JesuitSpeak

 

Ratio Studiorum

Plan of Studies

 Some of you might have heard rumblings relating to Gonzaga’s ongoing evaluation of the University Core.  This type of evaluation is a healthy practice for any institution, particularly one characterized by structure and flexibility.  Gonzaga’s Core is not an end in itself, but a means to the service of God and others.  Gonzaga is not solely focused on the competency or qualifications of our students; rather we are as interested in the development of our students, who are sent out into the world as socially recognizable persons for others. In the words of a former Father General of the Society of Jesus, Peter Hans Kolvenbach, our alumni should be recognizable “by their commitment to the service of fundamental Christian and human values; to be mature personalities, rich in kindness, and anxious to commit themselves to the cause of true justice or to the generous service of the people of God.” 

How do we form these students?  Through Gonzaga’s Liberal Arts Core.

The definitive form of the Ratio was published in 1599, roughly 60 years after the founding of the Society of Jesus.  It was a handbook (as opposed to a rule book) of practical directives for teachers and administrators; a primer of Ignatian pedagogy or style of teaching.  The Ratio was addressed to Jesuits and therefore  Ad Magorem dei Gloriam its assumed focus. (see JesuitSpeak II)  The Ratio’s publication gave birth to the first real school system in the Western World.  Today there are almost 2.5 million students in Jesuit schools around the world.  While many directives within the Ratio are no longer relevant to Jesuit schools today, the spirit in which it thrives continues in our evaluation of the Core.

http://www.gonzaga.edu/About/Mission/University-Ministry/default.asp