john carroll university academic program...

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JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW

DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES SELF-STUDY

FALL 1993–FALL 2014

20 January 2015

FULL-TIME FACULTY Sheila E. McGinn, PhD, Chairperson (Rt. Rev.) Michael Fitzgerald, MAfr

Edward Hahnenberg, PhD, Breen Chair in Catholic Theology Joseph F. Kelly, PhD Paul Lauritzen, PhD

Paul K. Nietupski, PhD Joan Nuth, PhD, Director, Ignatian Spirituality Institute

Zeki Sarıtoprak, PhD, Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies Kristen Tobey, PhD

ADJUNCT FACULTY (Rev.) Philip Bernier, OFMCap

(Rev.) Donald Cozzens, PhD (Rev.) Valentino Lassiter, DMin

(Rev.) Mark Latcovich, PhD Anne McGinness, PhD

Edward Peck, PhD (Rev.) Andrew Turner, PhD

PROFESSORS EMERITI Doris K. Donnelly, PhD

(Rev.) David Mason, PhD (Rev.) Thomas Schubeck, SJ, PhD

John Spencer, PhD

PART-TIME FACULTY Sarah Bania-Dobyns, PhD

Joan Carney, MA Judith Cetina, PhD

Brian Clites, ABDiss (Rev.) A. Paul Collins, ABDiss

(Rev.) M. Robin Craig, JD, MDiv Michele Freyhauf, ABDiss

Robert Gala, MA Adam M. Green, MA Jessica Merugu, MA

Nathaniel Morehouse, PhD (Rebbe) Michael Oppenheimer, MAHL

Kathleen Philipps, PhD (rev.) Cory Wilson, PhD

Megan Wilson-Reitz, MA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................................... III I. MISSION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES ............................................................................................................... 1

A. MISSION STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................................ 1 B. STUDENT LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................. 1 C. ACADEMIC LEARNING OUTCOMES ............................................................................................................................ 2 D. CONTRIBUTION TO CORE CURRICULUM ..................................................................................................................... 2 E. OTHER UNIVERSITY-‐WIDE PROGRAMS ....................................................................................................................... 3

1. The Institute of Catholic Studies .................................................................................................................. 3 2. The Honors Program ................................................................................................................................... 3 3. The Master of Arts in Humanities ................................................................................................................ 3 4. The Ignatian Spirituality Institute ................................................................................................................ 3 5. The Spiritual Wellness Certificate program ................................................................................................. 4 6. The Cardinal Suenens Center for Theology and Church Life ........................................................................ 4

II. FACULTY .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 A. FACULTY PROFILES ................................................................................................................................................ 4

1. Full-‐time Faculty .......................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Adjunct Faculty ............................................................................................................................................ 5 3. Part-‐time Faculty ......................................................................................................................................... 7 4. Areas of special research emphasis at the program level ........................................................................... 8 5. The Record of the Program in Obtaining External Grants ........................................................................... 8 6. Effectiveness of the Program in Fostering Individual and Collaborative Scholarship .................................. 9 7. Involvement of Students in Research or Creative Projects .......................................................................... 9

B. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION ................................................................................................................ 9 C. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ........................................................................................... 10

1. Editorial Boards (current and recent) ........................................................................................................ 10 2. Professional Boards (current and recent) .................................................................................................. 10 3. University Leadership and Service (current and recent) ............................................................................ 11 4. Contributions to the Wider Community, Public Sector, Non-‐Profit Organizations, and via Service-‐Learning Courses .............................................................................................................................................................. 12

III. CURRICULUM ................................................................................................................................................ 13 A. CURRICULUM SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................... 13

1. Breadth and Depth of Curriculum .............................................................................................................. 13 2. Coherence and Sequencing ........................................................................................................................ 13 3. Reflection of Major Areas and Issues in the Discipline .............................................................................. 13 4. TRS Contribution to University and College Goals ..................................................................................... 13 5. TRS Alignment with Program Goals and Objectives for Student Learning ................................................ 14

B. COURSE PROFILE ................................................................................................................................................ 15 1. Number of Courses Offered ....................................................................................................................... 15 2. Class Sizes .................................................................................................................................................. 15 3. Percentage of Classes Taught by Full-‐Time and Part-‐Time Faculty ........................................................... 15 4. Other Relevant Course Data for the Past Three Years ............................................................................... 15 5. Significant Changes or Trends since Completion of the Last Self-‐Study .................................................... 15 6. Remarks about the Quality of Particularly Noteworthy Courses ............................................................... 16

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C. ENROLLMENT TRENDS ......................................................................................................................................... 16 1. General Remarks ....................................................................................................................................... 16 2. Percentage of Under-‐Enrolled Course Offerings ........................................................................................ 17 3. Why Under-‐Enrolled Required Courses? .................................................................................................... 17

D. CONTRIBUTION TO CORE CURRICULUM ................................................................................................................... 17 1. How does the program contribute to the core curriculum? ...................................................................... 17 2. How does the program plan to maintain a creative core course development? ....................................... 17

IV. STUDENT LEARNING ..................................................................................................................................... 18 A. PEDAGOGY ........................................................................................................................................................ 18

1. Types of Pedagogy Used to Foster Expected Learning Outcomes ............................................................. 18 2. Teaching Effectiveness .............................................................................................................................. 18 3. Grading Trends .......................................................................................................................................... 19 4. How TRS Reflects a “Community of Reflective Practice” in Teaching ........................................................ 19

B. ADVISING .......................................................................................................................................................... 19 1. Student Advising Procedures (majors, minors, undeclared) ...................................................................... 19 2. Quality of Program Advising ...................................................................................................................... 20 3. TRS Involvement in Cohort Advising .......................................................................................................... 20

C. STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP, INTERNSHIPS, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, CREATIVE WORK, VOLUNTEERISM ................................... 20 1. Student Scholarship, Internships, Experiential Learning, and Creative Work beyond Classroom Assignments ...................................................................................................................................................... 20 2. Special Seminars or Workshops, Speakers, and Events ............................................................................. 20 3. Other Ways the Program Offers Opportunities for Experiential Learning ................................................. 20 4. Particularly Noteworthy Student Achievements ........................................................................................ 21

D. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, POST-‐GRADUATION, AND ALUMNI OUTCOMES .............................................................. 21 1. TRS Efforts to Prepare Students for Employment and Graduate Study ..................................................... 21 2. Alumni Satisfaction .................................................................................................................................... 21 3. Graduate/Professional Program Admission and Completion .................................................................... 21 4. Alumni Employment after Graduation ...................................................................................................... 21

V. UNIVERSITY SUPPORT AND RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 21 KINDS AND SUFFICIENCY OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND STUDENT LEARNING ................................................................................................................................................................. 21

1. Insufficient Number of Full-‐Time Faculty ................................................................................................... 21 2. Inadequate Physical Plant ......................................................................................................................... 21 3. The Cardinal Suenens Program, Institute of Catholic Studies, and Ignatian Spirituality Institute ............. 22

VI. ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................................................ 23 A. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOS) ................................................................................................................. 23

1. TRS Promulgation of SLOs ......................................................................................................................... 23 2. Evidence of Achievement ........................................................................................................................... 23 3. Examples of SLOs ....................................................................................................................................... 23 4. Significant Changes or Recent Trends ....................................................................................................... 24

B. SUMMARY OF PROGRAM STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ............................................................................................ 24 1. Program Strengths .................................................................................................................................... 24 2. Program Weaknesses ................................................................................................................................ 24 3. Most Critical Issues Facing the Program ................................................................................................... 25

C. ACTION PLAN ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 1. Vision Statement ....................................................................................................................................... 25 2. Improvements Using Current Resources .................................................................................................... 25 3. Improvements Requiring New Resources .................................................................................................. 26

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VII. COMPARATIVE POSITION ............................................................................................................................. 26 A. COMPARABLE INSTITUTIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 26

1. Xavier University ........................................................................................................................................ 26 2. Canisius College ......................................................................................................................................... 26 3. Loyola University Maryland ....................................................................................................................... 27

B. BEST PRACTICES ..................................................................................................................................................... 27 1. Balancing Religious Studies and Theology ................................................................................................ 27 2. Leadership as Scholar-‐Teachers ................................................................................................................ 27

C. UNIQUE FEATURES .................................................................................................................................................. 27 1. Synergy of Endowed Chairs ....................................................................................................................... 27 2. ISI Model of Ministry Education ................................................................................................................ 27

VIII. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................. 28 REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS ................................................................................................................................. 29

APPENDIX A. JCU CAMPUS OVERVIEW

APPENDIX B. TRS PROGRAM GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTS

APPENDIX C. TRS PROGRAM ENTRIES IN UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE BULLETINS

APPENDIX D. FACULTY CVS

APPENDIX E. TRS COURSES OFFERED 2011–2015

APPENDIX F. SYLLABI FOR REQUIRED COURSES IN MAJOR \

APPENDIX G. SYLLABI FOR COURSES OFFERED AS PART OF THE JCU CORE CURRICULUM

APPENDIX H. CURRICULUM MATRIX

APPENDIX I. TRS ASSESSMENT PLAN AND INSTRUMENTS

APPENDIX J. REPORTS ON ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

APPENDIX K. TRS PLANNING MATERIALS

APPENDIX L. OTHER PERTINENT TRS DOCUMENTS AND DATA

I. MISSION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

A. MISSION STATEMENT1 The mission of the John Carroll University Department of Theology and Religious Studies is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for the analysis of religion; for investigation of the sources, historical development, and contemporary practice of particular religious traditions; for critical reflection on personal faith as well as a sympathetic appreciation of the beliefs of others; and for resources to understand and respond to the religious forces that shape our society and world.

