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Academic Discourse

As a University dedicated to creating Ignatian citizens that can bring positive change to our world, we seek to model what it looks like to engage in purposeful dialogue and respectful disagreement, to live with tension in our differences, and to respect human dignity in the ways we speak about and with others. We rise to the challenge of our times as we shape Ignatian citizens who enact eloquentia perfecta – the art of speaking and writing in ways that join knowledge and wisdom, ethics, and morality to seek the common good.

Our Commitment

In our pursuit of eloquentia perfecta we commit to:

  1. Practice radical hospitality extending an inclusive welcome to everyone, including those who disagree with us and look different from us 
  2. Come from a place of curiosity that seeks to understand and learn
  3. Embrace hope and possibility and look to find God in all things 
  4. Own our responsibility for creating a different present and future 
  5. Respect the inherent humanity, dignity, and worth of others
  6. Practice humility and graciousness 
  7. Take responsibility for the impact of our words and recognize that impact matters more than intent
  8. Accept differences, non-closure, contradiction, and uncertainty
  9. Celebrate diversity 
  10. Unite around our shared values
Resources

At Loyola, we embrace difficult conversations and intellectual discomfort. It’s through challenging conversations that we learn to better understand our own positions and engage with those who hold different views. The following resources can help students, faculty, and staff have these conversations.

Tools for Healthy Conversations

Resources for Faculty

Resources for Students

Student Support
Selected Scholarship
  • Brizee, Allen. “Reimagining the Humanistic Tradition: Using Isocratic Philosophy, Ignatian Pedagogy, and Civic Engagement to Journey with Youth and Walk with the Excluded,” Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal: Vol. 11: No. 1, Article 2, (2022): 2-25.
  • Camper, Martin, Arguing over Texts: The Rhetoric of Interpretation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
  • Cummings, Kathleen Sprows. A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020.
  • Gannett, Cynthia and John Brereton, Traditions of Eloquence: The Jesuits and Modern Rhetorical Studies. New York: Fordham University Press, 2016.
  • Heath, M.K.. “What kind of (digital) citizen: A between studies analysis of research and teaching for democracy,” International Journal of Information and Learning Technology: 35(5), 2018: 342-356.
  • Oelwang, Jean. Partnering: Forge the Deep Connections that Make Great Things Happen. New York: Optimism Press, 2022.