Karin Öberg (Department of Astronomy)
First-Year Seminar 65S | 4 Credits (Fall 2024) | CANVAS SITE
Monday, 12:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Does God exist? If yes, what or who is God? Where does the Universe come from? Are we alone in the Universe? What is a good life? Are there universal human rights? Can wars be just? What makes a good leader? This seminar will use texts and art from the Catholic intellectual tradition to explore how Catholic thought can be applied to contemporary challenges, as well as areas where there may be tension between such thought and contemporary ideas. While the seminar addresses the thought from one particular religion, it does not assume any prior knowledge of Catholicism, much less religious belief. Rather, this seminar is for the curious, who are interested in engaging with the Catholic intellectual tradition, and exploring how its ideas interact with contemporary life. These ideas will be presented through a combination of original texts, more recent essays, art, music, architecture, and movies. Due to the wide range of texts and subjects covered, this course relies on several guest lecturers that have expert knowledge in particular aspects of Catholic thought.