Because of its commitment to the Catholic and Jesuit heritage of the university, the department places particular emphasis on the Roman Catholic tradition with appropriate attention directed to other Christian traditions as well as Judaism, Islam, Asian, and other traditions.

The department offers an introductory course required of all undergraduate students and more advanced courses on a range of subjects central to the study of the religious experience of humankind. Advanced courses provide the opportunity for all students to complete a core requirement and for in-depth study for those wishing to minor, major, or do graduate work in the field.

B. STUDENT LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Students successfully completing a major in theology and religious studies will demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary for the analysis of religion; for investigation of the historical development and contemporary practice of particular religious traditions; for critical reflection on personal faith as well as sympathetic appreciation of the beliefs of others; and will have the intellectual and moral resources to understand and respond to the religious forces that shape our society and world. Students develop a range of analytical and synthetic thinking skills: facility with exegesis and other forms of textual and literary analysis; historical analysis; ethical reasoning; aesthetic appreciation; philosophical critique; and creative theological development. Students use these abilities in the acquisition and construction of knowledge.

Students who successfully complete the TRS program produce both oral and written work marked by precision in use of technical terminology; well-reasoned argumentation; and economy, clarity, and eloquence of expression. They demonstrate command of the key terms pertaining to theology and religion, which they employ clearly and precisely to analyze key historical and contemporary ethical, religious, and theological questions. They exhibit an accurate understanding and critical appropriation of key aspects of Catholic theology and tradition, especially the Catholic appreciation of the value of other religious traditions. TRS graduates demonstrate intellectual agility in selection of pertinent data, recognition of questionable logical and theological assumptions, accurate formulation of competing religious points of view, and sensitivity to the implications and consequences of particular ethical, religious, and/or theological stances.

TRS graduates are persons of spirit who listen carefully to others but who then “speak in their own voices” to identify and respond to the fundamental ethical, religious, and theological challenges of contemporary culture. Presenting and defending their own ideas, assumptions, inferences, and

1 This mission statement was approved by the department on 09 April 2008 and subsequently approved by the Dean. The statement was amended on 27 September 2012 to correct the department name, which had been changed since the original document was approved.

intellectual processes, not merely repeating those of others, TRS graduates are able to contribute to the development of ethical analysis, religious understanding, and theological engagement critical to contemporary life in a pluralist society.

C. ACADEMIC LEARNING OUTCOMES2 The Department of Theology and Religious Studies (TRS) structures its programs to be consonant with the goals of John Carroll University as a liberal arts institution in the Catholic and Jesuit traditions. The department fosters an environment of rigorous academic inquiry that embraces Jesuit Catholic education as a search for truth where faith and reason complement each other in learning. In particular, TRS supports the Jesuit mission of John Carroll University and the Academic Learning Outcomes endorsed by the University. The Department pursues the mission and goals by:

1. Sustaining a faculty commitment to excellence in teaching, research, service, and transparency to the values we aim to transmit to our students;

2. Providing students with a model of integrated intellectual, moral, and spiritual development; 3. Teaching scriptural values; responsible citizenship; and respect for non-Christian religions

and cultures; 4. Instilling a respect for nature and the environment; 5. Fostering respect for all individuals, regardless of race, religion, class, gender, or sexual

orientation; 6. Involving students in service to individuals, church, and society; 7. Promoting an understanding of career-choice as a vocation for life-long leadership in and

service to the human community; and 8. Introducing students to the Catholic theological tradition, the Jesuit mission, and Ignatian

spirituality.

In all of these goals, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies is committed to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of religious studies and theology.

D. CONTRIBUTION TO CORE CURRICULUM The Department of Theology & Religious Studies offers courses to meet the Division V core requirement of six hours (two three-credit courses) in theology and religious studies.

The department offers TRS 101, a course required of all undergraduates, the goal of which is to introduce students to theology and religious studies as academic disciplines via the study of some basic methods and problems in the field.

The Department offers a wide variety of courses on the 200- and 300-levels for students to take as their second core course. The goal of these courses is to enable the students to investigate in further detail an important topic or question in the field of theology and/or religious studies. The second course builds upon the methodological foundation established by TRS 10l.

The department also supports the broader core by supplying a number of faculty to teach the First-Year Seminar and by offering a variety of courses that fulfill the D, S, R, and W requirements of the Core curriculum. The latter courses highlight diverse ethnic communities and international societies in relationship to religion, and focus on development of expertise in writing.

2 See Appendix H for a curriculum matrix that maps TRS offerings with respect to the university Academic Learning Outcomes.

Not counting the FYS sections, approximately 85% of the courses offered by TRS each semester contribute to one or more of the Core curriculum requirements.3

E. OTHER UNIVERSITY-WIDE PROGRAMS In addition to work with offices such as Campus Ministry, the Office for Student Diversity and Inclusion, and the Center for Service and Social Action, the TRS department supports several other curricular and academic enrichment programs. The undergraduate curricular programs include Catholic Studies, East Asian Studies, Honors, Peace, Justice, and Human Rights, and Women's and Gender Studies. Graduate curricular programs include the Humanities MA, the Ignatian Spirituality certificate, and the Spiritual Wellness Certificate program. The academic enrichment programs hosted by the department include the Breen Chair in Catholic Theology, the Nursi Chair in Islamic Theology, the Cardinal Suenens Center in Theology and Church Life.

1. The Institute of Catholic Studies TRS faculty developed the proposal for a Catholic Studies program in 1996.4 It was designed to supplement the overall department program in religious studies with an explicit focus on Catholic theology and the broader Catholic intellectual tradition. Over departmental objection, the program (under the auspices of the “Institute of Catholic Studies”) was established independently of and in a somewhat competitive position with TRS. Nevertheless, TRS faculty have provided substantial, continual support for the CS program. An average of one-third of TRS courses in a given semester are CS courses, and approximately half of the CS courses offered each semester are taught in our department (e.g., 16 out of 31 in Spring 2015). From its inception, at least one member of the TRS faculty has served on the CS advisory board.

2. The Honors Program We traditionally offer an average of three Honors courses each semester, one each at the 100-, 200-, and 300-levels. TRS faculty also frequently direct Senior Honors projects or act as second readers on such projects. Exemplary of our historic support of the Honors Program, one of our recently retired faculty, John Spencer, also served for over a decade as the program director.

3. The Master of Arts in Humanities The department supports the Humanities MA program by offering graduate courses of interest to students pursuing the Humanities degree. We consult regularly with the director of the Humanities program when planning the course schedule to ensure that we are responsive to the program needs.

4. The Ignatian Spirituality Institute The Ignatian Spirituality Institute was developed by members of the department in response to the encouragement of the Jesuit provincial in Detroit, who wanted the university to develop a program to train spiritual directors in the Ignatian tradition. In the past ten years, the program has trained over 100 spiritual directors who run dozens of Ignatian retreats and other programs both on campus and in the wider Cleveland community.

3 For example, the Fall 2014 schedule of 52 courses includes 16 sections of TRS101, 25 sections of 200- and 300-level Division V core courses, 2 sections of 400-level “W” writing-intensive courses, 5 graduate courses, and 4 independent studies or MA essay projects. If one reviews enrollments, then the percentage of support for the Core curriculum increases to nearly 98%.

4 See Appendix K for the text of this initial proposal.

5. The Spiritual Wellness Certificate program The Spiritual Wellness Certificate program is a recent “brain child” of faculty in the Counseling department and TRS. Inaugurated in the spring semester of 2014, the program trains pastoral care and mental health professionals in the basics of the “other side” of the wellness coin and engages them in conversation with each other concerning how each group can collaborate with the other to offer well-rounded spiritual and mental health care for their client population.

6. The Cardinal Suenens Center for Theology and Church Life Yet another development of the department, the Suenens Center arose as a complement to the Catholic Studies Program initiative. Whereas the Catholic Studies Program was aimed primarily for enrichment of the undergraduate program, the Suenens Center was developed as a medium of outreach to the wider Catholic community, in the region and around the world. Since its inception in 1995, the Suenens Center has sponsored numerous international conferences in places such as Cleveland, Jerusalem, Leuven, Prague, and Rome. The Center hosts an annual lecture, in honor of Margaret F. Grace, on the topic of “Where do I find hope?” Past lecturers have included Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Rev. Ronald Rohlheiser, OMI, Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Sr. Helen Prajean, CSJ, Rev. Richard Rohr, OFM, Cardinal William J. Levada, Archbp. Michael Fitzgerald, MAfr, Rev. Brian Hehir, Rev. Michael Himes, Rev. Howard Gray, SJ, and Rev. Timothy Radcliffe, OP.

II. FACULTY

A. FACULTY PROFILES The demographics, credentials, areas of expertise, and teaching loads of full-time and part-time faculty are outlined below. The scholarship and creative work of full-time faculty are intimated, but discussion of the significance of this scholarship would take an excessive amount of space in a summary that is supposed to be limited to 25 pages. (For example, the quantity of books and other publications by the full-time members of the TRS faculty numbers in the hundreds.) Please see the faculty CVs (in Appendix D) for details.

