Interdisciplinary Minor in Catholic Studies

Patrick J. Lynch, S.J., Department of Religious Studies and Theology, Director.

The Catholic Studies minor at Canisius College examines the doctrinal, historical, legal, spiritual and cultural traditions of Catholicism. In addition, it includes dialog with people of other faiths and the examination of intellectual disciplines that have been influenced by Catholicism, such as art, history, law, literature, politics, philosophy and the sciences. As a result, this program requires study in several departments of the college and highlights the Catholic tradition upon which the college was founded.

Any person who wishes to know more about the Catholic heritage, to further one’s personal development, or to pursue a principle-based career in public service, medicine or law would find this minor relevant. Those with church-related career or academic objectives would also want to complete this program. Future seminarians, lay ministers, teachers especially interested in the Catholic educational system, those preparing for graduate work in theology or religious studies and anyone planning to pursue a career in a Catholic organization such as a social work agency or health care system would be the types of people whom this program would help. The program director will help the student choose appropriate courses or appoint an advisor to do so.

All courses in the Catholic Studies minor except CTH 400 are offered in traditional academic departments and usually meet the criteria established by these departments for field studies or major credit. Most courses in the minor are part of the college’s core curriculum and therefore can be taken as a way to fulfill and focus core requirements.

Students who complete this minor will be able to 1) be knowledgeable about some facet of Catholic doctrine or piety and the relevance of a concept that originates from the Catholic philosophical or social traditions; 2) be able to think critically about the Catholic contribution in one area of history or culture; 3) become an effective scholarly researcher and writer about Catholicism and its intellectual heritage.

Structure of the Catholic Studies Minor
RST 231 Introduction to Catholic Studies (AS VI)    3 credits
CTH 400: Research in Catholic Studies 3 credits
One course in each of four areas:
Catholic Theology and Life;
Catholic Culture: Literature, Art, Music & Science;
Catholic History & Politics; and
Catholic Social Thought & Philosophy —
but no more than two courses from any one department in these areas.		 12 credits
TOTAL (6 courses)  18 credits

COURSES: 2009 - 2011

RST 231 Introduction to Catholic Studies  3 credits
Major movements and personalities in Catholic theology, history, culture and spirituality. The Catholic worldview and its relation to society. (Field 1) Prerequisite: RST 101

CTH 400 Research in Catholic Studies 3 credits
Capstone course in which a student does independent research and a project on a person or topic of interest within the Catholic Studies minor under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Prerequisite: Director’s approval.

Internships: May be done with special readings and reflection as an extra course for 3 credits or included within a project for CTH 400. Prerequisite: Consent of director.

Courses in specialty areas follow. Course descriptions and their years of offering will be found in the appropriate departmental listing.

I. Catholic Theology and Life
RST 230 Catholic Belief Today (Field 1)     3 credits
RST 260 The History of Catholic Belief (Field 1)  3 credits
RST 350 or HON 327 Christian Concept of God (Field 1)  3 credits
RST 351 Freedom, Sin, and Grace (Field 1) 3 credits
RST 352 The Church in the Modern World (Field 1) 3 cerdits
RST 353 Sacramental Theology (Field 1) 3 credits
RST 354 Jesus Christ and Modern Culture (Field 1)  3 credits
RST 359 Revelation and Faith (Field 1) 3 credits
RST 365 Christian Spirituality (Field 1)  3 credits

II. Catholic Culture: Literature, Art, Music and Science
ENG 233 Medieval Literature (for non-majors) (Field 3)     3 credits
ENG 303 Medieval Literature 3 credits
ENG 320 Contemporary American Catholic Fiction (Field 3)  3 credits
ENG 330 The Bible as Literature (Field 3)  3 credits
FAH 224 Medieval Art (Field 3)  3 credits
FAH 245 Renaissance Art (Field 3)  3 credits
FAM 216 Medieval & Renaissance Music (Field 3) 3 credits
HON 328 Age of Michelangelo 3 credits
RST 314 New Testament in Literature/Art (Field 1)  3 credits
RST 343 Religion & the Challenge of Science (Field 1)  3 credits

