RS 218: The Church

Syllabus- Spring 2005

Section A: TTH 2:30-3:45 pm

Section B: TTH 4:00-5:15 pm

SCI 111

Instructor:	Raymond A. Patterson
Office:	SE 225
Phone:	ex. 2427
E-mail:	rpatterson@smcvt.edu
Web Page:	http://academics.smcvt.edu/rpatterson
Office Hours:	Tu W	1-2:30 pm 4:30-6 pm and by appointment

Course Description

RS 218A: The Church is divided into three major segments:

A survey of Christian ecclesiology from its New Testament origins to the teachings of Vatican II

A study of the mission and structures of the Roman Catholic Church in the post-Vatican II era.

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:

Vatican Council II: Constitutions, Decrees, Declarations. Austin Flannery, ed. Liturgy Training Publications, 1996.

Other readings will be made available on Reserve or on-line through the 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

Students should be on time for class. Arriving late or leaving during the class period is disruptive for the class and the instructor. Excessive tardiness will be reflected in a lower grade for class attendance. Please turn off cell phones in class.

A student who fails to show up for an exam without the permission of the instructor will receive a zero. A make-up exam will only be given for a student experiencing a serious family emergency or illness, which must be verified by the Dean’s office.

All assignments should be handed in during class. I will consider an assignment completed when I receive a hard copy of a paper- you should not submit a paper as an E-mail attachment.

Students will be evaluated on the following course work:

Mid-term Exam

25%

Final Exam

25%

Term Paper Project

(Bibliography/Presentation/10 page paper)

30%

Short Paper

10%

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. Plagiarism of any kind will result in a failing grade and could result in dismissal from Saint Michael’s College.

Class Schedule

(The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule. Students will be notified in class of any changes.)

January 18

Class Requirements

Introduction-Christian Cosmology and Ecclesiology

Christian Ecclesiology

January 20

Jesus and the Church

Matthew 4:18-22; 10; 16:13-20, 24-28; 26:26-30; 28:16-20

John 10:1-30; 14-15
Acts 1, 2

Optional:
Cwiekowski, 20-64

January 25

Church in the New Testament-I

1 Corinthians 11-14

Hebrews 8:1-6; 9:11-28

Cwiekowski, "The First Christian Communities," 65-99.

January 27

Church in the New Testament-II

1 Timothy

Encyclopedia of Early Christianity:

[REF BR162.2 .E53 1998]

“Bishop,” “Councils,” “Apostolic Succession,” “Patriarch”

February 1

Developments in Ecclesiology

February 3

Papacy, Curia, and Councils
(Roman Catholic Polity)

(Eastern Orthodox Polity)

Jay, "Church as Papal Monarchy," 97-113.

(PAT FO 6)

February 8

Reformation Ecclesiology

McGrath, "Doctrine of the Church," 197-218.

February 10

Reformation Ecclesiology-II

February 15

Tridentine Roman Catholic Church

Sanks, "Catholic Reform and Reaction," 88-101, 105-110.

February 17

Vatican II and its Ecclesiology

Doyle, "Challenges for the Church," 9-35.

(PAT FO 71)

Lumen Gentium 5, 7-23

February 22

Winter Break

February 24

Liberation/Feminist Ecclesiology

Sanks, "Liberating Ecclesiology," 167-187.

(PAT FO 12)

Hines, "Community for Liberation," 161-178.

(PAT FO 11)

March 1

Mid-Term Exam

March 3

Teaching and Authority of the Roman Catholic Church

Allen, "Vatican 101," 15-52.

(PAT FO 92)

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

March 8

Religious Freedom

Archbishop Lefebvre

March 10

Inter-Religious Dialogue

Relations with Judaism

March 15 & 17

Spring Break

March 22

Ecumenism

Relations with Orthodox, other Christian denominations

March 24

Evangelization

Media: Film, Print, Internet

March 29

Civil Rights Talk

Racism

March 31

Capitalism

Democracy

April 5

Political Action

Nuclear Weapons

April 7

Welfare

Environment

Immigration

Internal Issues in the Roman Catholic Church

April 12

Liturgy

Inculturation

April 14

Religious Life

Priestly Celibacy

April 19

Women’s Issues:

Women’s Ordination/ Altar girls/ Inclusive Language

April 21

Diversity

African-American/Hispanic Catholics

April 26

"Disenfranchised" Catholics:

Divorced, Homosexual Catholics

April 28

"Seamless Garment" argument:

Catholic position on Birth Control, Abortion, Capital Punishment, Euthanasia

May 3

Role of theologians

Term Paper Due

May 5

Ex Corde Ecclesia and Catholic Higher Education

May 10

(Tuesday)

Final Exam- Section B

5-7:30 pm

May 12

(Thursday)