ANNOUNCEMENT 2016

10K SCIENCE COURSE GRANTS

JohnCarrollUniversityispleasedtoinvitepre-proposalsfromallUSRCseminariestodevelopsciencecoursesfortheirpre-theologyandcollegeprograms.Authorsofthemostpromisingpre-proposalswillbeaskedtopreparefullproposals.Grantsof$10,000in2installmentswillbegrantedto15fullproposals.Thefirstgrantof$5000willbeawardedonSeptember20,2016.ThesecondinstallmentwillbeawardedwhenthesciencecourseisscheduledintheacademiccalendaranddeliveredintheSpringorFallsemester2017,orSpringsemester2018.Alimitednumberof$4000grantswillbeawardedforcoursesthataretaughtagain.

FundingforthisimportantinitiativehasbeenmadepossiblebyagrantfromtheJohnTempletonFoundation.Checkoutourwebsiteatsemscience.orgformoreinformation.CALENDAR:May3,2016 -DeadlineforPre-ProposalsJune15,2016 -InvitationsforFullProposalswillbesentAugust22,2016 -DeadlineforFullProposalsSeptember20,2016 -$10KAwardswillbeannouncedA. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

OfficialChurchdocuments,especiallysincetheSecondVaticanCouncilasfoundinOptatamTotius(1965),GaudiumetSpes(1965),theRatioFundamentalisInsitutionisSacerdotalis(1985),PastoresDaboVobis(1992),andtheProgramofPriestlyFormation,5thed.(2006)–tosaynothingofthemanystatementsofPopeJohnPaulII,andmorerecentlyofPopeFrancis-stronglysuggestthatitistimetorecoverandreintegratethetraditionofteachingscientificliteracyintheintheseminaryintellectualformationprogram.Thisinitiativerespondstothevisionprovidedbythesedocumentsandanticipatesaclergypreparedtoengagethebiggerquestionsofsciencethatarefoundationalforeffectiveevangelizationinascientificandtechnologicalworld.

Toputitsimply,therewasatimewhenliteracymeantknowinghowtoreadandwrite.Now,beingliteratemeansknowingbasicscience–somethingmorethanhighschoollevel,andlessthanwhat’savailableonCSI,thepopularforensicsciencetelevisionshow.Wethinkthatistruernowthaneverbefore.

B. GOALS OF THIS INITIATIVE (We have 2). GOAL #1 – SCIENCE COURSES

Thefirstandprimarygoalofthiseffortistoeffectseminarycurriculuminawaythatisreasonable,challenging,andsustainablebyintroducingcoursesinscientificliteracyinpre-theologyandcollegeprogramsthatwillmakeameasurabledifferenceforseminariansintheirfuturetheologicalstudiesaswellasintheireventualpastoralministries.Thisproposalprovidesapaththatwillresultina“systemicchange”tocurrentCatholicseminaryformationbyhelpingseminariesachieveavisionthathasalreadybeensetforthembythemagisterium.Ascientificallyliteratepriest,conversantwiththescientificmethod,thephilosophyofscience,ageneralscientific

vocabulary,andafamiliaritywiththebasiccontentofthephysicalsciences,wouldbeabletoreadscientificarticleswithunderstanding,evaluateinformationwithasufficientknowledgebase,andengageindialogueonsciencetopicswithincreasinglyinformedcongregations.Thegoalisnottomakeseminariansintoscientistsbutrathertoprovideachallenging,increasinglynecessary,rewardingandverydo-ableefforttowardsscientificliteracy.

GOAL #2 - FACULTY DEVELOPMENT IN SCIENTIFIC LITERACY

Awarethatonecoursealone,orevenseveralcourses,arenotenoughtopermeateseminaryculture,oursecondgoalistoenergizescientificliteracythroughouttheseminarycommunity.Fundingisavailableforfacultydevelopmenteventstoengagethebigquestions–andsmallerones–inscience.ForthePlanningTeamofthisinitiative,whatisimportantisthatthisinitiativeisnotregardedastheprovinceoftheone,orfew,whomaybeteachingasciencecourse.Tobecredibleasprovidersofscientificliteracytostudents,seminaryfacultymustthemselvespossessaglimmerofthemajestyofGod’screationinthenaturalworld.Thatglimmerheartensthesoulandmindoftheonewhobeholds.Itisalsocontagiousandtouchesthoseintheorbitofthebeholder.

