Instructor: Dr. John Donaghy
This course will treat the tradition of Catholic Social Thought, concentrating on the movements, church documents, and Catholic theologians and activists who have been developing this body of thought from the late 1800s.
The course will provide a critical analysis of texts from church leaders, theologians, and activists in the context of contemporary issues and Catholic social movements. This analysis will provide insight into the development of Catholic social thought on a wide variety of political, economic, and social issues, including agricultural issues.
Fred Kammer, S. J., Doing Faithjustice: An Introduction to Catholic Social Thought. Revised Edition. Paulist Press, 2004. (ISBN 0-8091-4227-9)
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004 (ISBN 1-57455-692-4) Available on-line at <http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html>
Jon Sobrino, Where Is God? Earthquake, Terrorism, Barbarity and Hope. Orbis Books, 2004. (ISBN 1-57075-566-3)
BASIC ON-LINE RESOURCES:
Office for Social Justice, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Catholic Social Teaching; Major Documents”
Spring Hill College, Theology Department, “Theology Library”
Busy Persons’ Guide to Catholic Social Teaching
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, The Social Agenda: A Collection of Magisterial Texts
MAJOR REFERENCE SOURCES:
Judith A. Dwyer, ed., The New Dictionary of Catholic Social Thought. Collegeville, MN: Michael Glazier, 1994. (On reserve in ISU library)
Marvin L. Krier Mich, Catholic Social Teaching and Movements. Twenty-Third Publications, 1998. (On reserve in ISU library)
David J. O’Brien & Thomas A. Shannon, ed., Catholic Social Thought: The Documentary Heritage. Orbis Books, 1992. (On reserve in ISU library)
DeBerri, Edward P., James Hug, with Peter J. Henriot, & Michael J. Schulteis, Catholic Social Teaching: Our Best Kept Secret. Fourth Revised and Expanded Edition. Orbis Books, 2003. (On reserve in ISU library)
Donal Door, Option for the Poor: A Hundred Years of Catholic Social Teaching. Revised Edition. Orbis Books, 1992. (On reserve in ISU library)
Topics and readings
You are expected to read the primary readings before each class and be ready to discuss the ideas in those readings. For some classes there are recommended readings; these are optional unless you are part of the group responsible for a presentation during that class.
For some classes there is a representative figure; these are optional unless you are part of the group that is responsible for a presentation fro that class. However, some basic knowledge of the figures is recommended for examinations.
You may find some questions to help you focus your reading at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jdonaghy/CSTstudy1-11.html.
Please note that the notation for readings at times refer to paragraphs or sections of documents. You are not expected to read the entire document. Most of the official documents can be found at http://www.osjspm.org/social_teaching_documents.aspx.
1. Introduction to Catholic Social Thought
Introductions and requirements
Framework of the course
Religion and culture and politics
Catholic social thought, teaching, or doctrine?
Sources for Catholic social thought
Authority of CST church documents:
The place of Catholic social thought in Catholic thought
Key aspects of Catholicism:
Catholicity (universality), community, sacramentality, mediation
Root Metaphors in Catholic Social Thought:
The invisible handshake (instead of the invisible hand)
The House of Love – in a redemptive sense (instead of the house of fear)
The earth as more than matter and more than a sacred space: where God is present
Pentecost (instead of Babel)
2. Roots of Catholic Social Thought 1
Jewish Scriptures: Creation, Stewardship, Covenant, Prophets
*Kammer, Doing Faithjustice, pp. 1-7, 9 – 39
*U.S. Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All, ¶¶ 28-40
3. Roots of Catholic Social Thought 2
Christian Scriptures: Jesus and the Reign of God
Kammer, Doing Faithjustice, pp. 40 – 54
Framing of Scriptures from official sources:
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, ¶¶ 20-33
U.S. Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All, “The Christian View of Economic Life.” ¶¶ 41-60
4. History of Catholic Social Thought 1
Roots in the tradition
Some key aspects of Catholic moral thought:
natural law, relation of ends and means, effects and consequences
Justice defined (Commutative, Distributive, Legal/Social/Participative
Kammer, Doing Faithjustice, pp. 65-78
Compendium, ¶¶ 201-203
U. S. Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All, ¶¶ 68-76
5. History of Catholic Social Thought 2
Historical documents, 1891-present
Kammer, Doing Faithjustice, pp. 79-141
Compendium, ¶¶ 87 – 104
Each student will sign up for one of the classic documents of Catholic Social Teaching and give a short presentation and a two page paper on the document in classes 5 - 7. Use the resources in Kammer, The Compendium, The New Dictionary of Catholic Social Thought, and The Busy Persons’ Guide to Catholic Social Teaching.