III. Catholic History and Politics
CLS 308 Pagans & Christians (Field 1)    3 credits
HIS 106 The Medieval World (Field 4)  3 credits
HIS 131 History of Latin America to 1830 (Field 4) 3 credits
HIS 306 History of Religion in America (Field 1) 3 credits
HIS 316 Reformation 3 credits
HON 319 Religion and Politics: U.S. Roman Catholic Perspectives 3 credits
HON 356 Jesuit Spirituality and History 3 credits
RST 235 Religion and Politics (Field 1)  3 credits
RST 325 Early Christianity (Field 1)  3 credits
RST 328 The Jesuits: History, Spirituality and Culture (Field 1) 3 credits
RST 329 Religions in North America to 1865 (Field 1) 3 credits
RST 330 Religions in North America 1865-present (Field 1) 3 credits

IV. Catholic Social Thought & Philosophy
HON 234 Contemporary Catholic Social Ethics 3 credits
HON 355 Religion’s Public Role: Catholic Perspectives      3 credits
PHI 267 Catholic Social Thought (Field 2) 3 credits
PHI 302 Medieval Philosophy 3 credits
PHI 367 Advance Topics in Catholic Philosophy 3 credits
RST 340 Moral Issues Today (Field 1) 3 credits
RST 341 Catholic Social Ethics: Theological Perspectives
(Field 1) 		3 credits
RST 342 Theological Ethics and Environmental Justice
(Field 1)		 3 credits
RST 345 Bio-Moral Problems (Field 1) 3 credits

All-College Honors Program

Bruce J. Dierenfield, Director.

The Canisius All-College Honors Program provides a challenging education for a select group of accomplished and highly motivated students. What is distinctive about the program is that it brings together students from every major to participate in an accelerated and enriched curriculum that offers an intensity, depth, and perspective that cannot usually be achieved in regular courses. More information about the Honors Program can be found at its website: www.canisius.edu/honors.

Honors students are chosen from the top 10 percent of entering freshmen. Selection is based on SAT or ACT scores, high school average and rank in class, and the strength and diversity of the student’s curriculum and extracurricular activities. Students who complete the Honors curriculum with a GPA of 3.25 in all Canisius courses graduate with special distinction.

The Honors curriculum consists of 12 Honors courses and 2 foreign language courses. It parallels, but is different from, the college’s core curriculum, which all Canisius students are required to complete. Like the core curriculum, the Honors Program seeks to provide breadth and coherence to the student’s education. But Honors offers many advantages that are difficult to find in a conventional educational setting.  The Honors Program fosters interdisciplinary study in small classes, encouraging students to make connections between the disciplines and stimulating faculty to present innovative courses, some of which are team-taught. A prime goal of the Honors Program is to move students from a structured learning environment to independent learning, all the while maintaining high academic achievement.

At the conclusion of their studies, Honors students will demonstrate the following competencies:
 1. Academic maturity
 2. Strong critical thinking
 3. Appropriate writing
 4. Intellectual honesty

Honors students supplement their classwork with extraordinary co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities, including a fall retreat; architectural tours, luncheons with community leaders; a film series; theatrical, jazz, symphonic and operatic performances in Buffalo and Canada; sports contests; a Christmas party and an annual banquet; and overnight travel to large metropolitan cities. Camaraderie among Honors students is not only promoted by this rich diet of outside activities, but continues in Honors living space in two on-campus residences.

Honors Curriculum
(14 courses, including two of the same foreign language)
The Honors curriculum, which has no prerequisites for any course, includes three courses in the first year and four in the second year. In the third and fourth years, students take a total of four seminars. In addition, there is a Senior Thesis on which each Honors student works closely with a faculty mentor. The specific courses may change from year to year. The following list gives the required areas and some of the courses that are scheduled for 2009-2011.

First Year
English( HON 101)
Western Tradition I (HON 110)
Western Tradition II (HON 111)

Second Year
History (HON 220, 221, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227)
Philosophy (HON 211, 216)
Religious Studies (HON 240, 241, 247, 249)
Social Science (HON 221, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239)

Third/Fourth Years
Fine Arts (HON 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 326, 328)
Literature (HON 370, 371, 372, 373, 374)
Religious Studies (HON 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359)
Science or Mathematics or Technology (HON 224, 345, 351, 353, 396)

Fourth Year
Senior Thesis (HON 451)
Senior Seminar (HON 415)
Honors students may receive course credit for (a) qualifying test scores in Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate,
(b) satisfactorily completing courses on college campuses, or
(c) satisfactorily completing coursework at foreign universities.

