Philosphy and Religious Studies 1527E

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Religious Studies 1527E, Section TBA
Introduction to Catholic Theology

WEDNESDAY 7:00 - 10:00 PM
Room 102, St. Peter's Seminary

Instructor: MS. RENEE PEREIRA BSc, MTS, PhD (candidate)
rperei2@uwo.ca or reneepereira@hotmail.com
Office hours by Appointment

A. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to central themes of Catholic theology including revelation, faith, Jesus, Church, sacraments.

B. GOALS

This course will assist students to grow in the following knowledge, skills and attitudes:

KNOWLEDGE:

To understand the centrality of the Paschal Mystery and God’s action within salvation history.
To understand the relationship between scripture and Tradition.
To understand the key principles associated with biblical authorship and interpretation.
To understand the major moments of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
To understand the fundamental principles associated with the action of the Trinity.
To understand the social mission and communal nature of the Church.
To understand Christian moral principles and how they are to be utilized in concrete decision-making.
To understand the significance of the sacraments in the Church’s mission to manifest the presence of God’s love in the world.
To understand the development of doctrine in the Church, and be aware of the major historical and modern sources that demonstrate these teachings.

SKILLS:

To be able to integrate the various realms of theology.
To be able to enter into theological dialogue, to listen to other opinions, to use philosophical concepts, and to apply wisdom to today’s issues.
To be able to articulate the Catholic understanding of the economy of salvation.
To read and analyze primary documents in their context.
To be able to see the relationship between theory and practice.

ATTITUDES:

To embrace a sense of wonder in the mysteries of the faith and to accept that our comprehension will never be complete in light of the nature of theology.
To foster sensitivity towards the religious attitudes and beliefs of others.
To appreciate the Catholic faith, its traditions, and its teachings.

C. ASSESSMENT

1. Reflection Papers (5% of final mark)

Due: Wednesday, October 21st at 7pm

2. Research Paper (30% of final mark)

This is a formal essay of eight pages (including one page for a bibliography) and it will be based upon a limited number of subject areas. Specific details and requirements will be given for this assignment in late September.

There are four possible topics:
1. One or two key theological teachings of one ancient Church Father
2. One major theme found in Sacred Scripture (OT and/or NT)
3. The key theology, people, and events involved in one Christological Controversy
4. Any subsection regarding the Sacrament of Confirmation

Due: Wednesday, December 2nd at 7pm
(Marks will be available – in class only - on and after February 10th)

4. Presentation (25% of final mark)

Informal seminars will be done in groups of three to four students. All are required to prepare for and to present the material and a two-page class summary handout is required. The seminar topic is to be chosen by the groups from a list of potential topics, with seminar dates coinciding with course material.

Topic sign-up will be done in-class, based upon a lottery system, on Wednesday, September 30th

5. Final Exam (40% of final mark)

Essay format.
Date TBA by UWO Registrar’s Office (during the April examination period).

D. READINGS OR TEXTBOOKS

A. Highly Recommended:

1. Flannery, Austin, ed., Vatican II Council: The Basic Sixteen Documents (Northport, New York: Costello Publishing Company, 1996).

OR, download for free: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/)

2. A Bible (Suggested: New Jerusalem Bible or the New Revised Standard Version [Catholic Edition]).

3. Sheed, Frank, Theology for Beginners (Ann Arbor, Michigan: Servant Books, 1981).*

(* A resource highly recommended for any student: who did not attend a Catholic high school and/or who did not come from an informed Catholic background and/or who recently converted to Christianity/Catholicism and/or who feels that he/she lacks the fundamentals of Catholic theology; students with a good pre-existing knowledge of Catholic theology are encouraged NOT to purchase this book).

B. Recommended:

1. Marthaler, Berard, The Creed: The Apostolic Faith in Contemporary Theology, Revised Edition (Mystic Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 2005).
- Moderate Difficulty -

2. Ratzinger, Josef [Benedict XVI] Introduction to Christianity (Trans: J. R. Foster; San
Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1969, reprint 2000).
- Advanced Difficulty -

E. STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE

SECTION 1: Quest for the Historical Jesus

September 16 - Introduction: What is Catholicism?

September 23 - Infancy Narratives and the Historical Jesus

September 30 - Biblical and Early Understandings of Jesus

October 7 - The Preaching and Ministry of Jesus

Reflection Paper Due (5%)

October 14 - The Death of Jesus

SECTION 2: “Fully Human, Fully Divine”

October 21 - Redemption and the Incarnation

October 28, - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: The Trinity
November 4

November 11 - The Resurrection, Eschatology, and the Return of Jesus

November 18 - Ascension and Pentecost
Seminar 1– Pentecost and the Birth of the Church

SECTION 3: Historical Theology

November 25 - The New Testament Church and the Earliest Developments
Seminar 2 – Paul’s Three Missionary Journeys

December 2,9 - Church History: The Whirlwind Tour

December 2 – Research Paper Due (30%)

SECOND SEMESTER

SECTION 1: The Sources of Theology

January 6 - Revelation and Faith

January 13 - Scripture as a Theological Source
The Old Testament

January 20 - The Origin and Nature of the Gospels
How do we interpret Scripture?

