From my understanding, this debate over the Core Curriculum is less about fully abolishing the Theology requirement as it is than of making it able to be fulfilled in different ways, namely by taking course related to "the Catholic intellectual tradition" with examples of courses on Renaissance art or Dante. I admit that this does seem like an interesting idea but I just can't reconcile it. I would think that the theology portion of those examples would be marginalized as just being a brief bit that must be covered in class. This would not necessarily be the fault of the professors, it would just be human nature. A professor who is teaching on Dante or art wants to teach about those subjects, not just theology. There are just too many facets to be covered in those courses to give theology its due. On top of that, the Theology Department already offers many classes with varying subjects to meet everyone's interest, either through direct THEO department classes or through the cross-listings they have approved.
My first theology was one of my favorite classes in first year. I admit there were times when I didn't want to be there but that was probably because it was an 8:00 class. It taught me things that I had never learned through a life of Catholic schooling, although I will admit that I did know a decent amount of it. But whether you knew something going in wasn't really the point so much as being able to discuss the topics and, by discussing them, come to a newer and deeper appreciation of your faith. It's all about reforging yourself as a better person. Very few other departments let you do that, which makes theology (and philosophy) an absolute must.
My first theology was one of my favorite classes in first year. I admit there were times when I didn't want to be there but that was probably because it was an 8:00 class. It taught me things that I had never learned through a life of Catholic schooling, although I will admit that I did know a decent amount of it. But whether you knew something going in wasn't really the point so much as being able to discuss the topics and, by discussing them, come to a newer and deeper appreciation of your faith. It's all about reforging yourself as a better person. Very few other departments let you do that, which makes theology (and philosophy) an absolute must.
My second theology was all about the Greek Orthodox Church. An Orthodox priest, who was also a Notre Dame alumnus, taught the course in Athens. It was one of the most interesting classes I had, but I never would have taken it had I not needed to fill my requirement. This shows exactly why you need to maintain the two theology requirement. Without that requirement, a student is more likely to get caught up in their major. If that happens, they will miss some of the best and most thought-provoking courses offered by the university. Without these courses, Notre Dame loses a part of itself and fails to fully realize the goal of educating the whole person.
No comments:
Post a Comment