1. Full-time Faculty5

Edward P. Hahnenberg, PhD (University of Notre Dame, 2002) Breen Chair in Catholic Systematic Theology Teaching Load: 2 + 2 Areas of Expertise: Contemporary Catholic Theology, Ecclesiology; Ministry & Vocation Scholarship and Creative Work: 5 books, 17 articles, 39 op-ed pieces and short essays, 10 book

reviews

Joseph F. Kelly, PhD (Fordham University, 1973) Professor of Church History Teaching Load: 3 + 3 Areas of Expertise: Patristics; history of Christianity in the first millennium; Christianity in America Scholarship and Creative Work: 17 books (plus several foreign translations), 58 articles, 180 book

reviews, over 200 encyclopedia articles, dozens of op-ed pieces and short essays

5 Current CV’s of all full-time faculty members are included in Appendix D.

Paul Lauritzen, PhD (Brown University, 1985) Professor of Religious Ethics Director, Tuohy Chair in Interreligious Studies Teaching Load: 3 + 2 Areas of Expertise: Religious Ethics; biomedical ethics; ethics of war and peace-making Scholarship and Creative Work: 5 books, 46 essays, 9 op-ed pieces, 39 book reviews; co-edited

Journal of Society of Christian Ethics; blogged for Commonweal Magazine; podcast interviews for Commonweal

Sheila E. McGinn, PhD (Northwestern University, 1989) Professor of Biblical Studies & Early Christianity Chair, Department of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 2 + 2 Areas of Expertise: Biblical studies; Patristic theology and spirituality; hermeneutics; formative

Judaism Scholarship and Creative Work: 6 books, 5 journals edited, 26 major essays, 3 major ethnographic

studies, 157 short essays, 247 book reviews, dozens of interviews, citations, and publication reviews

Paul K. Nietupski, PhD (Columbia University, 1993) Professor of Asian Religions Teaching Load: 3 + 3 Areas of Expertise: Indian and Tibetan Buddhism; religions of India, China, and SE Asia Scholarship and Creative Work: 4 books; 24 articles; 5 book reviews

Joan M. Nuth, PhD (Boston College, 1988) Associate Professor of Systematic Theology Director of the Ignatian Spirituality Institute Teaching Load: 3 + 3 (2 + 2 in ISI, 1 + 1 in TRS) Areas of Expertise: Contemporary Catholic systematic theology; feminist theology; Karl Rahner;

spiritual theology; medieval mystics; Ignatian spirituality Scholarship and Creative Work: 2 books (1 foreign language translation), 15 articles, 22 book reviews

Zeki Sarιtoprak, PhD (University of Marmara, 1991) Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies Teaching Load: 3 + 3 Areas of Expertise: Islamic theology; eschatology; Qur’anic theology and hadith; Sufism, History of

Islam in Turkey; Bediüzzaman Said Nursi and Fetullah Gulen; interreligious dialogue Scholarship and Creative Work: 16 books, 43 essays, 9 encyclopedia entries, 2 book reviews

Kristen Tobey, PhD (University of Chicago, 2010) Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Teaching Load: 4 + 4 Areas of Expertise: Sociology of religion; ethnography; minority religions in the USA Scholarship and Creative Work: 1 essay, 11 encyclopedia entries & other short essays, 9 book reviews

2. Adjunct Faculty Adjuncts normally teach one course each semester, or perhaps one each year if they have administrative appointments. Frs. Latcovich, Loya, and Bernier teach in the Borromeo Institute, at the Center for Pastoral Leadership campus in Willoughby, OH. Rev. Lassiter has a joint appointment with Campus Ministry, and teaches two courses per semester in TRS. Fr. Cozzens serves as Writer-in-Residence and teaches one course per semester. Rabbi Oppenheimer is the current Jewish Chautauqua Society lecturer in Jewish Studies, and teaches an “Intro to Judaism” course each fall semester. Archbishop Fitzgerald is the 2014–2015 Tuohy Fellow, and will teach one course in the spring semester.

Philip Bernier, OFMCap., MDiv (The Catholic University of America, 2000), DMin.Cand. St. Mary Graduate School of Theology & Ministry) Capuchin Formation Director Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/year Areas of Expertise: Franciscan tradition; Catholic theology

Donald Cozzens, PhD (Kent State University, 1976) Writer-in-Residence Teaching Load: 1 + 1 Areas of Expertise: Psychology and Religion; sexual ethics; contemporary spirituality; Dorothy Day;

Thomas Merton Scholarship and Creative Work: 6 books, 61 essays, 10 book reviews

Michael Fitzgerald, MAfr, STD (Pontifical Gregorian University, 1965), BA Hons, Arabic (SOAS, London, 1968) Tuohy Fellow in Interreligious Studies Former President, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue; Apostolic Nuncio in Egypt; Papal

Legate to the League of Arab States Teaching Load: 1 course/year Areas of Expertise: Islam; Arabic studies; Catholic-Muslim dialogue Scholarship and Creative Work: 5 books and numerous articles in various journals, including Bulletin.

Pontificium Consilium pro Dialogo inter Religiones (now published as Pro Dialogo), Concilium, Islamochristiana, and Spiritus.

Valentino Lassiter, DMin (Eden Theological Seminary, 1995) Pastor-in-Residence Teaching Load: 2 + 2 Areas of Expertise: African-American theology; African-American church history; Martin Luther

King, Jr.; Black liberation theology Scholarship and Creative Work: 2 books

Mark Latcovich, PhD (Case Western Reserve University, 1996) President-Rector, Borromeo Seminary; Dean, Saint Mary Graduate School of Theology & Ministry Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/year Areas of Expertise: Sociology of religion; Catholic theology Scholarship and Creative Work: consulter for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics

John Loya, MDiv (St. Mary Seminary, 1974), MA (Santa Clara University, 1990) Director of Spiritual Formation, Borromeo Institute Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/year Areas of Expertise: Catholic theology Scholarship and Creative Work: 2 books

Michael Oppenheimer, MAHL Jewish Chautauqua Society Lecturer Teaching Load: 1 course/year Areas of Expertise: Jewish theology & history; Rabbinic Studies

Edward Peck, PhD (Loyola University Chicago, 1997) Vice President for Mission & Identity Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/year Areas of expertise: Catholic moral theology; Catholic social teaching

Andrew Turner, MDiv (St Mary Graduate School of Theology & Ministry, 2006) Borromeo Vice-Rector, Dean of Students, and Director of Field Education Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/year Area of expertise: Catholic theology

3. Part-time Faculty Part-time faculty hold a minimum of a Master of Arts in the field of theology and/or religious studies and typically teach one course/semester, sometimes one/year. Several of our current part-time faculty hold a doctorate or other terminal degree. The number of part-time faculty in TRS right now is twice what it traditionally has been. This is due partly to the number of TRS retirements in a short time-span and partly to the slow pace at which the department has been given approval for new full-time faculty lines.

Sarah Bania-Dobyns, PhD (University of Denver, 2011) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: politics and religion

Joan Carney, MA (John Carroll University, 2013) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: Catholic theology; Ignatian spirituality

Judith Cetina, PhD (Case Western Reserve University, 1977) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1 course/semester Areas of Expertise: Catholic theology; history Scholarship and Creative Work: 2 books

Brian Clites, ABDiss (Northwestern University, PhD anticipated 2015) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: religious studies

Aaron Paul Collins, ABDiss (Brunel University, UK) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/year Areas of Expertise: Biblical studies; Koiné Greek

Mary Robin Craig, JD, MDiv (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 2010) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: Religion & Law; contemporary Protestant theology

Michele Stopera Freyhauf, ABDiss (University of Durham) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1 course/semester Areas of Expertise: ANE religions; Tanakh; religion and art Scholarship and Creative Work: coedited book; F&R blog

Robert Gala, MA (John Carroll University, 2007) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: Politics and Religion

Adam M. Green, MA (John Carroll University, 2007), MTS (Weston Jesuit School of Theology, 2009), Post-MA Certificate, Art & Spiritual Direction (Boston College, 2014) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1 course/semester Area of Expertise: Contemporary Catholic theology

Gillian Halusker, MA (John Carroll University, 2014) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1 course/semester Areas of Expertise: Catholic social teaching; religious ethics

Sean Martin, PhD (The Ohio State University, 2000) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1 course/year Areas of Expertise: Jewish studies; Holocaust studies

Anne McGinness, PhD (University of Notre Dame, 2013) Office of Campus Ministry Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/year Area of Expertise: Latin American Church history

Jessica Merugu, MA (Cleveland State University, 2011) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Area of Expertise: religious studies

Nathaniel Morehouse, PhD (University of Manitoba, 2012) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1 + 1 Areas of Expertise: Patristics; church history

Kathleen Philipps, PhD (University of Toronto, 2014) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: contemporary Catholic theology; Catholic social teaching

Wanda Scott, MA (Emory University, 2008) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: womanist theology; social ethics

Cory Wilson, PhD (Reformed Theological Seminary, 2012) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: contemporary Protestant theology; evangelical tradition

Megan Wilson-Reitz, MA (John Carroll University, 2010) Adjunct Instructor of Theology & Religious Studies Teaching Load: 1–2 courses/semester Areas of Expertise: Christian social justice; contemporary Catholic theology

4. Areas of special research emphasis at the program level Our areas of special research emphasis include African-American religion, biblical studies, Catholic theology, Christian spirituality, early church history, East Asian religions, Islamic studies, religious ethics, and sociology of religion.

5. The Record of the Program in Obtaining External Grants American Association of Independent Colleges & Universities Grant (Lauritzen, 2001) to create

a team-taught interdisciplinary course, Justice and Democracy

$66,091 ASIANetwork-Freeman Foundation Student-Faculty Fellowships (Nietupski), 2002 ($7636), 2006 ($33,000), and 2013 ($25,455).

