Stuart Squires, Ph.D.



Th. 480: The Development of Catholic Doctrine“Time is necessary for the full comprehension and perfection of great ideas.”-John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)Stuart Squires, Ph.D.Stuart.Squires@brescia.eduFall 2016August 16th to October 4thMod. 1: Tuesdays: 6:00-7:00 CSTPURPOSE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:Why won’t the Catholic Church just change her antiquated teachings already? This question rests underneath many of the contemporary discussions that confront the Church in the 21st century, discussions that address such challenging issues as contraception, abortion, a female priesthood, and homosexual marriage, to name just a few. In order to answer this question and engage in these discussions in an intelligent manner, a clear, robust, and nuanced comprehension of how the Church understands doctrinal “change” (which Catholic doctrine does not do) and authentic doctrinal “development” (which Catholic doctrine does) must be grasped. Intellectual giants such as John Henry Cardinal Newman, Avery Cardinal Dulles, and Jaroslav Pelikan will be read and discussed. By the end of the semester, students will be able to articulate the theory of doctrinal development as distinct from doctrinal change. Students also will see this theory in practice by studying two case studies of the doctrinal development of Mary and Jesus. FORMAT OF THE CLASS:This class is a full semester’s credit fulfilled in eight weeks. This is NOT eight weeks of work. It is 16 weeks of work that will occur during eight weeks. So, this intensive class will require double the amount work that would normally happen in an eight week period. If the student is not able to digest this tremendous amount of information and work in such a short time, the student should consider if he/she wants to take this class.As this is an online course and we only have one hour of “contact time” each week, the majority of the information will be learned by the student independently by reading the texts. The student should consider if he/she has the discipline to study independently.Each week, students will watch a recorded lecture.Each Tuesday, the teacher and students will discuss the material for the week.TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS:Dulles, Avery. John Henry Newman. New York: Continuum, 2002. ISBN: 0826435645 Newman, John Henry. Conscience, Consensus, and the Development of Doctrine. New York: Image Books, 1992. ISBN: 0385422806Pelikan, Jaroslav. Jesus through the Centuries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985. ISBN: 0300079877Pelikan, Jaroslav. Mary through the Centuries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996. ISBN: 0300076614Squires, Stuart. “When Will the Catholic Church Come into the 21st Century?” Crisis Magazine. (2014) (handout on Moodle). REQUIREMENTS:Chat postings: Each week, the teacher will post a question based on the reading. Students will offer at least one substantive post (at least 500 words) on one of three things: the question the teacher asks, a reaction from a posting from another student, or something that catches the interest of the student. You must post at least one posting. Students may ask questions in the posting, but there must also be thoughtful reflections offered. Students are also expected to respond to the posts of other students. Postings that disrespect the postings of other students will not be tolerated. Postings are due no later than noon on Tuesdays. Midterm and final exams. There will be two exams, a midterm and a final, that will be taken online. Paper: Students will write a 6-8 page paper. There are several options from which to choose. Students must get approval of the paper topic from the teacher by the end of week four. Students will upload the paper to . This program has plagiarism detection. The student will use: Times New Roman; 12 point font; double spacing; 1 inch margins. Option 1: Choose a theological doctrine we have NOT discussed this semester and research how that doctrine has developed over the centuries.Option 2: Choose one of the “canon of issues” (the hotly contested questions) facing the Church today (e.g. contraception, homosexual marriage, female priests) and make an argument if you feel that a new allowance of that issue would be an authentic doctrinal development, or if it would constitute a doctrinal change.Option 3: Students may submit a standard research paper. Option 4: Students may submit a project that uses his or her own talents.Grade Distribution: Chat Postings: 70 ptsMidterm: 100 ptsFinal: 100 ptsPaper: 100 ptsGrading Scale:GradeMeaningEquivalentAExcellent100-92A-91-90B+89-87BGood86-82B-81-80C+?79-77CSatisfactory76-72C-71-70DLowest Passing69-60FFailing59-0POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS:As this is an online course, there is a certain level of anonymity that is not found in a course offered on campus. There are positive and negative aspects of this. One possible negative is that students feel empowered to be disrespectful of the teacher or other students. This will not be tolerated. Appropriate action will be taken if this occurs.Chat postings may not be completed after the deadline. If papers or exams are submitted late, 20% will be deducted from the grade. Students must do all of the reading for the week and have the texts present during our online session.Students must regularly check their Brescia email account as I will be emailing important information to it. 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. 