a. Rerum Novarum
b. Quadragesimo Anno
c. Mater et Magistra
d. Pacem in Terris
e. Gaudium et Spes
f. Populorum Progressio
6. History of Catholic Social Thought 3
Continuation from last class
a. Medellín documents
b. Justice in the World
c. Octagesimo Adveniens
d. Evangelii Nuntiandi
e. Puebla documents
f. Laborem Exercens
g. Challenge of Peace
7. History of Catholic Social Thought 4
Continuation from last class
a. Solicitudo Rei Socialis
b. Economic Justice for All
c. Centesimus Annus
d. Evangelium Vitae
e. Deus Caritas Est
8. Principles of Catholic Social Thought 1: Common Good, Universal Destination of Goods, Subsidiarity
Compendium ¶¶ 160-163
Common Good, Compendium ¶¶ 164-170; John XXIII, Pacem in Terris ¶¶ 136-138.
Universal Destination of Goods, Compendium ¶¶ 171-184; Paul VI, Populorum Progressio ¶¶ 22-24.
Subsidiarity, Compendium ¶¶ 185-188
Recommended supplemental readings:
Honduran Bishops, “Por los caminos de esperanza” (in Spanish)
US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Faithful Citizenship
10. Principles of Catholic Social Thought 2: Human Rights, Human Dignity, Participation, Solidarity, Option for the Poor
Representative figure: Oscar Romero
John Dear, “Oscar Romero, 25 Years Later”
Human Rights, Pacem in Terris, ¶¶ 8-30
Participation, Compendium ¶¶ 189-191
Solidarity, Compendium ¶¶ 191-196
Option for the Poor
Representative figure: Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker
Jim Forest, “A Harsh and Dreadful Love: Dorothy Day’s Witness to the Gospel”
or John Donaghy, “Dorothy Day: a review lecture of Robert Coles’ book”
Compendium ¶¶ 183-184
Economic Justice for All, ¶¶ 48-52, 85-92,
Gustavo Gutiérrez, “Renewing the Option for the Poor,” in David Batstone, Eduardo Mendieta, Lois Ann Lorentzen, & Dwight Hopkins, ed., Liberation Theologies, Postmodernity, and the Americas (London: Routledge, 1997): 69-82. (On e-reserve)
11. EXAMINATION 1
30% Explain one of the following
Sabbath, Jubilee, Jubilee year, Reign of God
20% Identify and explain the three forms of justice
50% Find a news story, an
editorial, an op-ed piece. Identify concepts, principles, ideas that are raised
in the documents that have relevance to the story. You do not have to solve the
problem or develop a full critique; you need to show the relevance of Catholic
Social Thought to the piece chosen.
12. Poverty 1
Kammer, pp. 142-189
Poverty USA- http://www.povertyusa.org/
13. Poverty 2
Speaker on local poverty
Kammer, pp. 142-189
14. Economy 1: Economic justice and Empowerment
Justice and Charity; economic justice
Kammer, pp. 190-222
Compendium ¶¶ 323-376
Catholic Campaign for Human Development –
In class video: “Helping People Help Themselves.” (15 minutes)
Recommended case study:
Wendy Tyndale, “National Forum of Fish Workers: a spiritually inspired movement for alternative development”
15. Economy 2: Agriculture
Evans, Bernard, “Agriculture and Catholic Social Teaching: Elements of an Agricultural Ethic,” Catholic Rural Life 43:2 (Spring 2001): 12, 14-17. (On e-reserve)
United States Conference of Catholic bishops, "For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food" (Mt 25:35): Catholic Reflections on Food, Farmers, and Farmworkers, Pastoral Reflection: V. Responding in Faith, Criteria for Agricultural Policy and Advocacy
16. Work 1
Representative figure: Msgr. George Higgins
Charles E. Curran, “Farewell: George G. Higgins, R.I.P.”, Commonweal, May 17, 2002
THE NATURE OF WORK
Compendium, ¶¶ 255-322
John Paul II, Laborem Exercens: On Human Work, ¶¶ 4, 15, 25
U S Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All, #97
Compendium, ¶¶ 305-308
Laborem Exercens ¶¶ 8, 20
17. Work 2: Living Wage
National Catholic War Council, Program of Social Reconstruction, ¶¶ 25, 35, 37, 40.
