Course Number: DTH 101 Fundamental Theology Term: Fall Instructor Professor Randy Watson

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1 1. Course Description Course Number: DTH 101 Fundamental Theology Term: Fall 2016 Instructor Professor Randy Watson This course introduces the sources, topics, and history of theology as a foundation for further study. Attention is given to the origins of doctrine and its form, important to almost all branches of theology. 2. Envisioned Learning Outcomes Students will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the habit (disposition) of theology. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the task of theology. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the role of philosophy in theology. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the authority and interpretation of scripture in theology. Students will demonstrate an understanding of tradition as a source in theology. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the aids to discernment in theology. Students will demonstrate adequate knowledge of theological history. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the theological principle of order. 3. Course Schedule In addition to the detailed schedule of your lessons, reading requirements, and assignments, there is a summary schedule (matrix) under the Information tab of Populi. Also for your convenience I have linked each assignment to your lessons in Populi. These lessons and assignments are manageable if you keep up. Week 1: The Habit of Theology Lesson 1 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 1 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols 1

2 Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Habit of Theology and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Habit of Theology and post it on the Week One discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Post a short biography of yourself explaining who you are, what your major goal is for enrolling at Holy Apostles, and what you wild like to get out of this course. Please post this in the Discussion Tab under Student Introductions. Week 2: The Task of Theology Lesson 2 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 2 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Task of Theology and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Task of Theology and post it on the Week Two discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 3: General Principles Lesson 3 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 3 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I your student assignment map questions for General Principles and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for General Principles and post it on the Week Three discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 4: The Existence and Concept of God Lesson 4 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 4 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Existence and Concept of God and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Existence and Concept of God and post it on the Week Four discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. 2

3 Week 5: The Theodicy and the Idea of Salvation Lesson 5 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 5 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Theodicy and Idea of Salvation and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Theodicy and Idea of Salvation and post it on the Week Five discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 6: The Possibility and Historicity of Revelation Lesson 6 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 6 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Possibility and Historicity of Revelation and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Possibility and Historicity of Revelation and post it on the Week Six discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 7: The Philosophical Principle of Order in Theology Lesson 7 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 7 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Philosophical Principle of Order in Theology and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Philosophical Principle of Order in Theology and post it on the Week Seven discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 8: The Authority of Scripture: Canonicity Lesson 8 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 8 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols 3

4 Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Authority of Scripture: Canonicity and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Authority of Scripture: Canonicity and post it on the Week Eight discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 9: The Authority of Scripture: Inspiration and The Authority of Scripture: Inerrancy Lesson 9 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Lesson 10 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 9 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Chapter 10 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Authority of Scripture: Inspiration and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Authority of Scripture: Inerrancy and post it on the Week Nine discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 10: The Interpretation of Scripture: The Letter and The Interpretation of Scripture: The Spirit Lesson 11 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Lesson 12 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 11 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Chapter 12 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Interpretation of Scripture: The Letter and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Interpretation of Scripture: The Spirit and post it on the Week Twelve discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 11: The Nature of Tradition and The Liturgy and Christian Art Lesson 13 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Lesson 14 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 13 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Chapter 14 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols 4

5 Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for The Nature of Tradition and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Liturgy and Christian Art and post it on the Week Thirteen discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 12: Father, Councils and Creeds and The Sense of the Faithful Lesson 15 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Lesson 16 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 15 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Chapter 16 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for Father, Councils and Creeds and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Sense of the Faithful and post it on the Week Twelve discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Remember that your final paper will be due by the last day of the semester. If you have not started your research and the first draft, please begin work immediately. Week 13: Experience and The Magisterium Lesson 17 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Lesson 18 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 17 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Chapter 18 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for Experience and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Magisterium and post it on the Week Thirteen discussion board by Saturday. Respond to at least one other post. Week 14: Soundings in Theological History and The Theological Principle of Order Lesson 19 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Lesson 20 (available in PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat) Chapter 19 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols Chapter 20 of The Shape of Catholic Theology by Adrian Nichols 5

