Core 9 Faculty
Prof. Angela Elrod-Sadler, Core
Prof. John Jezierski, MSN, Nursing
Rev. Timothy McFarland, C.PP.S., Religion
Dr. Michael Nichols, Religion
Bro. Robert Reuter, C.PP.S., Philosophy
Guest Lecturers
Bishop Timothy L. Doherty, S.T.L., Ph.D.
Dr. John Nichols, Philosophy
Dr. Thomas Ryan, Education
Dr. Ilicia Sprey, History
Rev. Jerry Stack, C.PP.S.
Rev. William Stang, C.PP.S., Biology
Required Texts
Core 9 Syllabus
The Gospel According to Luke vol. 3 of the New Collegeville Bible Commentary
Eucharist, by Robert Barron
The Gift of Peace, by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin
Faith Among Faiths: Christian Theology and Non-Christian Religions, by
James L. Fredericks
The College Student’s Introduction to Christology, by William P. Lowe
The Christian Vision of Humanity: Basic Christian Anthropology, by
John R. Sachs
Night, by Elie Wiesel
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Required Core 9 Readings
Badham, Paul. “Towards a Global Theodicy.” Evil and the Response of World Religion, ed.
William Cenkner. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House 1997: 241-251.
Begley, Sharon. “The Anatomy of Violence.” Newsweek April 30, 2007. Vol. 148, Issue 18.
Byron, William J. “The Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching.” America. 179
October 1998: 9-12.
Doohan, Leonard. “Zechariah, Elizabeth and John: Heralds of a New Age.” The Bible Today.
Vol. 47, #6, 2009.
Getty, Mary Ann. “Infancy Narrative: Luke’s Good Beginning.” The Bible Today. Vol. 47, #6,
2009.
Gilkey, Langdon, “Creation and Evil.” Maker of Heaven and Earth. New edition.
University Press of America, 1985. 209-246.
Gleeson CP, Brian. “The Church as the People of God: A People in Communion.” Australian
eJournal of Theology 5. August 2005.
Hick, John. “There is a Reason Why God Allows Evil.” Philosophy of Religion. Third
edition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1963. 40-46.
Holy Bible, The. RNAB. Print.
Martens, John W. “The Witness of Suffering.” America, The National Catholic Review. 2013
McBrien, Richard P. “What is the Kingdom of God?” Catholic Update: American Catholic.org.
Patella, Michael F., O.S.B. The Gospel According to Luke. Collegeville Bible
Commentary, New Testament Volume 3. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2005.
Nichols, Michael. “The Buddhist Story of Kisa Gotami.” Saint Joseph’s College. Rensesselaer,
IN, July 2012.
Reuter, R., C.PP.S. “A Word About Truth.” Saint Joseph's College. Rensselaer, IN, May 2008.
Ruether, Rosemary Radford. "Ecojustice at the Center of the Church's Mission." Mission Studies
16, no. 1 (1999): 111-121.
Tyner, Evelyn Pease. “Credo.” What Does God Look Like In An Expanding Univers? ed. Jim
Schenk. Cincinnatti: Imago Earth Pub., 2006.
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
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Core 9 Objectives
Specification of what THIS Core contributes to the general goals of all Core
Goal #1 -- To develop cognitive and communication SKILLS.
COGNITIVE
Analysis: Students in Core 9 will be expected to show...
*
the ability to discern the main points of a position and the
evidence used to develop those points.
*
the ability to see beyond individual instances and cases to a
broader sense of the whole, that is to be able to move from a
humanistic instance toward a humanism.
*
the ability to discern the values implicit in one's own
experience and to critique one's actions and the actions of
others.
*
the willingness to attend to the Christian traditions and to
reflect on them on the supposition that in some way Jesus
revealed to humankind what it means to be fully human.
Critique:
Synthesis:
After investing adequate time and effort to analyze readings, lectures,
and discussions, students will be able to separate (krinein ) the true
from the false, the worthy from the unworthy; to judge what to hold
and what to reject.
In Core 9 students will be encouraged and initiated into the habit of
connecting the present with the past, parts with parts and parts
with the whole, beginnings with ends, and thought with action.
