Proposal Criteria

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. All first-time Ignite instructors will attend a two-day workshop (one half day in May and one half day in August) on Ignatian Pedagogy. Hosted in partnership with the Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, 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. 

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.

The submission portal linked below enables you to submit an Ignite Seminar proposal. Because we cannot precisely anticipate the number of Ignite Seminars we will need to offer in the following academic year (as the number depends on our incoming class), final adjustments may be required to meet the needs of our students.

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