Catholic Social Traditions (Theo 325-01)
Term Project Guide

 

The major assignments in this course seek to engage you deeply with the impacts of globalization and issues of justice in one particular region of the world, then analyze those impacts and issues in conversation with Catholic social teaching. This will give you the opportunity to explore questions we are asking throughout the course for yourself:

·         What kind of social ethic should a global church have in an age of globalization?

·         How is Catholic social teaching being applied, or might it be applied, to concrete situations in specific regions or nations of the world?

You should expect to focus your research and writing and concentrate on a single issue or cluster of issues in your region of choice.  Some examples are:  trade policies, sustainable agriculture, cultural integrity, labor organization, neocolonialism, the environment, the cultural integrity of traditional communities, human rights, migration, refugees, women, communication issues (impact of the internet, or of advertising), modern forms of slavery, religious and ethnic conflict, etc.  Just be sure to remember that everyone’s work must be rooted in a particular region or locale, not just an abstract issue (such as world hunger, or free trade in general, or “sweatshops”).

“Term project” in this case means a series of assignments that build on each other and lead to a final major paper.  The sequence of assignments will correspond to the following, five-phase process of moral engagement and deliberation:[1]

1.      Narrative discourse: Makes use of stories to communicate moral wisdom and virtues, or simply to learn and share what is happening among those who are most affected by social policies.

2.      Prophetic discourse: Denounces particular policies or social practice, using passionate language to indict communities or societies of moral crime and to hold up a vision of hope for the victims of injustice.

3.      Ecclesial discourse:  Attempts to draw together the most relevant lessons of Scripture, the best wisdom of Christian thinkers in the past, and the soundest judgment emerging from the throughout the present Christian community, in order to provide authoritative guidance for responding to contemporary moral challenges.

4.      Ethical discourse: Gives reasons for action, i.e. reasonable, consistent and coherent arguments marked by relevant moral distinctions and precise definitions of moral terms.

5.      Policy discourse: Informed by all of the above, this final phase takes account of what seems possible in the current situation and makes specific, concrete proposals for how individuals, families, institutions, governments, etc. ought to act. 

Preliminary

By the end of the second week of class you must decide on a research topic and focus question.  In formulating your topic, you might wish to do a preliminary search for official statements from Church bodies in different regions that suggest what Christians there consider to be their most pressing social problems.[2]  Be sure you have at least a general idea of the impact that globalization might be having on the region or group you choose. If you have an idea that is not from the following lists, you should consult with your professor. 

International (any nation or region in…)	U.S. and Canada (focusing on…)
Latin America Sub-Saharan Africa Central Europe or former USSR Middle East China and Southeast Asia Indian subcontinent Oceania Western Europe	Aboriginal peoples (Native Americans, First Nations of Canada) A region such as Appalachia, Pacific Northwest, etc. Any rural area and/or small town in the Midwest Any refugee or immigrant group Any ethnic or racial minority Any one urban neighborhood

 

Bibliography assignment #1

Your assignment is to carefully read the assignment for Paper #1 (see below), begin thinking about it, and prepare a bibliography listing eight different kinds of sources that look promising and helpful.  To do this you will fill out a form to guide you in collecting information on the following kinds of sources:

·          Local contact person or organization

·          Book that provides an overview of your area of study

·          Book that provides more specific analysis or information related to your topic

·          Academic journal article related to your topic

·          Magazine or newspaper article that provides recent analysis/information on your topic.

·          Website that provides background, information or analysis related to your topic.

·          Website that provides a portal for additional research

·          Church document that addresses your topic

A few words about the Internet: The Internet is a marvelous search engine for researchers, and is part of the dynamic of globalization itself, but it can be unreliable as an actual source of information.  Know the difference between using it as a research tool and relying on it as an information source!  In other words, use it as much as you want in order to find sources that have first been published elsewhere and gathered in libraries.  (Note that this means that papal encyclicals or pastoral letters from bishops, for example, would not count as a “web-only source.”  Nor would magazine articles found through a full-text database search and reprinted on the web.)  Be cautious about using websites themselves as sources.

For a list of guides for assessing Internet sites, see http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm. One of the best articles there is by Robert Harris, “Evaluating Internet Research Sources” (http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm).  

Paper #1:  Narrative and Prophetic (4-6 pp.)

