E/RS objectives of the course.

Student Learning Objectives

Student Learning Objectives are assessable and must be included in all syllabi. SLOs will be measured through the efforts of the Core Curriculum Assessment Committee and possibly through student evaluations. Each syllabus should contain the following:

"This course is part of the Xavier Core Curriculum, which aims to develop people of learning and reflection, integrity and achievement, in solidarity for and with others. It addresses the following core learning objective(s) at the introductory level:

[instructor: choose one or more of]

4a. Students describe and examine the multifaceted character of society and how the inclusion of different perspectives can influence one's worldview.

4b. Students discuss and evaluate what constitutes human wellness.

5a. Students examine the diverse, complex, and interdependent nature of people in the world.

5b. Students examine the interconnections between humans and the natural environment.

6a. Students investigate the root causes of injustice with compassion and academic rigor.

And the following core learning objective(s) at the intermediate level:

[instructor: choose one or more of]

3a. Students identify and critically assess multiple dimensions of an ethical issue in an attempt to reach a conclusion.

3b. Students examine the nature of beauty, truth, and virtue as means of gaining a sense of the divine.

[The above is a minimum for Literature 205. Individual instructors are encouraged to add other core SLOs as appropriate.]

In addition to Xavier core learning objectives, this course includes these other key learning objectives:

[Additional SLOs to be determined by individual instructors/departments]"

Course Principles

Substantive integration means that the incorporation of moral reflection and/or religious analysis is neither peripheral nor incidental, but rather is central and intentional. Simply devoting one or two classes in the semester to ethical and/or religious analysis is inadequate.

Substantive integration of moral reflection and/or religious analysis is to be demonstrated explicitly in the course's structure, choice of required texts, and assignments.

"Socially significant" means that the issue under study constitutes an important dimension in the structure of society and has implications that go far beyond its effects upon isolated individuals.

Ethical and/or religious analysis entails that the course clearly identifies the values, principles, and methodology that are to be used in moral or religious reflection on the issue.

2. The course provides regular and substantive opportunities for critical discussion.

Although the professor is expected to identify a set of values and principles according to which the social issue can be analyzed, the professor creates an atmosphere in which students feel comfortable to express their judgments.

By encouraging free discussion, the professor helps students to consider different points of view and to appreciate the complexity of issues.

Approval Procedure

Literature and the Moral Imagination can be fulfilled by CLAS 205, ENGL 205, FREN 205, GERM 205, or SPAN 205. If you would like to teach one of these courses, submit your request to the appropriate Department Chair, who will review it and make a recommendation to CCC, who will consult with the E/RS committee.