Religion

Introduction to Scripture: Encountering God’s Word (1 Credit)

The goal of freshman religion at Xavier is for students to understand and appreciate that, through their participation in the Catholic community’s worship, prayer, and activity for love and justice, they encounter the same dramatic and saving grace of God that was present to our Jewish ancestors and that is present in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ . The course begins with an exploration of how the abundance of meaning found in myths, stories, and rituals in the Judeo-Christian tradition makes present again God’s saving actions in history . During the first semester, students will read selections from the Old Testament, beginning with the stories of the Patriarchs and Exodus, the defining experiences of the Israelites when they experienced God’s saving, covenantal love in historical events . Students will then explore how the Israelites worked to remain faithful to the covenant through the leadership of the kings and prophets . Throughout the second semester, students will turn their learning to the New Testament, with priority given to the Gospels, so that they may grapple with God’s definitive revelation of saving grace in the person of Jesus Christ, and what it means to have been baptized into Christ’s death in order to rise with him .

Discipleship: Responding to Christ’s Call (1 Credit)

The aim of this course is to introduce the sophomore student to the community of disciples through the rich tradition of the Church and to invite him to bring those traditions into his own personal experience of Christian discipleship . By critically examining the witness of significant disciples of different ages, the student will be invited to reflect critically on his own call to discipleship in light of the tension between the values of the Gospel and our contemporary world . An exploration of the Church, prayer, and moral decision-making will further support the student’s reflection and analysis of how he is called to respond to God’s activity in the world today .

Theology and Ethics (1 Credit)

By critically engaging with theological and moral questions of enduring significance, this course challenges the junior student to become more intentional at living out and reflecting upon how to be a faithful disciple in our contemporary world . Utilizing faith and reason, the student will be invited to reflect on his capacity to make God’s love present in the world and recognize that he needs to make a concrete decision to be an active, informed agent for personal and social change . The course will critically explore a variety of contemporary moral issues that highlight the tensions between the Gospel and Western values and culture . When exploring these issues, students will be challenged to develop a personal, informed, conscious perspective on these issues . To become informed, engaged moral agents, students will learn to analyze the social complexities of moral issues that will build a foundation for a more rigorous examination of justice issues in senior year . Social Justice (½ Credit)

The required first semester of each senior religion course will be Social Justice . Building on the foundation of the first three years of religious education, this one semester course explores social justice as a fundamental dimension of Christian discipleship in today’s world . The themes of this course are a natural extension of the theological, philosophical, moral and social concerns studied throughout the previous year of junior religious education . Informed by faith in Jesus Christ, the biblical vision of justice, and Catholic social teaching, this course will explore “the service of faith and the promotion of justice” as rooted in the dignity of human persons called to community and solidarity with one another, most especially for and with the poor .

Seniors must select one of the following religion courses for the second semester elective. There is a chance that your first choice will not fit in your schedule, although every effort will be made to honor your selection. Christian Ethics on War and Peace (½ Credit)

How does a Christian respond to the reality of violent conflict in the world? This semester elective will explore the two threads of the Christian tradition: just war theory and peacebuilding . The student will explore the global impact and Christian understanding of war and peace in dialogue with interreligious perspectives, with particular emphasis on holy war, pacifism, active nonviolence and just war theory . Attention will be paid to efforts for humanitarian intervention, conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts in light of the challenges of contemporary warfare faced in the 20th and 21st centuries . The student will be invited to engage in a final project in which he dialogues with the work of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or grassroots organizations focused on peace .

Philosophical Foundations of Christian Thought (½ Credit)

This is an introductory philosophy course that will trace the development of Christian thought from the foundations of ancient Greek philosophy to the development of medieval and modern philosophy . Focusing on metaphysics and epistemology, this course will explore the thoughts of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and the manner in which they influenced prominent Christian thinkers such as Augustine, Anselm and Aquinas . Time will also be dedicated to analyzing the paradigm shift in philosophy that takes place during the modern period, particularly through the thoughts of Rene Descartes . This course will address key questions regarding existence, God, the problem of evil, the nature of personhood and knowledge . Students should expect challenging primary source readings and frequent essays as preparation for taking college level philosophy courses .

World Religions (½ Credit)

This semester elective will explore how the Catholic Church recognizes and values the respective truth found in the world’s religions through interreligious dialogue . The student will be introduced to the nature and philosophy of the worldviews of various religious traditions, namely those of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam . The student will explore the elements of each religion and the ways in which human persons have experienced the presence of the sacred and sought to comprehend the mystery of life . Attention will be given to various rituals and traditions associated with each religion alongside a comparative evaluation of how each comes to understand the unique roles of the divine, human nature and our shared search for meaning . The student will be asked to engage in a major synthesis project that requires a visit to a place of worship from a religious tradition not his own .

Ignatian Perspectives (½ Credit)

What will you take with you from your 4 years at Xavier? How can you make choices that deliberately build character and integrity? What can you do with questions that seem to defy answers, and how do you draw meaning from your experiences – good and bad? This course will explore how Ignatius’ experiences and discernment methods are still relevant today and help you to refine your own approach to answer these and similar questions . Like St . Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises, the approach will be primarily Christ-centered; but any student comfortable with Christianity will be welcome to join in the process of self-reflection and adapting Ignatius’ perspectives for themselves . Expect this reflection process to involve writing assignments and a generous investment of your time in exploring your own experience .

Theology, the Environment, and Climate Change (½ Credit) Participants in this course will understand what climate change is, how it affects the world, and how we are called to address it as a people of faith. This course, which is rooted in the Jesuit tradition of social justice and service to humanity, will pay special attention to the needs of the poor, weak, and the vulnerable in a debate often dominated by more powerful interests. The course empowers young people to move beyond learning to action, by creating hopeful solutions in their own local context. Students will also experience the spiritual and temporal benefits that come with making sustainable choices, and will understand how their choices around consumption relate to Catholic Social Teaching, Christ’s gospel message, and the themes of Laudato Si’.