Catholic Studies

Director: M. Maher, S.J.

The Catholic Studies Concentration provides a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the Catholic expression of Christianity and its cultural contributions. The concentration assumes that a knowledge of the heritage of Catholicism’s past is necessary for understanding the present and anticipating the future. The concentration has four goals. First, it gives students an opportunity to identify Catholicism’s heritage in various disciplines across the curriculum. Second, it gives students an opportunity to integrate their understanding of these contributions into an appreciation of the richness of Catholic culture. Third, the program supports the idea that Catholicism is not something limited to a particular department or to a particular segment of a person’s life. Catholicism involves the total person and is thus appropriately addressed throughout the entire curriculum of a Catholic university. Finally, the concentration seeks to encourage faculty to be aware of and reflective on the assumptions and the goals outlined above. The Catholic Studies Committee that oversees the program understands these goals as furthering the mission of the University.

The Catholic Studies concentration offers a twenty-one credit program that will enable students to choose and integrate courses from a coherent and focused perspective. The concentration requires three courses - RELI 220 Catholicism, a course in Catholic Church history, and CATH 499 Catholic Studies Symposium. The RELI 220 course is a ‘gateway’ course that should be taken prior to taking other courses in the concentration; however, it may be taken concurrently with other concentration courses. The CATH 499 symposium is the ‘capstone’ course and is the final course to be taken in the concentration. It is this course that specifically seeks to produce an integrative experience for students in the concentration. Students will also select four elective courses from different disciplines, such as art, communication arts, english, music, philosophy, political science and religious studies. These elective courses and the church history course follow no definite sequence since the intent is that the student be free to explore the diversity of Catholic thought and life. Courses satisfying concentration requirements are indicated by a Catholic Studies attribute. Student course selections are subject to the following requirements: no more than six credits from any one department can count towards meeting concentration requirements; no more than a total of nine credits combined from the Philosophy and Religious Studies Departments, excluding the required RELI 220 Catholicism course, can count towards meeting concentration requirements. These requirements are intended to highlight the diversity of Catholic thought and life. Students in the College of Arts and Sciences may be able to meet most of the concentration’s requirements within the College’s core curriculum.

Field of Concentration in Catholic Studies: 21
RELI 220, Catholicism 3 credits
CATH 499 Catholic Studies Symposium 3 credits
Course in Catholic Church history 3 credits
Electives (with Catholic Studies attribute) 12 credits


Complete Course List - CATH
Core Curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences

The core curriculum or common body of knowledge of the College of Arts and Sciences consists of 59 to 62 credits which are common to and required of all degree programs in the College: the first 31 credits (of which there is a more complete description in the General Degree Requirements and Procedures section of this catalogue) form the University Core, while the remaining 28 to 31 credits are common to all Arts and Sciences degrees.
Students should attempt to spread the core curriculum over their entire fours years at Gonzaga.

  1. Thought and Expression (7 credits): ENGL 101, SPCO 101, and PHIL 101 (preferably in the same semester).
  2. Philosophy (9 credits): PHIL 201, PHIL 301, and  PHIL  400 level elective.
  3. Religious Studies (9 credits): RELI 100, 200, and 300 levels: one course from each level.
  4. Mathematics (3 credits): one MATH (not CPSC) course on the 100 level or above; NURS 320 is substituted for a MATH course for BSN students; MATH 203 fulfills this requirement only for students who graduate with certification in Elementary Education.
  5. English Literature (3 credits): ENGL 102 or 103H or 105 or 106.
  6. History (6 credits): HIST 101 and either HIST 102 or HIST 112 in their first year. If they are unable to complete all six 100-level HIST credits in their first year, HIST 201 or 202 may be substituted for one 100-level course after the first year.
  7. Fine Arts (3 credits): one course in either VART, MUSC, or THEA from courses approved by Dean of Arts and Sciences.
  8. Laboratory Science (4 credits): one course with laboratory in either BIOL, CHEM, or PHYS.
  9. Mathematics or Natural Science (3 credits): one course in either MATH, CPSC, BIOL, CHEM, PHYS, or ITEC.
  10. Literature (3 credits): one British or American literature course (ENGL 201 - 285).
  11. Social Science (6 credits): CRIM 101, ECON, SOCI, POLS, or PSYC: two courses from these departments.
  12. Foreign Language or Culture (3 credits): one course in any foreign language (classical or modern) or one (foreign culture) course approved by the Dean of Arts and Sciences.  Foreign-language speaking students from foreign cultures who have completed the nine English core credits at Gonzaga prior to their fourth year (last thirty credits) may petition the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for a waiver of the foreign language or Culture requirement..
  13. Social Justice (3 credits): One course on Social Justice issues related to experiences of difference (like race, class, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation), from courses approved by the Dean of Arts & Sciences; (may be combined with other core or major requirements).