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FC: 5307 EcclesiologyStuart Squires, Ph.D.Squires@stthom.eduOffice: Center for Faith and Culture HouseOffice Hours: Email me for times(Appointments highly recommended)Spring 2020: Mon. 5:30-8:15 (Malloy 022)PURPOSE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:The opening section of Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium says that “the church, in Christ, is a sacrament—a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and the unity of the entire human race.” This class will be spent unpacking and clarifying exactly what this means. We will study the nature, mission, and current challenges in the church through a variety of avenues: biblical examination, theological exploration, historical investigation, and personal reflection. Texts from the Bible, Vatican II, Saint John Paul II, Bishop Robert Barron, and Avery Cardinal Dulles (among others) will be read. By the end of the semester, students will be able to articulate the central points of Catholicism’s theology of the church (ecclesiology). Students also will develop a variety of skills: the ability to perform sophisticated textual analysis, critical and analytical thinking, the art of public speaking, the ability to write cogently and precisely, the craft of persuasively making an argument, and the skill of speaking extemporaneously in an articulate fashion, to name only a few. FORMAT OF THE CLASS:Classes will consist of lectures, close reading of primary texts, discussions, and (occasionally) videos. TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS:Butler Sara, The Catholic Priesthood and Women: A Guide to the Teaching of the Church.Hillenbrand Books: Chicago, 2007. (ISBN:1595250166).Harrington, Daniel. The Church According to the New Testament: What the Wisdom and Witness of Early Christianity Teach Us Today. Sheed and Ward: New York, 2001. (ISBN: 1580511112).Kinnaman, David. You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church…and Rethinking Faith. Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2011. (ISBN: 0801013143).Selin, Gary. Priestly Celibacy: Theological Foundations. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Books, 2016. (ISBN: 0813228417).A variety of other primary source material will also be used. This material will be found on BlackboardREQUIREMENTS: Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes. Student Presentation: Students will give a lecture during class on an author of text from the course.Paper Presentation: On the last day of class, students will give a presentation of a (very good) draft of their paper. Students will receive feedback from the teacher and the students, and then incorporate the comments into the final paper.A ten-page paper. There are several paper options: Option 1: Three of the documents from Vatican II (Lumen Gentium, Unitatis Redintegratio and Nostra Aetate) discuss how other Christian groups (Orthodox and Protestants), other religions (Judaism, Buddhism, etc.), and individuals who have never heard of Jesus are understood by Catholicism—especially on the question of salvation. Make an argument if you think that what the Church is saying is inclusive or exclusive. Are you comfortable with these documents? If you were to rewrite these documents, what would you say differently? Option 2: Choose one of the topics from Dulles (e.g. the issue dealing with closed or open communion) and make and argument for, or against, the issue (e.g. you believe Catholicism should or should not have open communion). Option 3: You Lost Me offers many answers addressing how Christianity could appeal to young adults. Because this book was not written by a Catholic, there are no uniquely Catholic answers given. How can the Catholic Church “read the signs of the times” and speak to young adults today?Option 4: Compare and Contrast the relationship between Mary and the Church as found in Saint John Paul II’s Ecclesia de Eucharistia and Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium.Option 5: We have addressed some difficult issues this semester (the male priesthood, celibacy, the sexual abuse crisis). Make an argument for one side of the issue. Do not simply repeat what one of our authors has said and then say that you agree. Make a new argument we have not seen already.Option 6: If a student has a unique skill set (e.g. knows how to make a documentary movie) and would like to employ this skill, the student may speak with the teacher by week 11 about how it may be used in this class. Option 7: There are many other ecclesiological issues that we have not covered this semester. Choose one from outside of our syllabus and research it. Imitating the style of Avery Dulles, what are the arguments for and against this issue? What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of both sides? Which side of the issue do you support?Style: The student will use: Times New Roman; 12 point font; double spacing; 1 inch margins. Paper Submission Policy: The paper will be submitted to the teacher via email.Grade Distribution: Student Presentation:100 ptsPaper: 100 ptsPaper Presentation: 100Grading Scale:GradeMeaningEquivalentAExcellent100-92A-91-90B+89-87BGood86-82B-81-80C+?79-77CSatisfactory76-72C-71-70DLowest