Communio: A Liberal Arts Seminar is a living/learning course that will provide students new to St. Norbert College with a common experience that emphasizes the College’s three core traditions—liberal arts, Catholic and Norbertine—and appeals to students of all faiths. This course will lay a solid foundation for the skills you’ll use throughout your college career and beyond. It will enhance your skills in thinking, writing, reading and speaking on the college level.

How does it work?

Fits your focus
Five different sections, each led by a faculty member in a small group setting, will allow you to select an area of focus that most closely matches your program of study. This faculty member will also become your adviser during your first year, allowing you to strengthen your understanding in the classroom and your relationships with the community around you. This course will fulfill a general education requirement, so you gain its advantages without adding to your course load.

The essence of the college
During the first six weeks of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to explore what a liberal arts education really means, and the advantages to understanding the liberal arts within a Norbertine and Catholic intellectual context.

• Liberal arts – You’ll gain understanding of how a liberal arts education is both idealistic and practical because it develops the capacities needed by every thinking adult—analytical skills, effective communication, practical intelligence, ethical judgment and social responsibility.
• Catholic – You’ll explore service, vocation and the necessary conversation between faith and reason in a diverse community, including members of other religions and those who profess no religious belief.
• Norbertine – You’ll learn about St. Norbert, the person, and how his story of faith, reform, service and love is more than just facts, but rather an active way of thinking, feeling and living.

During the following nine weeks, Communio explores the nature of the self from diverse disciplinary perspectives in light of the college's three core traditions. Seeking an understanding of the self is not a new or trivial undertaking. In the sixth century B.C.E., a temple to Greek god Apollowas erected at Delphi. Early accounts report that carved into the temple was the challenge "know thyself." As a student in Communio, you join in a search for understanding - self-understanding - that is as old as Western Civilization.

Bringing it home
The “lab” component of the course will be taught by a staff member in the Divisions of Student Life or Mission and Heritage, along with a resident assistant, associate hall director and a student intern. These hands-on sessions allow you to gain a deeper understanding of how you can get the most out of your college education, by presenting practical applications of the materialbeing discussed in class. This brings to life the college’s goal of educating the whole person.

More about Communio
Communio was featured in the Winter 2008 edition of the St. Norbert College magazine
>> read the article (PDF)

How do I sign up?

When you submit your housing application, select Bergstrom Hall as your first choice. If you’ve already submitted your housing application and want to be part of Communio, simply send an e-mail to reslife@snc.edu or call (920) 403-3360.

You can register for this course at registration during summer orientation.

Enrollment is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to indicate your interest as soon as possible.

For questions about the course, please contact Mr. Jeff Ritter, Director of Academic Advisement and First-Year Initiatives at (920) 403-3234 or jeff.ritter@snc.edu or Dr. Howard Ebert, Coordinator of Communio at (920) 403-3956 or howard.ebert@snc.edu.