6 Complete Part I of your student assignment map questions for Soundings in Theological History and it to rwatson@holysapostles.edu by Wednesday. Complete Part II s discussion question for The Theological Principle of Order and post it on the Week Fourteen discussion board by the last day of class. Respond to at least one other post. Week 15: Complete Final Paper Using the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraphs ) and the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Vatican II, Dei Verbum), write a three page paper summarizing the Church s teaching on the revelation of God. Be sure to include the five main topics of this course, which are 1) the use of reason 2) the two sources of revelation and 3) the two aides of discernment. the paper to me no later than the last day of this course (rwatson@holyapostles.edu). Please see the Evaluation section of the syllabus for more details on the final paper assignment. 4. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Lesson Map Questions 40% Discussion Questions and Participation (responses) 40% Final Exam 20% 5. REQUIRED READINGS and RESOURCES: Adrian Nichols, The Shape of Catholic Theology, $24.95, ISBN (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota) 6. OTHER READINGS and RESOURCES: Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 26 through CCC 141 DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION (Dei Verbum) 7. EVALUATION You will be evaluated based on your weekly assignments and the final exam. Students who have difficulty with research and composition are encouraged to pursue assistance with the Online Writing Lab available at Part I of your weekly assignment is worth up to 10 points per week and accounts for 40% of your total grade. Part II of your weekly assignment is also worth up to 10 points per week and accounts for another 40% of your total grade. The other 20% of your grade will come from you final paper. There is also an opportunity to earn extra credit points by completing lesson surveys. GRADING SCALE: A ; A ; B ; B 84-86; B ; C ; C 74-76; C D 60-69; F 59 and below Part 1 of your weekly assignments is referred to as map questions because the topics are related to the subject area identified on the lesson maps. All the answers for these questions can be found directly in the reading materials. The point of these assignments is to make sure that you are reading all your important materials. They are also meant to be a learning aide, as these maps are designed to help you organize the many complex thoughts in theology. With proper effort, these maps can be the skeleton on which to build the rest of your studies in theology. 6

7 Since there are 20 lessons, there will be some weeks where there are two lessons per week. However, there is only one set of questions per week, even if there are two lessons. The answers to these questions should be ed to me by no later than Wednesday of each week. You will not receive credit for late assignments unless you make prior arrangements with me. Each week there will be five questions worth up to two points each. Therefore, you will be able to earn up to 10 points per week for the Part I assignment. You map questions are worth 40% of your total grade. You can find these assignments either at the end of each lesson, or under the Assignment Tab in Populi. Part 2 of your weekly assignment is the weekly discussion board question and response(s). These assignments are intended to test the application of the materials that you have learned. I am looking for orthodox responses based on what you have learned in the lessons. You must also respond to at least one other student s answer. Please review the rubrics below for the expectations of how you should respond to the discussion board question and responses. Try to keep your answers and responses to less than 100 words. I am looking for an efficient application of what you have learned. I will make appropriate discretionary comments. Again, since there are 20 lessons, there will be some weeks where there are two lessons per week. However, there will be only one discussion question per week, even if there are two lessons. Your answers to these questions should be posted no later than Saturday of each week. You will not receive credit for any answers if they are late, unless you make prior arrangements with me. You can earn up to 10 points per discussion question answer, which includes your response to other student s question. The criteria (rubrics) for grading are listed below. Your discussion board assignment is worth 40% of your total grade. Water Cooler Post any none assignment related discussion under the Assignment tab in the Water Cooler discussion board. While this is not a graded assignment, I will monitor your dialogue and make comments if appropriate. Your final paper will be worth 20% of your total semester grade. You will be required to write this paper using these two magisterial documents, 1) the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and, 2) the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Die Verbum). Links to these resources are provided in this syllabus, and in the Assignment Tab within Populi. While you may also use materials from this course (properly referenced), I want the paper to draw mainly from these two sources, as it is important for theologians to understand the Church s official teaching on revelation and its transmission. The topic of the paper is listed under the last week of the Course Schedule section of the syllabus and under the assignment tab of Populi under Final Paper. The paper is due no later than the last day of the semester. Use MS Word or some text-rich software. In case you are unaware, you can easily embed footnotes within your paper by selecting the reference tab and selecting footnotes. However, HACS students are now required to abide by the HACS style sheet, which you can find in the Shared folder of the Files tab in Populi (or see Academic Honesty Section for more details on where to find the style sheet). Although the paper is due by the last day of the semester, you should begin working on it well in advance of this date. Extra credit will be given for your honest feedback on each lesson. A standard survey will be available for you to to me each week. I am looking for genuine, open feedback to help develop this course as part of my mission in the Church. Constructive feedback will not affect your grade positively or negatively. This is totally voluntary. You can earn an additional two points per lesson 7