C. FOR THE GOALS TO SUCCEED

Wewelcomeyourcreativityindevelopingscientificallyrigorous,pastorallyapplicablecoursesthatengagemindandspirit,thatinformandinspire,thatwillgenerateenthusiasmforfacultyandstudentconversationsaboutsciencethatdominatecurrentdiscoursesothatascientificallyliterateclergyisabletoservetheNewEvangelizationmoreeffectivelyinaworldwheretechnologyandscienceare“linguafranca.”

D. SCHEDULE OF FUNDING

PHASE I:

Ofthe$5000initialgrant,$2500isdesignatedforFacultyDevelopmentattheseminaryand$2500isintendedfortheindividualfacultymemberinhisorherpreparationforthecourse.

ApplicationfortheScienceCourseDevelopment&Faculty

“Dialoguebetweenfaithandsciencealsobelongstotheworkofevangelizationattheserviceofpeace.”

PopeFrancis,EvangelliGaudium

Developmentmaybefoundatsemscience.org.

Budget suggestions for Individual Faculty Preparation:

Thefacultypersonresponsiblefordevelopingasciencecourseisfreetobudgethis/herfundingtocoverexpensessuchas:

• Tocovertuitionforonlinecoursesorcoursestaughtonsiteatcollegesanduniversities.

• Totraveltoscienceconferencesatinstitutionsengagedinquestionsrelatedtoscienceandtheology.

• Totraveltoscientificexhibitsthathavecorrelationwiththematerialtobecoveredinthesciencecourseinpreparation.

• Toinvitescientiststotheseminaryforlectureswithseparatetimereservedtodiscussplansforthesciencecourseinpreparation.

• Torequestafullorpartialcoursereductionorreleasetimefromotherresponsibilitiesattheseminary.

• Topurchaseresources.• Other

Budget suggestions for Faculty Development:

Howfacultydevelopmentmighthappenisuptoeachindividualseminarytodecide.Onesizedoesnotfitall.Bywayofexample,wesuggest:

• Invitationtoaspeakertoleadafacultydevelopmentworkshopfollowedbydinner.Twiceasemester?Monthly?

• Afacultybookclub,ortwodifferentbookclubs,dependingonselections,eachwithdinnerorrefreshmentsandsnacks,with/withoutaguesttoleadtheconversation.Forexample:AnythingbyPaulDavies,JohnHaught,orJohnPolkinghorne.Or:“FarFromtheTree”byAndrewSolomon,“God’sHotel:ADoctor,aHospital,andaPilgrimagetotheHeartofMedicine”byVictoriaSweet,“TheMeaningofExistence”byEdwardO.Wilson,“TheEmperorofAllMaladies”bySiddharthaMukherjee,“TheOmnivore’sDilemma”byMichaelPollan.

• Afaculty‘scienceatthemovies’series:“Gravity,”“TheTheoryofEverything,”“ABeautifulMind,”“Awakenings,”and“InherittheWind,”and/orzillionsofothers.Withdinner,orwithrefreshmentsandsnacks,with/withoutaguesttoleadconversation.

• DinnerandconversationonscientificliteracyandtheNewEvangelizationwithinputfromaninformedspeakerwhocould,butneednotbe,amemberoftheseminaryfaculty.

• Fundsforfacultytraveltoanearbyuniversityorinstitutionfeaturingascientificexhibitorlecturer,on-linecourseorseminar.

