Objectives: This seminar seeks to assess the place of Ignatian prayer within the history of Christian spirituality, both by considering how St. Ignatius of Loyola engaged with earlier traditions as he articulated his own teaching and by examining the impact of Ignatian spirituality in later centuries.

Learning outcomes: Students will be able to critically examine Igna‧tian texts so as to better understand their historical context and articulate the distinctive contribution that St. Ignatius of Loyola made to the devel‧opment of Christian spirituality.

Contents: The first part of the seminar will examine some of the sources that influenced St. Ignatius during the writing of the Spiritual Ex‧ercises . The second part will consider how Ignatius’s vision would later in‧fluence others, both in the Society of Jesus and beyond.

Methodology: Discussions of assigned readings, aided by student pre‧sentations prepared in advance.

Means of evaluation: Students will be evaluated on the basis of in-class presentations on the readings as well as a final paper.