Month: May 2018

Newton, R. R. (Ed.) (2015). American Catholic higher education in the 21st century: Critical challenges. Chestnut Hill, MA: Linden Press at Boston College.

This edited volume contains papers from a 2013 symposium that discussed four critical issues in Catholic higher education:  strengthening the Catholic intellectual tradition; personal and religious formation of students; the relationship of Catholic colleges to the Church; and preparing future leaders of Catholic post-secondary  institutions.   Continue reading “Critical Challenges”

Orji, C. (2013). The Catholic university and the search for truth. Winona, MN: Anselm Academic.

Orji asks “is there a “Catholic Intellectual Tradition” (CIT)?”, and if so, what is it?  He notes people (including Catholic “intellectuals”) are confused about it.  Is CIT independent of the “magisterium” (revealed truth) and the official philosophy of the Church or can it include other philosophies?  Is it “too Catholic” or “not Catholic enough”? Continue reading “The Search for the Truth”

Bergman, R. (2011). Catholic social learning: Educating the faith that does justice. New York: Fordham University Press.

This book discusses Catholic social teaching, especially active service learning, as an element of Catholic education, in accordance with the Catholic commitment to social justice and the poor.

Continue reading “Catholic Social Learning”

Collins, P. M., & John, P. (2010). A twentieth-century collision: American intellectual culture and Pope John Paul II’s idea of a university. Lanham, Md: University Press of America.

The first chapter gives a history of “American Philosophy in the 20^th Century” (its “narrowing of scope” and separation of faith and reason), which is interesting, but the second chapter “Teaching Philosophy in a Catholic University according to John Paul II” is the most relevant. It is an interesting complement to the majority of authors who see theology as the central and unifying science. Continue reading “A Twentieth-Century Collision”

Haughey, J. C. (2009). Where is knowing going? The horizons of the knowing subject. Washington, D.C: Georgetown University Press.

The opening to the preface — “this study is addressed to those who are educated enough to wonder if they are really educated” — seems directed to those of us struggling to familiarize ourselves with the Catholic intellectual tradition  It is largely a positive book, seeing much good in the faculty already in place.   Continue reading “Where is Knowing Going?”

MacIntyre, A. C. (2009). God, philosophy, universities: A selective history of the Catholic philosophical tradition. Lanham, Md: Sheed and Ward Book/Rowman & Littlefield.

MacIntyre poses three “internal philosophical challenges” to belief in an omnipotent God: the problem of evil, the independence of human beings, and the problem of describing God within the limits of language.  A common theme throughout the book is thus the problem of reconciling “philosophical truth” arrived at by reason and “revealed truth” based on scripture. Continue reading “God, Philosophy, Universities”

Byrnes, J. T. (2002). John Paul II & educating for life: Moving toward a renewal of Catholic educational philosophy. New York: P. Lang.

Most of the book is devoted to the views and work of Karol Wojtla, who served as Pope John Paul II from 1978-2005. Byrnes reviews developments in the Catholic philosophy of education since Vatican II (1962-65, beginning under Pope John XXIII and closing under Pope Paul VI) attempted to reconcile Catholic teaching with modernity. Continue reading “Educating for Life”

Sullivan, R. E. (2001). Higher learning & Catholic traditions. Notre Dame, Ind: University of Notre Dame Press.

This edited volume derives from papers delivered at a 1999 conference sponsored by the Erasmus Foundation, which aims to “build bridges between the apparently disconnected worlds of Catholic thought and secular scholarship” (xi).  Continue reading “Higher Learning and Catholic Traditions”

Gallin, A. (2000). Negotiating identity: Catholic higher education since 1960. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press.

This “history” takes up where Gleason (1995) left off with the decline of “Neo-Scholasticism” and the attempts to modernize Catholic education post Vatican II.   The underlying question is “what makes a university Catholic”?  Gallin includes many historical examples from Catholic universities.  These long examples and the political details make this rather a heavy read (I confess I skipped over many of the details) but Gallin clearly shows the origin of many of our current challenges, especially the financial issues and – as indicated in the title – questions of identity. Continue reading “Negotiating Identity”

Gleason, P. (1995). Contending with modernity: Catholic higher education in the twentieth century. New York: Oxford University Press.

This book covers “the historical development of American Catholic higher education since 1900” (vii).  While it is primarily from a Catholic perspective, Gleason places this development in a broader educational and ideological context.  The introduction provides an historical overview that is developed in great detail in later chapters.  Continue reading “Contending with Modernity”