Core Vision, Goals, and Objectives
The underpinnings for an undergraduate core curriculum flow out of Xavier's long-standing commitment to liberal arts, the Catholic intellectual tradition, and Jesuit education.
Rooted in the liberal arts, Xavier's core liberates and humanizes by deepening students' understanding, developing their abilities, and promoting openness and respect.
Furthering the Catholic intellectual tradition, Xavier's core brings faith into dialogue with reason, and thus addresses the whole person, intellectually, morally, and spiritually.
And carrying Jesuit education into the twenty-first century, Xavier's core develops men and women for others-one for all-committed to six distinctive Jesuit values:
MAGIS
Invites us to work in a spirit of generous excellence.
Goal: Students consider the greater good in pursuing academic excellence.- Objective 1a: Students recognize and cogently discuss significant questions in the humanities, arts, and the natural and social sciences. - in Liberal Arts Perspectives courses
- Objective 1b: Students apply the approaches of multiple disciplines to a significant issue. - in First Year Seminar and Ethics/Religion and Society elective
REFLECTION
Invites us to pause and consider the world around us and our place in it.
Goal: Students gain knowledge, ask questions, develop skills, and form conclusions through reflective thinking.- Objective 2a: Students find, evaluate, and logically convey information and ideas in written and oral presentations. - in Composition/Rhetoric and Writing and Oral Communication flagged courses
- Objective 2b: Students evaluate problems using quantitative methods and arguments. - in Mathematical Perspectives, Scientific Perspectives and Quantitative Reasoning flagged courses
DISCERNMENT
Invites us to be open to God's spirit as we consider our feelings and rational thought in order to make decisions and take action that will contribute good to our lives and the world around us.
Goal: Students gain knowledge, ask questions, develop skills, and form conclusions through reflective thinking.- Objective 3a: Students identify and critically assess multiple dimensions of an ethical issue in an attempt to reach a conclusion. - In Introduction to Ethics, Philosophical Perspectives, Literature and the Moral Imagination and Ethics/Religion and Society elective
- Objective 3b: Students examine the nature of beauty, truth, and virtue as means of gaining a sense of the divine. - In Theological Foundations, Theological Perspectives, Literature and the Moral Imagination and Ethics/Religion and Society elective
CURA PERSONALIS
Invites us to view each person as a unique creation of God.
Goal: Students work collaboratively and effectively with diverse groups toward personal and common good.- Objective 4a: Students describe and examine the multifaceted character of society and how the inclusion of different perspectives can influence one's worldview. - In Diversity Curriculum Requirement, Social Sciences Elective and numerous other core courses
- Objective 4b: Students discuss and evaluate what constitutes human wellness. - In Natural or Social Sciences Elective and numerous other core courses
SOLIDARITY AND KINSHIP
Invites us to walk alongside and learn from our companions, both near and far, as we journey through life.
Goal: Students integrate varying perspectives that link local and global realities.- Objective 5a: Students examine the diverse, complex, and interdependent nature of people in the world. - In Historical Perspectives, Second Language Requirement and numerous other core courses
- Objective 5b: Students examine the interconnections between humans and the natural environment. - In Natural Sciences Elective and numerous other core courses
SERVICE ROOTED IN JUSTICE AND LOVE
Invites us to invest our lives into the well-being of our neighbors, particularly those who suffer injustice.
Goal: Students serve as responsible members of society particularly concerned for and united with those who suffer injustice.- Objective 6a: Students investigate the root causes of injustice with compassion and academic rigor. - In Ethics/Religion and Society Elective and numerous other core courses.
- Objective 6b: Students describe the evolution of their vocation and aspirations to contribute to the world. - In First Year Seminar and other core Xavier experiences.
[1] Adolfo Nicolás at Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan, March 2014, reported in National Catholic Reporter, March 18, 2014.