Seminar in Christian Anthropology, Spring 1999

Course Description: This course examines the Christian vision of the human person, the key issues in developing an understanding of the human person which integrates the full richness of the person’s ecclesial, sacramental, physical and transcendental dimensions. The course treats creation, the human person, and redemption in Jesus Christ in light of scripture and the Catholic tradition. Questions posed by modern and contemporary culture are addressed.

Objectives of the Course:

During the semester, the instructor will strive

to cover the topics for the course as listed in the catalogue;

to raise an awareness of the issues of creation, redemption and grace which are fundamental to other disciplines of theology;

to create a foundation from which one might begin to construct a systematic moral theology;

to stir in the student an appreciation of the dynamic of grace at action in his/her life and world.

Goals of the Course:

At the end of the course, the student will be able

to identify and describe biblical sources for a developed Christian anthropology;
to describe the implications of the humanity of Jesus Christ for our own understanding of human dignity and the sanctity of life;
to describe various conceptual models of "Grace" and how they have affected the development of Christian doctrine and spirituality;
to critique anthropological models in literature in light of the Christian anthropology developed in the course.

Required Textbooks:

Sachs, John R. The Christian Vision of Humanity. Basic Christian Anthropology. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press 1991.

Dreyer, Elizabeth. Manifestations of Grace. Theology and Life Series 29. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier Inc. 1990.

Recommended Text:

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Method of Student Evaluation

Papers/Essays: 50 % of final grade

Take-home exams: 20% of final grade

Class attendance, homework and participation: 15 % of final grade

Class Presentation: 15% of final grade

Assignments are due on the date scheduled. Written assignments turned in late are subject to a deduction of one letter grade. Unless other arrangements are made, assignments will not be accepted if they are more than one week (one class period) late.

Responses to questions over the reading material are due by 8:30 p.m. on the Tuesday prior to the class period for which they are listed. The answers should be typed and double-spaced and the student is encouraged to submit them electronically to: frlawrence@sgc.edu.

Unless otherwise indicated, short essays will be due during the class period. They should be typed double-spaced and documented when appropriate. Essays will be evaluated on accuracy, thoroughness, appropriate content, and coherence of development and language. Deductions will be made for errors of grammar, spelling, punctuation and documentation.

All written assignments should include the student’s name, the course number and title, and the date the assignment is due on the title page.

Class attendance:

Due to the intensive nature of the ACE format, students are expected to attend every class and to participate in class discussions. In order to receive full credit for attendance, the student must exhibit that s/he has prepared adequately for class. The instructor is to be informed in advance of absences in order for them to be excused.

Course Outline

Part One: Creation and the Human Person

Part Two: Jesus Christ: God’s Word Assumes Human Nature

Part Three: Grace: The Central Question of Christianity?

Tentative Class Schedule

February 25: Creation in God’s Image – the Gift of Human Freedom

Read: Sachs, pages 5-34

Genesis 1-2

March 4: The Human Person: Body and Soul

Read: Sachs, pages 51-58

Genesis 1-2

March 11: The Individual in Community – the Dimension of Male and Female

Read: Sachs, 35-50

Genesis 3-12

March 18: Sin and Grace – Death and Life

Read: Sachs, 50-74

Genesis 3

First Essay is due.

March 25: The Incarnation and its Implications

Read:

Take-home examination one due.

April 1: The Human Person in Light of the Incarnation

We will participate in the Holy Thursday Liturgy

April 8: Setting the Stage for a Discussion of Grace

Grace as Seen in the Hebrew/Christian Scriptures

Read: Dreyer, pages 9-64

Second essay is due.

April 15: Models of Grace in Christian History

Read: Dreyer, pages 65-125

Student Presentations:

God the Divine Healer – St. Augustine

A Joyful Friendship – St. Thomas Aquinas

"And All Shall Be Well" – Julian of Norwich

April 22: Movements toward the Extreme

The Glory of the Cross – Martin Luther

Trent, Molinism and Jansenism

April 29: Spirituality – the Integration of Faith and Action

Take-home exam two due.

Participation in Senior Seminar