Introduction to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body
Course Syllabus
Course Hours
Thirty classroom hours for two graduate (or undergraduate) credits from Creighton University.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the key themes of the 129 Wednesday audience addresses that comprise John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Particular attention will be paid to the imago Dei, fall and redemption, Christian ethics and ethos, freedom and person, gender and vocation. Students will be encouraged to journey from “head to heart” in applying the theological concepts they learn to their own lives and relationships.
Learning Objectives
The course is designed:
• to explore and understand the philosophical foundation on which John Paul II built his theology of the body;
• to synthesize John Paul II’s “adequate anthropology” and apply it to the Christian vocations of celibacy and marriage;
• to apply John Paul II’s anthropology to a range of questions such as sexual morality, bio-ethics, gender issues, the sacramental life, and the new evangelization;
• to evaluate alternative anthropologies in comparison and contrast with John Paul II’s vision of man and woman;
• to integrate the principles of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body in one’s own life and relationships.
Required Reading
• John Paul II, Man & Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body (Pauline, 2006)
Supplemental Reading
• Christopher West, Theology of the Body Explained (Pauline, 2003)
Assessment
Please take care to follow the assignments as they are presented below. Students who do not follow the assignments as presented below will have their grades reduced.
Class Participation (10% of final grade)
• Students will be expected to demonstrate personal appropriation of the material through class participation. Students will grade themselves. Please submit your grade (e.g, 10 out of 10 or 7 out of 10 – whatever you honestly believe you earned) with a short paragraph justifying your self-assigned grade. Your grade may be adjusted based on the instructor’s evaluation.
Journal Entries (40% of final grade)
• Students will be required to submit a one-page “journal entry” for each of the six cycles of the theology of the body (beginning, history, destiny, celibacy, marriage, Humanae Vitae) demonstrating personal integration and application of the material.
• Ask yourself and respond (you may want to list the following questions at the top of your page and respond below them): How has what I learned in this section of the class impacted my own life? What particular insights have I gained from this section about myself, my family, my other relationships, God, the Church, or the culture?
• Score is based on following the assignment and evidence of subjective (“heart”) integration of the course material.
Research Paper (50% of final grade)
• Students will be required to submit a ten to twelve-page research paper (undergraduate students six to eight pages) which in the first half (five to six pages) outlines John Paul II’s “adequate anthropology” and then in the second half (five to six pages) applies it to a specific question of sexual morality, bio-ethics, gender issues, vocation, the sacramental life, or the new evangelization.
• Grade is based on following the assignment and evidence of objective (“head”) integration of the course material. Evidence that you have completed the required reading will help your grade. Furthermore, at the graduate level, research papers are evaluated according to the following criteria:
– a quality of research (you should have a bibliography of 5-10 sources)
– a clear and thorough grasp of the material
– an ability to integrate material and present it clearly
– a critical judgment as to what is central and what is peripheral
– an ability to articulate thought in an organized, clear manner.
The use of proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling is, of course, required. Paper and journal entries should be double-spaced with one-inch margins. Use a standard Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Turning in your Course Work
Please staple your journal entries and your paper together (journal entries on top, no covers please). Mail these and a self addressed, pre-stamped manila folder to :
Theology of the Body Institute at 750 Springdale Dr. # 210 Exton, PA. 19341.
Introduction to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body
Course Syllabus
Course Hours
Thirty classroom hours for two graduate (or undergraduate) credits from Creighton University.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the key themes of the 129 Wednesday audience addresses that comprise John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Particular attention will be paid to the imago Dei, fall and redemption, Christian ethics and ethos, freedom and person, gender and vocation. Students will be encouraged to journey from “head to heart” in applying the theological concepts they learn to their own lives and relationships.
Learning Objectives
The course is designed:
• to explore and understand the philosophical foundation on which John Paul II built his theology of the body;
• to synthesize John Paul II’s “adequate anthropology” and apply it to the Christian vocations of celibacy and marriage;
• to apply John Paul II’s anthropology to a range of questions such as sexual morality, bio-ethics, gender issues, the sacramental life, and the new evangelization;
• to evaluate alternative anthropologies in comparison and contrast with John Paul II’s vision of man and woman;
• to integrate the principles of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body in one’s own life and relationships.
Required Reading
• John Paul II, Man & Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body (Pauline, 2006)
Supplemental Reading
• Christopher West, Theology of the Body Explained (Pauline, 2003)
Assessment
Please take care to follow the assignments as they are presented below. Students who do not follow the assignments as presented below will have their grades reduced.
Class Participation (10% of final grade)
• Students will be expected to demonstrate personal appropriation of the material through class participation. Students will grade themselves. Please submit your grade (e.g, 10 out of 10 or 7 out of 10 – whatever you honestly believe you earned) with a short paragraph justifying your self-assigned grade. Your grade may be adjusted based on the instructor’s evaluation.
Journal Entries (40% of final grade)
• Students will be required to submit a one-page “journal entry” for each of the six cycles of the theology of the body (beginning, history, destiny, celibacy, marriage, Humanae Vitae) demonstrating personal integration and application of the material.
• Ask yourself and respond (you may want to list the following questions at the top of your page and respond below them): How has what I learned in this section of the class impacted my own life? What particular insights have I gained from this section about myself, my family, my other relationships, God, the Church, or the culture?
• Score is based on following the assignment and evidence of subjective (“heart”) integration of the course material.
Research Paper (50% of final grade)
• Students will be required to submit a ten to twelve-page research paper (undergraduate students six to eight pages) which in the first half (five to six pages) outlines John Paul II’s “adequate anthropology” and then in the second half (five to six pages) applies it to a specific question of sexual morality, bio-ethics, gender issues, vocation, the sacramental life, or the new evangelization.
• Grade is based on following the assignment and evidence of objective (“head”) integration of the course material. Evidence that you have completed the required reading will help your grade. Furthermore, at the graduate level, research papers are evaluated according to the following criteria:
– a quality of research (you should have a bibliography of 5-10 sources)
– a clear and thorough grasp of the material
– an ability to integrate material and present it clearly
– a critical judgment as to what is central and what is peripheral
– an ability to articulate thought in an organized, clear manner.
The use of proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling is, of course, required. Paper and journal entries should be double-spaced with one-inch margins. Use a standard Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Turning in your Course Work
Please staple your journal entries and your paper together (journal entries on top, no covers please). Mail these and a self addressed, pre-stamped manila folder to :
Theology of the Body Institute at 750 Springdale Dr. # 210 Exton, PA. 19341.
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