Catholic Studies Courses

Through a study of key texts of the Catholic intellectual tradition, students will investigate and examine themes such as: persecution, martyrdom, sin, moral life, death, faith, and divine love. Texts used will draw from different historical periods, a range of genres (autobiography, drama, poetry, fiction and non-fiction prose), and various types of authors (male, female, saints, mystics, religious, and secular). Credit will be granted for only one of CATH 102 or CATH 100. Three credits. 

The purpose of this course is to give students an interdisciplinary understanding of eschatology, which is the study of theological and religious views about "last things" (death, heaven, purgatory, hell). This topic will be presented from three points of view: historical sources, including scripture; doctrinal issues; artistic depictions. Three credits. Three credits.

The topic for 2024-2025 is Popes, Politics, and World History. For over 2,000 years,
the popes have been players in virtually all the great dramas of the world, and
they were often major figures. In this course, students will read and discuss how
the papacy has evolved from an institution rooted in the sacred books of ancient
Israel and the law codes of imperial Rome into one of the world’s most successful
global corporations. A focus will be on recent popes, such as Francis, John Paul
II, and John XXIII. Three credits.

This course examines the contemporary interaction between the sciences and Christianity. Topics may include: recent Christian responses to methodologies in the sciences; evolutionary theory and the interpretation of creation narratives in the book of Genesis; the meaning of human embodiment and its relevance to understanding sexuality and issues in bioethics; neuroscience and the phenomenon of religious experience; the impact of contemporary cosmology, technology, and biology on Christian theology. Credit will be granted for only one of CATH 322 or CATH 320. Three credits.

An introduction to Catholic studies, the course focuses on a survey of major developments in the history of the Catholic Church: Early Christianity, the Papacy, Ecumenical Councils, Mission, Internal Reforms, Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the Enlightenment, World Wars, and the Catholic Church today. Intertwined in this chronology are several themes: Freedom, Faith and Reason, Concepts of History, Sacraments, Spirituality, and Faith. Credit will be granted for only one of CATH 101 or CATH 100. Three credits. Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

Through a study of key texts of the Catholic intellectual tradition, students will investigate and examine themes such as: persecution, martyrdom, sin, moral life, death, faith, and divine love. Texts used will draw from different historical periods, a range of genres (autobiography, drama, poetry, fiction and non-fiction prose), and various types of authors (male, female, saints, mystics, religious, and secular). Credit will be granted for only one of CATH 102 or CATH 100. Three credits.

This course will study the themes of sin and salvation as they appear in the Bible, in literature, and in two great theological controversies, the Pelagian controversy of the 5th century, and the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Three credits. Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

This course will study the person, nature, and work of Christ as these are understood in the Catholic tradition. Texts studied will include the Bible, theological texts from a variety of historical periods, and some literary presentations of Christ. The class also looks at depictions of Christ in art. Three credits. Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

The purpose of this course is to give students an interdisciplinary understanding of eschatology, which is the study of theological and religious views about "last things" (death, heaven, purgatory, hell). This topic will be presented from three points of view: historical sources, including scripture; doctrinal issues; artistic depictions. Three credits.  Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

This course will trace the evolution of the Catholic doctrine of angels, or ‘angelology.’ As a parallel to angelology, we will also study the nature and role of demons in Catholicism. By the end of the course, we will examine what the contemporary Church teaches about the role of angels in everyday life, about demons, and exorcism. Consideration of the testimony of other faiths – particularly Judaism and Islam – will also help us to cultivate a complete understanding of angels in Catholicism. Three credits

This course will explore the rich and diverse history of Catholics and the Catholic Church in Canada, from its early origins as a missionary force during the ancient régime in the 17th and 18 centuries, to its uncertain place within a Protestant British Empire and early Canadian state, and to its role in an increasingly secular society in the 21^st century. Three credits

An interdisciplinary seminar on the works of important thinkers in the Catholic tradition from the early and mediaeval Church, such as St. Augustine, St. Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Hildegard of Bingen. The seminar will normally focus on one thinker. Prerequisites: RELS 100 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.  Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

An interdisciplinary seminar on the works of important thinkers in the Catholic tradition from the early modern and contemporary Church, such as St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, John Henry Newman, Jacques Maritain, and Thomas Merton. The seminar will normally focus on one thinker. Prerequisites: RELS 100 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.  Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

This course reviews the major historical developments in Christian teaching on science. The course has four parts: the understanding of the relationship between secular and Scriptural knowledge (or “reason and faith”) in the Early Church; creation and the philosophy of nature in the 13th century; Galileo and the Inquisition; and the 19th century debates over evolution. Three credits. Students may not receive credit for CATH 320 and this course. Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

This course examines contemporary issues related to science. Topics may include: modern Catholic responses to methodologies in the sciences; evolution and debates about the interpretation of the creation narrative in the book of Genesis; Catholic teaching on the meaning of human embodiment and its relevance to understanding sexuality and issues in bioethics; neuroscience and the phenomena of religious experience; the impact of contemporary cosmology, technology, and biology on Christian theology. Three credits. Students may not receive credit for CATH 320 and this course.

This course will trace Catholic themes and ideas about Catholicism in literary, musical, architectural, or artistic works from the beginnings of Christianity to the early Renaissance.  Three credits.  Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

This course will trace Catholic themes and ideas about Catholicism in literary, musical, architectural, or artistic works from the Renaissance until the contemporary era.  Three credits.  Not offered in 2022 - 2023.

Rooted in scripture, philosophy, and theology, Catholic social teaching proposes principles of justice that emphasize the dignity of the person, the value of economic and political institutions, and the importance of a common good. This course explores these principles and their application to contemporary social, political, and economic issues with reference to official documents of the Catholic Church. Three credits. Prerequisites: CATH 100 or permission of the instructor or third-year standing.  Not offered in 2022 - 2023.