• Other

ThePlanningTeamisflexibleandopentoallcreativeideas.Fortheteam

“Turningtotherelationshipbetweenreligionandscience…wehavebeguntotalktooneanotherondeeperlevelsthanbefore,andwithgreateropennesstowardsoneanother’sperspectives.Wehavebeguntosearchtogetherforamorethoroughunderstandingofoneanother’sdisciplines,withtheircompetenciesandtheirlimitations,andespeciallyforareasofcommonground.Indoingsowehaveuncoveredimportantquestionswhichconcernbothofus,andwhicharevitaltothelargerhumancommunitywebothserve.Itiscrucialthatthiscommonsearchbasedoncriticalopennessandinterchangeshouldnotonlycontinuebutalsogrowanddeepeninitsqualityandscope.”

FromaletterofPopeJohnPaulIItoReveredGeorgeV.Coyne,S.J.,DirectoroftheVaticanObservatory-June1,1998

whatisimportantisengagingthevalueofscienceattheseminary.

PHASE 2:

Thesecond$5000installmentofthe$10,000grantwillbeawardedtothehostseminaryoncethesciencecourseisscheduledintheacademiccalendaranddeliveredintheSpring2017orFall2017orSpring2018.Fromthisgrant,$1000isforthecontinuedpreparationofthefacultypersonteachingthecourse.Theremaining$4000isforthehostinstitutiontoassistintheimplementationofthecourseanditssuccessfuldelivery.

Budget suggestions for Course Development:

GiventhelackofsciencecourseworkatUSRCseminaries,weanticipatethatfundsmaybenecessaryfor

• Suppliesandequipmentforsomebasiclaboratoryinquirywork• Honorariaforguests• Coursereductionforinstructorofnewsciencecourse• Purchaseofresources(books,subscriptions)fortheseminary

library(likelytobelackinginscienceresources).• Foroutreacheffortsthatarepartoftheproject.

-Outreachmayinvolveinvitinglocalcommunitiestotheseminaryforasciencelecture(e.g.,fortheverytantalizingtopic“AreWeAlone,orIsThereLifeonOtherPlanets?”).-Outreachmightinvolvesubsidizingseminariansand/orfacultywhovisitparishorganizations,highschools,orparticipationinalectureseriesoraspartofabookclub’sdiscussiononasciencetopicasitrelatestotheologicalconcerns(e.g.,cellmutationin“TheImmortalLegacyofHenriettaLacks”byRebeccaSkloot).

• Fundingtocoverthecostofrequiredtextsforthecourse–sciencebookstendtobeexpensive–toencourageenrollmentinthecourse.

Alimitednumberof$4000grantswillbeavailableforasecondroundofcourses.

E. ELIGIBILITY

MembersofthefacultyataccreditedUnitedStatesRomanCatholicseminariesareeligibletoapplyforcoursegrants.Facultymaybeclergy,canonicalreligiousorlay,fullorpart-time.

SeetheresponsetoFrequentlyAskedQuestion#5attheendofthesepagesforparticularconsiderations.

“Letthosewhoteachin

seminaries...collaborate

withthosewellversedinother

sciences.”GaudiumetSpes,#62

F. POSSIBLE TOPICS – (Suggested; your imagination is valued)

• TimeinScience,MathandTheology• Genetics• WhatMakesUsHuman?• SpiritualityandHealth• GameChangers:ScientistsWhoBelieve• PositivePsychologyandSpiritualFormation• MultipleUniverses• LifeonOtherPlanetsorAreWeAlone• ThePhilosophyofScience• Other

Topicsaboveareillustrativenotdefinitive.ThePlanningCommitteeencouragesfreedomtocreateasciencecoursethatbestmeetstheneedsofyourseminarians.NB:Somecourseideasareexpandedinthedocument,“StarterKit:CourseIdeas”onourwebsite.

TheJohnTempletonFoundationfundsawiderangeofscienceengagementbutdoesnotsupportcoursesinbioethicsorthoseengagingissuessuchassustainability,environmentalethicsorcreationcare.

G. SELECTION CRITERIA

ApplicationswillbejudgedbyaReviewCommitteeofscientistsandtheologianswithreviewbymembersofthegrantcommittee.