8 survey for the semester. A file with a standard survey will be posted in Populi under each lesson as an attached file Lesson Survey. Download the file, complete it and it to me at rwatson@holyapostles.edu. GRADING SCALE: Grading Rubric for the Major Papers and Discussion Board (DB) Postings CONTENT 1 (F) 2 (D) 3 (C) 4 (B) 5 (A) Absence of Understanding Posting shows no awareness of the concepts addressed in the topic by shifting offtopic Misunderstanding Posting demonstrates a misunderstanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic through an inability to re-explain them Adequate Understanding Posting demonstrates an adequate understanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic by a re-explanation of them Solid understanding Posting demonstrates an understanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic and uses that understanding effectively in the examples it provides Insightful understanding Posting demonstrates an understanding of the basic concepts of the topic through the use of examples and by making connections to other concepts RESEARCH 1 (F) 2 (D) 3 (C) 4 (B) 5 (A) Missing Research Paper shows no evidence of research: citation of sources missing. Inadequate research and/or documentation Over-reliance on few sources; poor quality of chosen sources; spotty documentation of facts in text; pattern of citation errors. Adequate research and documentation but needs improvement Good choice of sources but could be improved with some additions or better selection; did not always cite sources; too many citation errors. Solid research and documentation A number of relevant scholarly sources revealing solid research; sources appropriately referenced in paper; only a few minor citation errors. Excellent critical research and documentation Critically selected and relevant scholarly sources demonstrating extensive, in-depth research; sources skillfully incorporated into paper at all necessary points; all citations follow standard bibliographic format. 8

9 WRITING & EXPRESSION 1 (F) 2 (D) 3 (C) 4 (B) 5 (A) Incomplete writing Posting is only partially written or fails to address the topic Writing difficult to understand, serious improvement needed Posting touches only on the surface of the topic and proceeds to talk about something else; confusing organization or development; little elaboration of position; insufficient control of sentence structure and vocabulary; unacceptable number of errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage Acceptable writing, but could use some sharpening of skill Posting is an uneven response to parts of the topic; somewhat conventional treatment; satisfactory organization, but more development needed; adequate syntax and diction, but could use more vigor; overall control of grammar, mechanics, and usage, but some errors Solid writing with something interesting to say Posting is an adequate response to the topic; some depth and complexity in treatment; persuasive organization and development, with suitable reasons and examples; levelappropriate syntax and diction; mastery of grammar, mechanics, and usage, with hardly any error command-level writing, making a clear impression Posting is a thorough response to the topic; thoughtful and insightful examination of issues; compelling organization and development ; superior syntax and diction; error-free grammar, mechanics, and usage COMMUNITY INTERACTION (50-word response) 1 (F) 2 (D) 3 (C) 4 (B) 5 (A) Inadequate response Response merely provides laudatory encouragement for original post, e.g., Excellent post! You really have thought of something there. Weak response Response summarizes original posting to which it responds. Acceptable response Response makes a contribution to the posting to which it responds. Individuallyconscious contributory response Response makes a contribution to the posting to which it responds and fosters its development. Communityconscious contributory response Response makes a contribution to the learning community and fosters its development. 8. DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY Holy Apostles College & Seminary is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunities and full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities who qualify for admission to the College. Students enrolled in online courses who have documented disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact Bob Mish, the Director of Online Student Affairs, at rmish@holyapostles.edu or In all cases, reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure that all students with disabilities have access to course materials in a mode in which they can receive them. Students who have technological limitations (e.g., slow Internet connection speeds in convents) are asked to notify their instructors the first week of class for alternative means of delivery. 9. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY Students at Holy Apostles College & Seminary are expected to practice academic honesty. Avoiding Plagiarism In its broadest sense, plagiarism is using someone else's work or ideas, presented or claimed as your own. At this stage in your academic career, you should be fully conscious of what it means to 9

