The aim of this course is to offer students an environment in which to critically evaluate some of the most pressing issues facing the Roman Catholic Church at the dawn of the Third Millennium. Through the analysis of the texts identified, and eventual conversation in class, students will be challenged to probe deeply into certain themes and consider them from many angles. Most of these themes are quite controversial, and thus require serene and objective scrutiny which will be fostered throughout the course. (3 credits)
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students are able to:
- Critically evaluate themes, now debated within the Church, from an historical perspective;
- Seriously engage their personal views with others in an academic setting;
- Acquire a greater understanding of some specific issues through in-depth research and presentation of that theme;
- Objectively articulate the foundations of Church doctrine concerning these controversial issues.
Method of presentation:
Lectures and class discussions, analysis of selected texts, site visits.
LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION: English
Required work and form of assessment:
Class participation and oral presentation (30%), mid-term exam (30%), and final exam (40%)
Details of Required Work: Class presentations will consist of a two-person explanation and subsequent class debate of a certain topic, to be agreed upon by the students and professor.
content:
Week One: Sessions 1 & 2
Introduction to the course
The nature and identity of the Catholic Church
Brief historical survey, particularly of the beginnings; a structured community, founded by Christ and entrusted to the Apostles; notion of apostolic succession; doctrinal orthodoxy and important ‘heresies’ that sprout up; Jesus Christ as only saviour; universality of the Church.
Reading assignment: Dominus Iesus by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (August 6, 2000); The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels. Introduction, pp. xiii-1.
Week Two: Sessions 3 & 4
Authority within the Catholic Church
The Holy See: the Pope (“Bishop of Rome”) and Bishops in communion with him; importance of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church; on-going development of doctrine; truth, dogma, and “re-formable” doctrines; hierarchical priesthood as a service to the sacraments; clericalism; Benedict XVI’s style and priorities.
Reading assignment: Salt of the Earth, Peter Seewald, pp. 121-213.
Week Three: Sessions 5 & 6
Ecumenism
The Roman Catholic Church in relation to the Orthodox Churches of the East; her relation to other Christian denominations (Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism); her relation to Judaism and the State of Israel; her relation to Islam and the Muslim world; a word on atheism.
Reading assignment: The Truth of Catholicism, George Weigel, pp. 5-52; A Righteous Gentile: Pope Pius XII and the Jews by Rabbi David Dalin, Ph.D.
Week Four: Sessions 7 & 8
The relationship between Faith and Reason
The difference between ‘knowing’ and ‘believing’; the universality of rational inquiry; contemporary controversies with philosophical schools; notion of ‘truth’; the natural law and general ethics; the Church’s appeal to Divine Revelation.
Reading assignment: Fides et ratio by Pope John Paul II (1998), excerpts.
Week Five: Sessions 9 & 10
The Catholic Church and Darwinism
Notion(s) of evolution; common descent; ‘creationism’.
Reading assignment: On the Origins of Species, Charles Darwin, excerpts.
The Catholic Church and Intelligent Design
Contemporary controversy surrounding intelligent design theory.
Reading assignment: The Edge of Evolution, Michael Behe, pp. 64-102.
Week Six: Sessions 11 & 12
Review for Midterm; Midterm exam in class.
Week Seven:
Mid term break. No classes.
Week Eight: Sessions 13 & 14
Birth Control
Brief historical survey; distinction between ‘natural family planning’ and ‘artificial birth control’; dual nature of the conjugal act; notion of ‘reproductive freedom’.
Reading assignment: Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI (1968).
Class presentations
Week Nine: Sessions 15 & 16
Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy (i.e., abortion)
Premise: a conclusion attainable through natural law theory (i.e., a non-religious conviction); anthropological status of the fetus; the rights of the mother (and father); legal ramifications; notion of ‘viability’.
Reading assignment: Fifty Questions on the Natural Law, Charles Rice, pp. 286-294; What We Can't Not Know, J. Budziszewski, pp. 3-50.
Class presentations
Week Ten: Sessions 17 & 18
Issues concerning Same-sex Attraction
Distinction between ‘tendency’ and ‘behavior’; nature vs. nurture; anthropological considerations of sexual attraction; homophobia and discrimination; same-sex attraction and marriage.
Reading assignment: The New Anti-Catholicism, Philip Jenkins, pp. 93-112.
Class presentations
Week Eleven: Sessions 19 & 20
The role of Women in the Church
Radical feminism and discrimination; exclusion of women from Holy Orders; dignity of women and the example of Mary, the mother of Christ.
Reading assignment: The New Anti-Catholicism, Philip Jenkins, pp. 67-91.
