Theology 023, Section 1 Exploring Catholicism: Tradition and Transformation Fall 2011

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1 Theology 023, Section 1 Exploring Catholicism: Tradition and Transformation Fall 2011 Professor: Stephen Okey Classroom: Campion 231 Office: 21 Campanella Way, Cubicle 360B Class time: M/W/F, 8:00 8:50 AM Office Hours: W 9:00 11:00 AM okey@bc.edu (or by appointment) Phone: Twitter: Course Description: From the Theology Department: This course is a two-semester exploration of the vision, beliefs, practices, and challenge of Catholicism. The first semester explores human existence lived in the light of the Mystery of God and the gift of Jesus Christ. The second semester considers the Church as the people of God, gathered and sent forth in the Spirit, the sacraments as catalysts of ongoing transformation in Christ, and the challenge of the spiritual life today. Close analysis of passages from the Bible will be supplemented by readings from contemporary theologians, literary figures, and social commentators. A note on the Core Curriculum: This course satisfies one semester of the two-semester core requirement in Theology. Please note that in order to complete this requirement students must take the second semester of this core sequence, Exploring Catholicism II. One semester of two different theology sequences, e.g. Exploring Catholicism I and Biblical Heritage II, will not satisfy the theology core requirement (Academic Catalog, p. 217). Students who are unclear as to the regulation should consult their instructor or the Theology Department. Course Readings: Required Texts: All texts are available in the bookstore. Nonetheless, it s probably less expensive to get them through Amazon. The Holy Bible (preferably the NRSV translation) Shusaku Endo. Silence. New York: Taplinger Publishing, Michael J. Himes. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, Luke Timothy Johnson. The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters. New York: Doubleday, Various articles and handouts posted on Blackboard (listed in italics in the syllabus)

2 Course Requirements: Grades: Attendance and Participation (20%) o Attendance is required at all class meetings (BC Academic Catalog, , p. 34). Absences may be excused in advance with the approval of the instructor (although notifying the instructor does not automatically guarantee the absence is excused) or afterwards with written documentation from a doctor or the dean. o Repeated lateness will also be credited as an unexcused absence. o If you have three unexcused absences, you will lose half your attendance-participation grade for the semester. If you have more than three, you lose all of it. o Participation means being active and attentive in class. Students should join in class discussions and offer their own intelligent, insightful responses. No student should go an entire week (3 class sessions) without contributing to the conversation. Quizzes and Reflection Papers (25%) o Each Friday, there will either be a short in-class quiz or a short reflection paper due at the beginning of class. These will cover the readings from that week. o Quizzes will take about 10 minutes and will be objective assessments of how well the students read and understood the material. o Reflection papers will be written in response to prompts given by the professor. They should be between a half and a full page ( words) of typed text (1 margins, single spaced, 12 pt font, Times New Roman). o There are no make up quizzes, and no reflection papers will be accepted late. o The quiz-reflection paper grade will be based on the ten best quizzes and reflection papers that the individual student submitted throughout the semester. Written mid-term exam (25%) o This will be given in class on Friday, October 21. o It will cover course material from the beginning of the semester until the beginning of the Jesus and Christology section. o Faculty are not required to give make up exams for those who absent themselves from tests scheduled in advance (BC Academic Catalog, p. 34). Group oral final exam (30%) o Students will be placed in groups of 3-4 at the beginning of November. These groups will take an oral exam together and are encouraged to study and prepare together prior to their exam. The full procedures for this will be explained closer to exam time. o The final will result in an overall grade for the group that will largely determine the individuals grades. Within that, however, individual performance may lead some students to receive grades higher or lower than the group grade. The instructor will also take into account evaluations from the students of how their group did. Grading Scale: A % B % D % A % C % D % B % C % D % B % C % F %

