The Reflective Woman Readings

Dear First Year Student,

We are so excited that you will be part of the St. Catherine Community! We look forward to your return for the fall semester, beginning with the Orientation program starting Sunday, August 31.

Like many colleges, St. Kate’s has a common reading for new students to complete over the summer. At St. Kate’s, our summer required readings are found in The Reflective Woman Reader (7th Edition). This is the text for your first course here, and it can be purchased in the bookstore or ordered online beginning in August.

The readings will introduce you to liberal arts education at the College of St. Catherine and to the vision of the Sisters of St. Joseph who founded our college. They will be discussed when you meet for the first time with your Reflective Woman course instructor during Orientation on Tuesday, September 2nd. Your required summer readings are:

1. “Introduction,”
2. “All Women Can Be: The Spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph” by Sister Joan Mitchell.
3. “More than a Dream: Eighty-five Years at the College of St. Catherine” by Sisters Rosalie Ryan and John Christine Wolkerstorfer.
4. Goals of a Liberal Arts Education at the College of St. Catherine.

These readings can be found on the CORE Department's website.

These are your first college reading assignments required for your first course activity. To help you reflect thoughtfully on these readings and prepare for the orientation class meeting, we have included the questions to be discussed during the September 2nd activity. We look forward to meeting you and discussing together your reflections on these readings and your own dreams for your college education.

Sincerely,
Marla Martin Hanley, PhD
Associate Dean for Integrated Learning

1. Both the Introduction to the Reader and the Goals of a Liberal Arts Education at the College of St. Catherine provide an overview of the purposes of education at St. Kate’s. Which liberal arts goals are most significant to you, and why?

2. Reading these assignments, you have been introduced to the traditions that make up the foundation of St. Kate’s. As you begin your college experience here, what are your greatest fears and what are your greatest hopes?