10 plagiarize. This is an inherently unethical activity because it entails the uncredited use of someone else's expression of ideas for another's personal advancement; that is, it entails the use of a person merely as a means to another person s ends. Students: Should identify the title, author, page number/webpage address, and publication date of works when directly quoting small portions of texts, articles, interviews, or websites. Students should not copy more than two paragraphs from any source as a major component of papers or projects. Should appropriately identify the source of information when paraphrasing (restating) ideas from texts, interviews, articles, or websites. Should follow the Holy Apostles College & Seminary Stylesheet (available on the Online Writing Lab s website at Consequences of Academic Dishonesty: Because of the nature of this class, academic dishonesty is taken very seriously. Students participating in academic dishonesty may be removed from the course and from the program. 10. ATTENDANCE POLICY Even though you are not required to be logged in at any precise time or day, you are expected to login several times during each week. Because this class is being taught entirely in a technologymediated forum, it is important to actively participate each week in the course. In a traditional classroom setting for a 3-credit course, students would be required, per the federal standards, to be in class three 50-minute sessions (or 2.5 hours a week) and prepare for class discussions six 50- minute sessions (or 5 hours) a week. Expect to devote at least nine 50-minute sessions (or 7.5 quality hours) a week to this course. A failure on the student s part to actively participate in the life of the course may result in a reduction of the final grade. 11. INCOMPLETE POLICY An Incomplete is a temporary grade assigned at the discretion of the faculty member. It is typically allowed in situations in which the student has satisfactorily completed major components of the course and has the ability to finish the remaining work without re-enrolling, but has encountered extenuating circumstances, such as illness, that prevent his or her doing so prior to the last day of class. To request an incomplete, distance-learning students must first download a copy of the Incomplete Request Form. This document is located within the Shared folder of the Files tab in Populi. Secondly, students must fill in any necessary information directly within the PDF document. Lastly, students must send their form to their professor via for approval. Approval should be understood as the professor responding to the student s in favor of granting the Incomplete status of the student. Students receiving an Incomplete must submit the missing course work by the end of the sixth week following the semester in which they were enrolled. An incomplete grade (I) automatically turns into the grade of F if the course work is not completed. Students who have completed little or no work are ineligible for an incomplete. Students who feel they are in danger of failing the course due to an inability to complete course assignments should withdraw from the course. A W (Withdrawal) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the first week of a semester to the end of the third week. A WF (Withdrawal/Fail) will appear 10

11 on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the third week of a semester and on or before the Friday before the last week of the semester. 12. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES Changes, updates and announcements will be placed in the Dashboard tab of the course. Please check this section each time you sign-on. 13. ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR Dear Students, I would like to welcome all new and returning students to Holy Apostles College and Seminary distance learning program. My name is Randy Watson and I will be your professor this semester for an Fundamental Theology. One element of effective learning is gaining insight to how others comprehend a subject by sharing our understanding. I would like to invite everyone to write a short biography explaining who you are, what your major goal is for enrolling at Holy Apostles, and what you would like to get out of this course. Please post this in the Discussions Tabs under Student Introductions. Let me begin by telling you about myself. I am a cradle Catholic who has been on a life long journey of augmenting my faith with a richer understanding of God and His plan for us. I have been married for 39 years to Bonita, and we have two wonder sons Sean and John. I have an undergraduate degree in Medical Technology (Biology/Chemistry/Physics), a Master s degree in Business Administration (lifelong Administrator/CEO), and a Master s degree in Theology. In every aspect of my life I have sought to discover the mystery of God s presence. I have done this in the laboratory, board room, as well as the Church. Through both studious efforts and a growing life of prayer, aspiring theologians can discover what our Church Fathers learned. While faith and understanding are different, they are not in conflict with one another because they have the same object--god. By the time you finish this course you should be able to comfortably describe the reasonableness of the foundations of Catholic theology to anyone-- from a Catholic to an atheist. Please contact me as often as you like rwatson@holyapostles.edu. --Professor Randy Watson 11