Humanities and Catholic Culture
Dr. Frank Hermann, chair
Dr. Ben Reinhard, director
Mission
The Department of Political Science answers the call given by the Church of articulating a true understanding of the integration of faith, reason, and culture. The study of political life and more broadly of social, economic, legal, cultural, scientific, and human life questions, which is done in the Department’s programs, proceeds from a Catholic understanding of the human person, his social relationships, the natural law that governs his conduct and his final end in God.
Aims
The aim of the Humanities and Catholic Culture Major is twofold: (1) to give students a solid and broad liberal arts experience built around traditional disciplines in the humanities, and (2) to convey the contributions of Catholicism in the building of Western culture during the major periods of its history. Both aims are accomplished within, and permeated by, the overall vision of the Catholic liberal arts and the history of Western Civilization as proposed by the noted historian Christopher Dawson.
Students gain solid training in philosophy and theology as the basis for their studies, work to develop proficiency in writing, take courses in history and literature that study the events and the great writings of the different periods, and gain knowledge of areas related to the humanities such as political philosophy. The natural sciences and foreign languages are also studied as part of the University’s core requirements. Many of the acknowledged “great books” and great thinkers are read, as are learned commentaries on the various periods of cultural development. A number of courses stress, specifically, the impact of religion on culture and Catholicism’s relationship with different cultural currents and developments. Besides being an outstanding educational experience, this major is excellent preparation for further studies in the humanities and nearly any social science discipline, law school, politics, the religious life, and any career that stresses intellectual talents and necessitates the evaluation and integration of factual material in light of divergent viewpoints.
Assessment Learning Goals
At the completion of the Humanities and Catholic Culture Program, the HCC major is able to:
- Show general knowledge of the development of Christian civilization.
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the thought and institutions of at least one specific period in the history of Western civilization.
- Construct an argument regarding the interrelation of religion and culture with reference to some specific event, artefact, movement, or idea.
Humanities and Catholic Culture Course Descriptions