$9,000 Council of American Overseas Research Centers’ Multi-Country Research Fellowship 2007–2008 (Nietupski)

Fulbright Research Fellowships: China, 2002–2003 (Nietupski); Nabofa, faculty visitor 2001 ($30,550)

$190,060 McGregor Foundation Grant (initiated by Paul Lauritzen; completed by Jim Lissemore, in collaboration with several other faculty) to inaugurate the Poverty and Solidarity program.

Niagara Foundation Grants to lead faculty-development seminars in Turkey (Sarιtoprak)

NEH Fellowships, 19846 (Kelly) and 1991–92 (Lauritzen, $30,000)

$44,226 NetVUE Program Development Grant, 2014–15, to support inter-divisional learning community (Hahnenberg)

$50,000 Wabash Center Grant for study of the intro course, 2003–2004 (McGinn).

6. Effectiveness of the Program in Fostering Individual and Collaborative Scholarship The department certainly fosters individual and collaborative scholarship, as the faculty publication record clearly shows. Several faculty have engaged in joint publications with other scholars, have published collections of essays, and have collaborated on essays with both scholars and students.

One recent example is a 2014 Boston College symposium organized by Dr. Hahnenberg in collaboration with endowed chairs at Boston College, Catholic Theological Union, and the University of Dayton. This resulted in the volume, A Church with Open Doors: Catholic Ecclesiology for the Third Millennium, co-edited by Hahnenberg.

7. Involvement of Students in Research or Creative Projects As mentioned above, several faculty have engaged in joint research with students, jointly publishing and presenting essays. Dr. Nietupski’s students who participated in the ASIANetwork-Freeman Foundation grant presented at an international conference and then their essays were published in the conference proceedings. Dr. Donnelly (recently retired) just published a collection of essays that included several student works derived from her Sacraments class. A student in Dr. Hahnenberg’s graduate course developed a paper, which later was published in the national Jesuit periodical, America Magazine. Dr. McGinn’s students in the biblical studies seminar regularly present papers at the annual regional meeting, often winning the student paper prize, which earns their essays publication in the biblical society journal; she also jointly published an essay with a recent MA graduate and is working with a current graduate seminar on publication of their essays.

B. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION TRS faculty take advantage of various faculty-development opportunities made available through the JCU AVP’s office. In particular, our faculty have participated in course-development opportunities with respect to various topics such as applied ethics Catholic studies, diversity, and online education. We also have occasional department workshops (e.g., relating to issues like Assessment and the Learning Management System). On-going assessment of faculty performance takes place in the context of the annual self-evaluations.

Department evaluation mechanisms include a mandatory summative course evaluation in each TRS course every semester and an annual peer evaluation conducted in the context of a class observation by the department chair. For untenured faculty, the tenure committee chair also conducts an annual

6 It is worth noting that Prof. Kelly’s NEH Fellowship was the first in the history of the University.

class observation; other members of the tenure committee also observe the probationary faculty member’s teaching at least twice during the probationary period.

New tenure-track faculty are invited to choose a mentor from among the senior members of the department. Faculty mentors work with the junior faculty on a variety of tasks relevant to faculty development, including assisting in course planning and research efforts.

The department has a number of ongoing efforts to create and foster scholarly and creative community among the faculty and students. For example, we gather once each semester for a special event with our majors, minors, and graduate students to celebrate recent publications by the faculty and students. The TRS493 Senior Seminar, required of all majors and minors, establishes a community of scholars among the students (who engage in peer review of each other’s essays and present their projects in seminar for discussion) and also between students and the faculty who serve as mentors on their projects and who help them prepare for public presentation at panel during the annual JCU Celebration of Scholarship.

C. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TRS faculty serve in so many capacities in professional societies and on the editorial boards of academic journals, it would take an exorbitant amount of space to list them all. A brief listing of the types of positions held will have to suffice here; please see the CVs (in Appendix D) for more details.

1. Editorial Boards (current and recent)

Hahnenberg Associate editorships: Liturgical Press editorial advisory board

Kelly Associate editorships: Church History, Journal of Religion, Journal of Ecclesiastical History,

Theological Studies, Traditio, Mediaevalia, Thought; former book review editor for Patristics

Lauritzen Associate editorships: Journal of Religious Ethics, Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, The

Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics, Soundings

McGinn: Associate editorship: Catholic Biblical Quarterly General Editorship: Conversations with the Biblical World: Proceedings of the Eastern Great Lakes

Biblical Society and Midwest Region Society of Biblical Literature

Nietupski: Associate editorship: Asian Highland Perspectives: Local Voices, Local Realities; Journal of Asian

Medicine

Sarıtoprak Associate editorships: guest editor for the Islamic World and Islam and Christian Muslim Relations.

2. Professional Boards (current and recent)

Hahnenberg Diocese of Cleveland, Pastoral Ministry Advisory Board; U.S. Lutheran-Catholic Ecumenical

Dialogue; Catholic Theological Society of America, Church and Ecumenism Coordinating Committee, Committee on Admissions, and Committee on Resolutions; Consultant, U.S. Bishops’ Subcommittee on Lay Ministry; Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Guidelines and Expectations Subcommittee of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry Task Force

Kelly President of the North American Patristic Society (1994–1996); various other developmental roles in

NAPS and in conjunction with the NAPS journal

Lauritzen Bioethics Network of Ohio; former member of Ethics Advisory Committee, Oncofertility Project,

Northwestern University; Working Group on Genetics, Catholic Health Association; and Working Group on the Ethics of Life Writing, Poynter Center, Indiana University

McGinn AAR Steering Committee, Rise of Historical Consciousness Continuing Seminar; AAR Committee on

Teaching and Learning; Catholic Biblical Association committees (Consultor, Board of Directors; Computer Committee; Co-convener, Feminist Hermeneutics Task Force; Program Committee; many other committee roles); Local Arrangements Committee Chair, CBA 65th Annual Meeting; Eastern Great Lakes Biblical Society Executive Board, Program Committee, President, and other executive officer roles; Midwest Region Catholic-Muslim Dialogue; Society of Biblical Literature Eastern Great Lakes Regional Secretary; SBL Steering Committees (Computer-Assisted Research Group, Rhetoric of Religious Antiquity)

Nietupski ASIANetwork Board of Directors; Program Liaison, Vietnam Exchange Program,

ASIANetwork/American Council of Learned Societies/Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam/Henry Luce Foundation

Nuth Diocese of Cleveland: Pastoral Ministry Advisory Board, Office on Women in Church & Society

Advisory Board; Catholic Theological Society of America: Spirituality Seminar Convener, Historical Studies Seminar Convener, Local Arrangements Committee Chair for the 2010 Annual Meeting; Karl Rahner Society Steering Committee; Ignatian Spirituality Institute Advisory Committee; Jesuit Retreat House: Lay Leadership Program Advisory Committee; Ignatian Spirituality Collaborative; FutureChurch, founding member.

Sarıtoprak Niagara Foundation Advisory Board, North East Islamic Community Center, Midwest Catholic-

Muslim Dialogue. Invited participant in Pope Benedict XVI’s “Interreligious Gathering” in Washington, D.C. (April 17, 2008) and President George W. Bush press conference on marriage and family. Outside reader for multiple Ph.D. dissertations.

3. University Leadership and Service (current and recent)

Hahnenberg JCU CAS Dean Search Committee Chair; Committee on Enrollment, Financial Aid, and Student Life;

Committee on Elections; Committee on Research and Service; Vocation Coordination Committee.

Kelly Various university committees including Catholic Studies Advisory Committee; Finance Committee;

Grievance Pool; Chair, Dept. of Religious Studies; Director, Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies

Lauritzen Chair, Department of Religious Studies; Director, Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies; Director,

Program in Applied Ethics; many other faculty governance roles, including Faculty Council rep.

McGinn Various committee & roles relating to Campus Ministry, Catholic Studies, the Center for Service and

Social Action; new faculty orientation, mission, and student development; computer policy and instructional technology. Several search committees; Ad hoc Committee, NEH “Technology in Teaching” grant (chair); Bicentennial Committee, Community Service Subcommittee (chair); CAS Academic Program Review Committee; APR template subcommittee (chair); Committee for Research and Service; Distance Education Committee; Diversity Steering Committee; Cleveland

Foundation Instructional Technology Grant Evaluation Committee; Faculty Council; Committee for Gender & Diversity (chair); Committee for Research, Service & Faculty Development; Faculty Handbook Committee; Nominations Committee; Finance Committee; Office of Student Life “Tunnel of Oppression” Planning Committee, Subcommittee on “Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence”; Provost’s Council; Women’s Issues Committee; Women’s Faculty Caucus; Planning Committee, Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies.

Nietupski East Asian Studies Advisory Committee; Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies Planning Committee;

Roderick Boyd Porter Fellowship Committee; Vietnam Faculty Exchange Committee.

Nuth Director, Ignatian Spirituality Institute; Coordinator of Ignatian retreats provided annually to JCU

faculty, staff & students; Director of 8-day retreats sponsored annually by Campus Ministry; Committee on Research & Service; Search Committee for TRS Eastern Religions faculty; Search Committee for Director of Campus Ministry; Catholic Studies Advisory Committee; TRS Graduate Committee Chair.

