蜜桃传媒

Catholic Studies

The interdisciplinary minor in Catholic Studies at Boston College seeks to develop an intellectual and academic approach to Catholicism which does justice to the full human reality, integrity, and pluralism within this major world religious tradition. Since Catholicism comprises more than a religious institution, a set of moral or ritual practices, a body of doctrines, or individual and communal experiences, no one discipline or several disciplines functioning separately can properly understand it from the vantage point of its lived experience as a culture.

The Catholic Studies minor provides students with the opportunity to explore the Catholic intellectual tradition. The minor emphasizes the richness of Catholic philosophical and theological systems, artistic and cultural expressions, historical evolution (including internal and external moments of contestation), and approaches to social analysis, economic systems, and the natural sciences, in order to appreciate the vision and values which emerge from this tradition.

Requirements:

Six approved 3-credit courses or a total of 18 credit hours:

• 18 credit hours selected from the three Catholic Studies clusters: The Catholic Imagination, Catholicism in Time and Space, and Catholic Social Thought.
• Upon petition, electives and other courses may be counted for the minor if the major research paper course is completed on a Catholic topic.
• In many cases, electives and other required courses can be petitioned for inclusion in the Catholic Studies Interdisciplinary minor based on the Catholic content of the course.
• Students are strongly encouraged to take THEO1401 Engaging Catholicism, which will count towards their Christian Theology (CT) credit in Core theology. THEO1401 is a 3-credit course and will count for Core theology credit as well as the 鈥渂asis course鈥� for the Interdisciplinary Minor in Catholic Studies.
• Depending upon enrollment numbers in the minor, a concluding 3-credit research seminar will be offered which will focus on texts dealing either with the enculturation of Catholicism in different geographical/regional locations (e.g., Asia, Latin America, Africa, Oceania, Irish-American, Italian-American, Latinx, Black, and Indigenous), or a Catholic theme that is approached from several disciplinary perspectives and across historical periods (e.g., Catholic practices of asceticism in art, music, literature, and theology). This seminar will offer the student the opportunity to research, write, and present a senior project that thematically integrates what has been learned in the minor. The seminar is facilitated by a member of the Catholic Studies advisory committee. It is envisioned that the seminar presentations will become an occasion for creating intellectual community among Catholic Studies minors and faculty advisors.

Further information is available from the interim Director, Professor Liam Bergin, Theology Department, Stokes Hall N449,聽617-552-3588,聽liam.bergin@bc.edu聽or the聽Catholic Studies website.

The Data Science Minor at Boston College is an interdisciplinary program emphasizing human-centered applications of data analysis and modeling for the common good.聽 The minor has been designed to be flexible and accessible for students across a variety of disciplines; no previous programming experience is required, and students will be able to construct a 6-course pathway that connects data science to their application area of interest.聽 The minor is open to all undergraduate students at Boston College.聽聽

The 18-credit minor includes three required courses that introduce students to foundational concepts in programming, mathematics, data processing, data exploration, and modeling:

• CSCI 1090聽Data聽Science聽Principles (no prerequisite)
• MATH 2250 Mathematical Foundations of聽Data聽Science聽(prerequisite: Math 1101 or AP Calculus AB)
• CSCI 2291 Data Science: Methods and Applications (prerequisite: CSCI 1090 and MATH 2250)

Students will be eligible to apply for entry to the Data Science Minor program after the completion of CSCI 1090 and MATH 2250.聽 It is recommended that students maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 (averaged across these 2 courses) for entry into the minor.聽 The application consists of a degree audit and completion of a data science minor pathway form listing the focus area of the student鈥檚 pathway, the 2 elective courses they will take, and 2 additional courses outside of the minor that support the pathway plan.聽 For students to have time to complete the requirements of the degree, students must apply for entry into the minor before the end of their sophomore year.聽 There will be two deadlines for applications each year aligned with registration: November 20 in the Fall and April 20 in the Spring.聽 Notifications on acceptance will be made in December and May (once degree audits can be reviewed).聽

Consistent with the university鈥檚 academic regulations, students must have at least 15 credits in the data science minor that are not used to fulfill requirements for another major or minor or a Core requirement.聽 At most 3 credits (1 course) can be 鈥渄ouble-counted鈥� towards the minor and the student鈥檚 major requirements.聽聽

For further information or to receive a data science minor pathway form as part of the application, please email the program director, Professor George Mohler, at mohlerg@bc.edu.

East European and Eurasian Studies

The interdisciplinary minor in East European and Eurasian Studies encompasses faculty and courses from across the University and spans the entire region east and southeast of western Europe, from central and eastern Europe to southeastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Caucasus, and Siberia. The minor in East European Studies concentrates on the multilingual, multicultural, and multireligious legacy of Slavic and Eastern European nations and countries. Students who complete the minor will work toward proficiency in a Slavic and/or East European language (e.g., Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, etc.) related to the region and attain valuable knowledge, experience, and professional skills. The Program prepares students for careers in diplomacy, journalism, law, military, business, government, and social service, as well as graduate, academic, or professional study.

