Social Service Applications will be given out in early January. They are DUE by Tues. Feb. 19, 2013

Gospel Values& Sacraments of HealingMrs. Carrie Mitchell

Religion 300FALL 2012

Description:Based on the philosophy and characteristics of a Marianist Education the Gospel Values course will challenge the students to develop an authentic interior spirit. It will deal with morality and ethical conduct especially as it relates to Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Students will be introduced to issues surrounding the key principles of the Church's rich body of social teaching that comes to us from the strong tradition of the writings of the popessince Pope Leo XIII. This course will deal with the struggles that adolescents face in our society today. Sacramental study will continue with the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. The course includes lessons on the lives of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and Saint John Vianney. The Social Service Project (SSP) is an integral part of the curriculum and is a practical application of the material studied in this course.As part of our school’s integrated reading program, students will be readingThe Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal in the course the semester.

Goals and Objectives of the course:

Students will be able to:

  • Express an ability to make moral decisions in accord with Gospel Values and Catholic Church teaching.
  • Understand the Christian vision of morality, with Jesus Christ as their role model and apply his teaching to their own daily lives and see the connection between their Christian faith, worship, prayer, and justice;
  • Summarize the nine key themes of Catholic social teaching and articulate how these principles promote justice;
  • Understand two key principles – the life and dignity of the human person and respect for life--as foundational principles that support concepts like the common good, the preferential option for the poor, solidarity among all the people, and stewardship of resources.
  • Have a better understanding of Gospel values related to current issues such as the war on terror, global warming, the rights of United States immigrants and stem cell research.
  • Have better understanding of the Catholic Church’s teachings on abortion, drug/alcohol use, racism, capital punishment, euthanasia, prejudice, sexism, sexual relationships, and other moral virtues.
  • Articulate some of the causes and the scope ofsocial justice problems;in our world, both at home and abroad, that need to be addressed and begin to see possible and just societal responses and solutions for these issues;
  • Reflect on how they as individual Catholic Christians, in a Marianist environment can respond to justice issues;
  • Are familiar with Church teachings on these issues, including their sources rooted in the Old and New Testaments and papal and episcopal documents;
  • Understand the need for the Social Service Project that they will engage in at the end of school year. (Please refer to the Student & Parent Handbook )

Content:Wewill begin with a review of Religion 100 and Religion 200 which will be followed by these chapter / units of study:

Catholic Social Justice: OverviewJustice and RacismIntroduction to the Social Service Project

Justice and Virtues Justice and Poverty Marianist Curriculum

Justice and Society Justice and PeaceReconciliation

Justice and the Right to LifeJustice and Work Anointing of the Sick

Justice and Prejudice Justice and the Environment The Sunflower

Assessment of Catechesis Rel igious Education

Methods of Evaluation:Quizzes, tests, projects and presentations, homework* and other assignments.

Conduct will play a role in the cumulative grade. It is my expectation that students do homework* at least four nights a week.

Text:Catholic Social Teaching by Michael Pennock, Ave Maria Press, 2007.

The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal (Supplemental Reading)

Classroom Rules: This class is set up to follow three simple rules. All three are modeled by the Nine Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. These rules are designed to hold the students accountable for their actions, to make the students aware of how their actions and choices affect other people, and to help the student develop a sense of responsibility and justice for the classroom.

Take care of yourself.Take care of each other.Take care of this place.

The class will hold a discussion to talk about what these rules mean. Any student who violates classroom policies and / or destroys the learning atmosphere is subject to a personal detention. Consistent disregard for the class rules will result in a student being sent to the Dean of Students for further disciplinary action. Blatant disrespect for the teacher or another student, including the use of vulgar or demeaning language, will result in a student’s immediate ejection from class for the remainder of the class period. The student will be asked to call his parents, in the presence of the teacher or the Dean of Students to explain his behavior. Bullying will not be tolerated. Consistent excessive talking may be grounds for a failure in conduct. Cheating and/or Plagiarism of any kind, on any assignment will result in a failure in conduct for the semester. Please also refer to Student Behavior Guidelines in the Student & Parent Handbook.

Evaluation Procedures: It is the philosophy of this course to allow the student a number of different

avenues to show the teacher that he has learned the material. Be aware that a student’s success will also be affected by his participation in classroom activities / discussions, library research, and appropriate use of the Internet and other forms of technology. Students are expected to bring the necessary supplies to class everyday and behave in a way that compliments our Catholic Marianist identity. Sleeping in class is not conducive for learning and could result in a poor conduct grade. All papers / projects must be turned in electrically or credit will not be given.

The breakdown for the cumulative course grade is as follows:

Tests:20%Miscellaneous Homework & Assignments:10%

Projects/ Presentations:15%Quizzes:20%

Cumulative Final Exam10%Daily Participation & Conduct20%

Supplemental Reading & Related Assign.5%

It is in the student’s best interest to save all notes, tests, quizzes, homework and other assignments, etc. in order to better prepare for the final exam.

Absences: Students will be permitted ONE DAY for each day absent (excused absences only) to make up work, unless special permission is granted by the teacher. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO FIND OUT WHAT WORK HE MISSED; this includes notes, homework, other assignments, due dates, etc.

Late Assignments: Students who turn in work late will only be given HALF CREDIT. Students will notbe given credit for homework assignments turned in late if they have already been discussed in class.

Audio-Visuals: Due to the extensive list of approvedAudio-visual materialsthat may be used for this course, videos and their summaries can be found on Mrs. Mitchell’s webpage.

Any assignments that our Seminarianassigns will count as a grade in this course.

Please Note: This description is subject to change at the teacher’s discretion. It is the student’s responsibility to make note of such changes.

You are encouraged to contact Mrs. Mitchell at when you are absent from school to check on assignments, ask questions, inquire about grades, etc. You may also check Mrs. Mitchell’s webpage. Please not that webpages are “Under Construction”…more details to follow.