University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tex., recently revised its core curriculum to further the vision of Pope St. John Paul II in Ex corde Ecclesiae, “which stresses that the most comprehensive understanding of reality is achieved when academic ‘silos’ are avoided and knowledge from the various academic disciplines is integrated,” according to the University’s website.
The revisions to the core curriculum reportedly include a new sequencing for core theology and philosophy courses, and qualifying guidelines for the “synthesis courses.” The University reports:
Starting n Fall 2014, students should see philosophy and theology professors referring to material in one another’s core courses more often as well as see some interesting collaborations among various academic disciplines in the synthesis courses, according to Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences the Rev. Joseph Pilsner, CSB.
…Under the most recent revisions, the Core Curriculum Review Committee issued a document specifying the necessary attributes of two types of synthesis courses: cross-disciplinary synthesis courses such as Social Justice and the Church, and “higher synthesis” courses that provide a more comprehensive synthesis of the liberal arts.
An example of the latter is a revised course on John Henry Newman featuring his book, “The Idea of a University,” which explores how each of the academic disciplines plays its proper role in higher education.
University of St. Thomas is recommended in The Newman Guide for its strong Catholic identity.
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