44 of the Brescia Catalog: An instructor who becomes aware of an act of deliberate academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, should report the student(s) involved to the Academic Dean and describe the disciplinary action proposed. (Note: Plagiarism is defined as the deliberate use of another‘s ideas, work, or words as one‘s own, without properly documenting and crediting the original source.) Purchasing or copying another‘s work and using it as one‘s own, cheating on tests, refusing to do one‘s share of group work for which all will receive the same grade, and not doing one‘s own homework are other examples of academic dishonesty.This class fulfills the major subject requirement for the Theology major. This class is three credit hours. BRESCIA UNIVERSITY EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES (BUEOs)Brescia University graduates will demonstrate the ability to think critically, analyze information, and communicate effectively. a. Critical Thinking b. Information Analysis c. Effective CommunicationThinking: Through the close reading of primary texts and writing term paper, students will demonstrate the skill of applying logic, reason from hypothesis to conclusion, identify core issues, and evaluate judgments of the arguments of the authors read in rmation Analysis: Through the term paper required by all students, they will demonstrate their skill of observing, investigating and analyzing information from disparate munication: Through the quizzes, midterm, final, and term paper, students will demonstrate their skill of articulating their understanding and discernment of what they have read.Brescia University graduates will attain competence in and apply a field of study in readiness for graduate school or a career in an appropriate field. a. General Education Courses MAY address this Outcome b. Primarily addressed through courses for the MAJORThrough this class, students will learn about the development of Catholic doctrine. This will be helpful for students either in graduate school or in a career because they will understand how the Church has developed its teachings. Brescia University graduates will possess the capacity to adapt to diverse environments. a. General Education Courses MAY address this Outcome b. Primarily addressed through courses for CO-CURRICULAR programsBrescia University graduates will understand and apply ethical standards in promoting justice and service to others. a. Ethical Standards (understand and apply) b. Justice c. ServiceBy focusing on the question of the different ways religions conceive of suffering, students will think about how to be compassionate with others and to be just with those who suffer. BRESCIA GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMESStudents will read perceptively, write clearly and analytically, and speak effectively. a. Perceptive Reading b. Analytical Writing c. Effective SpeakingStudents will learn how to read closely by practice. Students will read primary and secondary literature that will help students develop the skill of perceptive reading. The writing assignments that students have will develop the skills of analytic writing. Students will develop the skill of effective speaking by interaction with their colleagues.Students will think criticallyBy interacting and engaging with the primary source material, students will think critically about the religions of the worldStudents will synthesize and process information using traditional and technological tools. a. Research and Research Papers/Projects b. Technology UseAs this class is primarily a comparative studies class, the main task of the class is to synthesize and process information from the different religions to see how these religions compare with each other on a variety of different topics.Students will develop their knowledge of theology and philosophy, harmonizing that knowledge with other disciplinesThis class is multidisciplinary and so students will come to understand these religions through a variety of lenses.Theology Major Outcomes: Majors will demonstrate the ability to understand how the Catholic Church arrived at its core teachings.Signature Assignment: EssaySCHEDULE FOR THE SEMESTER:Week 1 (August 16th): IntroductionReview the SyllabusWeek 2 (August 23rd): Development of Doctrine 1Chat Posting DueDulles: Chapters 1 through 3Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine: Introduction through Chapter 4Week 3: (August 30th): Development of Doctrine 2Chat Posting DueDulles: Chapter 4 through 6Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine: Chapters 5 through 6Blackburn, Jim. “Is It a Doctrine or a Discipline?” [handout on Moodle]Week 4: (September 6th): Development of Doctrine 3Chat Posting DueDulles: Chapters 7 through 10Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine : Chapters 7 through ConclusionSquires, “When Will the Catholic Church Come into the 21st Century?” (handout on Moodle) *MIDTERM*Monday, September 12th from 12:01 AM to 11:59 PMWeek 5: (September 13th): Mary 1Chat Posting DuePelikan (Mary): Introduction through chapter 8Week 6: (September 20th): Mary 2Chat Posting DuePelikan (Mary): Chapter 9 through 16Week 7: (September 27th): Jesus 1Chat Posting DuePelikan (Jesus): Introduction through chapter 11Week 8: (October 4th): Jesus 2Chat Posting Due*PAPER DUE BY 6:00 PM TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4TH*Pelikan (Jesus): Chapters 12 though 18*FINAL EXAM*Thursday, October 6th from 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM. ................
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