Unless exempted by a qualifying test score, all students in Honors (except Education majors) are required to satisfactorily complete two courses in the same foreign language. Education majors take one course in a foreign language.

COURSES: 2009-2011

HON 101 English Literature  3 credits
Various literary genres. Works by writers representing wide variety of places, times, nationalities, philosophies. Student’s writing refined through these readings and composition assignments.

HON 110 Western Tradition I  3 credits
The first of two courses that examine the Western tradition that has been instrumental in shaping the core ideas and values of American society and the modern world. Presents an integrated approach drawing on the art, history, literature, music, philosophy and religion of the ancient Greeks through the medieval period.

HON 111 Westerm Tradition II  3 credits
The second of two courses that examine the Western tradition that has been instrumental in shaping the core ideas and values of American society and the modern world. Presents an integrated approach drawing on the art, history, literature, music, philosophy and religion of the Renaissance through the 20th century.

HON 211 Masters of the Modern Mind: Marx, Nietzsche, Weber and Freud  3 credits
Careful study of major works by these seminal thinkers and an analysis of their influence on modern thought.

HON 216 Philosophy         3 credits
Selected topics in philosophical inquiry, such as rationalism, empiricism, epistemology or metaphysics.

HON 220 Problems in Modern European History  3 credits
Relationship between culture and society in modern Europe.

HON 221  Violence in American History   3 credits
Explores the violent streak that has always existed in American society. Attention is paid to massacres, riots, lynchings, executions, juvenile delinquency, domestic abuse, serial killings and domestic terrorism, as well as how the media and popular culture have promoted such violence.

HON 223  Revolutions in Latin America   3 credits
Considers the Mexican and Cuban revolutions and addresses the question of why real revolutions have been rare in Latin America.

HON 224 History of Disease and Medicine in America  3 credits
Treats life and death issues—literally—from the deadly smallpox brought by Columbus to the bio-terrorism of today. The theory of this course is that the way Americans define and treat disease reflects contemporary historical events and our social and cultural values, as well as the existing science, education and technology.

HON 225 Imperialism & Decolonization  3 credits
A study of the origins of Western imperialism in the 19th century, the rise of anti-colonial attitudes among subjugated peoples and the collapse of colonial systems after World War II.

HON 226 America’s First Families  3 credits
This course focuses on five of America’s “First Families”—John & Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore & Edith Kermit Roosevelt, Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt, and John & Jackie Kennedy. It explores the political and public roles of these families, each in its own historical context, and examines how their internal dynamics helped shaped the ideals of the larger society to which each belonged.

HON 227 Holocaust in Literature, Film, Music and Art  3 credits
Examines first-person memoirs of the Holocaust and provides a synthetic and comprehensive overview of how the Holocaust has been portrayed in literature, film, art, and music since World War II.

HON 230 Economics of Public Issues   3 credits
This course seeks to develop rudimentary economic principles and to use them to analyze an array of public policy issues, such as income inequality, environmental pollution, health care, education, and international trade.

HON 231 War & Peace after 9/11        3 credits
In exploring the nature of world politics and U.S. foreign policy after 9/11, the course focuses on what the United States must do to maintain its traditional reserves of “hard” and “soft” power in an age of globalization and terrorism.

HON 232 Great Trials of the Millennium        3 credits
Examines some of the great trials of the West to assess the degree to which the quest for justice was achieved.

HON 233 Left, Right and Center: The Political Spectrum in America    3 credits
After examining the signal events in U.S. history, the course considers the range of political thought in America today.

HON 234 Economics of Sport  3 credits
Tools used by the economist will be examined and then applied to topics that include player salaries, the effect teams have on a region, the value of team franchises, the need for competitive balance and the role of sports on college campuses.

HON 235 American Schools—A Nation Still at Risk  3 credits
Investigates American school reform movements, beginning with the Reagan administration’s report, “A Nation Still at Risk” (1982).

HON 236 Education and Culture: Russia  3 credits
The premise of this course is that there is an interlocking relationship between the culture in which education is conducted and the influence of education on that culture. The focus of this course is Russian culture, and students will be exposed to the works of great artists, writers, philosophers, scientists, and religious thinkers.

