Online Courses for the 2013 Summer Session

An introduction to the foundations of Catholic moral reasoning and its application to select contemporary issues. Among the topics to be studied are scripture, tradition, natural law, relationship between faith & morality, moral norms, virtue and vice, freedom, conscience and magisterium, etc. This course is part of the Diaconate Formation Diploma program at St. Augustine's. Readings, lectures, discussions, short written assignments, final exam.

A scientific approach to the evangelization of adolescents in the contemporary context enables participants to understand their pastoral role and to develop and execute an effective ministry with youth.

This introductory course surveys the history of atheism and secularization from the mid-eighteenth-century Western European Enlightenment to the present. We will not only read selections from some of the most important English, Scottish, German, and American atheists, agnostics, and rationalists of the period, but also examine and discuss how contemporary political and social thought contributed to the rise of secular thought and gradual decline in theological orthodoxy. The course will demonstrate how the writings of atheists and theological rationalists have always been predicated on significant intellectual and emotional tensions between orthodox Christianity and contemporary culture. Participation, research summary, book report, online final exam.

From the subapostolic age to the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" in the East and the Carolingian revival and Treaty of Verdun in the West. Geographical expansion of the church; the relation of Christian faith to cultural settings and other religions; the development of doctrinal and ethical positions; forms of Christian life and worship; the rise of Islam. Class participation, course portfolio, one short essay, and two other academic exercises (choice of reading notes, short papers, weekly quizzes, final exam, etc.).

This course is designed for new students, and acts as an introduction to a number of central pastoral responsibilities: teaching the faith to new Christians, grasping the overall shape and purpose of Christian theology, assessing and meeting the demands of local culture and context, engaging the character of conversion and formation, and finally, grasping an overall shape to the history of Christian witness. The course pursues the historical examination of key catechetical texts from the New Testament to the contemporary period, analyzes their content and purpose, locates them historically, and seeks to engage students' own comprehensive vision of the Gospel, its communication, and pastoral practice. Lectures and weekly tutorials on the primary-source reading. Extensive reading, discussion, and mastering of content. Weekly content quizzes; 3 papers (6-10 pages each); final exam.