Purpose

The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts program at Sacred Heart Major Seminary is to provide an undergraduate liberal arts degree in a four-year format with a major in philosophy or pastoral theology.

Goals

1. That students develop the habit of using and integrating faith and reason.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will articulate in writing or orally the distinction and the relationship of faith and reason.

2. That students acquire a range of knowledge of human culture and civilization.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to carry out measurements, solve problems, and make calculations in order to understand the findings and functions of natural science.
   • Learning Outcome: Students in music appreciation courses will be able to identify key movements, composers, and music concepts, especially sacred music.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to summarize an excerpt from a Latin text and translate a short passage.
   • Students will be able to describe an important historical event and explore its historical and modern significance.
      
3. That students communicate effectively in oral and written form.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to produce an essay which demonstrates sound rhetorical practice, organization, and mechanics, and is appropriate to higher education.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to make a clear, effective oral presentation on a topic.

4. That students have the ability to make critical evaluations within the context of various disciplines.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate the ability to draw valid conclusions.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to infer meaning, identify key ideas, and recognize rhetorical devices in a text.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate in writing an effective critical evaluation of a topic.

Philosophy Major Goal 

That students acquire knowledge of both the historical and systematic aspects of the Western philosophical tradition, particularly, though not exclusively, the tradition of Thomism.

• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to articulate basic distinctions about God and the
  world and articulate the human capacity to engage reason.
• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to explain a basic understanding about the composite of body and soul in the human person.
• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to describe the formation of the Summa
  Theologica and explain the individual structure of the articles and the overall architecture of the work.
• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to reference pertinent concepts in the Summa
  Theologica and apply the concepts to a philosophical problem or question.

Pastoral Theology Major Goal 

That students acquire knowledge of both historical and systematic aspects of Catholic doctrine and its application in ministry.

• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to define and explain orally at least two basic truths in each of the areas of theological foundations, spirituality, moral theology, ecclesiology, Sacred Scripture, and liturgy and sacraments.
• Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate knowledge of Catholic doctrine.