RS 218A/B: Church
Syllabus- Spring 2003
A: T/TH 1:00-2:15 pm
B: T/TH 2:30-3:45 pm
SE 106
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Instructor: |
Raymond A. Patterson |
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Office: |
JE 148 |
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Phone: |
ex. 2427 |
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E-mail: |
rpatterson@smcvt.edu |
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Web Page: |
http://academics.smcvt.edu/rpatterson |
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Office Hours: |
M Tu |
10-11 am |
Course Description
RS 218A: The Church is divided into three major segments:
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1) |
A survey of Christian ecclesiology from its New Testament origins to the teachings of Vatican II |
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A study of the mission and structures of the Roman Catholic Church in the post-Vatican II era. |
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3) |
An overview of the issues and concerns addressed by the post-Vatican II Roman Catholic Church, including presentations made by members of the class. |
Required Texts:
Students should have access to a Bible. I’ll be using the New American Bible, but other versions are acceptable. The texts for the class, available at the bookstore, are:
Sanks, T. Howland. Salt, Leaven & Light. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1992.
Vatican Council II: Conciliar and Post-Conciliar Documents. Edited by Austin Flannery. Costello Publishing, 1996.
Other readings will be made available on Reserve or through the Internet from the online syllabus. Students should search the library catalog for the reserve readings, which are organized by the title of the articles listed under my name. Select the title to see the folder number of the article. Please do not mark the Reserve readings when taking notes.
Class Requirements:
Regular attendance is expected of all students. If a student is unable to attend class, he or she should notify the instructor. More than one absence without the instructor’s permission will negatively impact the final grade. Frequent absences will result in a failing grade. If students have a conflict with the time of an exam, the instructor should be notified several weeks in advance. Otherwise, students will only be excused for an exam for serious illness or a family emergency, confirmed by the Dean’s Office.
Students should be on time for class. Arriving late or leaving during the class period can be disruptive for the instructor and other members of the class. Excessive tardiness will be reflected in a lower grade for class attendance.
Students will be evaluated on the following course work:
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Mid-term Exam |
25% |
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Final Exam |
25% |
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Term Paper Project (Bibliography/Presentation/10 page paper) |
40% |
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Class Participation/Attendance |
10% |
Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy established by St. Michael’s College and distributed to all students.
Class Schedule
(The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule. Students will be notified in class of any changes.)
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January 14 |
Class Requirements Introduction-Christian Cosmology and Ecclesiology |
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Christian Ecclesiology |
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January 16 |
Jesus and the Church Matthew 4:18-22; 10:1-25; 16:13-20; 26:26-30; 28:16-20 Acts 1, 2 |
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January 21 |
Church in the New Testament Sanks, 39-52. Selections from letters of Paul, Letter to the Hebrews |
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January 23 |
Post-Apostolic Church Sanks, 52-64. |
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January 28 |
Patristic/Medieval Ecclesiology Sanks, 65-78. |
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January 30 |
Reformation Ecclesiology Sanks, 79-87. |
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February 4 |
Tridentine Church/Vatican Council I Sanks, 88-116. |
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February 6 |
Vatican II and its Ecclesiology Sanks, 117-143 Lumen Gentium 5, 7-23
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February 11 |
Ministry and Laity Sanks, 147-166. |
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February 13 |
Liberation Ecclesiology Sanks, 167-187. |
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February 18 |
Structures of the Roman Catholic Church: Pope, Bishops, Curia TBA |
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February 20 |
Mid-Term Exam
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March 4 |
Teaching and Authority of the Roman Catholic Church TBA |
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March 6 |
Survey of Roman Catholicism in the United States TBA |
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The remainder of the semester will be dedicated to various challenges facing the Roman Catholic Church during the past forty years since Vatican II. Each class will include brief presentations by students. The readings for each class period will be determined by those presenting the topic, in consultation with the instructor. Relations with the World |
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March 11 |
Religious Freedom Archbishop Lefebvre |
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March 13 |
Inter-Religious Dialogue Relations with Judaism |
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March 18 |
Ecumenism Relations with Orthodox, other Christian denominations |
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March 20 |
Atheism and the "Secular" World Evangelization |
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March 25 |
Capitalism Democracy Socialism |
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March 27 |
Political Action Nuclear Weapons |
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April 1 |
Welfare Immigration Environment |
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Internal Issues in the Roman Catholic Church |
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April 3 |
Liturgy
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April 8 |
Religious Life
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April 10 |
Women’s Issues:
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April 15 |
Diversity
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April 17 |
"Disenfranchised" Catholics:
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April 22 |
"Seamless Garment" argument: Term Paper Due |
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April 24 |
Pedophilia Scandal |
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April 29 |
Ex Corde Ecclesia and Catholic Higher Education
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May 3 |
A: Final Exam |
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May
5 |
B: Final Exam 1-3:30 pm |