The Dominican University College (DUC; french: Collège universitaire dominicain) is a bilingual university located in Ottawa,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. Since 2012, Dominican University College has been an affiliated college of Carleton University. Founded in 1900 and granted a civil university charter in 1967, Dominican University College is modelled on the houses of studies of the

Order of Preachers The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

and was originally the centre of graduate studies for Canadian Dominicans. Today, Dominican offers civil and pontifical bachelor's,

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

, and doctoral degrees in philosophy and theology.

History

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste church was completed in November 1872 at the corner of Primrose and Victoria Avenue (now Empress) in Ottawa. The adjoining Dominican convent and house of studies opened in 1899, modelled after the medieval ''

studium generale is the old customary name for a medieval university in medieval Europe. Overview There is no official definition for the term . The term ' first appeared at the beginning of the 13th century out of customary usage, and meant a place where stud ...

'' specializing in Philosophy and Theology. In 1900, the Dominicans brought their School of Theology to Ottawa, followed shortly thereafter by studies in Philosophy in 1902, and granted ecclesiastical degrees at the level of licentiate. The first regent of the university, from 1900 to 1920, was Raymond-Marie Rouleau, who would later become Archbishop of Quebec and then a Cardinal. In 1930, the Institut d'Etudes Medievales d'Ottawa was established at the convent as the French-speaking equivalent to the Institute of Mediaeval Studies at St. Michael's College of the University of Toronto, founded in 1929.

Étienne Gilson Étienne Henri Gilson (; 13 June 1884 – 19 September 1978) was a French philosopher and historian of philosophy. A scholar of medieval philosophy, he originally specialised in the thought of Descartes; he also philosophized in the tradition ...

and

Marie-Dominique Chenu Marie-Dominique Chenu (; 7 January 1895, Soisy-sur-Seine, Essonne – 11 February 1990, Paris) was a progressive Catholic theologian and one of the founders of the reformist journal '' Concilium''. Early life Chenu was born on 7 January 1895 a ...

were instrumental in the founding of the institute, which relocated to the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

in 1942. On February 8, 1931, a fire destroyed the original Saint-Jean-Baptiste church and portions of the convent. The rebuilt church and convent which remain today were opened on Easter 1932. In 1967, a civil charter was granted to the ''Collège dominicain de philosophie et de théologie'' by the Ontario Government, allowing the college to offer civil university degrees in philosophy and theology. The first Doctorate in Theology from Dominican College was granted in 1971. In 1974, Dominican College joined the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. The university opened its undergraduate and graduate programs in Philosophy to English-speaking students in 1992 and 1997, respectively, and established English undergraduate and graduate programs in Theology in 2003 and 2007. Today the building houses the Dominican Monastery and the Dominican University College, which offers undergraduate and graduate studies in philosophy and theology. The building has several architecturally interesting and historically significant features, including

cloister vault In architecture, a cloister vault (also called a pavilion vault) is a vault with four concave surfaces (patches of cylinders) meeting at a point above the center of the vault. It can be thought of as formed by two barrel vaults that cross at ...

ceilings, stained glass by

Guido Nincheri Guido Nincheri (1885 – 1 March 1973) was a Canadian painter and designer working mainly in stained glass and fresco. Biography Guido Nincheri was born in Prato, Italy in 1885. He studied art in Florence and immigrated to Montreal in November 19 ...

, and a

Casavant Frères Casavant Frères is a Canadian organ building company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building pipe organs since 1879. As of 2014, the company has produced more than 3,900 organs. Company history Brothers Joseph-Claver (1855–1 ...

organ.

Research

The Faculty of Philosophy at DUC specializes in the history of philosophy, modern European philosophy, and Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics. Faculty members come from both the analytic and

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...

traditions. The Faculty of Theology has strengths in New Testament hermeneutics and value personalism. DUC inner garden

Science et Esprit

Since 1998, DUC has been the home of the journal ''Science et Esprit''. First established in 1948 under the name ''Sciences Ecclésiastiques'' by professors in the Faculty of the Society of Jesus in Montreal, the journal specializes in philosophy and theology, and publishes articles in both English and French.

Student Association

The Association Étudiants Collège Dominicain (AECDO) elects representatives to sit on the boards for both the Faculty of Philosophy and of the Faculty of Theology. It organizes and directs various activities (extracurricular, social justice committee, social gathering) pertaining to student life.

Academics

Faculty of Philosophy

Undergraduate Programs *Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) *Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) with minor in Ethics *Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with major in Philosophy and minor in Theology *Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Philosophy *Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with minor in Ethics Graduate Programs *Master of Arts in Philosophy *Doctorate in Philosophy

Faculty of Theology

Undergraduate Programs *Bachelor in Theology *Bachelor of Arts with major in Theology and minor in Philosophy Graduate Programs *Master of Arts in Theology and Licenciate *Master of Theology *Doctorate in Theology (Ph.D. / Canonical Degree)

Partnerships

Institut de pastorale des Dominicains

In 1967, DUC partnered with the '' Institut de pastorale des Dominicains'' in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. The institute was founded in 1960 by the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

during the construction of the convent of Saint Albert the Great, and offers French programs in pastoral or liturgical theology or in catechism, leading to university certificates, bachelor's and master's degrees.

Carleton University

Since 2012 DUC has been affiliated with Carleton University. Students at Dominican are entered into Carleton's student enrollment system, have access to its library, and – apart from those pursuing professional, ecclesiastical studies – receive their diplomas jointly from both institutions. Carleton students can take electives at Dominican and vice versa. Their affiliation agreement was renewed in 2018. Students of DUC are also permitted to take courses within the Faculty of Arts at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

. DUC is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and of

L'Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne Association of Colleges and Universities of the Canadian Francophonie (known by the acronym ACUFC for its French name, "Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne") promotes community college and university education in ...

, a network of academic institutions of the Canadian Francophonie.

Dominican University College Foundation

The Dominican University College Foundation is a public charitable organization whose sole purpose is to raise funds for DUC and the Institut de pastorale in order to help build its future and support students and faculty through bursaries and endowed research chairs.

Notable people and alumni

* Leslie Armour - former professor of philosophy, known for his work on Canadian philosophy and economics. *Lawrence Dewan - former professor of philosophy, known for his work in Thomistic studies. *Lorraine Caza - alumna and former professor, the first woman in the world to hold the position of Dean of a faculty of theology of pontifical right. * Benoît Lacroix - philosopher, theologian, and medievalist.

References

External links

*
Institut de pastorale website

Canadian Dominicans

University's Online Library Catalog
{{Authority control Universities and colleges in Ottawa Universities in Ontario Catholic universities and colleges in Canada French-language universities and colleges in Ontario Carleton University 1900 establishments in Ontario Educational institutions established in 1900