In Principio v17 no2 (2006)

I PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY DEFINING AND REFINING THE CORE CURRICULUM .a. Madonna and Child Carved by Australian artist, Peter Schipperheyn. The marble used was a gift to the University by its sister university, the University ofNotre Dame du Lac in Indiana, USA as a symbol of collegial relationship between the two institutions. The Core Curriculum of the University is one of the unique attributes of an undergraduate education at Notre Dame. During their degree all students are required to study foundational units in theology, philosophy and ethics, taught by faculty from the School of Philosophy and Theology. The Core Curriculum underpins all other units in the University, encouraging students to look beyond the particular practicalities and theories of their profession-specific studies, to encounter and engage with some of the deeper questions of individual and societal life. Through studying the core units, students immerse themselves in an academic discourse aimed at critical learning and the search for wisdom and understanding that characterises the rich heritage of the Catholic liberal arts tradition of which Notre Dame is a part, in order to further their development as faithful, reflective and principled future leaders of t he community. In August 2005, as part of the University's ongoing commitment to the provision of academic excellence in its delivery of the Core Curriculum, work began on a review of TH 101, the Introduction to Theology Core Unit. Spearheaded by senior lecturer Dr Clare Johnson in consultation with other theologians in the School of Philosophy and Theology, and under the authority of Notre Dame's Core Curriculum Committee, the entire TH101 unit was evaluated and rewritten in order to update and unify its approach to the teaching of theology to beginning students. Commonly defined as "faith seeking understanding," the study of theology is the attempt to articulate the experience of God within human experience. TH101 exposes students with no formal background in theological study, those with little or no faith background, and those from non-Christian faith traditions, to the study of God, through the foundational narratives of the Judeo– Christian tradition. Christians are "people of the book" and through studying the sacred scriptures and tradition of Christianity in TH 101, students investigate the broader questions of 'meaning' and how those questions are addressed in a distinctively Christian manner. Utilising the engaging power of narrative TH101 draws forth the important theological concepts underlying the story of Christianity through a logical progression from its Jewish roots through to its current incarnation, and places these in dialogue with the reality of human life today. Midway through Semester 1, 2006, student reactions to the new version of TH101 were ascertained via a specially designed unit evaluation feedback form. Eighty percent of students surveyed gauged the unit overall to be in the good/excellent range. Such an encouraging student reaction suggests that the new version of TH101 is fulfilling its potential to engage and challenge students in the university-level study of theology and its application in the contemporary world. Further fine-tuning of the unit in future semesters will only enhance its appeal. The successful review of TH101 undertaken in 2005/6 is the first step in the revision of the Core Curriculum in general. The remaining Core Units, PH100 Introduction to Philosophy and ET100 Ethics will be reviewed in 2007. Every student in the University will have the chance to learn from and with the faculty of the School of Philosophy and Theology at some point in their education. Given the responsibility and privilege of working with so many students, the University's philosophers and theologians take very seriously their task of updating the Core Units to the highest educational standards, in dialogue with the best recent academic scholarship and relative to the needs and interests of today's diverse student body. The Core Units provide students with the opportunity to develop thoughtful, ethical and faithful principles in conversation w ith the distinctive beliefs and values of the Catholic faith. Armed with the broad range of critical insights into the practical application of these principles as explored by the Core Curriculum, it is hoped that students will be enabled to respond positively to the future challenges of their chosen professional fields. m