Examining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition:
Implications for Academic Programs and Curriculum Development

NOVEMBER 10-12, 2000
SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY
FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT

Institutions of Catholic higher education in the U.S. continue to face the challenges of their unique mission and identity making ongoing conversation about the issues essential.  Many such institutions have come to identify their mission with the dissemination and ongoing development of the Catholic intellectual tradition.  As an aid in this effort, Sacred Heart University Press published the first of two volumes exploring the definition, characteristics, developmental history, and challenges of the tradition.  Edited by Anthony J. Cernera, Ph.D., from Sacred Heart University, and Oliver J. Morgan, Ph.D., from the University of Scranton, it is entitled Examining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (Sacred Heart University Press, 2000) and contains foundational essays from a select group of contributors.

Building on this first volume, the conference brought together a number of noted Catholic scholars and participants for discussion of relevant topics.  The second volume, Examining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition: Issues and Perspectives (Sacred Heart University Press, 2001),  contain essays based on the conference discussions and focuses on the application of the tradition to a variety of academic disciplines.

Conference Objectives

1. To provide an opportunity for scholars and other people to reflect on and discuss the current state of the Catholic intellectual tradition and the contemporary issues the tradition is addressing.
   
2. To begin the process of developing the second volume of work which will present ways that the Catholic intellectual tradition can be engaged in particular academic disciplines and in an interdisciplinary fashion.