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The Saint Ignatius Institute (SII) is an undergraduate program at the University of San Francisco (USF), a private university operated by the California Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) in San Francisco, California.〔(University of San Francisco (USF) - USF Fact Book and Almanac )〕 The SII offers a four-year, Great Books program as an alternative method for students to fulfill USF's undergraduate core curriculum requirements. From its inception in 1976, the SII has granted its Certificate of Liberal Arts to approximately 1,000 students.〔J. Schall, S.J., ("The St. Ignatius Institute" ), ''National Catholic Register'' (January 20, 2001)〕 During its first quarter century, the SII generated both controversy and accolades due to its traditional, classical approach to education and its orthodox theological stance within a larger, more liberal Jesuit institution. == Founding and Great Books curriculum == In 1976 a group of educators〔The group included John Galten, Fr Francis P. Filice, the Rev. Brian Mullady, OP, et al.〕 founded what their leader, the Rev. Joseph Fessio, S.J., called, "a completely integrated liberal arts program in the Jesuit tradition."〔Cornelius M. Buckley, "The Saint Ignatius Institute: A Traditional Catholic College," in ''America'', March 25, 1978.〕 Fessio founded the SII in reaction to curriculum changes at the university which he saw as a departure from the traditional Jesuit approach to education.〔Cornelius M. Buckley, ''Ibid''; ''See also:'' comments by SII Director, Thomas O'Neill, S.J., in Todd Wouters,("A Changing Environment at USF forces Jesuits to Redefine Their Educational Mission," ) ''San Francisco Foghorn'' (Oct. 26, 2006)〕 The four-year-long sequence of studies in the liberal arts was designed to follow a method of seminars and lectures based on the students' reading of the Great Books of the Western World, in a roughly historical order.〔("Institute and University Move Forward Together," ) ''USF News'' 10:8 (Apr. 11, 2001]: "The 25-year-old St. Ignatius Institute, with 150 students currently enrolled, is a unique Great Books program rooted in the Catholic tradition. Courses are taught by College of Arts and Sciences faculty through seminars with accompanying lecture courses, organized in historical sequence, in literature, philosophy, and theology."〕 The reading list mostly resembled those at other undergraduate colleges offering Great Books programs such as St. John's College〔(St. John's College )〕 in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and at Thomas Aquinas College,〔(Thomas Aquinas College )〕 in Santa Paula, California. SII students would read and discuss the same works from the official reading list of Great Books authors chosen for their impact on the intellectual life of Western Civilization, regardless of the creed or philosophy of the authors. For instance, in their first semester, freshmen read works by Ancient Greek and Semitic pagans, including Homer, Aristophanes, Sappho, and the ''Epic of Gilgamesh''.〔''St. Ignatius Institute Prospectus''(1984)〕 At the same time, the SII also drew upon and emphasized Roman Catholic contributions to the Western tradition, as represented by such Catholic authors as the early Church Fathers, St. Augustine, Boethius, St. Thomas Aquinas, Dante, Chaucer, Cervantes, as well as more recent Catholic thinkers like John Henry Newman, G. K. Chesterton, and the fathers of the Second Vatican Council. Like Thomas Aquinas College, the SII espoused academic freedom by not limiting admissions to applicants of any religious or philosophical belief.〔As a program within the University of San Francisco, the SII followed the University's non-discrimination policy, as stated in the official USF catalog: "The University of San Francisco admits students of any race, religion, sex, color, handicap, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, national and/or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarships...." in ''University of San Francisco 1984-85 Catalog'', p. 7〕 Students tended to be Catholic, but some non-Catholics became students and faculty members.〔"SI Institute: Complex Tapestry," ''USF Monday Bulletin'' (Dec. 7, 1987): "Most of the 157 students are Catholic; fewer than 10 percent are not."〕 Unlike some other institutions with Great Books curricula, the SII operates within a larger university and does not constitute an alternative to the obligatory major that USF students declare before graduation. The original program was strong in the humanities (languages, literature, composition (language), philosophy, theology) but had a weaker offering in mathematics and the natural sciences.〔"St. Ignatius Institute," in ''The University of San Francisco Catalogue, 1984''〕 Students who fulfilled the requirements of the SII were awarded a Certificate in the Liberal Arts, by which USF and the SII certified that the student had achieved USF's general education requirements toward an undergraduate degree.〔("Institute and University Move Forward Together," ), ''USF News'' 10:8 (Apr. 11, 2001)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「St. Ignatius Institute」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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