American Catholic Studies is an interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate program, which trains academically talented undergraduates, as lay and clerical Catholic leaders of the future, in the rich multi-disciplinary reality of Catholic thought and The Curran Center works closely with the Office of Prestigious Fellowships in preparing these students for post-baccalaureate scholarships and fellowships.

Program Description
The six-course certificate program begins with a seminar in the junior year co-convened by Dr. Mark Massa, S.J., and Dr. James Fisher, Ph.D., co-directors of The Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies. After this introductory seminar, an individualized course of study is crafted for each student in consultation with the directors of the undergraduate program. These courses are selected from offerings in several disciplines. In addition to their interdisciplinary study of American Catholic traditions, all students are expected to participate in six hours of community service each week.

Among the courses credited toward the certificate program have been:

CARU 3250 Contemporary, Catholic Fiction
CARU 3251 Labor, Leisure, and God
CARU3350 American Catholic Poetry
CARU3355 American Catholic Novel
CARU3359 American Catholic Women Writers
CARU 3450 The Catholic Metropolis
CARU 3975 Catholic Across Cultures
CARU3981 Catholic Studies Seminar I
CARU3982 Catholic Studies Seminar II
AARG 3150 Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean
AARP 3130 Racial and Ethnic Conflict
AARU 3151 Caribbean Immigrants in the U.S.
AHRG 2255 Latin American Art
CMRU 3425 History of Film 1950-Present
ENRU 4089 Seminar Merton and O'Connor
ENRV 4129 Four Modern Catholic Writers
HSGA 5945 Race, Ethnicity & Americanism
HSLU 3260 Medieval Ireland to 1691
HSRG 1400 Introduction to Latin American History
HSRP 3755 Ethnic America
HSRU 3965 Colonial Latin America
HSRU 3968 Mexico (delete)
HSRU 4800 New York People and Communities
LLLU 3314 Literature of the Encounter
MLRU 3015 Latin American/Latino Cultures
PHRU 3301 Problem of God
PHRU 3557 Confessions of Augustine
PHRU 3730 American Philosophy
PHRU 3870 Critical Social Theory
POLG 3560 Religion and Politics in the Caribbean (delete)
PORU 3221 Law on Religion and Morals
PORU 3440 Gender Politics and the Christian Tradition
PORU 4200 Seminar: American Public Policy
PORU 4250 Seminar Urban Public Policy
RSEP 3995 Religion and American Self
RSLV 3455 Theologies of Liberation
RSRG 3412 Theology of Liberation
RSRP 3281 Religion in America
RSRP 3281 Religion in America
RSRP 3991 Catholics in American
RSRP 3995 Religion and the American Self
RSRU 3983 Faith and Economic Systems
RSRU 4008 Religion and Ecology
SOLP 3427 Hispanics in USA
SORP 3140 Old and New Minorities in the U.S.
SORU 3102 Contemporary Social Issues and Policies
SORU 3103 Questions of Conscience
TDLV 3300 Theater, Creativity and Values

Through the generosity of Shirley and Jonathan O’Herron, Jean and Albert Salvatico, Olga M. Ficarra, Edward I. O’Brien III and a scholarship endowment in memory of Martin Feeney, S.J., all students in the certificate program receive some financial aid for tuition.

Benefits:

• Targeted to academically talented undergraduates at Fordham — a 3.5 grade point average usually functions as the “bar” for acceptance into the certificate program — American Catholic Studies works closely with the Office of Prestigious Fellowships to prepare students for post-baccalaureate fellowships and scholarship programs.
• Students in the certificate program also work with the Office of Career Planning and Placement to prepare for application to graduate schools or to explore employment opportunities.
• As acceptance is limited to 12 to 15 students per class, careful attention is given to each student in crafting his or her plan of study and post-baccalaureate plans.
  • A number of courses credited toward the certificate program may fulfill requirements necessary for graduation