HON 237 The Individual & Community  3 credits
Uses the resources of the social sciences to explore our “crisis of community,” that is, the apparent retreat into disengagement and unnatural privatism often associated with the age of television, the internet and “virtual” reality. The course begins with the intellectual traditions of communitarianism, libertarianism, and American exceptionalism, and then considers the consequences of an individualistic society and the role of government in our own time.

HON 238  The American Presidency    3 credits
A careful examination of the American Presidency and how it has been shaped over time, especially the administration of Barack Obama.

HON 239 American Modernism  3 credits
A multidisciplinary investigation of the problems and possibilities of American culture from 1900 to September 11, 2001. Employs a rich variety of texts from literature, architecture, art, history, sociology and film to analyze American responses to urbanism, war, economic depression, suburban development and contemporary terrorism.

HON 240 Old Testament: Cultures, Contexts, and Criticism   3 credits
Explores the texts of the Hebrew Bible and the people who wrote them in light of their cultural and historical setting. To understand these texts, archeological findings and parallel materials from other cultures will be examined. 

HON 241  The Western Religious Tradition   3 credits
Introduction to and survey of the Western political tradition. How scholars compare the phenomena of religion. Survey of belief systems in the Western political tradition.

HON 247 Islam: Religion, History, and Culture  3 credits
In this course, we will study Islamic scriptures, Muslim cultures, social institutions, religious practices, and Muslim and Western writings about them in order to better understand Islam and Muslims in the U.S. and throughout the world.   

HON 249  Magic, Science and Religion  3 credits
Introduces students to the ways that diverse peoples around the world tap into the realm of the extra-human. why we fail to perform these operations well.

HON 320 The Nude in Modern Art: Sex, Spectatorship and Difference  3 credits
The subject of the nude provides a guide into the history of modernist art, from the mid-19th century in France to post-WWII New York.

HON 321 Through a Lens Darkly: Critical Issues in the History of Photography  3 credits
Considers the long-standing critical issues surrounding the many discursive spaces that photography occupies in our shared culture.

HON 322 Critical Mess: 20th Century Art & Philosophy    3 credits
This interdisciplinary course introduces major movements and controversies in the European and American art world of the 20th century and relates them to the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings that motivated and affected artistic production.

HON 323 Opera    3 credits
Introduces students to opera. Students will develop an understanding of the aesthetics of opera by studying its elements, aspects of the operatic voice, the genre’s history and examples of the art form in live and recorded performance. No previous musical knowledge or experience is required.

HON 324 Symphony    3 credits
Introduces students to the symphony. Students will develop an understanding of the symphonic form from the classical period to the present through a study of major composers and their works. No previous musical knowledge or experience is required.

HON 326  Sex & Religion in Baroque Art   3 credits
Explores the dramatic and passionate art of 17th century Europe, especially the Dutch masters and the deeply spiritual art of the Catholic Counter-Reformation in Italy and Spain. Works of art are examined for their visual beauty and their relationship to the history and society of that period.

HON 328  Age of Michelangelo   3 credits
A seminar about the art of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Bramante, and the culture of the Italian High Renaissance period in which they lived.

HON 345 Explorations in the Development of Mathematics
Explores famous problems in mathematics to consider the role of culture in changing motivation, concept, and technique of influential mathematicians.

HON 351 Biotechnology & Society  3 credits
An examination of recent developments in Biotechnology and how they have shaped contemporary society.

HON 353 Age of Robotics
Introduces students to important and innovative robot creations, as well as explores the future of robotics through fact and fiction. Asks questions about the nature of cognition, and examines non-human intelligence through readings in psychology, computer science, and philosophy of mind. Hands-on experience with robots.

HON 354 Religion & Politics: U.S. Roman Catholic Perspectives    3 credits
Contemporary approaches to Roman Catholic understanding of religion and politics in the United States, with an eye toward evaluating political and legal issues of importance.

HON 355 Religion’s Public Role: A Catholic Perspective     3 credits 
Important contemporary social issues, such as poverty, a living wage, globalization, access to health care, and war & peace, will be presented from a Roman Catholic perspective. Materials from papal encyclicals and contemporary Catholic theologians, especially from the United States, will be used to learn about and evaluate these issues.