Compendium, ¶¶ 250
Ryan, John A., “The Minimum of Justice: A Living Wage,” in John A. Ryan, Economic Justice. (Westminster John Knox Press, 1996): 112-125. (On e-reserve)
John Paul II, Laborem Exercens: On Human Work, ¶ 19
Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, ¶¶ 61 - 63, 65.
Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, ¶¶ 66, 70-72.
Bill Quigley, “The Living Wage Movement,” Blueprint for Social Justice, Volume LIV, No. 9 (May, 2001) http://www.loyno.edu/twomey/blueprint/vol_liv/No-09_May_2001.html
Recommended Case Study:
League of Women Voters of Ames, Report on Living Wage
18. Immigration 1
Representative figure: Bartolomé de las Casas
Brian Pierce, “Bartolomé de las Casas and Truth: Toward a Spirituality of Solidarity,” Spirituality Today 44: #1 (Spring 1992), pp. 4-19.
Document: Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope: A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States
Video: Dying to Live: A Migrant’s Journey
19. Immigration 2
Justice for Immigrants web-site
Mary Ann Glendon, “Principled immigration,” First Things, 164 (June/July 2006): 23-26.
20. Examination 2
21. The Consistent Ethic of Life
Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty
US Conference of Catholic Bishops, A Culture of life and the Penalty of Death
John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae: The Gospel of Life ¶¶ 27, 40, 52-56
Video: A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death
22. War and Peace 1: Just War Theory
Representative figure: Franz Jaegerstaetter
Erna Putz, “Against the Stream: Franz Jägerstätter, the man who refused to fight for Hitler”
Compendium, ¶¶ 488-508
National Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Harvest of Justice Is Sown in Peace (1993): Section I. Theology, Spirituality and Ethics for Peacemaking
Gregory M. Reichberg, “Preemptive War: What would Aquinas say?” Commonweal, January 30, 2004
23. War and Peace 2: Nonviolence
Representative figure: Thomas Merton
Jim Forest, “Foreword” to Peace in the Post-Christian Era by Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton, “Blessed are the meek: The Christian Roots of Nonviolence”
Catholic Peace Fellowship staff, “On the (Mis)use of Scripture for War,” Sign of Peace III, #2 (Summer 2004)
Video: Where There Is Hatred
24. War and Peace 3: CASE STUDY: The war in Iraq
Bishop Wenski, USCCB, “Toward a Responsible Transition in Iraq”
Richard John Neuhaus, “War and Moral Judgment,” First Things October 2005
Michael J. Baxter, “ ‘One Nation Under God’ - Richard J. Neuhaus in Time of War,” Houston Catholic Worker, Vol. XXV, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2005.
Representative figure: St. Francis of Assisi
Compendium, pp. 197-211
Pope John Paul II, Peace with God the Creator, Peace with All of Creation. World Day of Peace Message, 1990.
26. A contemporary liberation theological reflection on current issues.
Jon Sobrino, Where Is God? Earthquake, Terrorism, Barbarity and Hope.
Sobrino, pp. 1 – 48
27. A contemporary liberation theological reflection on current issues.
Sobrino, pp. 49-105
28. A contemporary liberation theological reflection on current issues.
Sobrino, pp. 106-152, vii-xxi
29. A contemporary liberation theological reflection on current issues.
30. Evaluation, last thoughts
Students are expected to attend all classes. More than four absences will result in a lowering of your grade. Participation in the class also means being prepared. Students are expected to have read the required texts assigned for each class.
