Catholic Social Teaching

Outcomes

Revised August 2017

Framework Name: Living as a Disciple of Jesus Christ in Society(elective)

Text:Living Justice and Peace, Saint Mary’s Press

Level: Junior requirement

Students will:

  1. Define justice and apply the term to practical situations.
  2. Illustrate and apply the faith-in-action circle.
  3. Outline the differences between direct action and social action.
  4. Explain how a person’s worldview and blind spots are shaped and how they impact her response to the world.
  5. Identify the characteristics of social sin and apply them to current social injustices.
  6. Locate and examine scripture passages that reveal Jesus’ response to people who experience injustice.
  7. Apply four common reactions---hopelessness, individualism, self-interest and compassion---to social injustice, distinguish between the behaviors of a person who acts out of self-interest and a person who acts out of compassion and apply these distinction to the students’ ACTS experiences.
  8. Define Catholic social teaching and explain its significance in history and its origins in the Church.
  9. List and explain the seven themes of Catholic social teaching.
  10. Explore the issues of relative and absolute poverty by defining the problem, analyzing the causes, identifying direct and social actions that respond to the problem and examining Church teachings that address this issue.
  11. Explore the issue of workers’ rights by defining the problem, analyzing the causes, identifying direct and social actions that respond to the problem and examining Church teachings that address this issue.
  12. Explore the issues of discrimination, including racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, heterosexism, xenophobia and immigration by defining the problem, analyzing the causes, identifying direct and social actions that respond to the problem and examining Church teachings that address this issue.
  13. Explore the issue of environmental destruction by defining the problem, analyzing the causes, identifying direct and social actions that respond to the problem and examining Church teachings that address this issue.
  14. Apply their ACTS experience to the exploration of issues.
  15. Describe and apply strategies for developing a just lifestyle including living simply, creating inclusive communities, thinking globally and acting non-violently.
  16. Distinguish between poverty, simplicity and excessive consumerism.
  17. Define conflict, violence, and nonviolence; students will apply the spiral of violence to personal and global situations while identifying ways to break the spiral.
  18. Articulate Church teachings that address pacifism and the just war theory.