About the Department of Theology and Religious Studies
In keeping with the University of Dayton's Catholic and Marianist identity, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies is committed to the education of the whole person so that learning can be integrated into the daily life, service activities, faith and community building. This can be achieved through both our curricular and extracurricular activities.
Accreditation
The Department of Theology and Religious Studies is currently seeking accreditation with the Association of Theological Schools.
Mission Statement
The Department of Theology and Religious Studies is a community of faculty, staff, and students which serves the academic mission of the University of Dayton and gives witness to the University’s distinctive Catholic and Marianist identity.
The Department seeks to embody in its programs of study, its policies and procedures, and its daily practice, the University’s Catholic commitments to “the common search for truth, to the dignity of the human person, and to the sacramental nature of creation.” (Characteristics of Marianist Universities, 13) As a department at a Marianist university, it seeks to embody the distinctive Marianist charisms of community, formation in faith, integration of liberal arts and professional education, advocacy for peace and justice, and critical examination of the signs of the times (CMU, 16).
The Department is home to scholars whose “common search for truth” comprises many different disciplines and methods. As a department at a Catholic university, theological inquiry, which includes “the continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growing treasury of human knowledge” (Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 13), serves an essential role. Moreover, the Department also values and promotes scholarly inquiry into religion–using theological, cultural, historical, ethical, sociological and other methods–not dependent on specifically Catholic theological methods and norms. The scholars in the Department aim to conduct their particular forms of inquiry in a mutually challenging and interdisciplinary conversation.
In this spirit, the Department intends to:
- create nationally and internationally recognized scholarship in multiple forms of inquiry;
- form new generations of scholars, teachers, and ministers for service to Church, academy, and society through its nationally and internationally recognized doctoral programs in Theology and masters programs in Theology and Pastoral Ministry;
- introduce new generations of students to the interdisciplinary fields of Religious Studies and Theology through its rigorous undergraduate major, minor, and certificate programs;
- introduce new generations of students to the interdisciplinary fields of Religious Studies and Theology through its participation in Humanities and Liberal Arts education;
- support faculty, staff, and students as they bring their work in Religious Studies and Theology into dialogue with and service to the University, to local communities, to local religious organizations, and to national and international organizations.