CRITERIAFORASSESSMENTOFPRE-PROPOSALS:

• Clarityofcoursedescription,syllabus,andclearsciencefocus• Measurablelearninggoalsandobjectives• Pastoralimplicationsofthecourse• Statementofinterestinthesubjectmatterofthecoursebythe

instructorandhis/herintendedplanforcoursepreparation• Statementofinterestinthiscourseatthistimeforthis

seminary’sconstituency• Potentialforlong-termengagement

APPLICATIONFORPRE-PROPOSALSatsemscience.org

CRITERIAFORASSESSMENTFORSEMINARIESINVITEDTOPREPAREFULLPROPOSALS:

• Anamplifiednarrativewithfullerdescriptionofeachitemlisted forthepre-proposal.

“Beforeseminarianstakeupthosesacredstudieswhichare

properlyecclesiastical,theyshouldbeequippedwiththehumanisticandscientifictrainingwhichintheirowncountriesenablesyoungpeopletoundertakehigher

studies.”

OptatamTotius,#13

• Integrityofbibliographyanditsengagementwithcurrentresearch.• Plannedoutreachtosharelearningfromthecoursewiththelargercommunity.• Planforassessment.• Planforsustainabilityofthecourseafterthegrantisclosed.• Responsetoquestionsraisedand/orsuggestions,ifany,offeredbytheReviewTeam.• AplanandbudgetforFacultyDevelopment.• Abudgetfortheindividualfacultymemberwhowillteachthesciencecourse.

AmemberoftheAssessmentTeamwillvisitsomeseminaries,butanInternalEvaluationisexpectedforeachsciencecoursetaught,accordingtothefollowing:

H. INTERNAL/EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT OF NEW SCIENCE COURSE

v CatalognumberandTitleofCoursev CourseDescriptionv Semester/Year/Time/Dayscoursewasofferedv Howwasthecourseadvertised?v Numberofstudentsenrolled;specifyingcredit,non-credit,auditors;seminarians,non-seminariansv Syllabusv LearningObjectivesv Promptsforquizzes,examsv Samplesofquizzes,exams,papersv Gradingchartv Studentevaluationsv Peerevaluationsv Class/studentoutreachintothecommunityw/learningsfromclassv Facultyoutreachintothecommunityw/learningsfromclass

Anecdotalinformationaboutthefollowingisnotobligatorybutwouldbeappreciated:

Whatpreconceptions,ifany,didstudentsbringtothecourse? Whatpreconceptions,ifany,emergedduringtheclass? Wherewasthelevelofinteresthighest? Wherewasthelevelofinterestlowest? Didstudentsindicateanincreaseintheirpastoralsensitivitytoissuesofscience? How?Whendidthathappen? Didsomestudentsconnectsciencewithpastoralissues? Whatresourcesweremosthelpfultoyouinpreparationofthecourse? Ifteam-taught,whatwerethebenefitstothatarrangement? Ifyouareteachingthiscourseagain,whatchangeswouldyoumake? Whatelementsofthecoursewouldyoudefinitelykeep? Hasthiscoursecreateda“buzz”intheseminary?Saymore. Assumingyouvaluescientificliteracy,howwouldyouproposetointegratescienceintothecurriculum?

I. APPLICATION PROCESS TIMELINE - COURSE GRANTS

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2016 March15 SECONDSCIENCECOURSECOMPETITIONANNOUNCEMENT:Invitationforpre-proposalsfor $10,000sciencecoursedevelopmentgrantsaresenttoallUSRCseminaries.May3 Pre-proposalsaredue.June15 Invitationsforfullproposalsaresenttoupto15seminariesonbasisofpre-proposals.August22 Fullproposalsaredue.September20 Awardsannouncedto15seminaries.15grantsof$5000eacharesenttoseminariesforwinning courseproposals,withanother$5000pendingdeliveryofthecourseinS’2017,F’2017,or S’2018. 2017SpringSemesterSciencecoursesmaybeoffered.2017 FallSemester2017 Sciencecoursesmaybeoffered.OnsiteAssessmentscontinue Assessmentteammembervisitsseminaries&sendreportstoProjectDirector. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 2018Spring2018 Sciencecoursesmaybeoffered.On-siteassessmentscontinue.March31,2018 TempletonGrantcloses.