3 Extra Credit: Students may complete up to two 3-4 page extra credit essays. One of these may be used to make up an unexcused absence; one may be used to raise the mid-term grade by 1/3 of a letter grade. Topics for these essays must be approved in advance by the professor. Extra credit essays must be turned in by the beginning of class on Monday, December 5 th. Policies: Students with documented learning needs should approach the professor and provide official notification within the first two weeks of class. Laptop computers may be used for note-taking in the course. In order to discourage the possible distractions of having your computer, the instructor may occasionally request that you your notes at the end of class. Cell phones should remain turned off and put away during class. Violation of this will result in the student being considered to have an unexcused absence for that day. Integrity: Essays, papers, and exams must be completed in conformity with Boston College s standards of academic integrity. Violations will be reported to the Dean s Office and reviewed by the College s Committee on Academic Integrity. Plagiarism, cheating, or collusion will result in no credit being awarded for any given assignment and possible failure of the course; further penalties from the university include probation, suspension, or permanent expulsion. The university s academic integrity policy may be found at < If you have any questions or doubts regarding academic integrity or plagiarism please speak with the professor. Course Schedule: Day Topic Readings Assignment/Notes Week 1 Beginnings W 9/7 Course Introduction F 9/9 What is Revelation? Dei Verbum Week 2 Some Theological Basics M 9/12 What is Theology? Himes ch. 2 Bevans ch. 2 W 9/14 Sources for Theology Himes ch. 10 Last Day of Add/Drop F 9/16 The Creed Himes ch. 1; LTJ ch. 2 1 st Reflection Paper Week 3 Reading Scripture M 9/19 How to read Scripture Biblical Interpretation pp 9-34 W 9/21 Intro to the Old Testament Boadt pp F 9/23 Creation and Noah Genesis 1-3, st Quiz

4 Week 4 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob M 9/26 Abraham Genesis W 9/28 Isaac Genesis LTJ pp F 9/30 Jacob Genesis LTJ pp nd Reflection Paper Week 5 Exodus and Covenant/Prophets M 10/3 Slavery and Liberation Exodus 1-15 W 10/5 The Sinai Covenant Exodus 19-24, F 10/7 OT Prophets Amos, Hosea 2 nd Quiz Week 6 M 10/10 Psalms and Song of Songs Columbus Day no class W 10/12 Psalms Psalms 8; 13; 22; 23; 30; 40; 88; 104; 110; 112; 113; 137 Brueggemann F 10/14 Song of Songs Song of Songs rd Reflection Paper Week 7 Suffering M 10/17 Job Job 1-7, 26-27, W 10/19 Review session for Exam F 10/21 Mid-term Examination Mid-term Exam Week 8 The New Testament M 10/24 Intro to the NT Himes ch. 3 Duling pp W 10/26 The Gospel of Mark Mark 1-9 F 10/28 The Passion of Mark Mark rd Quiz Week 9 The Gospels of Luke and John M 10/31 Gospel of Luke Luke 1-14 W 11/2 Luke continued Luke F 11/4 Gospel of John John th Reflection Paper

5 Week 10 John and Paul M 11/7 Gospel of John continued John W 11/9 Jesus in Paul Acts 9, 15; Galatians F 11/11 Jesus in Paul continued Romans th Reflection Paper Week 11 Shift from Jesus to Christology M 11/14 Early Christological Debates LTJ ch. 1 W 11/16 Nicaea and Constantinople LTJ ch. 4 F 11/18 Salvation Himes ch. 4; LTJ ch. 5 4 th Quiz Week 12 M 11/21 W 11/23 F 11/25 Thanksgiving Guest Speaker TBA Thanksgiving Holiday no class Thanksgiving Holiday no class Week 13 Shusaku Endo s Silence M 11/28 Silence Prologue, Chpts 1-2 Handout Oral Final Exam Assignment W 11/30 Silence Chpts 3-5 F 12/2 Silence Chpts th Quiz Week 14 Artistic Jesus M 12/5 Silence Chpts 8-10 Extra Credit Essays Due W 12/7 Aesthetic Interpretations of Jesus F 12/9 Semester Wrap Up 6 th Reflection Paper Week 15 M 12/12 W 12/14 Study Day no class Final Exams Begin Week 16 W 12/21 Final Exams End