Strategic Goals
Integrating the Center into the thought and life
of the University
The Center embodies the University’s Mission Statement of what it means to be a Catholic University in the Spiritan tradition. This Mission Statement must be actualized in the teaching, curricular program, faculty development program, research agenda, and service program of the University. The goal of the Center is to integrate itself into the thought and life of the University, by reaching into its very heart, affecting administration, faculty, staff, and students.
Conferences and Lectures
Conferences and Lectures Co-Sponsored with various Schools, Departments, and Centers in the University
The Center will co-sponsor conferences and lectures with various Schools, Departments, and Centers in the University, which engage Catholic Social Thought with contemporary social issues related to various fields of academic expertise.
Paluse Lecture Series
Grant recipients of the Paluse Faculty Research Awards will present their completed research papers in the Paluse Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for the Study of Catholic Thought.
Charles Owen Rice Endowed Leadership in Catholic Social Thought Lecture Series
The Center will sponsor the annual Charles Owen Rice Endowed Leadership in Catholic Social Thought Lecture Series where distinguished scholars will be invited to speak on social issues from the perspective of Catholic Social Thought.
Program of Study of Catholic Social Thought
Faculty will engage in a study and discourse on Catholic Social Thought as an ethical resource for their teaching, research, and scholarship. The objective is to address social issues, through the dialogue of Catholic Social Thought and of human sciences, which aims at raising critical consciousness and inspiring greater social commitment. Administration and Staff are also invited to attend this program.
Research and Scholarship
Fr. Richard V. Paluse Mission-Related Research Award
Up to four grants of $5,000 will be awarded annually in support of the mission of the Center in fostering study of social issues which are consistent with the ethos of Catholic Social Thought from various perspectives of academic expertise.
Fellowship Program
The creation of a Fellowship Program which will sponsor scholars who will enrich and widen the discourse on Social Catholic Thought in the University through their research, lectures, and conferences during their year of Fellowship.
Integration with the Service Learning Program and the DUV Program
Through the pedagogy of service learning that combines academic instruction, meaningful service, and critical reflection, students are given an opportunity to engage community audiences affected by social, economic, and environmental injustice, and to ultimately use their new newly acquired knowledge and skills to be of service to these audiences. As students navigate these experiences, it becomes imperative that they are brought into contact with the core ethical principles of Catholic Social Thought to ground the intersection of their service orientation, social responsibility, and academic study.
What is envisioned is the integration of Catholic Social Thought into the academic framework of the service learning program to shape critical academic reflection on issues of social justice.
Also envisioned is the integration of Catholic Social Thought into the Duquesne Volunteer Program which creates valuable volunteer opportunities for students who seek to make a difference in the lives of many who are in need. By coming into contact with Catholic Social Thought, the students enter into a religio-ethical tradition in which their Duquesne education is rooted, and make it their own, thus creating a larger meaning to their call to be catalysts of change and leavens of social transformation.
Expanding the role of Duquesne University as a public forum for social issues in pursuit of its commitment to social justice
The Center seeks to expand the role of Duquesne University as a public forum for social issues, especially those that affect the poorest and most vulnerable in society, with the aim of shaping attitudes and values, informed and inspired by Catholic Social Thought, which will hopefully translate into ripples of social change and transformation.
Forum for Social Issues
Engaging the participation of academe, advocacy groups, civil groups, government, business, religious and church groups, and all concerned citizens in addressing social issues, the Center creates a public forum in line with the University’s commitment to social justice.
Networking with Other Institutions
The Center establishes links with other institutions with similar vision and goals as the Center. It aligns with groups and associations which promote in particular Catholic Social Thought.
Participation in National and International Conferences
The Center, through its Director, participates in national and international conferences by being part of the core planning group, convening sessions, and conducting workshops.
Building of resources for research and scholarship
In its location in the university context as a locus for the search for the truth, the Center builds its resources for research and scholarship. It creates a resource for intellectual work which entails study, conversation, and discourse on issues that affect our deeply interdependent public life, drawing from the rich tradition of Catholic Social Thought.
Annotated Selected Bibliography
An annotated selected bibliography of books and articles on Catholic Social Thought and related issues is available through the Center’s website and will be continually updated.
Library
A library of books on Catholic Social Thought and related issues is available for review in the Center at 300 Fisher Hall.
Research Links
A list of research links on Catholic Social Thought and related issues will be available through the Center’s website and will be continually updated.
Annotated Films and Audio-Visual Materials
An annotated list of films and other audio-visual materials with social issue themes will be created.
Center’s Archive
Documentation of activities, programs and events will be archived and made available on the Center’s website.
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