Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic university in Ohio, has recently announced plans to establish the Institute for the Study of Man and Woman. The initiative was announced during the Man and Woman in the Order of Creation Conference held recently in Washington, D.C.
The new institute will examine the differences in men and women through an interdisciplinary lens, spanning the fields of biology, neuroscience, metaphysics, theology, and psychology. Through the institute’s initiatives and research, scholars at Franciscan University plan to create a new understanding of gender in the context of Catholicism. The academic center will also develop a new curriculum for students that provides a comprehensive Catholic vision of man and woman.
“The Church puts the question very simply: Why did God make us male and female? And what are the implications of that decision?” said Deborah Savage, conference organizer and professor of theology at Franciscan University. “The premise at the heart of these proceedings is the conviction that what is needed is a coherent and robust scientifically, philosophically, and theologically grounded account of the nature of man and woman, both in themselves and in relation to one another.”