COMMUNICATION
Reading: Understand and use the readings in discussions and in papers.
Speaking: Contribute analysis, critique, and synthesis to the discussions.
Listening: Understand and use lectures in discussions and in papers; expand
one's own understanding of Core 9 sources by discussing them
with peers.
Writing: Core 9 writing assignments will largely stress reflection, rather than
research. The one common paper is a personal "Christian Humanist
Manifesto."
Goal #2 -- To build a COMMUNITY of seekers after truth.
Our systematic reflection of Christian Humanism is predominantly carried out by means
of dialogue with the readings and lectures, with one's discussion group, and with one's
lived experiences.
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Goal #3 -- To expand AWARENESS to the many dimensions of reality.
By this time, each senior has become fairly expert in analyzing situations and explaining
them from the perspective of one's major. In Core 9 we want to bring all of those
perspectives to bear on our central question, so that discussions are made
interdisciplinary by means of the students' participation.
Goal #4 -- To cultivate the INTEGRATIVE habit of mind.
To develop a worldview demands connecting your major with Core issues, theory with
practice, and (here) faith with reason. It also means developing a sense of personal
integrity, knowing what you stand for and having the courage actually to BE the person
you want to be.
Goal #5 -- To appreciate and commit to VALUES.
There is no question about the primary value in Christian Humanism: the dignity of the
human person. Saint Irenaeus long ago asserted that "the glory of God is the human
being, fully alive!" But what are the personal, social, political, economic, and cultural
values that promote the fullness of human life? But values are not simply intellectual
beliefs; they are a way of living our lives in loving service to God and God’s people. To
emphasize this aspect of values, Core 9 stresses the role of service to others by offering
students the opportunity to engage in volunteer service projects.
Goal #6 -- To witness to specific CHRISTIAN values.
The readings and the lectures will present examples and counter-examples of these
values. Students are expected to understand them and judge them, grounding such
judgments on the best reasons that they can find. More importantly, the climactic
assignment in Core 9 is for each student to formulate his or her own synthesizing "faith
statement" in the guise of a personal "Christian Humanist Manifesto."
COLLEGIAL AGREEMENTS
Students acknowledge the following as expectations and assignments across all sections of
Core 9:
o Students will sit in the center section of the Shen auditorium and be present for all
lectures. Instructors will make students aware of any additional attendance requirements
for her or his section(s).
o Students will complete a minimum of 20 pages of written work. Part of this requirement
will include the Manifesto assignment. A manifesto is a statement of personal beliefs and
values that reflect on and explain an individual’s world view. Students will be expected to
articulate their worldviews and to demonstrate and understanding of Christian
humanism’s view in this assignment.
o Students will be provided an opportunity to engage in service learning.
o Students will complete a final exam that includes a comprehensive essay question
concerning the five themes of Core 9.
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Calendar for Lectures and Reading Assignments
Unit One: In the Presence of Evil
Mon., 8/18
Syllabus, pp. 9-10
Wed., 8/20
“A World of Suffering”
Elie Wiesel’s Night
Sprey
Mon., 8/25
“The Problem of Evil”
Syllabus, pp. 11-19: Gilkey, “Creation & Evil”
Syllabus, pp. 20-24: Hick, “There is a Reason Why God
Allows Evil”
Reuter
Wed., 8/27
“Alternative Responses to Suffering and Evil”
Syllabus, pp. 25-30: Badham, “Towards a Global Theodicy”
M. Nichols
Mon., 9/1
LABOR DAY
Wed., 9/3
“The World’s Response to Evil”
Syllabus, pp. 31-34: “Universal Dec. of Human Rights”
Syllabus, pp. 35-41: “PWR’s Global Ethic”
Elrod-Sadler
Mon., 9/8
“The Meaning of Suffering”
Syllabus, pp. 42-47: Begley, “The Anatomy of Violence”
Syllabus, pp. 48 & 49: Martens, “The Witness of Suffering”
Syllabus, pp. 50-59 : Selections from the Book of Job
McFarland
Elrod-Sadler
Unit Two: Creation in the Image of God
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Wed., 9/10
“What Does ‘Creation’ Mean?”
