SMC Core Curriculum Course Proposal Form

Electronically submit a copy of the course proposal form and attachments to the Chair of the CCC. Please submit a separate copy of the proposal form for each learning goal.

1. Name of Proposer: Felicidad Oberholzer 2. Email address: [email protected] 3. Department/Program of Proposer: TRS 4. Name of Department/Program housing the course: TRS 5. Name(s) of Program Director/Department Chair (if not the proposer): Zach Flanagin 6. Course Acronym, Number and Title: TRS 132 Sexuality, Marriage and Family: A Catholic Perspective 7. Semester(s) in which course will be offered: Spring 8. How often is this course taught? Yearly 2 sections 9. Course Prerequisites (if any): TRS 097 10. Unit Value of Course: 1 (currently 3.5 Carnegie Units) 11. Proper Audience for the course (delete those that don’t apply): Sophomores Juniors Seniors 12. The Learning Goals for which the course is being submitted: Pathways to Knowledge Theological Explorations

Teaching and Learning How teaching is conducted and learning is assessed with regard to Theological Explorations Learning Goal 1 and 2: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of one or more aspects of Christian tradition and/or another religious tradition or traditions, acquired through focused study in a sub-field of theology or religious studies. 2. Demonstrate an ability to explore religious questions from a believer s point of reference and from the critical perspective of the academy.

Teaching: This course explores what human sexuality, marriage and family are by drawing from resources in sacramental theology, moral theology and spiritual theology in the Roman Catholic tradition. It then contrasts these teachings to contemporary culture by examining the influence of media and secular education on the formation of understanding about these topics. The course uses not only theology as a source, but psychology, sociology, economics, and personal experience of the students. We use three texts: a Reader, which has the documents of Church teachings such as the encyclicals and writings by theologians, an edited text of essays by people of various religious traditions on topics to do with sex, marriage and the family, and lastly, a text written entirely from a secular perspective on these same topics. These various texts lead to discussions that help students understand the living out of faith in the context of God in the Word made flesh in the most intimate relationships of marriage and family.

We start with the Biblical account of creation and the understanding we are created as man and woman (sexual beings from the start) by God in a gratuitous act of love. We are created in God’s image, which in the Genesis account is a God who creates, thus we are creators also. We create the structures of civilization, societies, cultures, science, technology, and so on. We create human life and families. But most of all we create community through loving others. Our vocation is love. We read the Biblical account of sin entering the world and examine the consequences of this. We study the story of redemption and salvation. We move from there to examine particular teachings of the Church about marriage and family. We contrast the Church’s view on these topics by presentations in class from the media. Students find these contrasts shocking and gradually become more aware of how deeply they have been influenced by what they see and hear through all the various channels of the media. Further they come to understand that the teachings of the Church contain positive insights into the nature of the human person that are freeing and not doctrines developed to repress them, teachings intended to protect and nurture them into a more fulfilling life.

Learning: Student work is assessed through daily quizzes, three tests, a final, a journal with a reflection paper, presentations and written reflection on sexuality, presentations and reflection paper on consumerism and the Church’s view on the responsibility to care for the poor. These give the student explicit opportunities to demonstrate her or his mastery of each of the particular learning outcome I listed in my syllabus. RELST 132 01/02 Dante 213 TTh 9:40/11:20 Spring 2013 Sexuality, Marriage, and Family: A Catholic Perspective Prof. Felicidad Oberholzer Garaventa 109 Phone: (Office) 8133 (Home) 925-254-8804 Office Hours: TTh 1:15–2:00 Email: [email protected] and by appointment

