Catholic Theological Union Wins Grant to Engage Science in Curriculum and Culture
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kellene Urbaniak, kurbaniak@ctu.edu, 773.371.5416
Catholic Theological Union Wins Grant to Engage Science in Curriculum and Culture
July 19, 2019 CHICAGO – This fall, as one of nine seminaries granted funding by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to begin integrating science into their core curricula, Catholic Theological Union (CTU) will present a program of nine courses and multiple campus events exploring the theme “Science and Saving Stories That Shape Us: Engaging Science and Religion in Our Curriculum and Culture.”
The innovative program is organized by the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion Program in partnership with the Association of Theological Schools, and funded by the John Templeton Foundation. CTU Vice President and Academic Dean Richard Benson, CM says, “This project is an outstanding opportunity for the CTU community to deepen the cordial relationship between science and Catholic theology that is so essential to an authentic understanding of the reality of God in the universe.”
Dawn M. Nothwehr, OSF, Professor and holder of The Erica and Harry John Family Endowed Chair in Catholic Theological Ethics and Dr. Anne McGowan, Assistant Professor of Liturgy, are leading the project. It will kick off for the entire CTU faculty at the beginning of the school year with Fall Faculty Study Days, and include a workshop with science and theology experts in pedagogy. Invited experts will provide lectures, discussion exercises, hands-on syllabi preparation, and field trip excursions.
In the spring, Nothwehr and McGowan will lead a day-long public event with an internationally renowned Keynote Lecturer, activities or lectures by science and theology colleagues from Chicago area Catholic colleges, educators from the Chicago science-oriented museums, and presentations on the implications of scientific topics for mission and ministry in the “real world,” where science and religion frequently overlap.