Further information is available from the Director, Professor Maxim D. Shrayer, Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies, Lyons 210, (shrayerm@bc.edu). Students may also consult the Program's website.

Jewish Studies

The Jewish Studies Program seeks to examine the multiple dimensions and complexities of Jewish civilization throughout its broad chronological and geographical range. In so doing, the program contributes to Boston College's efforts to internationalize and enrich its curriculum by creating a space for reflection on an ethnically and religiously diverse campus. Jewish Studies as an academic discipline draws upon almost every area in the humanities and social sciences in order to understand the myriad expressions of Jewish civilization over thousands of years.

The Minor in Jewish Studies consists of a total of six three-credit courses, including one foundation course 鈥淚ntroduction to Jewish Culture and Civilization鈥� and five electives. Students are encouraged to fulfill Core classes that can also be used for the minor (Theology, Cultural Diversity, Literature, History, and Arts Cores). All Hebrew classes used for the MCAS language requirement can be applied to the minor. As an interdisciplinary minor, students will end up with coursework in at least three Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences departments. Only one course of the six can be used to fulfill requirements in another major or minor.聽

For additional information or to sign up for the minor in Jewish Studies, contact the program co-director, Professor Matt Sienkiewicz,聽matt.sienkiewicz@bc.edu.

Religion and Public Life

The Religion and Public Life minor will offer students a way to explore and connect diverse conversations about the role of religion in public life. Bringing together a wide array of courses to choose from, the Religion and Public Life minor will have an interdisciplinary emphasis and be composed of six courses, two required courses, and four electives. The introductory course will be a focused and constructive seminar conversation about the various intersections between religion and public life, focusing on the American context. Listed as a theology course, the introductory seminar (THEO3253), Religion and American Public Life, will be taught by the director of the minor. All students entering the minor will take this introductory course first. During the course, students will meet with the director to determine which elective courses are the best fit for their interests and, if needed, will be connected with another faculty member who will assist in recommending electives. These electives will form a cluster that narrows the focus of the minor to consider the individual student's interests in religion and public life, either within or expanding beyond the American context. This cluster consists of four electives, including at least one advanced elective. An advanced elective is a writing intensive course that should be taken near the end of the student's fulfillment of minor requirements. The elective courses must be chosen from at least two departments outside of theology.聽The other required course, taken during their senior year, is Ethics, Religion, and International Politics (THEO5563/INTL5563/PHIL5563); it is cross listed among theology, international studies, and philosophy.

Students who are interested in the Boisi Center Minor in Religion and Public Life should contact the director, Fr. Mark Massa, by email. His email address is聽mark.massa@bc.edu.

Ideal students for the minor are high-achieving 蜜桃传媒 sophomores and juniors who are interested in the intersection of religion and public life, would like to be introduced to the study of religion and public life, and are interested in being guided through articulating and exploring their own specific academic and/or professional interest within this broad intersection. The minor includes courses on various religious traditions: Judaism, Catholicism, Islam, etc. Similarly, the minor includes courses under a broad understanding of what we mean by "public life." If selected for the minor, students would also be named Boisi Center Fellows and would be invited to participate in the Boisi Center's many events.

Overall, the minor will create an atmosphere where students may seriously engage in conversations with each other and with faculty about the pursuit of the common good of a religiously diverse society, the future of engaged citizenship, the religious and theological role of the arts, and the moral consequences of public policies. In doing so, the minor in Religion and Public Life supports Boston College's Jesuit and Catholic commitment to education that shapes the minds and hearts alike for service to the common good, with an eye towards addressing the world's most urgent problems.

Expectations and Requirements

The aims of the Religion and Public Life minor are to form undergraduate students who are able to:

• Understand and narrate the history of religious and cultural interactions across the U.S. historical landscape;
• Speak knowledgeably about what comprises a religiously diverse society鈥攊ts constructions, conflicts, and common goods鈥攂oth within the American tradition and in international contexts;
• Understand the varying roles of an engaged citizenry and the political consequences of religious associations;
• Ask difficult questions that lead to analyses of the moral consequences of public policies;
• Articulate what the 鈥淐ommon Good鈥� might look like in a pluralistic society.

Students are required to take six courses for the minor, beginning with the introductory theology course (THEO3253), Religion and American Public Life. Each student will work predominantly with the director of the minor and affiliated faculty, as necessary, to design a personalized interdisciplinary course of study comprised of five other elective courses (a "cluster"). All courses for the minor must be completed with a grade of "B" or higher.