I. Description and goal: This course is a presentation of the teaching of the Catholic Church on all aspects of sexuality, marriage and family. It is a holistic examination of the Church’s theological, anthropological, and scientific insights into the human person as a sexual being deepest of human bonds. It provides a counter-cultural exploration of the Church’s teaching in an age when this perspective is poorly understood and not appreciated. II. Learning Outcomes a. Through the assigned readings, discussions, guest speakers, and student research and presentations, students will be able: a.i. to define, distinguish and relate: love, sexuality, sex, chastity, incarnation, the Paschal Mystery, redemption, resurrection, conversion. a.ii. to explain the biblical foundation for understanding human sexuality and relationship; what the Genesis 1 & 2 narratives tell us about God, creation of the world, and man and woman as sexual beings called to create and love as their vocation. a.iii. to explain the biblical foundation, from Genesis 3, for understanding sin and its consequence of alienation in our lives and society and what it means to be a moral person. a.iv. to explain how the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ bridge the alienation between humanity and God. a.v. to articulate the doctrinal principles in "Humanae Vitae” and its four prophetic statements about the use of contraceptives, including the ideas of contraceptive mentality and antilife dispositions, and explain the advantages of Natural Family Planning as a viable option to artificial birth control. a.vi. to explain the Church’s teaching about premarital sex and the values underpinning this teaching. Be able to contrast this to our current cultural view about premarital sex and present the advantages to abstaining from premarital sex. a.vii. to explain the Church’s teachings on abortion, marriage, and divorce, the reasons for those teachings, and the contrast to the cultural views on these same issues. a.viii. to explain why forgiveness is such an important part of any relationship and the process that can be used to help bring about genuine reconciliation. a.ix. to explain what a sacrament is, why marriage is a sacrament, what a covenant is, what the covenant is between Israel and God and the Christ and the Church. a.x. to explain the main points discussed in John Paul II’s Familiaris Consortio about the precious value of marriage and the family, the precious gift of children, the role of women and men in the world, the call to live simply and with concern for the suffering of the world and the four tasks of the family: forming a community of persons, serving life, participating in the development of society, and sharing in the life and mission of the Church. a.xi. to discuss the Church’s teachings about consumerism, materialism, and the poor and contrast these to the norms and values of our society. a.xii. to identify people who have lived the life of faith and who are inspirational such as Aung San Suu Kyi, Sister Dorothy Stang, Maximilian Kolbe, Dorothy Day, Sonya Sotomayor, Desmond Tutu, and Pope Francis. b. The above learning outcomes are measured through: b.i. Daily quizzes on readings b.ii. Three trimester tests and a final b.iii. Research projects and oral presentations on sex in the media and consumerism b.iv. A journal on changing habits with a final reflection paper b.v. Participation in class discussions b.vi. Overall quality of engagement in the course (observance of classroom policies, respectful and cooperative attitude, helpfulness to other participants in the course).

II. Books: Scott, Kieran, and Michael Warren, Perspectives on Marriage, 3rd edition (S&W); Yarber and Sayad, Human Sexuality, 8th ed. (SDS); a Catholic Perspectives Reader (CPR) with additional readings will be handed out. A fee will be collected for speakers and the reader.

III. Course Requirements points Attendance, Punctuality, Participation Attendance (1 absence allowed)------30 Punctuality (1 tardy allowed)------15 Class participation: prepared and responsive------55 Tests (no makeups) Quizzes (11@5 pts each; one dropped)------50 3 tests @ 50pts ------150 Final------100 Written Work (no late work accepted) 3 papers, 2 presentations, journal (instructions will be handed out)------120 520 IV. Class Attendance and Participation: Class attendance is essential to the learning experience of this class. Written work is also required but cannot be used to make up for excessive absences. Sometimes absence is unavoidable. Nevertheless, because this deprives you and others in a way that cannot be made up, points will be subtracted. No criticism of you is implied by this, rather this is a reflection of the loss of learning so incurred. After the first absence, regardless of the cause, your final points will be lowered 5% for each absence. More than three absences may result in failure.

A note on participation and grades:

Point deductions from your participation grade (5 points except when indicated.) Please bring your binder and whatever reading material has been assigned for the day. Your binder must be set up in the way I describe the first day of class. All cell phones and pagers must be turned off and put away in your backpack. (20 points) No caps are to be worn during class time. Do not study or read for any other class during our class. Do not fill out forms, look at your calendar, or read the newspaper. No talking to your neighbors unless I ask you to do so. No nonverbal cross talk across the classroom. No leaving the room during class unless it is a dire emergency. Any nodding off especially during movies or laying your head on your desk is a 10 point deduction. Being late after the first time will result in a 10 point deduction.

GRADES Grades are based on achievement not effort. If a person read for an hour, understood the material, and was able to demonstrate this through participation, quizzes, tests, and papers, then she or he would deserve a high grade for this part of the class. However, if another person spent twenty hours studying but did not understand the material and could not participate adequately because of this, then this student would not be entitled to a good grade just because of effort. He or she would need to seek tutoring, or find a more efficient way of studying and learning.

I will not discuss any grade I gave you unless I have made a mistake in calculating points or misread an answer. At midterm if your grade is below a C, I will be happy to talk to you at that time.

The grades you earn are not part of your identity, so if you are doing the best you can, then accept that. Grades are not a reflection of what I think of you. I do not value a person with an better grade anymore than I do a person with an lower grade. However, I am concerned about students who become obsessive about their grades as if this is the point of the class rather than learning to the best of their ability.

V. Honor Code: Each student will be required to abide by the College’s Honor Code.

VI. Students with Disabilities As stated in the Saint Mary's College catalog, "Individualized assistance is provided for students with appropriately documented learning, health, psychological, or physical disabilities. Services are available to meet the needs of qualified students with disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title III of ADA." Students seeking assistance or information concerning their eligibility should contact the Office of Academic Advising and Achievement or the Tutorial and Academic Skills Center (TASC). I will work with these offices and each student with qualified needs to arrange appropriate accommodations.