Narrative phase: Identify some of the ways –or one major way-- that globalization is having an impact on the region or people with which you are concerned. Don’t hesitate to begin focusing on a single issue or interrelated cluster of issues.  Describe the issue(s).  Write an overall narrative of the issue and included representative stories of people affected by the issue.  Who is involved?  How are ordinary people affected?  What are their stories? 

Also keep your eyes open for any “paradigmatic” or master narratives that seem to guide and motivate people who are concerned about the issue.  (E.g., in Central America the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and other martyrs continues to influence people; among African-Americans key events in the Civil Rights Movement play this role.) 

Prophetic phase:  Even as you discover and retell these narratives, you will probably notice who some of the “prophets” are who are addressing the issue that concerns you.  Identify one or more leaders (individuals or organizations) that are working for justice, peace, or social change, and do some of the following:

·         Profile this person or organization.

·         Discuss the methods of this person or organization.  (E.g., what do they do?  Write policy? Organize boycotts or other nonviolent actions? Provide food or shelter to people?  Lobby?)

·         What is their philosophy of social change? 

·         What is their style of leadership?

·         How would you evaluate or reflect upon their work?

Reminder: As you write or revise your responses to these questions, remember that what you hand in must be a coherent paper that can stand on its own.  I.e., be sure to structure the paper with a clear thesis, point-by-point development of your ideas using unified paragraphs, and a conclusion that summarizes the paper as a whole.  Imagine your reader to be someone who intelligent, college-educated, but not in our class, and not necessarily familiar with key terms, concepts, or people we have discussed.

Bibliography assignment #2

Your assignment is to carefully read the assignment for Paper #2 (see below), begin thinking about it, and format your working bibliography for the term project.  You should expect to add at least five new sources; these may include additional background sources but should focus on "ecclesial" documents and "ethical" arguments relevant to your next paper.  You should also remove any items you listed on your first bibliography assignment that have not proven to be as helpful as you expected.

You may include church documents we are reading in class, but be sure to list the specific documents (not the O'Brien/Shannon textbook) and even the specific sections and/or paragraphs that are most relevant to your project. 

In addition to the church documents we are reading in class, also look for relevant church documents by bishops and church bodies in the region or locale you are studying.  These may pertain to entire continents (e.g. the Medellin and Puebla documents by the Latin American conference of Catholic bishops) or nations (e.g. “Economic Justice for All” by the U.S. bishops) or regions within a nation (e.g. “This Land is Home to Me” by Catholic bishops in Appalachia) or a single archdiocese (e.g. “Dwell in My Love: A Pastoral Letter on Racism” by the archbishop of Chicago).

Since our class is about Catholic social traditions, you should obviously focus on Roman Catholic sources, but certainly can be appropriate for you to cite other churches and ecumenical (inter-church) organizations in order to enrich your study and make comparisons.

Note: This time, your entire bibliography must be formatted consistently, using The Chicago Manuel of Style, the MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, or the Publication Manual of the APA.  There is no form to fill out. 

Paper #2:  Ecclesial and Ethical (4-6 pp.)

Ecclesial phase: By now our class has introduced you to the tradition of papal encyclicals, pastoral letters and Vatican II documents that are key witnesses to Catholic social teaching.  Your central task in this paper is to begin drawing on this tradition in relation to the challenges of globalization in the region you are studying – just as Catholic social teaching draws itself on Scripture, early Church Fathers, major Catholic theologians, the witness of saints and martyrs, the experiences of contemporary Christians around the world, and so on. 

As you read and write, ask yourself questions such as these:

·         What themes, images, or stories from Scripture speak to the issues you are studying?

·         What teachings, principles, or models from earlier Tradition speak to the issues you are studying?

·         How has Church teaching developed in response to the challenges of the last century, and how does this speak to the contemporary challenges of globalization?

·         How have Christian thinkers and authoritative teachers made use of insights from philosophy (Christian or not), reason, natural law, the natural sciences, the social sciences, economics, etc.?

·         What principles, convictions, or commitments keep coming up in the Church’s social teaching, and how do they apply to the issues you are studying?

·         When do the popes, bishops or church bodies learn from and affirm surrounding cultures or trends, when do they challenge and resist surrounding cultures or trends, and how do they decide which approach is appropriate?