Sarıtoprak Faculty Learning Committees on Global Studies and Globalization, University Enrollment Committee,

Grievance Committee Pool; works with Global Ed and international enrollment efforts

Tobey Faculty Council Committee on Gender & Diversity

4. Contributions to the Wider Community, Public Sector, Non-Profit Organizations, and via Service-Learning Courses

Hahnenberg Jesuit Retreat House, Lay Leadership Program Advisory Committee; Diocese of Cleveland, Pastoral

Ministry Advisory Board. Numerous talks at libraries, churches, and other civic groups.

Kelly Numerous talks at libraries, churches, and other civic groups.

Lauritzen Board of Directors, Roots of American Music

McGinn University Heights Mayor’s Committee to Prevent Hate; Local Host, Episcopal Cathedral

Teleconference Network (ECTN) Teleconferences: “Jesus at 2000”; “Inheriting a Broken World”; and “The Future of Religions in a Global Culture.” Numerous talks at libraries, churches, and other civic groups. In addition, my students have contributed thousands of hours to the community through service-learning course projects.

Nietupski Consulting scholar for Cleveland Museum of Art

Nuth Diocese of Cleveland Pastoral Ministry Advisory Board, Office on Women in Church & Society

Advisory Board; FutureChurch founding member; Belly-of-the-Whale Advisory Committee; Ignatian Spirituality Collaborative. Numerous talks at libraries, churches, and other civic groups.

Sarıtoprak Rumi Foundation; Turkish-American Association of Cleveland; numerous talks at libraries, churches,

and other civic groups; many talks and interviews to media programs in Turkey, the US, Australia, and Canada

III. CURRICULUM

A. CURRICULUM SUMMARY7

1. Breadth and Depth of Curriculum The TRS curriculum covers a breadth of the fields of theology and religious studies, from biblical studies to systematic theology, from ethics and church history to world religions and spirituality.

The depth of the curriculum traditionally has been found in the area of systematic theology, especially Catholic theology, although recent retirements have seriously limited the department’s ability to offer courses in this area, especially at the graduate level.

2. Coherence and Sequencing TRS 101 is a prerequisite for all undergraduate Core courses in the department.

Any other Division V course can be taken to meet the second Core requirement.

TRS 400 and TRS 430 are prerequisites for graduate courses in biblical studies and systematic theology, respectively.

Because our undergraduate offerings primarily must serve the Core curriculum, there is little “sequencing” in our program. We do have several 300-level offerings in biblical studies that require the TRS 205 Intro to New Testament as a pre-requisite, but this is the only strand of the undergraduate curriculum where such is the case.

The TRS 493 Senior Seminar is supposed to be taken during the fall semester of the student’s final year, so it serves as a capstone for the major and minor programs.

With respect to our ISI and SWC certificates, both of these programs follow a cohort model for the curriculum and thus the full set of courses required for each program must be pursued one after the other.

3. Reflection of Major Areas and Issues in the Discipline The courses required in the major provide an undergraduate level engagement with the principle methodologies and key issues current in the fields of ethics, systematic theology, biblical interpretation, and the study of religions.

4. TRS Contribution to University and College Goals The TRS program is central to the university mission, both in terms of supporting JCU’s Catholic Jesuit identity and in terms of meeting the university’s “academic learning goals.”8 TRS courses are all designed to meet goals #2 and 9. In addition, the TRS101 intro course is designed to meet goals #5

7 See Appendix E for the list of all courses offered in each of the past three years; Appendix F for the syllabi for required courses in the major (typically from the most recent semester when the course was taught by a full-time faculty member); Appendix G for the syllabi for courses offered as part of the University Core Curriculum. The major allows options to meet some course requirements; syllabi for those electives are found in Appendix G.

8 The JCU Academic Learning Goals are: (1) Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of human and natural worlds; (2) Develop habits of critical analysis and aesthetic appreciation; (3) Apply creative and innovative thinking; (4) Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression; (5) Act competently in a global and diverse world; (6) Understand and promote social justice; (7) Apply a framework for examining ethical dilemmas; (8) Employ leadership and collaborative skills; and (9) Understand the religious dimensions of human experience.

and 7, as are several of the Division V core courses. The seminars require students to meet goals #3 and 4, while the internship course situates students to meet goals #6 and 8. Individual courses within these various categories meet other of the university Academic Learning Goals.9

5. TRS Alignment with Program Goals and Objectives for Student Learning10 TRS 101 serves as a good example of the alignment of our curriculum with program goals and SLOs.

Course Content

TRS 101 provides students with the fundamental knowledge and basic skills necessary for the analysis of religion; for investigation of the historical development and contemporary practice of particular religious traditions; for critical reflection on personal faith as well as sympathetic appreciation of the beliefs of others; and for understanding and responding to the moral and ethical questions facing our society and world. Because of its commitment to the Catholic and Jesuit heritage of the university, particular attention is paid to the Roman Catholic tradition.

Thus students completing TRS 101 should gain an introductory level of competence in the following areas:

1. The nature of religion and religious language. 2. Religious faith as it relates to reason, experience, and behavior. 3. The critical analysis of sacred scriptures (with special attention to the Christian Bible). 4. The development of religious traditions. 5. Interaction and interrelationship among the world’s religions, including Roman Catholic

teaching on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. 6. Relationship of religion to ethical dilemmas and the promotion of social justice.

Course Outcomes and Objectives

In order to address the Academic Learning Outcomes (ALO) of John Carroll University’s Core Curriculum, faculty teaching TRS 101 should facilitate discussion and assignments that require students to meet the following objectives:

1. Respectfully articulate their understanding of the fundamental questions of human existence, and the response of various religious beliefs (ALO 1, 9).

2. Define key terms and concepts in the study of religion, such as revelation, symbol, myth, ritual, faith, reason, experience, and ethics (ALO 1, 9).

3. Critically analyze religious expressions in sacred texts, art, and ritual practices (ALO 2). 4. Explain the processes by which religious traditions develop (ALO 9). 5. Appreciate one’s own cultural perspective, as well as the global impact of ecumenism and

interfaith dialogue in diverse contexts (ALO 5). 6. Identify the obligations that religions place on individuals to contribute to the common good,

and/or be able to apply theological frameworks to ethical dilemmas (ALO 6, 7).

9 See Appendix H for the matrix of Academic Learning Goals and current TRS course offerings. 10 For details, see the curriculum schema in Appendix H.

B. COURSE PROFILE

1. Number of Courses Offered Not counting independent studies and other individualized courses, the department offers an average of 45 sections each semester, including 15 or more sections of TRS 101.

For the 200- and 300-level offerings each semester, we offer an average of about 20 different courses (including multiple sections of those that tend to be popular with students).

We offer an average of three courses each semester through the Borromeo Institute; typically these duplicate courses that are offered on campus by our full-time faculty.

We offer an average of four graduate courses each semester, including either TRS 400 or TRS 430 and three electives.

2. Class Sizes Class sizes for TRS 101 average between 25–30 students.

Class sizes for other Division V core courses average 20–25 students.

Class sizes for other core-designated courses (D, S, R, and W) range from 6–25 (with W courses tending to be smaller and R courses tending toward the larger size).

Class sizes for 400- and 500-level courses average between 5–10.

3. Percentage of Classes Taught by Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty Until spring of 2012, the full-time faculty in the department averaged 12 persons. With the series of retirements since that time, TRS has been reduced to 7 full-time permanent faculty and 1 visitor.

As a result of this attrition among full-time faculty, approximately one-third of the course offerings in a given semester are taught by full-time faculty.

4. Other Relevant Course Data for the Past Three Years The department continues to make significant contributions to the development of the curriculum. In the last three years along, TRS faculty have offered 24 new courses in the core curriculum (with Division V as well as D, R, S, and W core designations).

5. Significant Changes or Trends since Completion of the Last Self-Study Since we have no record of the previous self-study, this question cannot be addressed with any precision. The most significant change in the department over the last three years has been the precipitous decline in full-time faculty. Other recent changes of significance include the department name-change; the development of our five-year BA-MA program; the promotion of internships for our majors; the temporary addition of our ethnographer/sociologist of religion (our Visiting Assistant Professor, Kristen Tobey) and the impending addition of our new theologian, Elizabeth Antus.

If we go back somewhat further in time (2002–2004), it is important to note that we undertook a major revision of our introductory core course (then RL 101) as a result of the year-long Wabash-funded comparative study of intro courses at US Jesuit institutions of higher education. Now that the “new” intro course has run for ten years, we will be undertaking another study of the course—on a smaller scale, without the nation-wide comparative element—in preparation for another significant revision. Due to the retirement of both FYS and PL 101, TRS 101 may function as one of the few remaining key aspects of first-year students’ “common experience” upon arriving at JCU. We intend to use TRS 101 as a springboard into the new integrated Core, including elements of community engagement, social responsibility, and interreligious relations.

6. Remarks about the Quality of Particularly Noteworthy Courses TRS has so many “noteworthy” courses, this item is difficult to address in brief. Our TRS 101 is noteworthy for its inclusion of engaged learning techniques, common readings across all sections, focus on quality of students’ written and oral expression (including minimum writing standards), and frequent incorporation of service-learning activities. All five of the Academic Learning Outcomes assigned to TRS in the description of the 2015 Core curriculum11 already form integral components of the TRS 101. These features will be developed further as we re-envision the course for the next decade.

