 |
     |
 |
 |
 |
|
We believe we are always in the holy presence of God, and so the Religion Department seeks to meet the needs of developing adolescents in the rich and inclusive Catholic, Lasallian tradition. By becoming familiar with and respecting the faith experiences of all students entrusted to our care, we pass on the riches of the Catholic faith and we emphasize living a moral life with special consideration towards the poor. Saint John Baptist de La Salle invited teachers to "fulfill your ministry with all the affection of your heart" (Meditations for the Time of Retreat 9.1), and so we guide, challenge, and inspire our young men to see the world through the eyes of faith. We familiarize young men to understand the Catholic, Lasallian identity, ground them in text and tradition of Sacred Scripture, prepare them to grapple with social injustices and personal decision-making, and apply this faith in areas such as science, business, and life.
Service Requirement
Freshman Year: 16 hours, with at least 8 completed in the first semester
Sophomore Year: 16 hours, with at least 8 completed in the first semester
Junior Year: 50 hours of direct, interpersonal service with people in need, at an agency
Senior Year: 32 hours of direct interpersonal service with people in need, at an agency
|
|
|
| |
| BIBLE: LIVING WORD OF GOD |
|
 |
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Freshmen |
|
| Course Description: This course provides an introduction to the Sacred Scriptures and to the unfolding of salvation history, with a particular focus on Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of salvation history. Revelation, both Divine and natural, is explored, as are inspiration, interpretation, and exegesis. The course guides the students in coming to know the people of salvation history, including the early leaders of Israel; the judges and kings; and the history of salvation as revealed in the New Testament. The students learn about the role of the Scriptures in the life of faith for the individual, as it informs their vocation, as well as for the life of the Church. Students also learn that Jesus was a model and inspiration for the work of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Lasallian world. |
|
 |
|
|
| |
| CHRIST: GOD'S LOVE, VISIBLE |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Freshmen |
|
| Course Description: This course leads the student toward a deeper understanding of divine Revelation, the Trinity, Jesus’ significant relationships, salvation, and discipleship as a response to God’s love. Students will study judges, the Incarnation of God in Jesus and His relationship with His mother, Mary. Students will also walk through the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus and how they are alive today in the Gospels. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores |
|
| Course Description: This course focuses on the foundation and mission of the Church--Christ’s mystical body in the world today. Students will begin by exploring issues related to the origin and history of the early Church, and then will proceed to study both the hierarchical structure of the Church, as well as what it means to be a part of a community of faith in our world today. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on the Sacraments of Initiation as indispensable aspects of the Church’s life. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores |
|
| Course Description: This course examines Christ’s life, passion, death, and Resurrection and the promise of salvation gained thereby. Emphasis will be placed on our fallen human nature as a result of Original Sin, our need for redemption, and the mission of Christ to restore us to the union with God originally intended for mankind. Throughout the course, the students will be asked to reflect on how the truths of the Paschal Mystery affect our understanding of the nature of God. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Juniors |
|
| Course Description: This course treats religious experiences as the human response to the mystery of life. In this course, students study the major world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism, the Baha’i Faith, Judaism Christianity, and Islam. The beliefs, concerns, practices, and questions of each of these traditions are examined. Representatives from any of these religions are invited as guest speakers to explain their religion or denomination. Besides regular class work, book reports on other religions and visit reports on the worship services of other religions are requested. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
| Honors / A.P. |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Juniors; Department approval; 3.00 cumulative GPA |
|
Course Description: This course will introduce students to eight of the world’s major religious traditions. Students will also be introduced to many of the sects and denominations which exist within each of these traditions. The focus will be upon the doctrine, worship and moral/ethical codes of each religious tradition, as well as upon the effects of these upon the lives of their respective adherents. Our objectives will not be limited to the study of each tradition within itself but to discover the social, political and other impacts which each has exercised, and is exercising, upon the world community. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of the following: the founding principles, geographical origins, and key historical events of the world’s major religious traditions, the essential similarities and differences among the religious traditions we will study, how the Roman Catholic Church views each of the world’s major religious traditions and their teachings, and the way religious beliefs of these faiths impact contemporary world events and how such events impact the continuing evolution of each faith.