SECTION 2: The Sacraments

January 27 - Introduction to the Sacraments

February 3 - Introduction to the Sacraments (con’t)

February 10 - The Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist
Seminar 3 – The Eucharist

February 17 - Conference Week (No Classes)

February 24 - The Sacraments of Vocation: Holy Orders and Marriage
Seminar 4 – Holy Orders (The Priesthood)

March 3 - Sacraments of Healing and Reconciliation
Seminar 5 – The Sacrament of the Sick
Seminar 6 – The Liturgy of the Hours vs. Catholic Devotions

SECTION 3: Ethics and the Christian Life

March 10 - The Nature and Mission of the Church
Ecumenism

March 17 - The Basics of Moral Theology and The Social Context of Morality

March 24 - Issues of Human Life
Seminar 7 – The Church, the Right-to-Life, and Abortion

March 31 - Issues of Human Life (con’t)
Seminar 8 - Euthanasia

April 7 - Issues of Human Life (con’t) and Moral Debate Night

F. READING LIST (Vatican Documents are required, everything else is optional)**

[RECALL: Sheed (easier) --- Marthalar (moderate) --- Ratzinger (advanced). All selected readings on any given day are on the same topic, but with different levels of difficulty. Please choose a level where you are challenged, but not defeated]

September 16 - Sheed: pg. 3 – 9

September 23 - Sheed: pg. 127 – 132
Marthalar: Pg. 123 - 136
Ratzinger: pg. 271 - 280

September 30 - Marthalar: pg. 137 - 151

October 7 - Marthalar: pg. 72 – 82; 216 – 231

October 14 - Marthalar: pg. 152 – 174
Ratzinger: pg. 196 - 209

SECTION 2: “Fully Human, Fully Divine”

October 21 - Sheed: 75 - 106
Marthalar: pg. 49 - 109
Ratzinger: pg. 210 - 270

October 28, - Sheed: pg. 9 - 48
November 4 Marthalar: pg. 83 – 95; 110 – 122; 232 – 258
Ratzinger: pg. 103 - 192

November 11 - Sheed: pg. 163 - 176
Marthalar: pg. 178 – 189; 201 – 215; 348 – 365
Ratzinger: pg. 271 - 330

November 18 - Sheed: 135 - 142
Marthalar: pg. 190 – 200

SECTION 3: Historical Theology

November 25 Handouts only

December 2,9 None

SECOND SEMESTER

SECTION 1: The Sources of Theology

January 6 - Marthalar: pg. 1 - 52
Ratzinger: pg. 39 - 102

January 13 - ** Vatican II – Dei Verbum (Constitution on Divine Revelation)
Marthalar: pg. 53 – 71
Ratzinger: pg. 103 – 136

January 20 - None or TBA

SECTION 2: The Sacraments

January 27 - ** Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy)
Sheed: 143 - 152

February 3 - None (or, finish January 27th assigned readings)

February 10 - Sheed: pg. 153 – 162
Marthaler: pg. 312 - 328

February 17 - Conference Week (No Classes)

February 24 - ** Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests)

March 3 - Marthaler: pg. 329 - 347

SECTION 3: Ethics and the Christian Life

March 10 - ** Vatican II, Lumen Gentium (The Constitution of the Church)
** Vatican II, Unitatis Redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism)
Marthaler: pg. 277 – 311; 364 - 380

March 17 - ** Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes (Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)

March 24 - Handouts

March 31 - ** John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (Vatican Document – required)
(http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae_en.html)

April 7 - ** John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (continued)

G. UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS

Students are responsible for knowing the University’s academic policies and regulations and any particularities of their own course of study. These can all be found at the University’s website http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf). Ignorance of these policies is not an excuse for any violation thereof. The following policies are particularly important to note:

Submission of Assignments: It is the responsibility of the student to organize his or her work so that the assignments are completed on time. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment will be deducted for each day it is overdue without permission. Assignments may be submitted to the seminary receptionist during office hours and must be date-stamped.

Seminars cannot be late or rescheduled. Be prepared to present on your scheduled day. A missed seminar (or partially missed seminar) will earn a zero.

Plagiarism: Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt by quotation marks and/or footnotes. Plagiarism is a major academic offense. Students may be required to submit their work in electronic form for plagiarism checking.

Selection and Registration of Courses: Students are responsible for ensuring that their selection of courses is appropriate and accurately recorded, that all prerequisite course(s) have been successfully completed, and that they are aware of any anti-requisite course(s) that they have taken.

Please also note:

1. You may not submit work electronically. A paper that is e-mailed, even if sent before the assignment deadline, will be considered as “not yet submitted” and late. Assignments submitted in class will need to be “signed in”. This is for your protection in the event that your paper is misplaced.

2. You are responsible for your own notes. In the case of illness, family emergencies, etc., it is still up to you to find notes for the missed class(es). Please do not ask for the official lecture notes, as under no circumstances will they be given to students.

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