Theo 325: Catholic Social Traditions

Theo 325:
Catholic Social Traditions
Professor: Dr. Gerald W. Schlabach
email: gwschlabach@stthomas.edu

In this class...

We will notice ways in which Vatican II anticipated the challenges of globalization we face at the beginning of the 21st century.
We will explore the moral and theological resources that the Catholic Church is able to draw upon to respond to globalization,

insofar as "catholicity" already commits the Church to being a global, transnational, multicultural community on pilgrimage in the world through time,
insofar as "pilgrimage in the world through time" has bequeathed the Church a memory of ancient wisdom that provides critical perspective on the claims of any age, particularly the modern age,
and insofar as this "wisdom" has been embodied both in official Catholic social teaching and in the lives, communities and movements of faithful Catholics.

We will focus our discussion of these matters by asking what kind of social ethic a global church should have in an age of globalization?
Through major assignments, students will explore how Catholic social teaching is being or might be applied to specific regions or nations of the world.
Particularly during the closing weeks, we will ask how Catholic social teaching might shape our own personal vocations, as well as those of the Christian local communities in which we participate.
(Click here to see the departmental course description.)

Syllabus
Analytical course outline & schedule
Term project guide

WebBoard discussion (or click here for user guide)
Research tools

On-line readings
(*= Electronic reserve. Acrobat Reader required. Free download available. If you have trouble reading any of these in IExplorer, download the file to read [right click and then use "Save target" feature] or use Netscape. If all else fails, these are available at the library reserve desk.)
- Dorothy Day, Catholic Worker editorial, 1935 (or click here for supplementary, optional reading)
- Redemptor hominis, encyclical by Pope John Paul II, 1979
- Medellin document, Conference of Latin American bishops, 1968
- The Church as a Trans-National Nation (a selection of early Christian texts)
- Pilgrim people (excerpts from 20th century texts)
- John H. Yoder, "Let the Church Be the Church"*
- Dom Hélder Câmara, 1972 speeches to Mani Tese youth movement in Italy:
Optional readings (texts mentioned in class, etc.)
- The Aims and Means of the Catholic Worker
- "Poor but Prosperous"
Handouts & other aids for study and review
Page maintained by Gerald W. Schlabach, gwschlabach@stthomas.edu.
Copyright © Gerald W. Schlabach. Last updated: 20 January 2004