The courses are held each day, June 23 through June 27, and are each worth three credit hours. Courses can be taken for graduate, undergraduate or CEU credit, as well as audited.
Learn about course fees and financial aid available.
Morning Courses
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Keynote noon-1 p.m.
“A land where you can eat”
Sustainable Foodways & Christian Spirituality JCG 266/RPS 566
Kate Lassister, Ph.D.
This course examines food production, distribution, and consumption using practical theological method. Students develop a spirituality of just food, paying special attention to social structures and individual choices that promote and/or inhibit sustainable foodways.
Spirituality and Wellness
REL 206/RPS 506
Mary Bookser, SC
Judeo-Christian spirituality is incarnational at its core. In the book of Genesis, God “walks in the garden” to encounter the first humans. Moses first meets God in a bush and his people are freed through natural plagues and physical death. The prophets see God’s hand in the political-social-economic events of the day and call people to live justly through it all. Jesus Christ is born as a human being to show us that the kingdom of god is among us in the here and now. In this spirituality, God enters the “natural world” to show us how to live as whole, healthy, fully conscious humans, through the exercising of freedom of choice — our “Free Will” — in accord with the Divine.
Literature, Nature & Environment
ENG 165
Karl Zuelke, Ph.D.
In this course, students will examine works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction that demonstrate ways literary artists envision and critique the relationship of humankind with the natural world. The emphasis will be on contemporary work influenced by the rise of the environmentalist movement begun in the 1960s, but the context of this recent work will be established through an introductory study of selected essays and poems by the British Romantics and the American Transcendentalists. Topics to be discussed will include ecology, political and social responses to ecological crisis, and ecofeminism.
Afternoon Courses
noon–3:30 p.m., Monday–Friday
Healing and Loving Creation
An Ecological Spirituality for Our Time JCG 267/IDS 271/RPS 567
Marge Kloos, SC, D.Min.
Discipleship in our modern world increasingly necessitates an ecological commitment to embrace a green lifestyle. God’s fidelity to “renew the face of Earth” as a planet of peace and compassion inspires new ways of thinking about and responding to the dignity of all creation. We will consider the contemplative encounter with God in nature that compels us to embrace our potential as co-creators, loving and healing Earth.
Bringing About a Sustainable Reign of God
JCG/RPS 268/RPS 568
Tim Darst
This course explores why we are called to live more sustainably and gives practical ways to live that are more in keeping with Gospel teaching. We will look at the signs of times in which we are now living and apply Jesus’ message of love and compassion towards all of God’s creation. We will also look at ways in which we can spread this message to others.
Environmental Ethics
A Call to Conscience in a Time of Climate Change ETH:REL 269/RPS 569
Jean Lim
In a time when the adverse effects of anthropogenic climate change are beginning to be felt, this course will examine how to respond to a call to conscience from a Catholic theological perspective. We will explore the principles of faith and reason and the resources of the Catholic tradition regarding stewardship, the common good, and the option for the poor and vulnerable as they relate to climate change. In analyzing contemporary environmental problems, we will engage in dialogue in order to seek personal and social courses of action to care for creation.
Course Fees
Undergraduate: $500/credit hour
Graduate: $565/credit hour
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
$120/credit hour
$360/ 3-credit hour course (a 3-credit hour course is worth 15 clock hours)
Audit
$50/course for Mount alumni
$150/course for general public
Keynote and Guest Lectures
Free and open to the public
*Rates are subject to change
Financial Aid/Ministry Tuition Grant
Financial aid is available to all students enrolled at the Mount, with priority given to those demonstrating financial need. Any student requesting financial aid must complete a FAFSA form; the Mount’s code is 003033.
A special grant is available to any student enrolled in the graduate program in spiritual and pastoral care who is a paid or volunteer minister serving in a congregation, hospital, health care facility, social service agency, diocese or educational institution. This Mount St. Joseph University Ministry Tuition Grant reduces tuition during the summer semester to $315 per credit hour, and tuition in all other semester to $365 per credit hour. Verification of employment/volunteer service and submission of a FAFSA form are required.
The Sisters of Charity Scholarships for Women in Graduate Education and Religious and Pastoral Studies are available to female students who plan to enroll for 12 credit hours and who demonstrate financial need. Visit www.msj.edu/financial-aid for the most current information.
Housing
Housing in the air-conditioned residence hall is available for Institute participants.
Register
For more information, or to register please call Kathleen Owns at 513-244-4496 or e-mail her at kathleen.owens@msj.edu.
Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted, or make checks payable to Mount St. Joseph University.