Liberal Arts
Why study Liberal Arts?
The Aquinas College Liberal Arts major is rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The study of the liberal arts will deepen students’ appreciation of goodness, truth and beauty. The interdisciplinary major in Liberal Arts extends the natural integration evident in a liberal arts curriculum, reflecting the belief that truth is not confined to a single academic discipline and that all disciplines should be “… brought into dialogue for their mutual enhancement” (Ex Corde Ecclesiae, #15).
Upon completion of the program, the Liberal Arts graduate will be able to:
- Articulate how the Catholic liberal arts tradition deepens one’s understanding of goodness, truth, and beauty.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how the study of the liberal arts is deeply rooted within the Catholic intellectual tradition.
- Integrate diverse forms of knowledge in research and writing.
- Understand the role of study in the liberal arts as essential in leading a meaningful life.
For an overview of this program of study, click on BACHELOR OF ARTS IN LIBERAL ARTS
Prospective Transfer Students
The Liberal Arts major is a robust program of study that offers a curriculum which provides a transfer student, who is looking for the opportunity to be educated within the Dominican tradition, with an efficient and engaging path toward completing their undergraduate degree at Aquinas College.
Meet the Faculty
Ph.D., University of St. Thomas
M.A., Univeristy of St. Thomas
B.A., Silver Lake College of the Holy Family
Ph.D., Middle Tennessee State University
M.T.S., Emory University
B.A., Mercer University
Ph.D., The Catholic University of America
M.A., The Catholic University of America
M.S., The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
B.A., University of Dallas
Ph.D., The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
M.A., The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
B.A., The Catholic University of America
Sister John Catherine is a member of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation. Sister John Catherine is a student of American History, particularly of the nineteenth and early twentieth century U.S. Her doctoral dissertation treated the intersection of Catholicism, race, and education in early twentieth-century Nashville with the founding of Holy Family Parish and Immaculate Mother Academy. Her interests extend to medieval European history as well. Sister John Catherine has taught History, English, and Religion to high school students for years, and currently teaches at St. Cecilia Academy while serving as an Aquinas College adjunct.
S.T.D., Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – Rome
S.T.L., Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – Rome
S.T.B., Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – Rome
M.A., University of Dallas
B.A., University of Dallas
Sr. Jane Dominic Laurel is a member of the St. Cecilia Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Nashville, Tennessee. She has been active in her religious community’s teaching apostolate for over fifteen years and has assists with the theological formation of the newest members of her religious congregation. In addition to contributing articles to a number of journals and magazines, including the Vatican newspaper (L’Osservatore Romano), The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, The Linacre Quarterly, and the Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, Sister has served as editor-in-chief of her Congregation’s book, Praying as a Family (also available in Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic versions). With EWTN, she directed a television series of the same title. Before coming to Aquinas, she served as the creator and founding Director of the University of Dallas Studies in Catholic Faith & Culture Program.
M.A., The Franciscan University of Steubenville
M.A.T., The University of Southern Mississippi
M.S.E.L., Christian Brothers University
B.S., The University of Akron
Ph.D., St. Louis University
M.A., St. Louis University
B.A., University of San Francisco
Dr. Ryan’s teaching and scholarly interests include the Crusades, European civilization, revolutionary movements and their aftermath, the Cold War, and economic history. He is the co-editor of Crusades: Medieval Worlds in Conflict (Ashgate, 2010) and has written a variety of essays and reviews pertaining to the history of the Crusades. At St. Louis University, Dr. Ryan studied under the renowned Crusades historian Dr. Thomas F. Madden.
S.T.D., The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome
S.T.L., The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome
S.T.B., The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome
M.A., Franciscan University of Steubenville
M.A., The University of Memphis
B.S., Middle Tennessee State University
Sister Mary Madeline Todd, O.P. entered the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia in 1991. Sister Mary Madeline is a regular member of the Catholic Women’s Forum of the Ethics and Public Policy Center based in Washington, DC and an invited speaker for the International Seminar “Toward an Integral Feminine Theology” based in Rome. She writes on spiritual and moral theology, especially on the dignity of the human person in Christ. Her published writings include contributions to the books Promise and Challenge, Beautiful Mercy, and Pope Francis and the Event of Encounter. Her articles have also been published in L’Osservatore Romano, The Catechetical Review, and The National Catholic Register. She has spoken on both theological and literary topics nationally and internationally and also serves in retreat ministry, focusing on the healing and liberating truth and love experienced in encounters with Christ.
M.Ed., University of Southern Mississippi
M.A., Catholic University of America
B.A., Notre Dame College
Sister Jean Marie Warner, O.P. is a Dominican Sister of Saint Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. Her research emphasis is in medieval history with a special concentration in medieval political theory. Other research interest areas include Aristotelian and Thomistic concepts of virtue, medieval intellectual history, Dominican history and topics in early modern and modern European history and African history. She also teaches philosophy of education with an emphasis on the Thomistic concept of teaching and learning.
S.T.D., The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – Rome
S.T.L., The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – Rome
S.T.B., The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – Rome
B.A., St. John’s College
Sister Gabriella Yi, O.P. is a Dominican Sister of Saint Cecilia from Nashville. Originally from Seoul, she grew up near Philadelphia. She received a Bachelor of Arts in the Great Books Program at St. John’s College in Annapolis and teacher certification from Aquinas College. After teaching in Catholic schools and studying in the Master of Arts Program at the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, she was sent to Rome to complete her graduate studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). Her dissertation was on spiritual motherhood according to St. Catherine of Siena. Having received her Doctorate in Sacred Theology in 2013, she taught theology at Catholic Pacific College and St. Mark’s College in the Archdiocese of Vancouver before joining the Aquinas College faculty in the Fall of 2018. In addition to teaching theology, she loves to give talks on the spiritual life and lead retreats.
