The courses listed comprise the current course offerings for the academic year 2007-2008 for the Catholic Studies curricular field as well as additional course offerings anticipated in the future in this field.
Curriculum Description
Courses in Catholic Studies focus on both the theological and the
cultural dimensions of Catholicism, showing the connections between Catholic
faith and life. Students explore the theological development of
Catholicism from the biblical world through major thinkers of the past to
contemporary thought. They also examine the many ways in which Catholicism
has shaped a view of God, world, and human experience as manifested in
art, literature, ethics, and spirituality.
Faculty Advisor
Anthony J. Tambasco, Ph.D., Union Theological Seminary; Professor of Theology, Georgetown University. He works in the areas of biblical studies and Christian ethics, especially in issues of social justice.
tambasca@georgetown.edu
Format
In order to earn a Master’s degree in the Catholic Studies curricular field, students must complete six courses in this field including one Core course and one Human Values course or two Core courses, and a three-credit thesis reflecting this field. To complete the total number of credits required for the MALS degree, 30 credits, three elective courses may be selected from any Liberal Studies courses or other courses at the University appropriate to this degree with the approval of the Program Director. The selected curricular field will appear on the final transcript of record.
Catholic Studies courses are divided into three categories: Systematic, Catholic Culture and Society, and Biblical offerings. Systematic courses explore the sources, traditions, and doctrinal elaborations of Catholicism; Catholic Culture and Society courses explore the ways in which Catholicism has expressed itself in art, literature, ethics, spirituality, and other areas of human culture; and Biblical courses use the modern tools of historical criticism and other current scholarly methods to examine the foundational texts of the religion. Students are required to take two Systematic courses, two Catholic Culture and Society courses, and one Biblical course.
No course may be counted twice to satisfy the Core course requirement and the five Catholic Studies course requirements. A course may be counted twice to satisfy the Human Values course requirement and the five Catholic Studies course requirements.
