Catholic Studies Minor

Why minor in Catholic Studies at Campion?

To learn about the people, places, and principles that make up one of our world’s most longstanding and influential institutions.

Catholic Studies will give you an informed, academic understanding of the Catholic Church’s beliefs, traditions, and contributions to art, history, literary studies, religious studies, philosophy, and the social sciences.

Explore some of the most challenging and valuable themes of human existence, drawing on Catholic insights such as human nature, the necessity of grace, and the compatibility of faith, reason, and freedom. Through your studies, you’ll gain a wider perspective on the influences of Catholicism on world culture and history.

A Catholic Studies minor is beneficial to students interested in fields like education, medicine, law, finance, and business because it offers a vital underpinning for the day-to-day work in many influential careers.


For more information, please contact:

Dr. Scott Lewis, SJ
Program Director
Email: scott.lewis@uregina.ca
Phone: 306.586.4242 ext. 257

Catholic Studies Minor Requirements

For students enrolling after September 2019, there are a total of six courses required to obtain the Minor designation:

  • CATH 200: Introduction to Catholic Studies
  • Two additional CATH courses, one of which must be a 300 level
  • Three additional CATH courses or approved electives

Speak to the Director of Catholic Studies if you find selected topics courses that might relate to Catholic Studies. With permission, these can be used as approved electives.

Approved Electives

Art History

  • ARTH 202 Medieval Art History
  • ARTH 212 Renaissance Art & Architecture

Catholic Studies

  • CATH 290 Selected topics like:
    • Catholicism & the Paranormal
    • Mystics, Saints, & Sinners
    • International Travel Study (6 credits)
  • CATH 390 Selected topics like:
    • Catholic Social Teaching

Classics

  • CLAS 150/151 Latin

English and Creative Writing

  • ENGL 325-327 Studies in Medieval Literature

History

  • HIST 265 Early Middle Ages, 300-1100
  • HIST 266 Western Europe in Later Middle Ages, 1100-1400
  • HIST 270 Europe, 1400-1648: Renaissance and Reformation

Philosophy

  • PHIL 212 Medieval Philosophy
  • PHIL 244 Philosophical Study of Angels
  • PHIL 310AH/410AH Augustine
  • PHIL 310AN/410AN Thomas Aquinas

Religious Studies

  • RLST 227 Jesus the Christ
  • RLST 248 Introduction to the New Testament
  • RLST 334 Catholicism

Catholic Studies Scholarships

Extensive scholarship and bursary opportunities are available for students enrolled in the Catholic studies minor through Campion College.

The Paul and Carol Hill Scholarships in Catholic Studies are awarded each fall to full-time Campion students who have declared themselves as minors in the Catholic Studies program. Up to ten scholarships are awarded each year. Students must have a minimum UGPA of 70%; entering students must have a minimum high school average of 80%. Preference will be given to graduates of Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. Scholars will receive $500 for one course that satisfies the requirements of the minor in Catholic Studies, or $1000 for two or more such courses in a single semester. A maximum of $2500 per student may be awarded over the student’s program. These scholarships are made possible by the generosity of Paul and Carol Hill.

All Campion College students are encouraged to apply for as many scholarships as possible. Information regarding all Campion College scholarships can be found here.

Catholic Studies 200

This course is a comprehensive introduction that explores the intriguing history, dynamic culture, and widespread influence of the Catholic tradition. It highlights the many resources available for pursing an interdisciplinary study of Catholicism as a field of intellectual inquiry. It aims to promote an understanding of and appreciation for the way that Catholicism has influenced and shaped modern civilization over its 2000-year history.

Required Texts:

This course has one paperback textbook and few other very short articles that will benefit students.

  • Stewart, C. (2008). The Catholic Church: A Brief Popular History

Methods of Evaluation:

This course has five methods of evaluation for the on-campus (face-to-face) version:

  • Participation (10 points)
  • Short biography on a major Catholic figure (15 points)
  • Midterm examination: multiple choice, short answer (20 points)
  • Long paper or creative assignment (30 points)
  • Final examination: multiple choice, short answer (25 points)

This course has three methods of evaluation for the distance-learning (online) version:

  • Unit reviews (30 points for eight reviews)
  • Bulletin board postings (30 points for nine postings)
  • Short papers (40 points for two papers)

Topics Engaged:

  • The Church that Jesus founded
  • The Church in the New Testament and the Apostolic Fathers
  • Expansion and persecution of the Church, first Christian emperor
  • The Council of Nicaea, the Arian conflict, and the Ecumenical Councils
  • The Fall of Rome, Christianity preserved, and the barbarians
  • Charlemagne: Protector of the Church and the Medievalism
  • The Eastern Schism
  • Lay-investiture, Church reform, and monasteries
  • The Inquisition and the Crusades
  • Christian philosophy, science, and more monasteries
  • Problems in the Church, Martin Luther, and the Reformation
  • The Renaissance and Christian art
  • Galileo and scientific discovery
  • Council of Trent, Church after Trent, and French Revolution
  • Pius IX, Leo XIII, and Modernism
  • The Second Vatican Council
  • The Church and social justice
  • The Church and non-Catholic Christians
  • The Church and non-Christian religions
  • The Church and Indigenous peoples in Canada
  • Women in the Catholic Church
  • A Catholic approach to human sexuality
  • Catholicism and the paranormal

CATH 200​​​​ – Introduction to Catholic Studies

As a comprehensive introduction to Catholic Studies, this course explores the intriguing history, dynamic culture, and widespread influence of the Catholic tradition.

CATH 290AB ​​​- Ancient & Early Christian Art

This course begins with a review of Greek and Roman art, with a focus on key words and their principles and ideals.  It then examines early Christian artistic production, with an emphasis on how craftsmen adopted and transformed the practices of their Classical predecessors.

CATH 290 AI Catholicism and the Paranormal​​​

This course will survey the Catholic Church’s historical and contemporary reactions to the supernatural.  It will focus in particular on topics such as apparitions, levitation, ghosts and possession, mystical visions, Eucharistic miracles, bilocation, the occult, stigmata, as well as other unexplained religious phenomena.

CATH 290 AK Mystics, Saints, and Sinners

This course explores the collective legacy of ten influential Catholics whose work and writings continue to resonate across religious as well as secular society.  A thematic engagement of renowned saints, reputed sinners, and quirky mystics will provide insight into the diversity of oddball characters that help comprise the Catholic Church.

CATH 290 AL Catholicism and Human Sexuality

Exploration of the Catholic Church’s understanding of sexual expression with a focus on topics such as reciprocity, fidelity, romantic love, sexual identities, and intimacy with special attention given to the work of Pope St. John Paul II as well as other contemporary Catholic thinkers.

CATH 390 AB History of the Jesuits

The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) left an indelible mark on the history of the Church and the modern age.  This course explores the origin, expansion, suppression, and return of the Jesuits, examining their impact on political, religious, socio-cultural, and intellectual life in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

CATH 390​​​ – Catholic Social Teaching

An introduction to Catholic social teaching with a dual focus on critical theory and praxis. Students will engage the Church’s position on issues such as human dignity, solidarity with minority and oppressed populations, the common good, subsidiarity, rights and responsibilities, as well as the preferential option for the poor.