Class presentations
Week Twelve: Sessions 21 & 22
Issues concerning end-of-life decisions
Euthanasia (‘mercy killing’) as distinct from allowing someone to die; palliative care of the dying (avoiding unnecessary suffering); exaggerated medical intervention; importance of the eschatological point of view (i.e., preparing for life after death); food and water as normal means of sustenance; ‘living will’; the donating of organs. Case study: the dilemma of Eluana Englaro.
Reading assignment: Culture of Death, Wesley Smith, pp. 81-122.
Class presentations/Review for final exam
Field Studies (dates to be decided):
- Guided tour of the Vatican Museums; attendance of a Papal Audience.
Required readings:
(all included in Course Reader):
Gabriele Amorth, An Exorcist Tells His Story, pp. 43-76.
Michael Behe, The Edge of Evolution, pp. 1-102.
J. Budziszewski, What We Can't Not Know, pp. 3-50.
Rabbi David Dalin, Ph.D., A Righteous Gentile: Pope Pius XII and the Jews.
Charles Darwin, On the Origins of Species, excerpts.
Dominus Iesus by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (August 6, 2000).
Philip Jenkins, The New Anti-Catholicism, pp. 67-91; 93-112.
Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels.
Pope John Paul II, Fides et ratio (1998), excerpts.
Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (1968).
Charles Rice, Fifty Questions on the Natural Law, pp. 286-294.
Peter Seewald, Salt of the Earth,pp. 121-213.
Wesley Smith, Culture of Death, pp. 81-122.
George Weigel, The Truth of Catholicism, pp. 5-52.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Originally from Mountain View, California, Fr. Philip Larrey moved to Europe in 1984 in order to complete a Diploma in Classical Languages in Salamanca, Spain, followed by a Licentiate and Doctorate in Philosophy at the Jesuit-run Pontifical Gregorian University by 1994. His areas of interest include 20th century North American analytical philosophy, the philosophy of science, the notion of «Intelligent Design», and the history of Christianity. He is a regular contributor to Aquinas, the official publication of the philosophy department of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, where he is Adjunct Professor to the Chair of the Philosophy of Knowledge. He has offered courses on epistemology and metaphysics in Madrid (Spain), Kaoschung (Taiwan), Denver (USA) and the Island of Guam (USA).
6/2011
Issues In The Contemporary Roman Catholic Church
The aim of this course is to offer students an environment in which to critically evaluate some of the most pressing issues facing the Roman Catholic Church at the dawn of the Third Millennium. Through the analysis of the texts identified, and eventual conversation in class, students will be challenged to probe deeply into certain themes and consider them from many angles. Most of these themes are quite controversial, and thus require serene and objective scrutiny which will be fostered throughout the course. (3 credits)
By the end of the course, students are able to:
- Critically evaluate themes, now debated within the Church, from an historical perspective;
- Seriously engage their personal views with others in an academic setting;
- Acquire a greater understanding of some specific issues through in-depth research and presentation of that theme;
- Objectively articulate the foundations of Church doctrine concerning these controversial issues.
Lectures and class discussions, analysis of selected texts, site visits.
LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION: English
Class participation and oral presentation (30%), mid-term exam (30%), and final exam (40%)
Details of Required Work: Class presentations will consist of a two-person explanation and subsequent class debate of a certain topic, to be agreed upon by the students and professor.
Week One: Sessions 1 & 2
Introduction to the course
The nature and identity of the Catholic Church
Brief historical survey, particularly of the beginnings; a structured community, founded by Christ and entrusted to the Apostles; notion of apostolic succession; doctrinal orthodoxy and important ‘heresies’ that sprout up; Jesus Christ as only saviour; universality of the Church.
Reading assignment: Dominus Iesus by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (August 6, 2000); The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels. Introduction, pp. xiii-1.
Week Two: Sessions 3 & 4
Authority within the Catholic Church
The Holy See: the Pope (“Bishop of Rome”) and Bishops in communion with him; importance of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church; on-going development of doctrine; truth, dogma, and “re-formable” doctrines; hierarchical priesthood as a service to the sacraments; clericalism; Benedict XVI’s style and priorities.
Reading assignment: Salt of the Earth, Peter Seewald, pp. 121-213.
Week Three: Sessions 5 & 6
Ecumenism
The Roman Catholic Church in relation to the Orthodox Churches of the East; her relation to other Christian denominations (Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism); her relation to Judaism and the State of Israel; her relation to Islam and the Muslim world; a word on atheism.
Reading assignment: The Truth of Catholicism, George Weigel, pp. 5-52; A Righteous Gentile: Pope Pius XII and the Jews by Rabbi David Dalin, Ph.D.