I.FREQUENTLYASKEDQUESTIONS1.Whoiseligibletoapply?Anycurrentfacultymemberattheseminarymayapplytodevelopasciencecourseforthepre-theologyprogram.Forspeciallydesignedsciencecoursesforcollegeseminarians,facultyattheseminaryorattheaffiliatedcollegeoruniversitymayapply.Seminariansshouldrepresentasubstantialnumberofthoseenrolledinthecourse.2.Cantheseminaryapplyformorethanonesciencecoursegrant?Preferencewillbegiventoadistributionofgrantsto15differentseminaries,butdependingonthepoolofapplications,itispossiblethattheremaynotbe15seminariesthatmeritawardsinwhichcasemorethanoneawardmaybemadeavailabletoqualityproposalsfromasingleseminary.

3.Couldthesciencecoursebeteam-taught?Yes.Insuchacase,thefundsdirectedtotheindividualfacultymember-$2500and$1000,atotalof$3500–wouldbeshared,notnecessarilyequally,dependingontheresponsibilitiesoftheco-instructor.4.Wouldfundsbeavailableforalecturertovisittheclasswhilethecourseisbeingtaught?Ifso,wouldtherebefundingforthisavailable?Yes,fundingforvisitinglecturersshouldbeincludedinthebudgetforthesecondinstallmentof$5000.Ofthatamount,$4000isdesignatedtothehostinstitutionfortheneedsconnectedwiththesuccessfuldeliveryofthecourse.SeePHASE2:“BudgetforCourseDevelopment”aboveinthisdocument.5.Towhomwouldthegrantbeassignedifafacultypersonatacollegeoruniversitywithwhichtheseminaryisaffiliatedproposed(andwasawarded)asciencecourse?Thegrantwouldbeassignedtotheseminary,notthecollegeoruniversity.Theseminaryandthecollegeoruniversityfacultymemberwoulddetermineanappropriatehonorariumtodevelopacoursesinceitislikelythattheuniversitywouldalreadyhaveequipment,books,andlibraryfacilitiesinsciencethattheseminarymaynothave.Weassumegoodfaithonthepartoftheseminaryandtheuniversityindeterminingfaircompensation.6.Whathappensifnostudentssignupforthecourse?PartoftheresponsibilityassociatedwiththedevelopmentofthesciencecoursegrantistomakeknownthevalueofthisinitiativetothewholeseminarycommunityandtoemphasizetheimportancethatVaticandirectiveshaveattachedtoscientificliteracy.Effort,therefore,isexpectedtoinformseminariansaboutthesciencecourseasitisinpreparationandbeforeitisdelivered,tomaximizeinterestandenrollment.Weconsiderasciencecoursecancellationtobearareexception.Shouldthateventualityoccur,however,itisexpectedthatthecoursewillbeattemptedasecondtimeafterconsultationwiththeplanningteam.7.Whathappensifplansforasubmittedbudgetchange?Forexample,ifaguestsciencelecturerdoesnotarriveandcannotre-schedule?Changesinthebudgetthatyousubmitforfacultydevelopmentorcoursedevelopmentneedtobere-negotiatedwiththePlanningTeamandcannotberepositionedwithoutapproval.8.Isitpossibletoopenthepre-theologycoursetothegraduateseminarians?Yes.And,ifyourseminaryhasnopre-theologyseminarians,youmayproposeacourseforthemajorseminary.

Foranyotherquestions,pleasebeincontactwithProf.DorisDonnelly,ProjectDirector,atddonnelly@jcu.eduPlanningteammembersinclude:ReverendThomasM.Draggaattmdragga@gmail.com,ReverendW.ShawnMcKnightatsmcknight@usccb.org.Prof.NicholasSantilliatsantilli@jcu.eduAllofusareavailabletoassistyou.