Passing69-60FFailing59-0POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS:Students may submit assignments before the deadline. If any student is aware that he/she will miss a deadline of any type of assignment because of a scheduled event, that student MUST submit the work BEFORE the deadline, or else the student will not receive any credit for the assignment. If a student misses a deadline due to an unexpected event, the student may submit the work after the deadline with a 20% penalty. The sole exception to this policy is due to a case of extreme emergency.Students must do all of the reading for the week and bring all of the texts that are assigned for the week to class. Students may read texts off of a computer or tablet but may not do so with a telephone.There is to be no texting, emailing, or instant messaging during class.Students may not sleep in the class.Students must regularly check their email account as I will be emailing important information to it. Students with Disabilities Policy: Accommodations can be made for physical and learning disabilities. This must be discussed with the professor by the end of the second week.ACADEMIC INTEGRITY STATEMENT POLICY: There is to be absolutely no plagiarism in this class. If a student is caught, he or she will be reported to the University and will fail the assignment. Plagiarism policy found on p. 45 of the Student Handbook (Please be familiar with the entire Student Handbook): Academic Integrity Every offense against academic honesty seriously undermines the teaching-learning process for which the University exists, and such offenses will be dealt with expeditiously according to the following criteria. A. Definition Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: 1. Cheating on an examination or test; for example, by copying from another’s work or using unauthorized materials before or during the test, including the use of electronic devices; 2. Plagiarism, which represents as one’s own the work of another, whether published or not, without acknowledging the precise source; 3. Participation in the academic dishonesty of another student, even though one’s own work is not directly affected; 4. Any conduct which would be recognized as dishonest in an academic setting.SCHEDULE FOR THE SEMESTERPART I: WHAT IS THE CHURCH?OverviewMon. Jan. 13: Review Syllabus; Richard McBrien. The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism. Part I “The Content and Scope of Ecclesiology.” (Handout in Class)Mon. Jan. 20: UNIVERSITY CLOSEDNew Testament EcclesiologyMon. Jan. 27: Daniel Harrington. The Church According to the New Testament: What the Wisdom and Witness of Early Christianity Teach Us Today Ecclesiology of Vatican II (The Church’s Self Understanding)Mon. Feb. 3: Lumen Gentium; Unitatis Redintegratio; Nostra Aetate (Blackboard)Ecclesiology of Vatican II (The Church’s Relationship to the Modern World)Mon. Feb. 10: Gaudium et Spes (Blackboard)Ecclesiology and the EucharistMon. Feb. 17: Saint John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Blackboard)PART II: CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES IN / TO THE CHURCHMale PriesthoodMon. Feb. 24: Sara Butler, The Catholic Priesthood and Women: A Guide to the Teaching of the ChurchCelibacy of the PriesthoodMon. Mar. 2: Gary Selin, Priestly Celibacy: Theological FoundationsSexual Abuse ScandalMon. Mar. 9: Bishop Robert Barron, Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis (Blackboard)Mon. Mar. 16: UNIVERSITY CLOSEDCatholics Leaving the ChurchMon. Mar. 23: David Kinnaman, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church…and Rethinking FaithCultural Challenges to the Church (I)Mon. Mar. 30: Avery Dulles, “Rethinking the Mission of the Church” from The Resilient Church (the failure of evangelization by Catholics); Avery Dulles, “Church and Reform through Creative Interaction;” Avery Dulles, “Doctrinal Renewal: A Situationist View” from The Resilient Church (difficulties and necessity of church reform) (Blackboard)Cultural Challenges to the Church (II)Mon. Apr. 6: Avery Dulles, “Doctrinal Authority for a Pilgrim Church” from The Resilient Church (authority and the individual); Avery Dulles, “Changing Concepts of Church Membership” from The Resilient Church (who is Catholic?) (Blackboard)Mon. Apr. 13: UNIVERSITY CLOSEDCultural Challenges to the Church (III)Mon. Apr. 20: Avery Dulles, “Eucharistic Sharing as an Ecumenical Problem” from The Resilient Church (open communion vs. closed communion); Avery Dulles, “Authority and Conscience: Two Needed Voices” from The Reshaping of Catholicism: Current Challenges in the Theology of Church (is there a conflict between authority and individual?) (Blackboard)Cultural Challenges to the Church (IV)Mon. Apr. 27: Avery Dulles, “Ecumenism and the Search for Doctrinal Agreement” from The Reshaping of Catholicism: Current Challenges in the Theology of Church (what are the necessity and limits on doctrinal unity between Catholics and Protestants?) (Blackboard)Mon. May 4: PRESENTATIONSFinal Exam:?(We do not meet.? Email me your paper by 5:00 on May 11th) ................
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