Health, Ethics and Spirituality Minor

In response to Xavier’s opportunities for inter- and trans-disciplinary engagement and collaboration, particularly with University partners in the health sciences and allied field, we are excited to introduce a new theology minor to engage students at the intersections of spirituality, ethics, and the health sciences. Collaborating with the exceptional resources of the healthcare-related programs at Xavier, the new Health, Ethics and Spirituality minor, will provide enhanced integrative opportunities for students specializing in the health sciences to deepen their engagement with questions of meaning, purpose, and value, and to explore issues of spiritual and ethical concern most relevant to health care professionals.

The minor will be comprised of fifteen (15) credits including THEO 111:

THEO 111 Theological Foundations (University Core Curriculum requirement), and

Either THEO 340: Health, Religions, Ethics or THEO 312: Christian Health Care Ethics
And an additional three electives (3) from the following options:

• THEO 312: Christian Health Care Ethics (if THEO 340 is taken as the required minor course)
• THEO 340: Health, Religions, Ethics (if THEO 312 is taken as the required minor course)
• THEO 327: Religion and Bioethics
• THEO 372: Disability, Ethics, and Theology
• THEO 313: Christian Sexual Ethics
• THEO 315: Contemporary Ethical Issues (Ecological Ethics)
• THEO 374: Buddhist Christian Explorations
• THEO 345: The Challenge of Peace
• THEO 386: Spirituality and Solidarity
• THEO 404: Religion, Ethics and Professional Practice
• THEO 416: Theology and Trauma
• GDST 258: Race, Religion and Healing
• GDST 350: Medical Racism

The courses offered in the minor will fit with the E/RS flagged courses and many will be eligible for the writing, oral presentation, and diversity flags as well as, potentially, attributes such as immersive learning and service learning.

Among the SLOs for the Minor are the following:
1) Students will be able to describe diverse religious perspectives with particular attention to health, suffering, ability/disability with an intentional focus on how racial, ethnic, gender, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds shape such perspectives and practices.
2) Students will be able to identify resources and practices that can be used in promoting spiritually informed self-care, as understood from a diversity of perspectives.
3) Students will analyze how diverse religious traditions and spiritual practices can impact personal or professional ethical behavior
4) Students will be able to articulate how spirituality, ethics, and social justice fit into their own vocational and professional aspirations.

For further info, please contact Dr. Kristine Suna-Koro: sunakorok@xavier.edu, Dr. James Helmer: helmerj@xavier.edu, or Dr. Martin Madar: madarm@xavier.edu