The distinctive approach of the Substantially Catholic summer seminars is defined by two components: the focus on individual academic disciplines and the desire to reach both faculty members teaching at Catholic colleges or universities and those in all other colleges and universities who are interested in the Catholic intellectual tradition.
SUBSTANTIALLY CATHOLIC seminars take a thematic approach in considering the Catholic intellectual contribution in particular academic disciplines. English literature and biology/psychology are the featured disciplines for the 2008 SUBSTANTIALLY CATHOLIC seminar and "suffering" is the unifying theme. Participation is open to all faculty members seeking to enhance their knowledge of Catholic content and approaches in these fields. The numbers of participants in each of the program's tracks will be limited in size to assure accessibility of the participants to the various presenters.
The SUBSTANTIALLY CATHOLIC seminar has a distinctive and decidedly practical goal - to help faculty members integrate the Catholic material presented at the seminar into their teaching repertoire in the immediately following academic year. Sessions are designed with this goal in mind. For some faculty this might mean introducing a new topic in a course. For others it would mean enhancing the depth and scope of Catholic topics they already address. Presenters will emphasize how to engage Catholic content in undergraduate courses generally. They will also explore particular ways in which they have engaged these topics and themes in the courses they regularly teach.
The SUBSTANTIALLY CATHOLIC seminar is also distinctive in terms of the breadth of its appeal. Certainly faculty at Catholic colleges and universities will find the program appealing. However, because the seminar is designed to be useful for all faculty members interested in the intersection of the Catholic intellectual tradition and the academic areas of literature and biology/psychology, faculty from colleges and universities affiliated with other religious traditions as well as their colleagues at non-sectarian institutions will find the SUBSTANTIALLY CATHOLIC seminar satisfying and engaging.
The SUBSTANTIALLY CATHOLIC summer seminar is an intensive five-day experience designed to significantly strengthen the competence and comfort of faculty committed to engaging the Catholic intellectual tradition in their course work. Consequently, on most days there are four major presentations, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. The two morning presentations are field specific and participants will be separated into different groups - one to explore English literature and the other to explore religious issues in biology and psychology. There will also be two afternoon presentations in theology and a daily round-table conversation involving all the presenters. One afternoon we will omit the theology presentations and give participants a chance to relax and/or visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library, which is across from the Quality Inn where the participants are housed. Participants from both English literature and biology/psychology will come together for these more general sessions. Dinner in the evenings will be enjoyed in a variety of venues.
Seminar activities begin at 4 pm on Sunday, June 15, and conclude at noon on Friday, June 20 after the final presentation. Participants are asked to be present at all the seminar academic presentations.
The importance of having such institutes emerged from an empirical study which forms the basis of the book Catholic Higher Education: A Culture in Crisis, published by Oxford University Press in 2006.
Last summer was the first Substantially Catholic seminar and it received outstanding reviews. Held from June 10-15, there were 23 participants, 6 presenters, and 2 organizers. Some photos of the inaugural group are posted under Substantially Catholic 2007.
The summer seminar is being held at Marist College, located in New York on the Hudson River just north of Poughkeepsie proper. Marist has beautiful views of the Hudson looking north, south and west. The campus is about 80 miles north of New York City and the same distance south of Albany.
Private accommodations for participants will be at a local inn, located about two miles from the campus.
The college is about a ten minute drive from the New York Thruway or about a twenty minute ride from the Taconic Parkway. Complete directions are available at http://www.marist.edu/welcome/direct.html. Stewart International Airport, located outside Newburgh, is about a twenty-five minute taxi ride away from the college. If participants arrive at Stewart on Sunday, June 15, between 11 am and 3 pm, transportation will be provided from the airport to Marist College. American Eagle, Delta Connection, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways Express all have service to and from Stewart.
| English Literature |
Ed Block, Jr.
Brennan O'Donnell |
| Biology |
Rev. Joseph Gregorek
Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk |
| Psychology |
Dan Robinson |
| Theology |
John Cavadini
Anthony Godzieba |
| Co-Directors |
Melanie M. Morey
Rev. John J. Piderit, S.J. |
Registration Deadline: Applications must be received before April 15, 2008. Spaces are limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. Registrants are required to make a nonrefundable deposit of $200, payable to the Catholic Education Institute, at the time they register. Once the registration fee is received, an email will be sent to the registrant indicating that a place has been reserved for them in the seminar of their choice. The balance of $2,500 is due on May 15, 2008. When this fee is received another email will be sent confirming participation.
Fee: The comprehensive fee of $2,700 includes registration, all seminar-related materials, accommodations, food, and special events. Travel expenses are the responsibility of participants or their sponsoring institutions. All fees should be paid by check made out to:
Father John Piderit, S.J.
Catholic Education Institute
St. Helena Hall, Suite 202
925 Hutchinson River Parkway
Bronx, New York 10465
Accommodations: The Quality Inn which is located in Hyde Park, directly across the street from the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library and about two miles from Marist College will provide faculty members with suitable privacy and comfort during their participation in the summer seminar.
The application is available here
for download.
The Quality Inn which is located in Hyde Park, directly across the street from the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library and about two miles from Marist College will provide faculty members with suitable privacy and comfort during their participation in the summer seminar. Parking is readily available on the campus of Marist College and, of course, at the inn.
If participants wish to bring their spouses they can do so at no additional cost for accommodations. There is, however, an additional charge of $250 for any spouse who will be joining the group in the evening for dinner and whatever activity is planned. Participants interested in this option should indicate the appropriate options in the online registration form.
Group outings are planned on some afternoons and evenings. There will be a visit to the Culinary Institute of America, which is the site of a former Jesuit seminary. Just prior to enjoying dinner, the group will tour the Institute grounds and visit the Jesuit cemetery, in which Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J., is buried. For the summer of 2008, we are planning a trip to Bard College, which is about 30 miles north of Marist College. Bard has the very impressive Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. It is a beautiful Frank Gehry building, constructed in 2003. We plan to combine a tour of the Gehry building with a dinner in picturesque Rhinebeck.
Each day participants will have an opportunity to participate in the Eucharist at the Marist College chapel.
