Humanities and Catholic Studies Courses
Humanities and Catholic Studies Courses
The Humanities Program offers a wide variety of courses that engage the mind and enliven the spirit. These classes introduce students to skills and practices that are at the heart of a humane culture, and thoughts and ideas that help draw us closer to true wisdom.
Courses Outside of the Ordinary
Foundational Courses: Interdisciplinary in content and aspiring to an integrated and unified understanding of all creation, our foundational 3-credit courses in “Humanities” and “Catholic Studies” typically include philosophy, theology, history, literature, and the arts, all centered around a specific theme. These courses contribute to our degree programs, often fulfill core requirements, and are open to all Providence College students. For example, “HUM175 – Introduction to Humanities” introduces students to the humanities through an interdisciplinary consideration of human culture, and “CTH225 – Beauty and Human Making” is an interdisciplinary reflection on the nature, appreciation, and creation of beauty from the perspective of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. See the Providence College online course catalog for a complete list of our “Humanities” and “Catholic Studies” courses.
Reading Seminars: We offer a variety of 1-credit “Reading Seminars” each semester. These courses meet once a week to discuss a single text or small collection of texts over the course of the semester. They are easy to add to an otherwise full schedule, and are often integrated into the Humanities Forum or other signature initiatives of the Program. Recent offerings have included “Frederick Douglass,” “Plato’s Love Dialogues,” “Walker Percy’s The Last Gentleman,” and “The Soul of Rock ‘n Roll.”
The Humanities Practicum: Our Practicum courses combine humanistic study with a learned practical skill. Many of these courses are 1 credit or 1.5 credits, making them easy to add to an otherwise full schedule. For example, “Illuminated Manuscripts” teaches students the purpose and original methods of hand illumination as they create their own illuminated page with authentic materials. “Gregorian Chant” teaches the theology and practice of chant singing, often concluding with public participation in a sung liturgy. And “Beer” educates the palate while developing a virtuous and communal appreciation of God’s gifts. See this Providence College news article on these and other courses offered by the Humanities Program.
Spring 2025 Course Offerings
HUM 175 (1) – Introduction to Humanities
James Keating (Theology and Humanities)
3 Credits, CRN 2245, M/W/F 12:30-1:20
No prerequisites and open to all students; required for Catholic Humanities minors and Catholic Studies majors; satisfies the Oral Communication proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
The Humanities explore what it means to be human through literature, art, philosophy, theology, history, and related disciplines. In this course we will read and discuss philosophical reflections, essays, novels (graphic and otherwise), and poetry about human life. Our purpose will be to uncover what our authors wish to say about how one ought to live and how one oughtn’t. Much of what they say depends on how they view the nature of reality itself. We will read Christians and those who have ceased to be Christians. It’ll be great. Satisfies the Oral Communication proficiency of the core curriculum.
HUM 175 (2) – Introduction to Humanities
Andrew Horne (Humanities)
3 Credits, CRN 2244, T/W/F 10:30-11:20
No prerequisites and open to all students; required for Catholic Humanities minors and Catholic Studies majors; satisfies the Oral Communication proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
HUM 175 (3) – Introduction to Humanities
Andrew Horne (Humanities)
3 Credits, CRN 2246, T/Th 1:00-2:15
No prerequisites and open to all students; required for Catholic Humanities minors and Catholic Studies majors; satisfies the Oral Communication proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
When poets and philosophers talk to each other, the results are magic. Poetry and philosophy offer distinct but complementary ways to view the world. Philosophers require proof and want precise expression. According to Socrates, philosophers “know that they know nothing,” and that makes them special. Poets, by contrast, follow intuition and inspiration, and according to Hesiod, they know the future and the past: they know everything. This course offers an introduction to interdisciplinary studies by juxtaposing poets and philosophers on some of life’s most important issues. We study poetic and philosophical takes on love, virtue, community, and nature. Pairings may include Plato and Euripides, Aquinas and Dante, More and Shakespeare, Emerson and Wordsworth. Satisfies the Oral Communication proficiency of the core curriculum.
CTH 230 – Happiness and the Good Life
Matthew Cuddeback (Philosophy and Humanities)
3 Credits, CRN 2241, T/Th 4:00-5:15
No prerequisites and open to all students; required for Catholic Studies majors. Satisfies the Ethics requirement of the Core Curriculum.
A humanistic, interdisciplinary consideration of man’s yearning for and pursuit of happiness, and of the possibility of attaining it through a life of virtue and openness to divine grace. We shall study works of Christian philosophy, literature, poetry, and film, including authors such as Josef Pieper, Walker Percy, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. Satisfies the Ethics requirement of the Core Curriculum.
HUM 250 – Gregorian Chant
Gilbert Donohue (Office of the Chaplaincy)
1.5 Credits, CRN 2248, Th 1:00-2:15
No prerequisites and open to all students.
