The mission of the Institute of Catholic Studies is to provide students, faculty, staff, and the larger community with the opportunity to deepen knowledge of how Catholicism and Catholics have interacted with the world, both shaping and being shaped by culture and society both in the past in the present. As a Jesuit Catholic university, John Carroll University is an ideal home for such analysis. Through the development of an interdisciplinary Catholic Studies Program, the Institute will provide opportunities for encounter with the Catholic intellectual tradition as expressed in many scholarly disciplines from philosophy to science, providing courses that highlight the contribution of Catholic intellectuals and scholars. It also will provide courses that reflect the current conditions in which Catholics find themselves at the dawn of the 21st century. This will provide students with a solid interdisciplinary foundation for understanding the interaction of faith and culture in the past as well as for navigating their way in the future. Faculty who develop courses in Catholic Studies should possess an appreciation for this tradition and for the relationship of Catholicism and culture. Using appropriate and effective methods of scholarly analysis and pedagogy, the faculty in the program should promote serious reflection on the richness, diversity, and vitality of the Catholic tradition and its intellectual life. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the program, faculty is strongly encouraged to develop team-taught course across various disciplines.

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