Students are eligible for college credit through the University of Missouri-St. Louis if they meet all UMSL requirements. |
|
|
|
|
| |
| MORALITY AND CHRISTIAN VOCATION |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Juniors |
|
| Course Description: The course will begin with a general discussion of the nature of morality and moral action. Emphasis will be placed on the objectivity and non-arbitrariness of morality, and its close connection with who we are as human beings created in the image of God. From there, it will move on to a discussion of the moral decision-making process. Following this general treatment of morality, we will move into a discussion of the virtues and vices. The course will conclude with a discussion of some of the more important and hotly-debated moral issues today, such as life issues, sexuality, and issues of social justice, and the Catholic Church’s stance on these issues. All of these topics, however, will be addressed with a view to morality as the response to God’s invitation to love as He has first loved us, which is our Christian Vocation. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors |
|
| Course Description: This course leads the students toward a deeper understanding of the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching. The course begins by examining the foundations of Catholic social teaching in Scripture and Tradition. The students then explore the tremendous growth in this teaching over the last century as the Church has responded to our rapid and far-reaching changes in society. Later units explore specific social issues, such as protecting human life at its beginning and at its end, poverty and hunger, war and peacemaking, economic justice, and environmental justice. The students are called to reflect on Christ’s call to live justly and confront sinful social structures. |
|
|
|
|
| |
| BEAUTY & THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION |
|
 |
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors; Department approval |
|
Course Description: "The desire for God is written on the human heart" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 27). The beauty of the created world communicates the language of God. When we experience truth, beauty, and goodness in their fullness, we are pulled into contact with something greater than ourselves, into the mysterious and awe-inspiring power of the Holy Spirit.
This course will explore how beauty draws us to God and will teach
students how to analyze obejective beauty and how to participate in its creation as co-creators with God. Students will do this primarily through the mediums of film and music, while also pulling in examples of literature and art. With the prevalance of more and more artistry than ever that is shallow to truth, beauty, and goodness, this course will teach students what these mediums could look like, should be, and how they can cooperate in and promote their development. |
|
|
|
|
| |
| BUSINESS ETHICS & THE GOSPEL |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors; Department approval |
|
| Course Description: Students will learn how Gospel values can be applied in the world of successful businesses. Through case studies, students will critically examine the moral and ethical foundations of successful companies, analyze moral dimensions of business decision-making, and practice applying moral reasoning in real-world scenarios. Ultimately, students will learn how to be men guided by faith and committed to justice while preparing to lead and serve in a capitalist society. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors; Department approval |
|
| Course Description: This course will help students learn about the meaning and purpose in their lives, and how to facilitate this discovery in others. Students will assist the Mission & Ministry Department through the facilitation of retreats and services opportunities and assist the Mission Committee of the Student Leadership Council with their projects. Students will also explore how it is they will seek and find meaning. Students will explore the history and spirituality of St. John Baptist de La Salle, as well as the work of Dr. Viktor Frankl and others to develop their understanding of personal meaning and purpose and how to share this with others. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors; Department approval |
|
Course Description: This course examines the perceived conflict between a faith in God and a commitment to scientific thinking. By exploring the nature and limits of scientific inquiry as well as rational argumentation for the existence of God, students will be able to articulate and defent the compatibility of faith and science. This course seeks to equip students with the knowledge and skills to be able to defend their faith respectfully, effectively, and insightfully.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC & LASALLIAN HISTORY |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors; Department approval |
|
| Course Description: This course will explore the rich history of the Catholic Church in St. Louis with special emphasis on the arrival of the Christian Brothers and the story of CBC. By gaining a better understanding of how the Church and the Christian Brothers have lived the Gospel mission in St. Louis, students will ultimately come to see themselves as part of the broader stories of Salvation History and the Lasallian tradition. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
| Honors / A.P. |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors; Department approval; 3.00 cumulative GPA |
|
Course Description: This course focuses on the genre of historical and autobiographical narrative as a way of getting at the ultimate questions at the heart of theology and religion. In dialogue with Jewish and Christian scripture, as well as classical and contemporary spiritual autobiographies written from within the Christian tradition and beyond, students will wrestle with the nature of faith; the nature, existence, and personhood of God; the nature and ends of creation and human life; evil and salvation, and other matters of ultimate concern. Through the medium of narrative, this course aims to stimulate engagement with and reflection on the kinds of questions that matter most to the arc of a human life.
Students are eligible for college credit through Saint Louis University if they meet all 1818 requirements. |
|
|
|
|
| |
| VIOLENCE, GENOCIDE, & PEACE STUDIES |
|
|
| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors |
|
| Course Description: This course will explore the often complex roots of violence and peace within individuals, communities, and in specific socio-cultural contexts with a view to developing theologically-informed attitudes, habits, and practices that promote peace and reconciliation. Students will also learn to critically evaluate appeals to scriptural and theological sources as justification for hostility or violence. Special attention is given to the Holocaust as a case study. |
|
|
|
|