Program Learning Goals

Since 1998, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies has had in place goal statements and assessment strategies for both our major and our Core courses.

The major in Theology and Religious Studies is designed to graduate students who have achieved the following learning goals:

1. to learn methodologies and research techniques standard in the fields of theology and religious studies;
2. to investigate the fundamental issues that frame theological and religious inquiry, particularly in relation to the claims of Christian and Catholic doctrine, Christian ethics, and Catholic social teaching;
3. to become familiar with the content of the Bible and with critical methods for appropriating its content;
4. to understand the interplay between religion and broader social, cultural, and political structures and norms;
5. to become familiar with the categories, symbols, and practices of a non-Christian religion and to appreciate the meaningfulness of religious traditions beyond their own;
6. to communicate effectively in writing that is clear, coherent, well-developed, and expressive of complex thought;
7. to cultivate the skills of formal and conversational speech necessary to communicate within the discipline.