HON 356  Jesuit Spirituality & History   3 credits
Introduction to the life and work of Ignatius of Loyola and the history of the order he founded—the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

HON 357 Global Pentecostalism
Through the interdisciplinary lenses of history, theology, anthropology and sociology, this course examines the nature, history and global manifestations of Pentecostalism—“The Third Force in Christianity.”

HON 358 Women & Religion        3 credits
A cross-cultural look at the roles that women play and the ways that women have been depicted in various religions.

HON 359 Spiritual Autobiography       3 credits
This course considers the characteristics and patterns of spiritual autobiographies, analyzes these texts within the historical, cultural and religious developments of each author’s time period, and evaluates modern spiritual autobiographies for their connections to the students’ own experiences.

HON 370  Battle of the Books   3 credits
Contradicting the egalitarian dogmas of our day, this course claims the ideas of great men have great consequences. It looks particularly at the centuries-long quarrel between those who advocated modernity and those who criticized it.

HON 371 Art & Philosophy          3 credits
Investigates the newer and the older traditions of criticism by the same standard: does a given critical theory account for the practice of writers and artists from Sophocles and Aristotle to Rousseau and Nietzsche.

HON 372 Contemporary Poetry    3 credits
A study of American poetry from the end of World War II to the present.

HON 373 Biography and Autobiography         3 credits
In-depth study of biographical and autobiographical texts in a variety of forms and traditions from Plutarch to the present.

HON 374 Nineteenth Century Novel        3 credits
Probes major authors in the 19th century who use the novel as both a record and a reenactment of individual, cultural and psychic memory, and explicitly defend such fictional self-reflection as the means to forge a sane individual and societal future.

HON 396  Technology and Literature   3 credits
Modern science and technology and how they are envisioned in representative literary works.

HON 451  Senior Thesis   3 credits
Independent research on topic selected by student, culminating in research paper. Student works closely with their faculty advisors.

HON 415 Senior Seminar           3 credits
A capstone seminar which uses interdisciplinary work to offer points of synthesis in the student’s four-year Honors program experience. Recent topics include the Philosophy of Human Rights, Wandering in Literature & Film, Great Books & Films in Modern America, the City in Literature and America’s Greatest Scandals.

The Urban Leadership Learning Community (ULLC)
(formerly the William McGowan Learning Community)

Co-Directors: Dr. Christian Blum and Dr. E. Roger Stephenson

The Urban Leadership Learning Community (ULLC) enables the best and brightest students from Buffalo’s inner city to enroll in a unique educational opportunity at Canisius. The ULLC offers students a four-year program to help create the next generation of leaders in Buffalo and Western New York from a population that historically has been denied positions of influence or power in Buffalo. The program provides its students with partial and full scholarships to cover tuition, room and board and fees. Moreover, through its many activities throughout a student’s undergraduate career, the program fosters academic excellence, extra-curricular involvement and service to others, all through collaboration. ULLC students consider each other “family” who cooperate rather than compete with each other.

The ULLC enrolled its first class in Fall 2000 and experiences an impressive 79 percent four-year graduation rate. 68 ULLC students have graduated since 2004, and currently there are 45 ULLC students pursuing undergraduate degrees in a wide-range of majors. Graduates have gone on to graduate programs and professions in education, medicine, business and social work or are employed in a variety of occupations.

ULLC students take a number of “Team Learning” courses, non-lecture courses in a range of disciplines. The TL courses are writing intensive and emphasize a number of “levels of engagement” with course materials to promote “mastery” through teamwork. The leadership activities that ULLC students participate in are many and varied and include: a Leadership Workshop Series, four workshops that investigate and apply leadership concepts to the demands of careers and good citizenship; a Summer Leadership Training Program for incoming freshmen, two weeks of intensive preparation for the demands of college life; the ULLC Council, class representatives to plan and promote program activities, such as the Annual Banquet, the Senior Reception, the Parent Reception and the Program Newsletter. All ULLC students participate in one or more internships either related or ancillary to their career plans. In addition, ULLC students travel to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, annually; they hold offices in a wide range of campus activities; many of them study a semester abroad; and many participate in the Winter Service Week and Alternate Spring Break opportunities offered by the Office of Campus Ministry.

For further information, please contact
Dr. Christian Blum (blum2@canisius.edu, 716-888-2650) or
Dr. Roger Stephenson (stephene@canisius.edu, 716-888-2655).