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Reading, Writing, and Reflection: The Ignatian Value of Reflection in the History Area of the Core Curriculum
Mentor: Lisa Close-Jacobs, Ph.D. (Biology)
New Mission
1. Goals
- To encourage students to reflect more carefully upon the reading and their writing.
- To encourage students to appreciate that the processes of reading and writing can form a fundamental part of their development as reflective individuals in the Jesuit tradition.
2. Background
- The Jesuit habit that has been most meaningful to me in my reading and conversations with my mentor, Lisa Close-Jacobs, is that of reflection.
- In the chapter "Jesuit 'Products' are Persons of Quality," William J. Byron, S.J., writes, "Reflective persons are not impulsive; they are not necessarily indecisive... but they are measured and deliberate in their approach to decision making."
- In terms of student development, I view reflection to mean the ability to sit back, consider carefully what one has read, re-read with a new perspective, write with discernment and purpose, and re-write with the aim of achieving a more perfect, sharper piece of communication.
- In other words, I would like to encourage students to view reading and writing as a constant conversation in which the end product is not a grade, but a better understanding of 1) the human experience in history and 2) how to communicate more effectively about history.
Born of a Disabled Body: The Ignatian Body and Its Role in Jesuit Education
Dennis J. Frost, Ph.D.
Mentor: Sarah Melcher, Ph.D. (Theology)
In Fall of 2008, I entered the Ignatian Mentoring Program with limited knowledge of Ignatian texts thinking that Ignatius' experiences with injury and illness might offer some interesting perspectives on my studies of disability. After reading John W. O'Malley's The First Jesuits, my mentor, Sarah Melcher, and I turned our attention to Ignatius' Reminiscences. As we read and discussed this autobiographical account, it quickly became apparent that Ignatius had a great deal to say about the body. This initial encounter with Ignatius' works, which I owe to Sarah, led me to examine other early Ignatian texts with the goal of understanding how Ignatius addressed the body and what that might mean for someone teaching at a Jesuit university. Ignatius' references to the body were often complex--at times even contradictory--and his views and approaches to the body clearly evolved over the course of his life. In the end, however, I concluded that highlighting the ways in which Ignatius addressed the body in his writings could offer several insights for those of us teaching, researching, and working at Xavier today. What follows are several brief examples drawn from key Ignatian texts and my reflections on how an appreciation of what I call the "Ignatian Body" might inform approaches to Jesuit education on both a personal and an institutional level.
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European History (History 134)
David Mengel, Ph.D.
Mentor: Ed Cueva, Ph.D. (Classics)
Course
History 134: European History II (2 sections, 30 students each), Spring 2005
This course provides a survey of European History from 1500 to the Second World War. Special attention is given to the integration of primary source documents.
In light of my participation in the Ignatian mentoring program, I made the following changes to the course. I intend to include the same additions in future semesters, making minor improvements based on my experience this year.
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The Study of History and the Principles of Jesuit Education
S. Paul O'Hara, Ph.D.
Mentor: Ed Cueva, Ph.D. (Classics)
The spiritual exercises as created by Ignatius Loyola determine not only the core values of the Jesuits but also the educational principles and pedagogy of a Jesuit institution. In his discussion of the influences of the spiritual exercises of Jesuit education, President Graham suggested six different dimensions of the educational enterprise of a Jesuit college. A Jesuit education, he says, "must be holistic and integrated must be exacting but adaptable, must be reflective, must be ongoing, must be practical but located in a broad horizon, must be finally ordered to something greater." The study of history is not only the systematic examination of the significant events, people, and ideas that have shaped human societies but it also demands the kind of academic rigor, intellectual reflection, exacting rigor, and systematic order that the spiritual exercises suggest.
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Cura personalis, magis, and choice
Marita (Miti) von Weissenberg, PhD
Mentor: Michelle Brady, PhD (Philosophy)
Introduction
I began my Ignatian Mentorship year unsure how to articulate what I wanted out of it. I knew I wanted to know more about Jesuit pedagogy, to be a better teacher, and increase my ability to contribute to my community as an educator and colleague in the spirit of Ignatius Loyola. But what would that mean? Or what could it mean? At my first meeting with my mentor Michelle Brady, we chatted to get an idea of how to proceed in a way that would be most useful for me. It quickly became evident that my professional concerns circled around balancing teaching and research, and my concern of not getting enough work in on my book. We agreed to use the year of mentorship to focus on my research. I also decided to steer away from my instinct as a historian to read long historical and pedagogical texts - instead I have focused on resources made available through Xavier.
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