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THEO 111

Theological FOUNDATIONS

Course Description

This course introduces students to the study of theology and human encounters with the sacred, paying special attention to questions of meaning, hope, justice, and social transformation. 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? In keeping with the Jesuit Catholic mission of Xavier University, our Jesuit core values and an Ignatian "way of proceeding" will serve as a point of entry and framework for critical thought, creative imagination, and dialogue with other traditions as we engage such questions throughout the course.[i]

The Ignatian tradition is not a timeless and static storehouse of abstract ideas. It is a living history of persons and communities who have discovered God's presence "in all things" and above all through the encounter with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Ignatian heritage is part of the Roman Catholic tradition, a global and richly multicultural tradition characterized by diverse theological, philosophical, mystical, and prophetic perspectives.[ii] To further our understanding of the Ignatian tradition and to help professors incorporate an Ignatian approach into THEO 111, the Theology Department maintains an electronic collection of resources and pedagogical tools on the Ignatian tradition and Jesuit values.[iii]

In sum, Theological Foundations introduces students to a way of engaging theology that is deeply informed and shaped by the Ignatian tradition and Jesuit Catholic spirituality that opens onto an ecumenical, interfaith, and interdisciplinary horizon. As a key component of the Xavier Core Curriculum, the First Year Experience, and the E/RS focus, the course draws creatively and freely from multiple sources and methods in order to ignite the imagination of students, deepen their critical awareness of ethical issues, and cultivate their desire and capacity to engage in theological inquiry and responsible action their whole lives long.[iv]

E/RS Connection

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 theological."

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

SLOs from the CORE

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 objectives at the introductory level:

1a: Students recognize and cogently discuss significant questions in the humanities, arts, and the natural and social sciences.

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

SLOs specific to this Course

Theological Foundations understands theology as a mutually critical dialogue between human experience and religious traditions. Seeking to engage this dialogue with our students primarily but not only in the context of the Christian and Ignatian tradition, this course:

  1. Conveys an understanding of human experience as revelatory of a deeper reality.
    • Creates an environment conducive to respectful reflection on the varieties of personal experience.
    • Identifies the kinds of personal and social experiences that are revelatory of deeper realities.
    • Explores an understanding of faith as a developing response to revelatory experiences.
  2. Shows how revelatory experience is incorporated in sacred scriptures and religious traditions.
    • Displays how revelatory experience is contained and transmitted in story, symbol, myth, doctrine, moral norms, and religious practices.
    • Illustrates the process of biblical criticism from a selection of texts (e.g., Genesis, Amos, Job, Mark, John).
    • Explains the process of theological development from a selection of systematic and moral topics (e.g., Christology, sacraments, war and peace).
  3. Demonstrates the integral connection between religious faith and issues of social significance, and underscores the call to responsible action.
    • Investigates this connection through the exploration of contemporary ethical issues (e.g., euthanasia, domestic violence, poverty, environmental concerns, consumerism, sexism, racism, gender exploitation), or through the investigation of significant individuals whose faith commitment have transformed society.
    • Encourages service learning and other forms of field experience.
    • Highlights the connection between ethics and society, or religion and society (the E/RS focus in the core curriculum).

Course Principles

Course principles are to be addressed substantively through topics and graded assignments in every course fitting the description. While these need not be stated in the syllabus, faculty are encouraged to regularly point out how assignments are achieving these goals.

1. While preserving the integrity of the discipline from which it comes, the course integrates in a substantive way the ethical and/or religious analysis of a socially significant issue or issues.

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

THEO111 courses are offered by the Theology Department. If you would like to teach a THEO111 course, submit your request to the Theology Department Chair, who will review it and make a recommendation to CCC, who will consult with the E/RS committee.

Endnotes

[I] See the "Jesuit core values" and the "Gifts of Our Ignatian Heritage" animating the new core curriculum approved by Xavier faculty in 2014. Some reference to these core values and gifts might be incorporated into the Theo 111 syllabus, if/where the professor deems most appropriate.

[ii] "Seeking Integration and Wisdom," approved by XU faculty, President, and Board, 2014.

[iii] For those new to the course as well as those who have taught it often, sharing syllabi (all on file in the department office), trading ideas, resources, and best practices seems to ensure the most creative and impactful way for all of us to keep the course lively, effective, and fresh. The Theology Department maintains a Canvas web site full of resources devoted to this course. See departmental chair for access to this site.

[iv] An Ignatian approach will strive to cultivate contemplative spaces of critical inquiry, dialogue, and mutual encounter in a learning environment that values the faith traditions of Catholics, non-Catholics, and non-Christians alike, as well as students who identify with no formal religious tradition. See "Seeking Integration and Wisdom," especially the final section, "A Culture of Encounter." For more about THEO 111's foundational role in the core, please go to: https://www.xavier.edu/core/facstaff/fs-core-guide/first-year-experience.