University of St. Thomas Launches First-of-its-kind Master of Arts in Catholic Women’s and Gender Studies
Gender is today’s hottest issue, causing division and widespread confusion about one of the most fundamental aspects of human life – what it means to be man or woman. The University of St. Thomas’s Nesti Center for Faith & Culture believes the path forward is found in the truths of the Catholic faith. UST will launch the only Master of Arts in Catholic Women’s and Gender Studies in the world that offers the riches of Church tradition and an authentically Catholic philosophy and theology of the human person. The program brings together top contemporary thinkers such as internationally recognized Catholic speaker and theologian Dr. Pia de Solenni, Erika Bachiochi, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and Arina Grossu Agnew, bioethicist and fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism. The program will welcome students for the first time in the Fall of 2024.
In a culture of woke feminism, humanity has lost sight of God’s plan for women rooted in the particular roles they play in society and in the Church. “This program is the first of its kind, going right into the eye of the cultural storm – contemporary misunderstandings of what defines a man and woman. We are equipping students to know the truth, to be set free by the truth, and to speak the truth in contexts where many are afraid to do so,” said Dr. Kevin Stuart. “An M.A. in Catholic Women’s and Gender Studies provides knowledge of the historical and theoretical circumstances beneath today’s confusion, an alternative ethical framework from the heart of the Catholic Church, and the practical skills to make an impact on the fields most directly affected.”
Through an innovative format, students can begin the program with any of four graduate certificate programs for specialized knowledge in one area and then apply those courses if they want to continue to the complete M.A. program. The certificate programs and specialization areas include Sexuality and Gender, Catholic Feminism, Women’s Health and Wellness, and Gender and Family Policy. Classes will be taught live online so that students can be anywhere and still participate. The final capstone course includes an in-person immersive experience with fellow students, faculty, and leading speakers to enhance the personal aspect and networking opportunities.
Leah Jacobson says that misunderstandings about gender and sexuality have grievously affected the arenas of academia, women’s healthcare, and public policy, leading to a broken idea of human identity being spread through their vast spheres of influence. She wants graduates of this Master of Arts program to be empowered to bring a perspective grounded in Catholic anthropology to the table.
This program has a natural home in UST’s Nesti Center for Faith & Culture, which provides education and formation to help people understand the relationship between the Church’s universal call to love and the dominant American culture. The new Master of Arts program in Catholic Women’s and Gender Studies is an expression of that, teaching students the fullness of Catholic truth and how exactly to correct the contemporary mindset that has reduced the created goodness of the human person.