This Humanities Practicum examines the history and methods of Gregorian chant. We will learn the beginnings of Gregorian chant and its development through the present day, including its notation and performance. We will study and sing the different genres of chant, and will examine their place in the liturgy of the Mass and the Divine Office, both throughout their history and in their present form of the liturgy. Our overall purpose will be the acquisition of the basic skills of Gregorian chant and an understanding of the deep importance such skills have for human culture, both past and present.
HUM 250 – Illuminated Manuscripts
Dr. Daria Spezzano (Theology)
3 Credits, CRN 2247, Th 2:30-5:00
No prerequisites and open to all students.
An introduction to the history, production, and cultural significance of medieval and renaissance illuminated manuscripts. Students will design and produce their own illuminated manuscript page on parchment using traditional medieval methods.
HUM 250 – Beer
Jay Pike (Chemistry)
1.5 Credits, CRN 2250, Th 4:00-5:15
Open to all students who are at least 21 years old by January 23, 2025. Contact the instructor to receive permission to register.
This Humanities Practicum will educate the palate and the mind when it comes to beer and its full and virtuous enjoyment. Each week we will learn about—and drink samples of—different beer traditions (everything from lagers and wheat ales to sours and smoked stouts), with an emphasis on the art of brewing and the crucial role that beer has played in the history and development of Western civilization (especially regarding community and conviviality). Cheers!
HUM 250 – Total Lunar Eclipse
Joseph Ribaudo (Engineering and Physics)
1 Credit, CRN 2249, T 1:00-1:50
No prerequisites and open to all students.
HUM 250 – Christ in the Desert
Gary Culpepper (Theology) and Patrick Macfarlane (Philosophy and Humanities)
1 Credit, two sections: CRN 2742 and CRN 2744, class held over spring break; registration by invitation only
This course emphasizes leadership development within the spiritual and intellectual context of the Catholic and Dominican tradition. Participants will travel to the Moab Desert in Utah where they will learn outdoor skills, including kayaking and canyoneering, within the context of Lenten spiritual and intellectual reflection and professional leadership development exercises. Hosted by COR Expeditions. Open by invitation only. For more information, contact Dr. Raymond Hain, Associate Director of the Humanities Program.
HUM 250 – The “Inner Room”: An Introduction to Christian Prayer
Fr. Simon Teller (Office of the Chaplains & Campus Ministry) and
Allyse Gruslin (Office of the Chaplains & Campus Ministry)
1.5 Credits, CRN 2743, T 2:30-3:45
No prerequisites and open to all students.
“We do not know how to pray as we ought” (Romans 8:26). This course offers a practical and theological introduction to the major forms of Christian Prayer (including meditation, lectio divina, the Rosary, the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayers of the Mass, vocal prayer, and more).
HUM 270 – Medieval Jewish and Christian Romance
Christopher Berard (Humanities)
1.5 Credits, CRN 2251, M 4:00-5:15
No prerequisites and open to all students.
HUM 275 – Suffering, God, and the Greatest Love
Justin Noia (Humanities)
1 Credit, CRN —-, W 9:30-10:20
No prerequisites and open to all students.
In July 2019, a man on a cruise picked up his 18-month-old granddaughter so that she could look out one of the ship’s windows. His granddaughter tried to bang on what appeared to be glass, but the window was open and she slipped from his hands and fell to her death. Couldn’t God have shut the window? And if so, why didn’t God do it? The world is full of horrific evils. Shouldn’t God eliminate some of them? Or at least spare the innocent? Console the disconsolate? In this course, we will address these and similar questions, considering proposed answers arising from great works of literature, theology, and philosophy.
HUM 275 – Freedom
James Keating (Theology and Humanities)
1 Credit, CRN 2252, W 1:30-2:20
No prerequisites and open to all students.
Freedom everywhere is under attack. Since freedom is the essential requisite for human flourishing, this reading seminar examines texts and arguments necessary to defend human freedom in all of its dimensions.
HUM 275 – C. S. Lewis’s Oxford
J. Columcille Dever (Theology)
1 Credit, CRN 2253, class held over spring break and registration by permission of instructor only
No prerequisites and open to all students. Students will participate in a spring break trip to Oxford, England. Contact Dr. Dever directly to arrange for registration.
This Reading Seminar offers an introduction to the life and thought of one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, C. S. Lewis, in the context in which he spent most of his adult life, the University of Oxford. We will read and analyze representative texts from across Lewis’s corpus and from writers who influenced him, as well as visit sites in Oxford that played a significant role in his spiritual and intellectual development or helped shape the Oxford he knew and loved. This course is attached to the Humanities Program’s spring break trip to Oxford, England.
CTH 305 – God and the Transcendent
Raymond Hain (Philosophy and Humanities)
3 Credits, CRN 2242, M/W/F 1:30-2:20
No prerequisites and open to all students; required for Catholic Studies majors; satisfies the Philosophy requirement of the Core Curriculum.
This course is an interdisciplinary consideration of God and the transcendent. It introduces the history, methods, and importance of humanistic reflection on the source and measure of all created things and its influence on human culture. Themes include the existence and nature of God, our experience of the divine, the search for transcendent meaning, and the human aspiration to contemplative union. Satisfies the Philosophy requirement of the Core Curriculum.