Course Requirements

Introductory Seminar Course in Religion and American Public Life (THEO3253)

Boisi minors are expected to enroll in a one-semester, 3-credit introductory seminar. This class will immerse students in the ongoing conversation around the issues, approaches, and texts focusing on religion in America. It is not designed to be cumulative, but instead is an orienting look at relevant issues in religion and American public life, which will spark a more specific interest to be explored by individual students over the course of the minor. Over the course of the semester, students will be asked to convene parts of the seminar meeting, offering reflection on their reading, and developing interests. Over the course of the seminar, students will also begin to formulate a problem that will constitute the core of what they will focus on within the minor as a whole. This could be a focus on religion and politics, religion and the arts, religion and race and/or ethnicity, religion and government, etc., and it will form the basis for how they will select their later electives. This introductory course will be listed as a theology course, and will always be taught by the director of the minor, Mark Massa, S.J.

Elective Clusters

The elective cluster consists of four courses (12 credits), in addition to the 6 credits already provided by THEO3253 and THEO5563/INTL5563/PHIL5563. These electives must come from at least two different departments other than theology in order to satisfy the requirements for minors at Boston College. The courses students take that comprise a cluster will be decided in conjunction with the director of the minor, and with the input of affiliated faculty as needed. Available courses will vary each year depending on the given year's course catalog; example clusters are listed below.

Examples of Elective Clusters:

• Religion and the Arts聽
• Religion and Gender
• Religion and the Environment
• Religion and Technology
• Religion, Culture, and Media
• Religion and Political Philosophy
• Religion and the Social Sciences
• Religion and American Politics
• Religion and International Politics

Boisi Center Access

Because the minor's course of study aligns with the research interests of Boston College's Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, students will have access to the resources of the Boisi Center during their studies in the minor. Students will be named as Boisi Center Fellows and will have contact with speakers, primary access to events, and be able to engage in other specific programs designed especially for students in the minor, including dinner conversations twice a year. As Boisi Center Fellows, students in the minor will be expected to attend at least one Boisi Center event each semester.

Women's and Gender Studies

The Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies Program is an interdisciplinary forum for the study of the role of gender in the past and present positions of individuals in American society and across a diversity of nation-state, international, and global contexts. Drawing from a broad range of theoretical frameworks and empirical scholarship, Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies analyzes the intersection of gender with differential identity factors such as race, class, religion, culture, and sexuality. Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies sheds light on the construction and maintenance of gender ideologies in different environments and locations and considers gender relations a primary factor in our understanding of statuses and roles. Multiple perspectives and lenses鈥攍iterary, historical, sociological, psychological, political, activist, popular culturist鈥攁re applied to the study of lived realities, representations, histories, oppressions, coalitions, and movements.

The Boston College Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies Program encourages diversity and equality in all areas of campus life. Our WGS courses and professors respect differences in background and identity, including differences in race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and class.

The WGS classroom environment is inclusive: which means that differences are not ignored, but rather that students can have space to bring their various identities into conversation.

We expect students to honor and respectfully listen to differences that may come up in the classroom setting and to listen and respond to other points of view.

In addition, this means that students have space to bring their various identities into conversation with class material as they find helpful, but are not expected to represent or speak for an entire group of people who share aspects of an identity.

Boston College students may decide to minor in Women's and Gender Studies at any time prior to graduation, provided that the requisite scope and number of courses have been completed with satisfaction.

Required Courses

The following two courses should not be taken in the same semester.

• 贰狈骋尝2125听Introduction to Feminisms
  Cross-listed with HIST2502, SOCY2225.聽Minors are encouraged to take Introduction to Feminisms prior to taking other WGS electives.聽
• SOCY5593 or COMM4941聽Advanced Topics
  Always taken as a Senior during Spring semester

Electives

Four electives (12 or more credits) from a variety of departments are required and can be tailored to your own interests.

The following guidelines must be followed:

Guidelines

• No more than two electives (6 credits) can be courses within the same department.
  • Note:聽Many courses that count for the minor are cross-listed with other departments. To avoid having to select an alternative course, you can select the department from which you wish to register the course. For example, if you have three additional courses from the Sociology department, one may be cross-referenced with the Communications department; therefore, you would register for it as a COMM course rather than an SOCY course.
• Only one course can "double count" toward the WGS minor and another requirement聽(ex: Core, major, or another minor).聽Five of the six courses, or 15 out of 18 credits, must only count toward the WGS minor.聽The Women's and Gender Studies program does not guarantee that one of our courses will satisfy any major/minor requirements in other departments.聽You are responsible for knowing whether or not your respective department will accept a WGS elective for major credit. Please contact聽gender@bc.edu聽if you have any questions or concerns.

For more information on the Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies Program, visit聽bc.edu/ws or consult the Director of the minor, Professor Lisa Cuklanz, Communication Department, e-mail:聽cuklanz@bc.edu.