Catholic Social Teaching Conference

Please note that the event has been postponed. An alternative date will be announced shortly.

Catholic Social Teaching is the tradition of thought in which the Church seeks to advance justice in the world by engaging social, cultural, political and economic realities in our day. Thus, CST is both fitting and essential to the mission of Catholic higher education, particularly in the education and formation of its students.

To that end, CST can be a powerful tool in preparing students for the ethical and moral dimensions of professional practice and good citizenship. Many Catholic institutions of higher education strive to incorporate CST across the curriculum. While this can be a challenging responsibility, it can be done in a manner consistent with the educational and accreditation standards of each academic discipline.

The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies (IPR) at the Catholic University of America (CUA) invite faculty from all disciplines to attend our conference this spring, and share learning modules on how to integrate Catholic Social Teaching in their classrooms.

The conference will be held on Friday, May 20, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Participants may be able to stay at the Theological College located across the street from CUA.

Call for Proposals

Faculty are invited to submit an outline of a Learning Module that you are currently using or plan to use in one of your courses. Format of the Learning Module is as follows:

• Title of the Learning Module
• Curriculum Content Area: Indicate the course in which the learning module takes place, and where the course is located in the curricula (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, core course, elective)
• Materials: Identify the reading materials students need to review to enhance their learning. Indicate any additional materials that would be useful to the instructor.
• Overview and Context (1 paragraph): Provide an overview of the learning module, and the context in which it is expected to be presented (early stages of a peacemaking course or class on Human Rights).
• Prerequisites: Indicate any coursework or other prerequisites for this Learning Module.
• Lesson Plan/Assignment/Activity (1-2 pages): Provide the learning objectives and detailed instructions for how an instructor will carry out the learning module, including the time-frame for the activity. At least one of the learning objectives should be related to cultivating a deeper understanding of one or more of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Participating faculty will be grouped by academic discipline to share and get feedback on their materials.

Submissions should be sent to Linda Plitt Donaldson, donaldson@cua.edu by April 1, 2016.  For more information, please see the ACCU website.