Syllabus, pp. 60: Tyner, “Credo”
Syllabus, pp. 61-68: Selections from the Book of Genesis
Sachs, Christian Vision of Humanity, pp. 5-25:
“Introduction” & “Creation”
J. Nichols
Mon., 9/15
“Sin & Grace”
Sachs, Christian Vision of Humanity, pp. 59-74
Malone
Wed., 9/17
“Freedom & Community””
Sachs, Christian Vision of Humanity, pp. 27-42
Bishop Doherty
Mon., 9/22
“The Fully Human Person”
Sachs, Christian Vision of Humanity, pp. 43-58:
“Male & Female” & “Body & Soul”
McFarland
Wed., 9/24
“The ‘Ends’ of Human Life”
Sachs, Christian Vision of Humanity, pp. 75-112:
“Death,” “Resurrection,” & “Final Destiny”
Ryan
Unit Three: Jesus -- Incarnation & Resurrection
Mon., 9/29
“Luke: Universal Salvation”
Lowe, Introduction to Christology, Ch. 1-3
Stack
Wed., 10/1
“Luke” in the Bible, Ch. 1-24
Lowe, Introduction to Christology, Ch. 4
Reuter
Mon., 10/6
“Preaching and Miracles”
Lowe, Introduction to Christology, Ch. 5 & 6
Stang
Wed., 10/8
“Death & Resurrection”
Lowe, Introduction to Christology, Ch. 7, 9 & 10
McFarland
Mon., 10/13
“Salvation”
Lowe, Introduction to Christology, Ch. 11-13
Reuter
Wed., 10/15
“Jesus, Whose Son Is He, Really?”
Lowe, Introduction to Christology, Ch. 14
Syllabus, pp. 69-71: Getty, “Infancy Narrative: Luke’s
Good Beginning”
Doohan, “Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John: Heralds of A
New Age”
Elrod-Sadler
Mon., 10/20
“Clarifying the Faith: Creeds”
Lowe, Introduction to Christology, Ch. 15 & 16
J. Nichols
Wed., 10/22
“Christology & Environment”
Syllabus, pp. 75-81: Ruether, “Ecojustice at the Center of
the Church’s Mission”
McFarland
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Unit Four: Living out our Redemption
Mon., 10/27
“Kingdom of God & Other Religions”
McFarland
James Fredericks’ Faith Among Faiths, Intro & Ch. 1
Syllabus, pp. 82-87: McBrien, “What is the Kingdom of God?”
Gleeson, “The Church as the People of God: A People
in Communion”
Wed., 10/29
“Many Religions: Critical Thinking”
Fredericks, Faith Among Faiths, Ch. 2 & 5
Syllabus, pp. 98-100: “A Word about Truth”
Mon., 11/3
“Comparative Theology”
M. Nichols
Fredericks, Faith Among Faiths, Ch. 7 & 8
Syllabus, pp. 101-105: “Islam at a Glance”
Syllabus, p. 106: Nichols, “The Buddhist Story of Kisa Gotami”
Wed., 11/5
No Lecture: Cooperative Hands-On Activity
In Sections
Robert Barron’s Eucharist, pp. 9-61: “Introduction” &
“Eucharist as Sacred Meal”
Mon., 11/10
“Eucharist: Giving Thanks“
Barron, pp. 62-94: “Eucharist as Sacrifice”
McFarland
Wed., 11/12
“Eucharist: Source & Summit”
Barron, pp. 95-141: “If It’s Only a Symbol, to Hell with It”
& “The Emmaus Supper”
Reuter
Mon., 11/17
“Reconciliation”
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin’s Gift of Peace, pp. vii-41
“Part One: False Accusation”
McFarland
Wed., 11/19
“Our Brother Joseph”
Bernardin, pp. 45-154: “Parts 2-4”
DVD
Mon., 11/24
Wed., 11/26
THANKSGIVING BREAK
THANKSGIVING BREAK
M. Nichols
Unit Five: Conclusion and Transition to Core 10
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Mon., 12/1
“The Christian Humanist Synthesis”
Reuter
Syllabus, pp. 107-111: “Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social
Teaching”
Wed., 12/3
“From Nine to Ten…Now What?
McFarland