·         As best you can tell, how do the popes, bishops or church bodies learn from, sort through, and balance various voices they are hearing from throughout the Church, in order to articulate a consensus position for the whole Christian community? 

·         When do church authorities seem to be leading ordinary Christians?  When do they seem to be catching up with ordinary Christians?  Does their teaching seem prophetic or cautionary? 

·         How do church authorities relate general Christian principles or teachings to specific local and historical circumstances?

·         In answering any or all of these questions, watch for ways that church teachings are being enriched by the perspective of a particular culture, social class, ethnic tradition, interaction with another religion, etc.

Ethical phase: Most of this second paper requires you to assemble and survey the teachings and arguments of Christians who have gone before you, as well as Christians who are most deeply involved in the region or issue you are studying.  (In the next paper you will develop your own ethical argument more fully.)  Toward the end of this paper, however, you should start moving into the “ethical discourse” phase by assessing the sources you have used.  Which were most helpful and why?  Which speak most closely to the issues and challenges you are studying, and what do they say?  What then are the most important ethical guidance will you be drawing on as you finalize your own arguments and policy recommendations?

Reminder: As you write this second paper you can expect to build on your first paper, but should not repeat very much of what you actually wrote there. Of course, a little repetition may be necessary if you are thinking about what your reader needs to know, and are making sure that this second paper too can stand on its own as a coherent whole (cf. the “reminder” for paper #1).  Thus, you may wish to provide a 150-200-word paragraph somewhere near the beginning that summarizes your first paper.  (Note that this is optional and not required.)

Paper #3:  Connecting Ethical and Policy (4-6 pp.)

Note: Although you do not have a separate bibliography assignment leading up to this paper you should do a bit more research as you prepare your policy recommendations.  Be sure to attach an update of your working bibliography.

Ethical phase: Develop a reasoned analysis of your issue based on the theoretical concepts and church teachings you have encountered in this class (or in other courses in theology, philosophy and ethics).  Use both our class readings and your own research to develop a philosophical and theological approach to your issue.  As you do this, define your terms and defend your claims so that someone who is not as engaged with the issue as you can respond. 

In short, tell your readers why they should think the way that you do on this issue. 

Policy phase: Research the social policy implications of the issue, and form your own recommendations in light of policy proposals of others.

·         Should there be laws regarding this issue?  What legislation exists already?  What kind of legislation should exist?  How should it be implemented? (And at what level – international, national, state or provincial, regional or county, town or city? local?)

·         What kinds of programs should the Church itself initiate?  Might any changes in internal Church policies strengthen the Christian witness to society in the face of globalization and its challenges?

·         Can businesses and corporations regulate themselves in ways that promote social justice?  How?  What codes of conduct would you suggest?  What other mechanisms?

·         How might the professional and lifestyle choices of Christian families and individuals contribute to positive social change? 

·         What about civic groups, social change movements, neighborhood organizations, labor unions, environmental groups, etc., etc., etc.?  What should they do and how? 

Reminder: For an A paper, you must recognize the force of counter-arguments and rival positions.  This means that you both characterize them fairly, and respond to their objections to your argument and position.

Integrated term paper (15-18 pp.)

Splice together the three papers you have already written and you will have the rough draft of your final term paper – but only a rough draft!  Your final paper must be “value added.”  In other words, it should do certain things that none of your papers so far has done:

·         It should offer your most considered judgment concerning the issue you have been studying all semester.  Since writing paper #1, you may have encountered additional narratives or “prophetic” leaders and organizations.  Since writing paper #2 you may have encountered additional encyclicals or other readings that pertain to your paper.  Since writing paper #3, you may even have had second thoughts and changed your mind.  Your final paper should represent your final statement on all of these matters.

·         Stylistically, this final statement should hang together and read smoothly.  Correct mistakes in the grammar, style, or spelling of your earlier papers.  Eliminate any bothersome repetitions.  Smooth out the flow between sections by writing new transitions when necessary (including the paragraphs that were at the beginning and end of your previous papers).  Tie the paper together as a whole with an overarching thesis paragraph and a conclusion. 

·         Include a final bibliography listing all the sources that you found most helpful or important, and especially those sources that you cited or quoted directly. 

·         In other words, in every way your integrated term paper should be just that – integrated, coherent, and reflecting your best work over the course of the semester.