Features of the Discipleship Stage
Philosophical studies coincide with the Discipleship Stage because of the human preparation needed to engage Philosophy well.
Philosophy is not a set of doctrines or facts, but an enterprise or activity of right reasoning about the ultimate causes, explanations, and principles of the world.
Properly pursued, Philosophy imparts confidence in the power of reason to investigate and discover truths about nature, the human person, ethical conduct, and God and his attributes. It explores and offers answers to the big questions: why is there something rather than nothing? What is change? What is the essence of the human person? What is the meaning of life? What must one do to live well? Is the world governed by chance, or is it determined? How does one account for evil?
Consequently, Philosophy forms the seminarian’s worldview, and it offers healing from the intellectual diseases that can surreptitiously infect the mind.
Although it is well worth pursuing in itself – no reasonable person can remain indifferent to the big questions – Philosophy is also indispensable to Theology, which consists in the rational investigation of the doctrines of faith. To think one’s way through Theology, one must first know how to think. Faith presupposes reason, even as grace presupposes nature (cf. PPF 279). Thus, together, “faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (John Paul II, Fides et Ratio).
The Philosophy Curriculum
Spanning two years, the philosophical curriculum proceeds through two overlapping and complementary tracks: historical and systematic.
The historical track surveys philosophical thought through time – ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary – offering the seminarian a perspective on how the conversation has developed; philosophers throughout the ages are in dialogue with one another.
Two semesters of history, moreover, place the philosophical conversation in the broader context of world events.
The systematic track employs the philosophical method (Logic) to reason from evident principles to conclusions through each of the philosophical sciences (Natural Philosophy, Philosophical Anthropology, Ethics, Metaphysics, Natural Theology, Epistemology, and Political Philosophy).
Here, the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas takes pride of place, since it admirably models both method and open engagement with divergent opinions. Following St. Thomas, the seminarian learns to distinguish in order to unite, such that his philosophical worldview becomes “balanced, comprehensive, integrated, and coherent” (PPF 311).
Seminarians in Discipleship I are required to study Latin, so that they may eventually enjoy Patristic and Medieval Latin texts in their original form. Latin is key to cultural literacy, since it offers access to the classical world from which modern society emerged, and it trains the mind to think logically, with attention to precision and detail (cf. PPF 311).
In the Spring semester of Discipleship II, seminarians participate in a synthetic Capstone, which reviews the curriculum through the prism of faith and reason, in preparation for theological studies.
Opportunities for electives on various special topics are also offered in Discipleship II.
The Philosophy Course Sequence
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | ||||
| Discipleship I | Ancient Philosophy | 3 | Medieval Philosophy | 3 | |
| Logic | 3 | Philosophical Anthropology | 3 | ||
| Philosophy of Nature | 3 | Ethics | 3 | ||
| History I | 3 | History II | 3 | ||
| Latin | 3 | Latin | 3 | ||
| Total | 15 | 15 | |||
| Discipleship II | Modern Philosophy | 3 | Contemporary Philosophy | 3 | |
| Metaphysics | 3 | Epistemology | 3 | ||
| Natural Theology | 3 | Political Philosophy | 3 | ||
| Elective 1 | 2 | Philosophy Capstone | 2 | ||
| Elective 2 | 2 | Elective 3 | 2 | ||
| Total | 13 | 13 |
Semester Class Schedule
Textbooks
Academic Policies
Course requirements for the Pre-Theology program are carried out in conjunction with Saint Louis University. Therefore, academic policies of Saint Louis University apply to all classes:
Grade Reports
Instructors of undergraduate courses must submit midterm grades for all students at the prescribed time and based on the work done at that point. Students may access their midterm (undergraduate students) and final grades via the MySLU.slu.edu, “Tools” tab, and then selecting Banner Self-Service.
Grading System
The Pre-theology program follows the same undergraduate grading system as Saint Louis University and Cardinal Glennon College.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Incomplete Grades
Final Examinations
Pre-Theology Academic Standards
Class Attendance. All seminarians are expected to attend regularly all classes, laboratory sessions and examinations as required by the individual instructor. It is expected that all pre-theologians will be exemplary in their attendance in classes. If an absence occurs, it is the student’s responsibility to make up the missed work. Except in cases of illness, no seminarian should excuse himself from any class without permission of the Director of Pre-Theology.
Professional behavior, attentiveness and participation by the seminarian are expected in the classroom. A seminarian who is disruptive, rude or inattentive in class is not only an embarrassment to himself, but also to his brother seminarians, and reflects poorly on his sending diocese. Absenteeism from class and unprofessional behavior are serious formational issues.
Academic Standing. A student is considered to be in good academic standing if he is not under academic suspension or probation. It is the expectation that all pre-theology students accepted into the program will be able to achieve a grade point average of 2.5 (C+) or better.
Any seminarian whose grade point average in the previous quarter falls below 2.5 will be placed on academic probation at the Seminary, wherein his study habits are monitored and non-academic activities are curtailed. If a student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 2.00, that student is not eligible for continuation at the seminary unless the Director of Pre-Theology grants probationary status.
Under ordinary circumstances, a seminarian who fails to earn a minimum of 2.00 grade point average for the semester will be asked to withdraw from the seminary. (Note that status at the Seminary and status as a student at Saint Louis University are distinct matters.)
If a student receives a grade of “C-“ in a philosophy course or grade of “F” in any other required course, that course must be repeated.
Academic or Disciplinary Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion. At a minimum, the Seminary will follow Saint Louis University’s policy on these matters.
In addition, a seminarian may be suspended from a course for academic or disciplinary misconduct. Examples of academic dishonesty would be copying from another student, copying from a book or class notes during a closed-book exam, submitting materials authored by or editorially revised by another person but presented as the student’s own work, copying a passage or text directly from a published source without appropriately citing or recognizing that source, taking a test or doing an assignment or other academic work for another student, tampering with another student’s work, securing or supplying in advance a copy of an examination without the knowledge or consent of the instructor, and colluding with another student or students to engage in an act of academic dishonesty, and making unauthorized use of technological devices in the completion of assignments or exams. All such violations will be investigated and adjudicated. If the charges are found to be true, the student may be liable for academic or disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion from the seminary, in addition to whatever penalties Saint Louis University may place.
A seminarian who is dismissed by Saint Louis University from an academic class for a lack of academic integrity may be recommended for dismissal from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.