Each student is required to schedule a fifteen minute interview with the professor before October 1. This is an easy 5% of your grade.
Class 9 (10%)
Class 20 (10%)
Final examination (10%)
SHORT PAPERS (10%)
One three minute class presentation and two page report on one of official documents of Catholic Social Thought. Due September 5, 7, or 12. (5%)
A two page description of the work of a group that reflects CST from the list of organizations and campaigns provided below. Due October 15. (5%)
OUTSIDE CLASS PROJECT (10%)
You have several options. This project must be completed with the report handed in by November 30.
Attend an approved lecture and write a three page reflection paper.
Do a service project at an approved site and write a three page reflection paper.
View one of the recommended films noted below and write a three page reflection paper.
Romero, Entertaining Angels, On the Waterfront, Dead Man Walking, The Mission, Sophie Scholl, Cry Freedom, Amen, Gandhi, Hotel Rwanda, The Milagro Bean Field War, Constant Gardener, Lord of War.
Groups of three or four students will make a joint presentation on the issue/case which is treated in the classes and each student will hand in a three page paper. Sign up for these by the third week of class.
Topics will include Agriculture, Living Wage, Immigration, Capital Punishment, and Just War.
MAJOR PAPER: 10-12 pages (20%)
This paper should be a major analysis of a principle or issue treated in Catholic Social Teaching. Each student is urged (but not required) to examine an issue related to his or her field of studies or projected career. This paper should show your understanding of Catholic social thought and your ability to use it as an instrument of analysis. A critique of a dimension of Catholic social thought is fine, but a critique must be accompanied by a fair treatment of the dimension critiqued. References will be suggested by the professor. Papers must reflect some familiarity with the suggested references.
An initial one page description of the issue you are interested in is due by the fifth week of classes. Send by e-mail.
An initial bibliography is due by October 19 . The bibliography should contain specific references to at least two church documents and at least five articles, at least two of which must not be web-based articles. Students are expected to consult our text Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church as well as Judith A. Dwyer, ed., The New Dictionary of Catholic Social Thought. These reference works will in most cases greatly help in the elaboration of your topic and your paper.
A first draft may be handed in early for comments. This is not mandatory.
The final paper must be handed in during the 14th week of classes.
Students who wish an alternative project must discuss this with the professor by the fourth week of classes. Alternatives include service learning projects, posters, audio-visual presentations, advocacy projects.
Possible topic areas include, but are not limited to:
Catholic politicians and Catholic teaching
The living wage
Labor unions: their role in CST
Consistent Ethic of Life
Liberation theology in Latin America
Liberation theology in Africa
Globalization and CST
Free Trade agreements and CST
Community Organizing and CST
Catholic Relief Services and CST
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Global Warming and CST
Social Responsibility in Investments
Can a Catholic work for the Pentagon?
Work place ethics
Beyond Liberal and Conservative
Catholic Critique of Capitalism
The Holocaust and Catholic responses
Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement
Business in light of Catholic Social Thought
Genetically-engineered food and CST
Access to water and CST
Privatization and CST
Nonviolence in practice
Justice and Peace in the Holy Land
These suggestions are meant as areas that might be researched for a paper; however, your paper will generally need to be narrowed down since these areas are quite broad. You might also take a specific event and analyze it in light of Catholic Social Thought, e.g., Darfur. Or you might analyze the work of a specific author in the area of Catholic Social Thought, e.g., Gustavo Gutiérrez, John Ryan, John Courtney Murray, Dorothy Day.
Personal ethics and academic integrity demand that assignments are one’s own work and not taken from another source.
Academic Misconduct in any form is in violation of Iowa State University Student Disciplinary Regulations and will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to: copying or sharing answers on tests or assignments, plagiarism, and having someone else do your academic work. Depending on the act, a student could receive an F grade on the test/assignment, F grade for the course, and could be suspended or expelled from the University. See the Conduct Code at http://www.dso.iastate.edu/ja for more details and a full explanation of the Academic Misconduct policies.
Please address any special needs or special accommodations with me at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become aware of your needs.
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
Department of Social Development and World Peace
Catholic Campaign against Global Poverty
Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty
Catholic Campaign for Immigration reform