HUM 326 – The Dominican Intellectual Tradition
Fr. Brendan Baran (Theology)
3 Credits, CRN 2254, T/Th 11:30-12:45
No prerequisites and open to all students; satisfies a core requirement for Catholic Humanities minors and Catholic Studies majors; satisfies the Writing I proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
The Dominican Order is inspired by and necessarily flows from the person of St. Dominic, who sought “the salvation of souls by the light of learning” (St. Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue). The task of the Order of Preachers is to set people free from the darkness of error. In this course, we will examine the genius of St. Dominic as the founder of the great intellectual tradition that guides this purpose. Topics to be discussed include the person of St. Dominic and the way of life that forms the Dominican Order, the purpose of the intellectual life and vocation, contributions from the Dominican tradition of prayer and theology, and the lived experience of the Saints and heroes of the Order of Preachers. The chief goal is to illuminate the Order’s charism of preaching the truth in the image of St. Dominic. Satisfies the Writing I proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
CTH 347 – The Catholic Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien
Paul Gondreau (Theology)
3 Credits, CRN 2626, T/Th 2:30-3:45
Prerequisite: Theology 200; not open to freshmen. Satisfies the Theology 300 requirement of the Core Curriculum.
This discussion based course will be a literary and theological reading of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien including “On Fairy-Stories,” The Silmarillion (excerpts), The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, with supplemental secondary sources. We’ll pay special attention to the Catholic dimension of Tolkien’s works (Tolkien was a devout Catholic) and to the way a “Catholic imagination” or a “Catholic vision” is present in Tolkien’s writings. We will seek to understand what Tolkien meant by calling The Lord of the Rings “a fundamentally Catholic work.” At the heart of this Catholic vision are foundational theological notions and principles—as well as philosophical notions and principles, which often undergird the theological and which remain present and integral to the theological, just as human reason undergirds and remains in harmony with faith. We will bring these notions and principles to light as operative in Tolkien’s writings. We will supplement this with Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings. Satisfies the Theology 300 requirement of the Core Curriculum.
HUM 348 – C. S. Lewis, Christian Thinker
Richard Barry (Theology and Humanities)
3 Credits, CRN 2255, Th 8:30-11:15
Prerequisite: Theology 200; not open to freshmen. Satisfies the Theology 300 requirement of the Core Curriculum.
World War I veteran. Oxford don. Poet. Literary critic. Christian apologist. Writer of children’s fiction. Perennial bachelor turned married man and, not long after, widower. In his sixty-five years on this earth, C. S. Lewis wore many hats. At the heart of his life, however, was the transformation that followed upon his conversion to the Christian faith in 1931. Having spent his life to that point looking for “something other than God” to make him happy, he devoted the rest of his life to offering a compelling and winsome vision of Christianity. This course will explore that vision, considering Lewis’s perspective on such questions as the existence of God, the natural law, virtue and the spiritual life, grief, and the nature of friendship, among others. Because Lewis was first and foremost a man of letters, attention will be paid to both his nonfiction and his fiction, including some of his poetry, sermons, and shorter essays. Satisfies the Theology 300 requirement of the Core Curriculum.
HUM 470 – Eco-Discipleship: Implementing Laudato Sí
Dana Dillon (Theology and Public and Community Service)
3 Credits, CRN 2256, T 4:00-6:30
Cross-listed with Public and Community Service and Theology.
This class will offer a close study of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Sí: Care for our Common Home (2015) as well as a close look at how Rhode Island is being impacted by climate change. Students will engage theological themes from Catholic social thought, including the common good, solidarity, and the duty of participation in caring for creation. Students will be asked to investigate local organizations, particularly Catholic ones, and research concrete proposals from them to implement Pope Francis’ vision for a more sustainable future.
HUM 480 – Humanities Capstone
James Keating (Theology and Humanities)
3 Credits, CRN 2257, T 4:00-6:30 (day/time adjustable depending on student schedules)
Prerequisites: HUM 175, HUM 325 or HUM 326; open to seniors only, or with special permission of the Director of the Humanities Program. Satisfies the Writing II Proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
This is the required interdisciplinary capstone seminar for the Catholic Humanities minor. Themes will vary depending on the instructor and topics chosen by the students. Students will complete a substantial writing project designed in consultation with the instructor and requiring integration of prior coursework. Satisfies the Writing II Proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
CTH 480 – Catholic Studies Capstone
James Keating (Theology and Humanities)
3 Credits, CRN 2243, T 4:00-6:30 (day/time adjustable depending on student schedules)
Prerequisites: senior status or permission of the Director required; Catholic Studies majors must have completed at least seven courses towards the major. Satisfies the Writing II Proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
This is the required interdisciplinary capstone seminar for the Catholic Studies major. Themes will vary depending on the instructor and topics chosen by the students. Students will complete a substantial writing project designed in consultation with the instructor and requiring integration of prior coursework. Satisfies the Writing II Proficiency of the Core Curriculum.