Also noteworthy in terms of our course offerings is the sheer number of new courses that recently have been developed (or are in the process of being developed) that will merge smoothly with the new core. A small sample includes:

• Catholicism in a Digital Age (Hahnenberg) • Islam and the Environment (Sarıtoprak) • Just and Unjust War (Lauritzen) • Pilgrimage (Nietupski) • Reading the Bible through the Eyes of the Hungry (McGinn) • Religions of Ohio and the Western Reserve (Tobey)

As can be seen from the titles, all these courses are marked by interdisciplinarity, and most are framed to be offered in a “link” with another course in the “Examining the Human Experience” (HE) or “Exploring the Natural World” (NW) sector of the new Core. The others might be team-taught and offered in the “Engaging the Global Community” (GC) or “Issues in Social Justice” (ISJ) Core area.

C. ENROLLMENT TRENDS

1. General Remarks The number of undergraduate majors is remaining roughly constant, while the number of minors gradually is on the rise:

2011 April 06 08 majors 06 minors

2012 January 25 08 majors 04 minors

2013 December 04 10 majors 07 minors

2014 February 26 10 majors 07 minors April 02 12 majors 13 minors September 17 10 majors 12 minors November 09 majors 15 minors

11 According to the April 2013 Final APTF Curriculum Report (page 20), TRS core courses should address JCU ALOs #1 (Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of human and natural worlds), #2 (Develop habits of critical analysis and aesthetic appreciation), #5 (Act competently in a global and diverse world), #6 (Understand and promote social justice), and #9 (Understand the religious dimensions of human experience). TRS core courses also should “require and vigorously stress students’ abilities to articulate clearly both orally and in writing.”

The number of MA students has remained relatively consistent over time.12

2011 April 28 33 active September 07 25 active

2012 January 25 23 active

2013 March 10 new Fall semester 08 new

2014 Spring semester 01 new

2014 Summer session 02 new

2015 January 15 22 active Spring semester 01 new

2. Percentage of Under-Enrolled Course Offerings About 5% of our course offerings each semester have marginal enrollment (i.e., 400- or 500-level courses with 5 students).

3. Why Under-Enrolled Required Courses? Given the size of our graduate program and the current number of our majors, these small class sizes are to be expected (which is why we have argued that 5, rather than 6, should be the cut-off for graduate-level courses).

D. CONTRIBUTION TO CORE CURRICULUM

1. How does the program contribute to the core curriculum? TRS provides two courses in the core curriculum. We teach an average of 400 students each semester in the TRS101 course and approximately an equal number in the 200- and 300-level Core courses.

TRS faculty contributed significantly to the First-Year Seminar. Data were not available for the full 20-year history of FYS, but we offered 18 sections in the last seven years, for an average of 2.6 sections each year. The department particularly stepped up to address the critical need in this last year of FYS, providing instructors for 5 sections.13

Faculty also have developed numerous courses to meet other aspects of the core curriculum. In the last three years, we have offered the following sections in support of the non-divisional aspects of the core: 18D, 33R, 11S, and 7W, for a total of 69 (an average of 11.5/semester).14

2. How does the program plan to maintain a creative core course development? As mentioned above, TRS faculty already have begun planning a number of “linked” courses to fit the Core that will be rolled out in fall 2015. Several existing courses provide models for the interdisciplinarity of the new core, and many of these already have been offered jointly with members

12 It’s difficult to determine the reliability of some of the older data because we have had chronic problems with the Banner system showing correct information about our graduate students, especially those who have earned a prior degree at JCU.

13 See Appendix L for a spreadsheet with the details on FYS sections. 14 For the last three academic years, we have offered the following numbers of sections to meet the D, R, S,

and W components of the Core: Fall 2012, 2D 7R 2S 2W; Spring 2013, 3D 4R 1S 0W; Fall 2013 2D 5R 2S 1W; Spring 2014 2D 9R 2S 2W; Fall 2014 4D 2R 3S 2W; Spring 2015 5D 6R 1S 0W.

of other departments. The following are just a few examples of the courses already existing or under construction that TRS faculty have developed that will fit the “linked” or interdisciplinary sections of the new core.

1. After 9/11: Literature, Art, and Ethics in an Age of Terrorism (RL299; jointly taught with several CAS faculty);

2. The Bible through the Eyes of the Hungry (TRS309, plan to link with Sociology); 3. Islam and the Environment (TRS342; plan to link with Chemistry); 4. Justice and the Economy (RL461, which will be changed to TRS363); 5. Queer Studies (AR299; jointly taught by several CAS faculty); 6. Religion, Ethics, and Public Policy (TRS362); 7. Religion, Freedom, and Law (TRS299; plan to link with Political Science); 8. Religion, Violence, and Liberal Thought (TRS299); 9. Soul Food and Food for the Soul: African-American Religious Identity Formation through

Experiences of Family and Food Preparation (TRS272; new course linked with IC208); and 10. Utopian Religious Movements (new course planned to link with an English course).

The department also intends to revise the TRS 101 to incorporate more “high-impact” learning strategies, including project-based learning and other experiential-learning strategies. FYS used to provide an entrée for many students to the service opportunities available through CSSA. The “retirement” of FYS put that program at some risk, se we have offered to collaborate with CSSA to use TRS 101 as a key entry point for first-year students. We already have some sections of TRS 101 that incorporate service-learning as an optional assignment. We intend to gradually ramp up the number of sections until all of them do, beginning with eight sections in fall 2015.

IV. STUDENT LEARNING

A. PEDAGOGY

1. Types of Pedagogy Used to Foster Expected Learning Outcomes TRS faculty use a number of pedagogical techniques to foster expected Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), including textual exegesis, response papers, creative projects, independent research, internships and other praxis-type experiences, site visits and study abroad experiences.

2. Teaching Effectiveness TRS teaching effectiveness is measured in at least three ways:

a. Peer teaching evaluations (at least annually), which are used for ongoing faculty development.

b. Summative course evaluations from students, which function as a sort of “customer satisfaction” survey. Statistical research continually has shown that student course evaluations are subject to significant gender bias, and has revealed other factors that limit the reliability of student course evaluations as measures of teaching effectiveness.

c. Pretest-Posttest measures. Such measures are encouraged for all the sections of the Intro class. They are used in the 200-level biblical surveys and in other courses at the instructors’ discretion.

All of these measures consistently show strong teaching effectiveness.15

3. Grading Trends TRS typically has done a very good job of holding the line on grade inflation. Attempts to get current data on this subject were unsuccessful.

4. How TRS Reflects a “Community of Reflective Practice” in Teaching The department engages in peer review of teaching at least once each year. Traditionally, the chair observes each of the faculty (both full-time and part-time) at least once/year and discusses the observation with the instructor. Faculty on the tenure-track are observed at least twice each semester, by the department chair and by one or more members of the tenure committee.

The department conducts regular reviews of the major, minor, and core curricular programs (especially the introductory course). Some of these reviews have been quite extensive. For example, the last time we did a major revision of the introductory course (then RL 101), we surveyed every current student who had taken the course as well as the entire population of faculty, staff, and administrators at JCU. Typically our reviews would involve surveying existing majors, minors, and/or graduate students and then using those survey data to shape future course offerings, special events, and other co-curricular opportunities.

For our full- and part-time faculty, we hold occasional colloquia on subjects of mutual interest and that are applicable to various courses in the core. For example, Dr. McGinn led an in-service training for our part-time faculty on how to develop focused and measurable Student Learning Outcomes that connect with the university ALOs. She also invited Jay Tarby to do workshops for TRS faculty and GAs on effective use of the Learning Management Software (in Fall 2013, Blackboard; in Fall 2014, Canvas).

B. ADVISING

1. Student Advising Procedures (majors, minors, undeclared) The department does semi-annual reviews of degree evaluations with all majors and minors.

The department chair is the advisor of record for all minors, as well as most of the entering graduate students.

Undeclared students who indicate interest in majoring or minoring in TRS are invited to take the special TRS 101 section offered each fall and are encouraged to participate in various department events, including the “Meet Your Major” in the fall and special lectures throughout fall and spring.

Graduate student undergo an annual review by the TRS Graduate Program Committee, which checks each person’s progress toward the degree and discusses any issues with the faculty as a whole at a regularly scheduled department meeting.

15 The department retains digital copies of summative student course evaluations. Collated data of recent evaluations can be made available at the reviewers’ request.

2. Quality of Program Advising16 Student report of satisfaction with advising is very high. The vast majority of TRS majors achieve their degrees in four years and go on immediately to full-time employment, full-time graduate studies in a program of their choice, or a year of service in a volunteer program (e.g., the Jesuit Volunteer Corps or an AmeriCorps placement).

3. TRS Involvement in Cohort Advising Most of our full-time faculty participate in cohort advising. Three members of the department volunteered to work with the pilot program the first year this advising model was introduced.

The department chair serves as cohort advisor for the Borromeo Institute students, and collaborates with the Borromeo “Intellectual Formation” director, Sr. Mary Quinlan, in the advising process.

C. STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP, INTERNSHIPS, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, CREATIVE WORK, VOLUNTEERISM Much of this has been discussed in earlier sections of the APR, so this section will comprise a brief summary of these activities.

1. Student Scholarship, Internships, Experiential Learning, and Creative Work beyond Classroom Assignments Faculty (full- and part-time) engage in occasional joint research and publications with students. Every section of TRS 101 is required to have some sort of experiential-learning component and most other TRS core courses likewise incorporate experiential learning. Some sections of 101 and other TRS core courses (e.g., TRS 300, 205, and 306) also incorporate creative assignments (writing, art production, etc.), although this is not mandated by the department.

