Promoting Literacy at the Interface of Theology and the Sciences

This purpose of this pilot grant is fourfold: (1) to introduce teachers in Catholic high schools to the dialogue between theology and the natural sciences; (2) to assist them in incorporating that material into their existing courses (or create new courses); (3) to evaluate the results, and (4) to develop model courses for nationwide dissemination. We will do this through intensive, five-day seminars for up to 70 teachers during each summer of 2014 and 2015. The seminars will be hybrid versions of on-campus seminars held simultaneously with live, web-based seminars so teachers from afar can participate from home. We will also develop a website and chat room to facilitate communication and interaction between high school teachers and scholars in colleges and universities. Catholic schools constitute the largest private educational system in America and a large potential audience for this program (1,205 high schools with 590,883 students). We firmly believe the ideal education system should stimulate wonder and foster inquiry into the mysteries of the world—both the natural and spiritual dimensions of reality—and this should be institutionalized in the entire school system. Unfortunately, the academic and the spiritual have too often been relegated to separate spheres, even within Catholic schools. Our educational program will begin to rectify that. We have developed this program within the context of the Church’s 2,000-year tradition of intellectual and spiritual reflection. The Church encompasses numerous cultures, languages, and philosophical traditions, attempting to integrate them into a whole. Development of its intellectual/theological tradition occurs slowly and discerningly, growing organically out of the historical tradition even while incorporating new scientific and philosophical insights into its theology. Consequently, the seminars will bring appropriate elements of the tradition into dialogue with modern scientific research.