Catholic Studies Minor

The Catholic Studies Program is an academic unit in the College. Catholic Studies engage the Catholic intellectual and cultural tradition in interdisciplinary ways. They take Catholicism as both an object of study and a lens through which to view the world. Catholicism, as the object of scholarly inquiry and analysis, encompasses ideas, cultures, peoples, and organizations. Catholicism, as a lens through which to view the world, offers tools of analysis and critique. Not only is Catholic theology essential to the Program in its interdisciplinary outlook, but Catholic Studies also draw deeply from disciplines in the Humanities, Social Sciences, the Fine and Performing Arts, the Mathematical, Physical, and the Life Sciences, and Medical Sciences. As a result, the Program embraces faculty and courses in departments across the college of arts and sciences and beyond, and the students who participate in the Program enrich it with their diverse intellectual interests and expertise as well as religious backgrounds and commitments.

Please direct all questions or inquiries to the Catholic Studies Program Director, Fr. Ryan Maher, SJ, at catholicstudies@georgetown.edu.

Requirements for the Minor 

All students wishing to minor in Catholic Studies must complete six courses (18 credit hours), including 1 Gateway Seminar, CATH 1120-1129 (3 hours); 1 THEO course on Catholic Theology x-listed CATH (3 hours); and 4 additional courses CATH or x-listed CATH in other departments (12 hours). No more than two of these four may come from the same department/unit (i.e., no more than 6 hours of the 12). At least two of these four must be “upper-level” by the guidelines of the particular department/unit. One course may be taken abroad for the minor (with prior approval). Transfer students can have prior coursework reviewed for the minor on a case by case basis. At least half (3 courses) of the minor must be completed at Georgetown.