Ignite Seminar/ Submission Guidelines

Ignite Seminars make visible for students the rich interplay of intellect and identity, wonder and certainty, rigor and play that characterizes academic inquiry rooted in the Ignatian ideal of care for the whole person (cura personalis). Ignite Seminar leaders, in partnership with SLU Libraries, also guide students as they identify and explore the subjects, questions, and scholarly pursuits that ignite their own sense of wonder and urgency.

To propose an Ignite Seminar, faculty need no prior experience with Ignatian pedagogy. In addition, because all SLU faculty are participants in forwarding the university's Jesuit mission, faculty from all faith backgrounds -- or no faith background -- are encouraged to propose a seminar. 

Every Ignite seminar carries the course code CORE 1000, but locked sections may carry the departmental code. Ignite seminars may be offered as two or three-credit hour courses. Ignite seminars are NOT eligible to carry any additional Core attributes.

Ignite Seminars can be proposed at any time and are reviewed on a rolling basis by the Ignite Seminar subcommittee of the UUCC. 

If you have not already done so, please talk with your department chair or unit supervisor before starting the submission process, as you will be asked to upload confirmation that you are free to teach an Ignite Seminar for the semesters indicated in your submission. 

Deadlines: Priority deadline for proposing an Ignite Seminar for next academic year is Nov. 3, 2025, but proposals are accepted any time. 

A two-part professional development workshop, hosted in partnership with the Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, is required for all first-time Ignite instructors. These workshops will orient cohorts of faculty members to the history and philosophy of Ignatian Pedagogy, and will guide them in considering how to design their course to ensure that it makes this educational paradigm visible and accessible to students. 

The first half-day session is held on a Friday in mid-May from 12:00-4:00 pm in St. Louis and the second half-day session is held on a Friday in mid-August from 12:00-4:00 pm in St. Louis. Lunch is provided for both sessions. There is also a Spring workshop in early May and and a Fall workshop in late August for new Ignite faculty at SLU-Madrid.

You can find specific dates, times, and locations of Core Events on  this page for specific dates, times, and locations.