(10 Courses)

Vincentian Social Justice

VSJ 100 Vincentian Social Justice

First-year seminars introduce students to college-level learning in the context of Niagara University's Catholic and Vincentian tradition, which advocates for truth and the life and dignity of the human person. Faculty engage students in a collaborative inquiry into multiple areas of diversity. Students are asked to go beyond the surface to uncover deep causes and effects of inequity and to think rigorously about issues of diversity and difference. Students sharpen their academic skills in research, writing, and oral communication while learning some of the core principles that guide the Catholic search for justice.

Writing and Thinking

WRT 100 Writing and Rhetoric

This course introduces students to the reading and writing practices that characterize intellectual work in the university. Students are challenged to explore issues of interest and consequence, considering the perspectives of readers as well as their own. This course adopts a process approach to writing in a variety of academic genres., emphasizing pre-writing, researching, composing, revising, and editing, as it prepares students for success at Niagara University and beyond.

Literary Perspectives

ENG 110 Literary Perspectives

These special topics courses allow students to concentrate on a significant author, topic, genre, medium, period, or movement set against contextualizing backdrops of literary, cultural, political, and/or historical change. Students write extensively in this course, arguing for their own interpretations, and applying critical theoretical approaches used by literary scholars. Assigned literary works are diverse and multicultural.

Religious Studies

The religious studies program at Niagara is designed to assist students to understand the religious dimension of human life as it influences persons, cultures and the world. The goals include development of an understanding of the Judeo/Christian tradition in the spirit of the Catholic and Vincentian heritage of the university. This is accomplished through the exploration of unity and diversity in the dialogue between Christianity and the world religions by study of sacred texts, beliefs, symbols, rituals and communities. The program also explores how religion entails an ethical response to the personal, social, cultural and political problems of our time.

America and the Contemporary World

HIS 199 USA in Contemp World

Interpretive overview of developments affecting America and Americans during the turbulent years since World War II. Examines the nation’s rise as a global superpower, the expanding role of government, and related political, economic, scientific, social and cultural developments. Provides perspective on our future by evaluating the impact of developments on fundamental American values.

Philosophy

Philosophy pursues wisdom. It is concerned with the ultimate causes of the universe and human existence, together with a practical understanding of how we ought to live in that universe. The university considers a unified vision of humanity and the universe as fundamental to a Niagara education. To acquire the basic philosophical knowledge leading to this unified vision, all Niagara students are required to take: