The focus of this course is two-fold. The first is to assist, challenge and support the student in his struggle for living in light of the Gospel. The second is to equip students with a systematic approach to making ethical decisions. To this end, there is a heavy emphasis on several areas: the process of self-discovery, the philosophical genesis of Ethics (Aristotle, Plato, and Kant, among others), the investigation into the nature of human beings (good vs. evil), the nature of sin and the discussion of the development of one’s conscience in both personal (sexual ethics, drug & alcohol use, life- choices) and communal ethics (bioethics, abortion, business ethics, war).

As part of the student's religious journey and human development, this course is designed to help students understand the importance of making healthy moral choices. Students are introduced to a model of moral decision- making that recognizes them as created by and in relationship with God and others. Adolescence is a period of dramatic changes, questions concerning this important time will be discussed. Jesus and St. Ignatius of Loyola, in particular, are studied as central models for the moral dimension of a life of faith. Students are challenged to evaluate the moral goodness of their own decisions and beliefs as well as the moral goodness of the world in which they operate. 

As part of the student’s religious journey and human development, this course is designed to help students understand the importance of making healthy moral choices.

Students are introduced to a model of moral decision- making that recognizes them as created by and in relationship with God and others. Adolescence is a period of dramatic changes, questions concerning this important time will be discussed. Jesus and St. Ignatius of Loyola, in particular, are studied as central models for the moral dimension of a life of faith. Students are challenged to evaluate the moral goodness of their own decisions and beliefs as well as the moral goodness of the world in which they operate.

The Ignatian Honors Program invites students to explore the Catholic theology of moral decision making.   These topics will be explored using historical, theological, and literary approaches, revealing the interconnectedness of themes across disciplines.

This course will help This course build on the students’ understanding of the sacred, theophany, and the Christology developed in Ignatian Honors 9.  Students will continue to sharpen skills of reading Sacred Scripture.  Students are introduced to a model of moral decision- making that recognizes them as created by and in relationship with God. Students will continue to develop a deeper understanding of Jesus both through the Gospel as well as through the Pauline Epistles. Students will engage with basic concepts of Ignatian Spirituality including the First Principle and Foundation, as well as discernment. Students are challenged to evaluate the moral goodness of their own decisions and beliefs as well as the moral goodness of the world in which they operate

The Ignatian Honors Program invites students to explore humanity’s big questions in philosophy and theology. Students will analyze how various intellectual traditions have addressed questions of epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics that prove fundamental and necessary for human flourishing.   These topics will be explored using historical, theological, and literary approaches, that reveal the interconnectedness of themes across disciplines towards a common encounter and transformation.  The starting point of this course is the following affirmation, “The human person is made to wonder.” In fact, it is through the act of wonder that we become fully human, that we become who we are meant to be. So in this course we will be “wonderers” encouraging the student to ask questions about everything. This course continues to build on conclusions about anthropology, soteriology, and the nature of God begun Ignatian Honors 9, and 10. 

Along with an extensive study of St. Ignatius of Loyola, this course investigates the history of the Society of Jesus and Ignatian Spirituality. Ignatian tradition is discussed and examined through the contributions of the Jesuits in areas such as the arts, the sciences, education, and history. Different perspectives will be offered through a variety of guest lecturers. Students will be invited to an experience in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. This is a unique opportunity to expand and challenge a student’s personal faith development.

Summer Course: Registration for this course occurs through Summer at Blakefield Website: https://www.loyolablakefield.org/blakefield-experience and requires an additional fee.  Students should indicate their intention to take the courses in the NOTES/Alternatives section of the Course Selection Form.
 
This course is designed to meet the Theology Department curricular goals by addressing multiple aspects of the Bishop’s Curriculum Framework. With an emphasis on Catholic political philosophy, the course will underscore the Bishops’ call to address how “Christ’s mission continues through the Church” as well as many aspects of the history of the Catholic Church with a particular emphasis on Modernity and the challenges of human rights and individual rights.  

This course begins a student’s “journey” into a better understanding of faith as a response to the divine revelation of God. In this course, students focus on the creed or what we believe as a people of faith following in the tradition of Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition, and the model of Jesus Christ. Who am I? What do I believe? What do others believe? These questions are the principle factors for our students and the foundation for our curriculum. This course also gives students an introduction to St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits.

This course provides students with the opportunity to encounter the person of Christ in the New Testament, studied within the overall context of God’s revelation in both Scripture and Sacred Tradition. It moves from an examination of the nature of Scripture itself into a study of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and of the early Christian community. Students are invited to examine the place of Scripture in their own lives.

Beginning with the apostolic age and the age of persecution, students are introduced to the accomplishments of men and women of faith throughout the centuries. The successes and difficulties that the Church has faced, both within and without, are studied, but always with a view to help our students of today face the challenges of their own time. Students share in prayer experiences and individual and communal service projects that enable them to experience a clearer identity of themselves as well as enrich the Church through their faith and service.

This course offers students basic skills for the intelligent interpretation of the Bible, which is covered in its entirety. Students become skilled in accessing and consulting the Scriptures, understanding basic historical and other contextual tools of interpretation, recognizing the great biblical metaphors that speak to our faith journey, identifying the scriptural roots of Catholic social teaching, and learning to pray and meditate with scriptures.

This course offers students basic skills for the intelligent interpretation of the Bible, which is covered in its entirety. Students become skilled in accessing and consulting the Scriptures, understanding basic historical and other contextual tools of interpretation, recognizing the great biblical metaphors that speak to our faith journey, identifying the scriptural roots of Catholic social teaching, and learning to pray and meditate with scriptures.

A brief scanning of the daily news headlines demonstrates the fact that we live in a global village. Not only at the level of international affairs, but also at the very local and interpersonal level, we encounter more and more persons who hold religious beliefs different from our own. Understanding these religions is a crucial factor in establishing and maintaining the peace and harmony so necessary for life on our planet in the 21st century. This course equips the student with a knowledge of several major world religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It provides an insight into the very nature of religious traditions, including an examination of those religious questions which are ultimately human questions (eg. What is the human condition and how do we transcend it, attaining “salvation”? What is our destiny? What is the nature of the world? What is ultimate Reality and how is it revealed?).