2. Special Seminars or Workshops, Speakers, and Events TRS has the unique advantage of housing 4 endowments (Breen, ISI, Nursi, and Tuohy) and working very closely with other related offices (such as Applied Ethics, CTSA, and Catholic Studies), so we contribute a very full schedule of special lectures, workshops, and other events. TRS 101 requires students to participate in at least one “outside enrichment event”; many other core courses pose a similar requirement and/or give extra credit to students who attend such events.

3. Other Ways the Program Offers Opportunities for Experiential Learning Many sections of TRS 101 utilize field trips to religious sites as part of their units on ritual or other religious practices, and other core courses make use of field trips to the Cleveland Museum of Art or other pertinent facilities. Several TRS faculty (e.g., McGinn, Nietupski, Spencer) have taken students on study-abroad opportunities that involve site research.

In addition, the department encourages majors and minors to pursue internship opportunities. Dr. McGinn supervised 3 internships last year, and we are planning two more for this coming fall. Meanwhile, we are working with various offices on campus to create a supportive infrastructure so we can offer such internships to every interested TRS student.

16 See Appendix J for advising forms. We requested retention and four-year graduation rates for TRS majors as evidence of advising success, but apparently the university has not been tracking the data with such fine tuning.

4. Particularly Noteworthy Student Achievements We have a number of students who have made presentations at professional conferences (e.g., ASIANetwork and EGLBS), and a few who have won student prizes for those presentations. A few have developed publications as a result.

D. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, POST-GRADUATION, AND ALUMNI OUTCOMES

1. TRS Efforts to Prepare Students for Employment and Graduate Study Our mentoring practices have been described above. Because we have a small number of majors, we are able to provide personal attention to each one to ensure that she/he is prepared for employment or graduate study.

2. Alumni Satisfaction Unsolicited reports from alumnae/alumni are universally strong. The department is in the process of surveying our alums, but the implementation of the survey was delayed and the results will not be collated in time for this program review.

3. Graduate/Professional Program Admission and Completion Anecdotal data indicate that TRS majors who apply to graduate programs do achieve admission, and most of them complete their graduate studies. The alumnae/alumni survey we are administering requests details on this point, but the results will not be collated in time for this APR.

4. Alumni Employment after Graduation TRS majors consistently have a near-perfect placement rate by the September after their May graduation. Some are employed in full-time positions; some participate in volunteer programs; and others enter full-time graduate studies.

V. UNIVERSITY SUPPORT AND RESOURCES

KINDS AND SUFFICIENCY OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND STUDENT LEARNING

1. Insufficient Number of Full-Time Faculty The primary university resource necessary to support the TRS programs is a sufficient number of qualified full-time faculty. The department is functioning at only 2/3 capacity at the present time, and we will be losing two more faculty in the near future. We do not have an adequate number of full-time faculty to maintain current program activities, no less contribute to the new Core.17

2. Inadequate Physical Plant18 A second key resource needed by the department is adequate visible and contiguous office space. In over 20 years, there has not been a time when every member of the department actually was housed in

17 The department chair is in the process of creating an estimate of course offerings for the next 5 years and resulting faculty needs.

18 See Appendix L (under “Facilities”) for letters and other documents addressing our space needs.

the department office suite. The department easily is overlooked by visitors because no windows front the main hallway and signage is relatively unobtrusive. This past summer, the chair requested modest improvements (primarily painting) to the third floor office areas; the request was denied. Some “renovation” of offices was made possible by refurbishing and reusing cast-off furniture from other JCU offices.19 The quality of department office space, however, remains marginal.

With John Spencer’s retirement, we have been able to move the Breen Chair to an office that fronts on the hall and has much greater visibility. Thus far, our request has been denied to modify the entrance to the Nursi Chair “suite” to match the Breen office.20

A plan was developed for remodeling the second- and third-floor suite, although that space alone is inadequate to support the number of programs that fall within the department. The projected redesign is estimated to cost $3M, including $0.5M for installation of an elevator external to the current structure. As of yet, no steps have been taken toward implementation of this plan.

3. The Cardinal Suenens Program, Institute of Catholic Studies, and Ignatian Spirituality Institute The department needs clarity about the developing relationships between TRS and Suenens, Catholic Studies, and ISI.

• Suenens has provided an aegis for special programming related to developments in the Catholic Church, especially on issues relating to the Second Vatican Council, but the Director will be retiring this spring. Will a new Director be appointed, and should we be nominating someone for that position? Or will these activities be transferred to some other office?

• Department faculty proposed a Catholic Studies track as an interdisciplinary minor within TRS at a time when the university had no other such programs and little experience with interdisciplinary programs generally. Instead of being established within the department, the program was isolated in an independent “Institute of Catholic Studies.” The independence of CS from TRS has provided a constant source of confusion for students, prospects, and external groups. Our original plan had CS and TRS as mutually supporting programs; instead, the independence of CS from TRS often has created an appearance—if not a reality—of competition between the two academic units.

• The Ignatian Spirituality Institute (ISI) has been an academic program from the outset. Originally it was designed entirely to provide a professional credential rather than an academic degree; now the program can be pursued for academic credit within the TRS MA program. (On this point, ISI and the new Spiritual Wellness Certificate program relate to the TRS graduate program in exactly the same way.) ISI has become a “feeder” program for the TRS MA, with ISI graduates applying for acceptance into the degree program. ISI is the one TRS foray into ministerial training, and it provides an exceptionally fine model of how such training should be done. Furthermore, ISI has a solid endowment to sustain future programming. It is important to ensure that ISI remain an integral part of the TRS Department.

19 To economize, Dr. McGinn and her son personally refinished the two desks we inherited from History, refinished two other desks that had suffered water damage, and made the new shelves for the chair’s office. This saved the university $2000 in labor costs alone.

20 Complicating factors include the cost of renovation and the fact that the Nursi Chair is housed in an office that traditionally belongs to the history department. See Appendix L (under “Facilities”) for the cost estimate and sketch of the proposed work.

VI. ASSESSMENT

A. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOS)21

1. TRS Promulgation of SLOs Every course syllabus includes the student learning outcomes on the first page, and faculty are enjoined to review those learning outcomes with the students on the first day of class.

Majors and minors are made aware of the program-level outcomes when they have their interview with the chairperson when asking to declare the major/minor. Those outcomes are reiterated and appear as SLOs for the senior seminar capstone course that is required of all majors and minors.

2. Evidence of Achievement Student achievement of the program SLOs is measured by success on the final comprehensive examination (for majors) and the senior seminar capstone course (for majors and minors).

3. Examples of SLOs TRS SLO #1 (“Produce oral and written work marked by precision in use of technical terminology; well-reasoned argumentation; and economy, clarity, and eloquence of expression”) supports JCU

21 The department has drafted the following statement of SLOs. Please note that they are still under development and have not officially been adopted by the department yet. However, this is the list as currently under discussion. The JCU ALOs marked with an asterisk (*) have been assigned to TRS in the Core Curriculum.

TRS SLOs. Students who successfully complete the TRS program: 1. Produce oral and written work marked by precision in use of technical terminology; well-reasoned

argumentation; and economy, clarity, and eloquence of expression. 2. Demonstrate command of the key terms pertaining to theology and religion, which they employ clearly and

precisely to analyze key historical and contemporary ethical, religious, and theological questions. 3. Exhibit an accurate understanding and critical appropriation of key aspects of Catholic theology and tradition,

especially the Catholic appreciation of the value of other religious traditions. 4. Demonstrate intellectual agility in selection of pertinent data, recognition of questionable logical and

theological assumptions, accurate formulation of competing religious points of view, and sensitivity to the implications and consequences of particular ethical, religious, and/or theological stances.

5. Are whole persons whose integrated intellectual, moral, and spiritual development is exhibited in their values and life-choices, including respect for human persons and the environment.

6. Act as responsible citizens with understanding and appreciation for the global diversity of religions and cultures.

7. Actively engage in leadership and service to individuals, church, and society.

JCU ALOs. Students who successfully complete the JCU baccalaureate degree program: 1. *Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of human and natural worlds. 2. *Develop habits of critical analysis and aesthetic appreciation. 3. Apply creative and innovative thinking. 4. Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression. 5. *Act competently in a global and diverse world. 6. *Understand and promote social justice. 7. Apply a framework for examining ethical dilemmas. 8. Employ leadership and collaborative skills. 9. *Understand the religious dimensions of human experience.

ALOs #2 (“Develop habits of critical analysis and aesthetic appreciation”) and #4 (“Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression”). Significant writing is required in every TRS class—e.g., for the TRS101, this means a minimum of ten pages of formal writing, not counting exams and other in-class writing—and essays are graded based both on their content and the formal/stylistic characteristics of the writing.

TRS SLO #2 (“Demonstrate command of the key terms pertaining to theology and religion, which they employ clearly and precisely to analyze key historical and contemporary ethical, religious, and theological questions”) supports JCU ALO #9 (“Understand the religious dimensions of human experience”). Every TRS core course, including TRS101, introduces key terms and poses abiding “ultimate” questions for students to address.

TRS SLOs #5 (“Are whole persons whose integrated intellectual, moral, and spiritual development is exhibited in their values and life-choices, including respect for human persons and the environment”) and #6 (“Act as responsible citizens with understanding and appreciation for the global diversity of religions and cultures”) together address ALOs #5 (“Act competently in a global and diverse world”), #6 (“Understand and promote social justice”), and #9 (“Understand the religious dimensions of human experience”).

For TRS majors and minors, achievement of these SLOs is measured not only by performance in the core curriculum courses, but also in the TRS capstone “Senior Seminar” and, for those who choose to do an internship, by their on-the-job performance in their placement.