Week Four: Sessions 7 & 8
The relationship between Faith and Reason
The difference between ‘knowing’ and ‘believing’; the universality of rational inquiry; contemporary controversies with philosophical schools; notion of ‘truth’; the natural law and general ethics; the Church’s appeal to Divine Revelation.
Reading assignment: Fides et ratio by Pope John Paul II (1998), excerpts.
Week Five: Sessions 9 & 10
The Catholic Church and Darwinism
Notion(s) of evolution; common descent; ‘creationism’.
Reading assignment: On the Origins of Species, Charles Darwin, excerpts.
The Catholic Church and Intelligent Design
Contemporary controversy surrounding intelligent design theory.
Reading assignment: The Edge of Evolution, Michael Behe, pp. 64-102.
Week Six: Sessions 11 & 12
Review for Midterm; Midterm exam in class.
Week Seven:
Mid term break. No classes.
Week Eight: Sessions 13 & 14
Birth Control
Brief historical survey; distinction between ‘natural family planning’ and ‘artificial birth control’; dual nature of the conjugal act; notion of ‘reproductive freedom’.
Reading assignment: Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI (1968).
Class presentations
Week Nine: Sessions 15 & 16
Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy (i.e., abortion)
Premise: a conclusion attainable through natural law theory (i.e., a non-religious conviction); anthropological status of the fetus; the rights of the mother (and father); legal ramifications; notion of ‘viability’.
Reading assignment: Fifty Questions on the Natural Law, Charles Rice, pp. 286-294; What We Can't Not Know, J. Budziszewski, pp. 3-50.
Class presentations
Week Ten: Sessions 17 & 18
Issues concerning Same-sex Attraction
Distinction between ‘tendency’ and ‘behavior’; nature vs. nurture; anthropological considerations of sexual attraction; homophobia and discrimination; same-sex attraction and marriage.
Reading assignment: The New Anti-Catholicism, Philip Jenkins, pp. 93-112.
Class presentations
Week Eleven: Sessions 19 & 20
The role of Women in the Church
Radical feminism and discrimination; exclusion of women from Holy Orders; dignity of women and the example of Mary, the mother of Christ.
Reading assignment: The New Anti-Catholicism, Philip Jenkins, pp. 67-91.
Class presentations
Week Twelve: Sessions 21 & 22
Issues concerning end-of-life decisions
Euthanasia (‘mercy killing’) as distinct from allowing someone to die; palliative care of the dying (avoiding unnecessary suffering); exaggerated medical intervention; importance of the eschatological point of view (i.e., preparing for life after death); food and water as normal means of sustenance; ‘living will’; the donating of organs. Case study: the dilemma of Eluana Englaro.
Reading assignment: Culture of Death, Wesley Smith, pp. 81-122.
Class presentations/Review for final exam
Field Studies (dates to be decided):
- Guided tour of the Vatican Museums; attendance of a Papal Audience.
(all included in Course Reader):
Gabriele Amorth, An Exorcist Tells His Story, pp. 43-76.
Michael Behe, The Edge of Evolution, pp. 1-102.
J. Budziszewski, What We Can't Not Know, pp. 3-50.
Rabbi David Dalin, Ph.D., A Righteous Gentile: Pope Pius XII and the Jews.
Charles Darwin, On the Origins of Species, excerpts.
Dominus Iesus by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (August 6, 2000).
Philip Jenkins, The New Anti-Catholicism, pp. 67-91; 93-112.
Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels.
Pope John Paul II, Fides et ratio (1998), excerpts.
Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (1968).
Charles Rice, Fifty Questions on the Natural Law, pp. 286-294.
Peter Seewald, Salt of the Earth,pp. 121-213.
Wesley Smith, Culture of Death, pp. 81-122.
George Weigel, The Truth of Catholicism, pp. 5-52.
Originally from Mountain View, California, Fr. Philip Larrey moved to Europe in 1984 in order to complete a Diploma in Classical Languages in Salamanca, Spain, followed by a Licentiate and Doctorate in Philosophy at the Jesuit-run Pontifical Gregorian University by 1994. His areas of interest include 20th century North American analytical philosophy, the philosophy of science, the notion of «Intelligent Design», and the history of Christianity. He is a regular contributor to Aquinas, the official publication of the philosophy department of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, where he is Adjunct Professor to the Chair of the Philosophy of Knowledge. He has offered courses on epistemology and metaphysics in Madrid (Spain), Kaoschung (Taiwan), Denver (USA) and the Island of Guam (USA).
6/2011