Dr. Jeffrey Zalar
This course examines the history of Catholic intellectual life from the foundational theological controversies of the fourth century C.E. to the present.
Global in scope and attentive to the relationship between faith and reason, it addresses such topics as the major interpretive problems raised by interactions among theology, science, and culture, the development of Catholic social thought and political theology in the context of American democracy, and Catholic responses to the great moral dilemmas of modernity, including aggressive national politics, endemic warfare, colonial domination, and genocide.
All 4000-level courses must culminate in a significant historical research paper (at least 12 pages, no more than 15 pages), including primary and secondary sources. Assignments leading to the final product must include a primary source analysis and either an annotated research bibliography or a historiographical essay.
Prerequisite: To take this course, students must earn a C or higher in Hist3000.
