The University of St. Thomas

College of Arts & Sciences | Department of Catholic Studies | Faculty

Dr. Robert Kennedy

Dr. Robert Kennedy

Dr. Robert G. Kennedy

Chair, Department of Catholic Studies
Professor, College of Business

rgkennedy@stthomas.edu
Phone: (651) 962-5140

Office Location: 301 Sitzmann Hall
Courses taught in Spring 2013
CATH 297-01
23484		 Dawson&Dynamics of Church Hist 0955-1135 T R 55S 207

4 Credit Hours

Christopher Dawson’s philosophy of history offers a powerful lens through which to understand the history of the Church as it interacts with the secular world and is shaped by its dominant personalities and events. No other institution in history has survived, and flourished, for so long and in the face of so many challenges. This course will explore Dawson’s suggestion that the story of the Church, from its origins in the Apostolic Age to the modern period, can be understood as a series of cycles with a common pattern of creativity, achievement and retreat. Students may expect to complete the course with an awareness and understanding of the major personalities and events, secular and ecclesial, that have shaped the life of the Church.
Courses taught in Summer 2013
CSMA 500-13
30515		 Cath Thought & Culture I 0900-1200 M W 55S 207

3 Credit Hours

This interdisciplinary course begins exploration of the relations between [Catholic Christian] faith and culture exhibited through works of imagination and intellect drawn from the New Testament through medieval periods. As part of the M.A. program core curriculum, the course focuses on the multifaceted Catholic tradition but includes perspectives from Christians of other denominations and non-Christians selected to show the dialogue between Catholic thought and other cultural views and accomplishments. Primary attention will be given to works of literature, music, and art, with some attention to philosophical and theological works selected especially for their contributions to articulating insights concerning the relationship between faith and culture.
Courses taught in Fall 2013
CATH 401-01
40848		 Church&Culture:Soc Dim of Cath 1330-1510 T R 55S B10

4 Credit Hours

This course provides an investigation into the ways in which Catholicism is inherently social and ecclesial. Its specific focus is on the Christian engagement with the world. The course's framework will be taken from the analysis of society into three spheres of action (culture, politics, and economics) as described in Centesimus annus. We will examine the ways that Revelation, the sacramental life, and the teachings of the Church call Catholics to seek holiness and to witness to their faith in the world. Specific topics may include social and economic justice, politics and public policy, lay and religious apostolates, education, and marriage and family. Course materials may include resources from philosophy, theology, history, economics, and political science. Prerequisite: CATH 101 and Junior standing
CSMA 525-01
42645		 Philosophical Foundations 1800-2100 T 55S 207

3 Credit Hours

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Academic History

B.A., Philosophy, College of St. Thomas, 1972
M.A., Theology - New Testament, St. Paul Seminary, 1980
M.M.S., Master of Medieval Studies, University of Notre Dame, 1982
Ph.D., Medieval Studies - Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, 1985
M.B.A., Management, College of St. Thomas, 1990

Expertise

Patristic Theology
Medieval Philosophy and Theology
Thomas Aquinas
Catholic Social Thought
Professional Ethics

Selected Publications

The Good that Business Does. Grand Rapids, MI: Acton Institute, 2006. 

“Ethics, Courage and Self-Discipline” Finance et bien commun (Switzerland), #18-19, Spring-Summer 2004, 136-139.

“Development of Doctrine in Moral Theology: Can What Was Once Wrong Now Be Right?” in University of St Thomas Law Journal, 1 (2003) 253-273.  

“Spirituality and the Christian Manager,” in Oliver Williams, ed, Business, Religion and Spirituality: A New Synthesis. (South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2003) pp 81-93.

“The Professionalization of Work,” in Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Work as Key to the Social Question (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2002) pp 99-110.

“Will We Ever Have Enough Priests?” America 13 September 1997, pp 18-22.

Selected Presentations

“Business and Human Development: The Proposal of the Encyclical Caritas in veritate,” 16th International Symposium on Ethics, Business and Society, IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Barcelona, Spain, 13 May 2010.

 “On Being Truly Practical: Why Virtue Matters in Business,” conference on The Business of Practical Wisdom. Catholic University, Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany, 25 Sep 2009.

 “St Thomas Aquinas on bellum iustum,” conference on The Hermeneutics of the Just War Tradition, Institut für Theologie und Frieden, Hamburg, Germany, 4-6 January 2009.

“Is the Just War Theory Obsolete?” International Society for Military Ethics, San Diego, CA, 25 January 2008.

“Is the Doctrine of Preemption a Legitimate Element of the Just War Tradition?” Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics, Washington, DC, 27 January 2005.

Professional Memberships

American Catholic Philosophical Association

-  Executive Council, 1994-96

-  Chair, Committee on the Future of the ACPA (1995-96)

-  Chair, ACPA Working Group on Business Ethics, 1991-

-  Member, Organizing Committee, 1999 Annual Conference

Catholic Biblical Association

Fellowship of Catholic Scholars

Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics (JSCOPE)