Humanities

Exploration of literary arts as illuminating human condition and mystery of creation through several genres: novel, novella, drama, poetry, short story. T.S. Eliot, Claudel, G.M. Hopkins, J. Joyce, Flannery O'Connor, R.L. Stevenson, O. Wilde.

What is religion, anyway? Do we need it anymore? What is the place of religion in the contemporary world? How revelation might illuminate God and creation in a way that transforms the world? Fulfills an upper level Theology in the Core Curriculum.

What is human nature, human destiny? How does one become more deeply human? What does it mean to act for the human good? How can we discover meaning in primordial human experiences such as love, mortality, finitude, and suffering?

Modern science is a dominant way of interpreting the world, and so human life. How does modern science interpret the world? What are the effects of this interpretation on the way we view human beings? Fulfills an upper level Philosophy in the Core Curriculum.

Political, economic, and family life dominate our concerns and yet we seem cynical about possibly finding meaning in them. How is our dependent, rational nature developed through marriage, family, work, markets, and government? Fulfills an upper level Political Science in the Core Curriculum.

Explore issues in economic life through texts in theology, philosophy, history, anthropology, literature, and arts. Why do we work, what is the difference between work and toil? What does the production and consumption of things tell about the human person, world, and God?

Specific topics vary each semester.

Reflection on Villanova college experience in guided seminar discussion and workshops designed to envision and shape post-graduate career and life paths. Restriction: Instructor Permission

Humanities majors must satisfy all requirements set by the Internship Office. Students must submit a 10-15 page essay to the Humanities Chair copying the Internship Office. See department web page for particulars.

Explores the fictional, theological, and philosophic writing of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Inklings (Charles Williams, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald). Investigates the relationship between fantastic "otherwordly" fiction and human "wordly" experience. Fulfills an upper level Literature in the Core Curriculum.

Study of philosophical and religious poetry: Dante, Herbert, Hopkins, Eliot, Pinkerton, and Hill.

Our conception of human nature arises in part from our practice of politics and vice versa. What is the relationship between the way we think about the nature and meaning of human life and the practice of politics? Fulfills an upper level Political Science in the Core Curriculum.

How has America reconciled its reverence for nature with its exceptional claims of technological prowess? Explores the intersection of nature and technology using Leo Marx's idea of "the machine in the garden" in American cultural, social, and art history.

Survey of architecture and town planning in the United States from 1865 to present. Themes of American exceptionalism, emergence of modern design, and continuity of traditional architecture. Major figures include Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Gehry.

An overview of the context of radical pluralism within which contemporary discourse occurs. An examination of the challenges of this situation, an observation of Aquinas' interaction with other thinkers, and a proposal for this medieval model for inter-religious inquiry.

This seminar mimes recent discussions that address these crucial questions: Does forgiveness abrogate justice? What is the place of anger and hate? May we forgive persons who will not repent? Is forgiveness a duty? Can forgiveness resolve political disputes and racial tensions?

Reading a broad survey of philosophical discussions of love, from Plato to Derrida, we will address a variety of questions concerning the nature of love, the relationship between self-interest, self-love, and love of other, whether Christianity makes a difference to the meaning of love, and related issues. Fulfills an upper level Philosophy in the Core Curriculum.

Exploration of the relationship between literature and politics through novels, poetry, theater, and journalism. Authors: Orwell, Conrad, Zola, Wilde, Silone, Baldwin, and others.

Course integrates both academic and practical approaches exploring issues in service projects and voluntary organizations.

Examination of the sweep of British History since 1327, with special attention to four periods: Medieval England; Early-Modern London and Reformation, Renaissance, and Revolution; Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Britain and the growth of Empire; and Post-Colonial United Kingdom and the European Union. Consideration given to English Music, Art and Architecture, Literature, and Political Theory. To take place partly in London.

Learn more about the life and works of St. Augustine of Hippo. Examination of the life and writings of St. Augustine in preparation for the pilgrimage to Italy, and on-site exploration of Augustine's historical context and legacy.

Focused engagement with great text, great thinker, great idea in the intellectual tradition. Examples include: Brothers Karamazov, Plato's Republic, Wordsworth, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Ruskin, Thomas Aquinas. Course explores basic human questions as illuminated by the thinker or text. Restriction: Must have completed 2 Gateway courses.

The department's capstone is a seminar, meeting once a week, in which students read contemporary texts on issues they have engaged in their study of the humanities.