Monthly dinners are the backbone of CCS Fellows. Students attend three dinner conversations per term. Together, these dinners form a term-long dialogue centered on a central topic. Each term will have a different theme, and over the two years of the program, students will cover the themes of Community, Vocation, Service, and Spirituality. Two dinners per term are hosted by Duke faculty or community leaders and provide opportunities to encounter the work and expertise of local Christian leaders and thinkers. One dinner per term is hosted by the program’s director, who will lead the cohort in a discussion on a short reading from a key Christian thinker.

Each CCS Fellow completes either two or three Duke courses from the following two categories. All students must complete at least one Keystone and one Christ Across the Disciplines course. Students who choose the Traditional Pathway (three courses) may select any Elective or Christ across the Disciplines course for their third.

Keystone | These are courses that ground students deeply in the history of Christian thought. The two options for Keystone courses are The Christian Story (Ethics 155) and Christianity (Religion 150).

Christ across the Disciplines | These are courses that integrate Christian theology with major academic disciplines and are taught by Duke faculty who are affiliated with CCS. Students select a course based on interest, discipline, or vocational relevance. Examples include: “Money and Power in Christian Thought” (Political Science 432), “Topics in Christianity and Science” (TBD), “Narrative and Moral Crisis” (English 319), and “Vocation: Christian Origins, Contemporary Practice” (Ethics 381).

Electives | These are courses providing a deep dive into a particular author, whose writing help us understand the world through a theological lens. Examples include Theology/Fiction of C.S. Lewis (Religion 368) and “Augustine’s City of God” (Religion 231).

Students in the Experiential Pathway complete two Duke courses and one Experience. Experiences may include i) participation in CCS’s summer Faith & Work Internship Program, in which students integrate faith with life in the office, lab, workshop, or clinic, ii) Domestic or international travel experiences hosted via CCS, or iii) A personalized project or learning experience devised together by a student and the director.

Each fellow is paired with a faculty mentor from their own or a neighboring discipline. CCS Fellows will meet three times per term with their mentors to discuss vocational direction, the life of faith, or whatever is most helpful to the student. Students will have a say in selecting their mentors and may choose to be paired with a mentor from outside Duke’s faculty.

This is a chance for CCS Fellows to spend a weekend away together. The retreat makes space to grow in friendship through time in nature, rest, play, and good food. It will also provide an opportunity for prayer, silence, and deep reflection over the past year’s learning.