4. Significant Changes or Recent Trends Since there is no record of the last self-study, it is impossible to address this question in any detail. Generally, in the past decade, the department has made significant steps forward in terms of outcomes measures and attentiveness to specific evidence of student learning. We have formulated specific program-level SLOs and mapped them onto the university “Academic Learning Outcomes” (ALOs). We also have created a schema that indicates which of the university ALOs are addressed by each of the courses offered by our department.

B. SUMMARY OF PROGRAM STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

1. Program Strengths The most significant strength of the program is our current faculty, who are adept teacher-scholars, and our administrative assistant, who gives the department a welcoming face. (She also is tremendously well-organized and manages to keep multiple “balls in the air” with the rich variety of programs that are sponsored by the department and its subsidiary programs.)

Our set of endowed programs (Tuohy, ISI, Nursi, and Breen), individually and together, comprise significant strengths of our program, providing consistently high-quality special programming for the university and wider community.

2. Program Weaknesses Our primary weakness currently is lack of full-time faculty, both in terms of sheer numbers and in terms of diversity (especially gender and racial). We cannot function with a cadre of only eight full-time faculty, particularly since more than half of that number carry reduced teaching loads due to chairing the department or directing an endowed program (Breen, ISI, Nursi, Tuohy). Our most recent hire addressed the gender balance to some extent, but Dr. Nuth’s impending retirement will negate that advance.

A second weakness has to do with an imbalance among the sub-fields of TRS. Given our Cleveland location and the demographic of our student body, it is anomalous to have no permanent faculty member with expertise in Judaica. Our small grant from the Jewish Chautauqua Society has helped us be able to offer an “Introduction to Judaism” course each year, and we regularly offer a second course on the Holocaust, but two courses do not go very far to treat a 4,000-year-old tradition. A permanent faculty member in this area would provide the logical balance between our Breen and Nursi chairs in Catholic theology and Islamic studies, respectively.

A third weakness has to do with our lack of confidence when making future plans. We could much more readily plan for the future of the department if we could get a commitment from the university for more than one-year-at-a-time. This is especially true of hiring plans, but it affects a number of possible programmatic plans as well.

3. Most Critical Issues Facing the Program The program traditionally has maintained a good balance between Catholic theology and “religious studies” broadly construed. The balance of full-time faculty has shifted somewhat so that theology per se has a somewhat lower profile than it has had in the last two decades. Part-time faculty are being used to make up the gap, but this cannot be maintained over the long term. The hiring of a new theologian to start in Fall 2015 is a good first step toward redressing this imbalance. It alone will not suffice, however.

C. ACTION PLAN

1. Vision Statement The study of the religious experience of humanity is an academic discipline that John Carroll University considers to be an integral part of a liberal arts education. As a Jesuit Catholic university, John Carroll provides opportunities for its students to choose courses designed to give them an understanding of their faith commensurate with their other learning, as well as an understanding of the experiences and perspectives of persons of other religious traditions.

2. Improvements Using Current Resources

a. Revisions to TRS 101

Planned revisions have been discussed above. None of them will require additional resources.

b. Tuohy Center

The department has initiated an ad hoc committee to generate a proposal for redesigning the Tuohy Chair. The endowment has grown to a point where we have resources to do more than simply host a visiting scholar for a semester. We intend to inaugurate a Tuohy Center, which will continue to host a variety of programs currently sponsored by the Tuohy Chair and also provide an umbrella organization for other special programs currently housed in TRS and anticipated in the future (like a Jewish Studies Chair). The precise design of the Tuohy Center is currently under discussion. We hope to have a proposal by the end of this academic year.

c. Islamic Studies Minor

Drs. Sarıtoprak and McGinn have developed a proposal for an interdisciplinary Islamic Studies minor to be administered by the Nursi Chair. That proposal will be presented for discussion and vote at our department meeting on 1/21/15. The proposed program would utilize existing resources and re-configure existing coursework for students to achieve a particular specialization relating to Islamic theology and culture.

3. Improvements Requiring New Resources

a. Jewish Studies Chair

The department has been asking since 1984 for an endowment for Jewish Studies. If we get funding for a Jewish Studies Chair, we can add a full-time faculty member with expertise in Judaica and expand our programming related to Jewish history and culture. Currently, the department sponsors special events related to Jewish history and culture (e.g., events around Sukkoth and Holocaust Remembrance Day), but there is no dedicated funding for such events. In addition, presently Dr. McGinn is the one who has taken the lead with this type of programming, but she has many other responsibilities that take precedence. A full-time faculty member in Jewish Studies could make such activities a priority, which would help to balance JCU’s course offerings and public activities. In addition, we could institute an interdisciplinary Jewish Studies minor, along the lines of the Islamic Studies minor currently under discussion, which would support both the TRS program and the new integrated Core.

b. Social Ethics Chair

Another needed faculty line that has been identified by the department is an endowed chair in Catholic Social Ethics. With Fr. Schubeck’s retirement, we are reduced to one ethicist in TRS, and this at a time when the “Jesuit Heritage” segment of the new core calls specifically for every student to take a course focusing on “Issues in Social Justice.” The current capital campaign includes a possible endowed chair in social ethics. We support that request and recommend that the chair should be housed in TRS.

VII. COMPARATIVE POSITION

A. COMPARABLE INSTITUTIONS Which institutions should be considered “comparable” or “competitors” depends significantly upon which of our programs is used as the focal point of the question. We have focused this APR primarily on our undergraduate programs, since a graduate program review was completed last year. The following institutions have been selected based on the probability that undergraduates considering JCU for a major in theology and religious studies also would be likely to consider other Jesuit schools in their locale. To our knowledge, the university does not recruit specifically for TRS, and we have no data to indicate how many potential-TRS-major applicants actually matriculate at JCU versus elsewhere, so the remarks in this section should be taken as tentative.

1. Xavier University As the other Jesuit school in Ohio, it seems likely that students from NE Ohio (and Ohio generally) would consider Xavier if they are considering JCU. Xavier has 20 full-time faculty in their Department of Theology, including two visitors, two Jesuits, and six women. The website also lists 12 part-time faculty (adjuncts) and two professors emeriti.

2. Canisius College Students who are looking for a Jesuit school in this five-state region likely would consider Canisius as another option. JCU does recruit in western New York state, so again Canisius would be an option for that demographic. Canisius currently has 10 full-time faculty in their Department of Religious Studies, including three (elderly) Jesuits and two women.

3. Loyola University Maryland JCU has been recruiting on the eastern seaboard, particularly in the area near Baltimore and Washington, DC. Loyola Baltimore is the Jesuit school in that vicinity. LUM’s Department of Theology has 14 full-time faculty (including 1 visitor, 2 Jesuits, and 2 women) plus one faculty-director of their MTS program.

Summary: The position of JCU’s TRS department in comparison to these three similar institutions highlights the critical need for additional full-time TRS faculty. Xavier’s department includes 2.5 times as many full-time faculty as ours. Even if we exclude that comparator as an outlier, Canisius and LUM have departments 25% and 75% larger, respectively. Our ideal projected size of 12 full-time faculty would put us squarely at the midpoint between these two comparable departments

B. BEST PRACTICES

1. Balancing Religious Studies and Theology Maintaining the balance between religious studies and theology has been a distinctive strength of the department, but it is going to be difficult to maintain, particularly with future faculty hires uncertain. We have tried to plan future hires so that positions relating more broadly to religious studies stay in balance with those more directly related to theological concerns (e.g., Catholic theology, church history, Ignatian spirituality).

2. Leadership as Scholar-Teachers The department historically has maintained a reputation for scholarly excellence, and we work hard at being effective teacher-scholars. Some of us engage in the scholarship of teaching as well as other areas of research. Yet we recognize that we can continue to develop into better teachers, and particularly would like to improve our efforts to incorporate more undergraduate research.

C. UNIQUE FEATURES

1. Synergy of Endowed Chairs The number of endowed chairs in the department is unique and the development of a collaborative and integrated planning process for programming provided by the chairs could itself be a model for best practices. The funding available from the combination of endowments provides significant resources for special programming and engaged learning initiatives.

2. ISI Model of Ministry Education The Ignatian Spirituality Institute provides an ideal model for ministry education and formation. There may be aspects of this program that would be suitably adapted to other aspects of our TRS program—or other academic programs at JCU.

VIII. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How can we develop an improved TRS 101 course that incorporates more high-impact, engaged learning strategies (like project-based learning) and balances “theology” and “religious studies”?

2. What would be some ways to improve our teaching strategies, and particularly to foster faculty and student research collaborations (e.g., as we have done with the ASIANetwork projects and the EGLBS regional meetings)?

3. How might we do more effective recruitment for the undergraduate major and minor programs and for the graduate program?

4. What would be some basic steps we might take to better utilize our alumni base?

5. What else might we do to raise the profile of the department and its programs in the Cleveland area?

6. The Borromeo Institute is a program related to the department and yet significantly independent of TRS. The courses offered in this program nearly always duplicate ones offered on the main campus. How do other universities structure relationships (like this one) that involve connections with diocesan minor (or major) seminaries? Might there be a better model to use at JCU?

7. What are possible models for increasing the level of collaboration and integration among TRS and Catholic Studies programs?

8. We are undergoing a tremendous turnover among our full-time faculty in a very short period of time. Can you make any particular suggestions that we might keep in mind during this transitional and “staging” period?

REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS

APPENDICES A–L

john carroll university academic program...

Documents