Reading Schedule Feb 12 T Introduction 14 TH Sexuality: Popular Culture and the YS 5–13, 397–408, 597–606, 606– Media: Views on Sexuality 615 19 T The Sexual Revolution and its S&W chs. 14; CPR 48–49, 80–92 Aftermath (1, 3, 4, 6–9); p. 7 bottom to p. 8. 21 TH God, Creation, Love S&W ch. 19; CPR 1–2, 3–4, 28–36, 56–57, 93 (no. 11). 26 T Sexuality, Wholeness, and CPR 3–7, 11–23, 37–41(16–21), Holiness 50, 134 (22) 28 TH Emotional, Moral, and Spiritual CPR 51–52a, 56–62; S&W ch. 21; Development Mar 5 T Our Bodies: Anatomy, YS 69–80, 81–88, 90–100, 106– 1st day of journal Physiology, and Sexual Response 112, 113–117, 118–122, 333–346 BRING CPR TO CLASS 7 TH Our Bodies: Anatomy, YS 69–80, 81–88, 90–100, 106– Physiology, and Sexual Response 112, 113–117, 118–122, 333–346 BRING CPR TO CLASS 12 T Test 14 TH Fertility and Family Planning CPR 103 (28, 30), 125–141, 52b– 55; S&W ch. 20 19 T Choosing a Spouse: Red Flag YS 572–594; S&W ch. 25; CPR Issues 153–160; review YS 397–408 21 TH Courtship S&W 6, 7, 17, 27 Easter Apr 2 T Miracle of Life YS pp. 362–380, CPR 103 (28, 30) 4 TH STIs and Abortion YS pp. 352–358; 491–521, 528– 541; CPR 148 (art. 4) 9 T Forgiveness and Healing CPR 181–198 Consumerism images due 11 TH Choosing a Spouse: Red Flag YS 572–594; S&W chs. 6, 7, 17, 1st journal summary due Issues / Courtship 25 27; CPR 153–160; review YS 397–408 16 T Gender and Roles - Socialization YS 126–136; S&W ch. 22; CPR and Communication 99–101 (22-25) 18 TH Test 23 T Sacrament of Marriage / CPR 64–79, 93–95 (12, 13, 14, 15); Examining the Meaning and S&W chs. 9, 12 Transitions of Marriage 25 TH Communication and Making CPR 161–179; S&W chs. 23 Marriage Work 30 T Money, Materialism, S&W chs. 29–30; CPR 108–09 Consumerism (37) Ma 2 TH Challenges of Raising a Family CPR pp. 108–111 (36–40), 115 (49, y 50) 7 T Participating in the Development CPR 112–115, 143–151 Consumerism / of Society materialism paper due 9 TH Test 14 T Serious Problems in Marriage: S&W chs. 33, 36 Journal ends / paper due Divorce, Death, and Loss 16 TH Spirituality of Marriage S&W ch. 37 TBA Combined final VII. Grade Scale and Policy: A (l00-96%) A- (95-90%) B+ (89-87%) B (86-84%) B- (83-80%) C+ (79-77%) C (76-74%) C- (73-70%) D+ (69-67%) D (66-64%) D- (63-60%) F (59-0%) Grading will be based on the following grading policy:

A Outstanding Achievement C Satisfactory Achievement 1. Completes all assignments. 1. Same as "A". 2. Participates consistently in class activities 2. Participates in class activities usually as an as an active questioner or commentator, interested listener or an infrequent and as an intent listener. commentator. Generally comments only if 3. Exhibits consistently superior questioned. comprehension and organizational ability 3. Exhibits fair comprehension and in testing achievement and in written and organizational ability in testing oral assignments. achievement and in written and oral 4. Exhibits in his/her work unusual insight or assignments. special creative talent. 4. Generally sees what is explicit, but reveals 5. Tends toward self-direction in activities. no unusual insight or special creative talent. B Good Achievement 5. Relies on teacher direction. 1. Same as "A". 2. Participates generally in class as an active D Minimum Achievement questioner or an occasional commentator, 1. May not complete all assignments. and as an intent listener. 2. Participates in class activities primarily as 3. Exhibits good comprehension and a listener. Comments only if questioned. organizational ability in testing 3. Exhibits minimum comprehension and achievement and in written and oral organizational ability in testing assignments. achievement and in written and oral 4. Is consistent, but work is not characterized assignments. by unusual insight or special creative 4. Often misses explicit relationships. talent. 5. Relies on teacher direction. 5. Shows occasional initiative, but tends to rely on teacher direction. F Failure due to unsatisfactory achievement 1. Does not complete basic assignments. 2. Rarely or never participates in class activities in any capacity. 3. Exhibits little or no comprehension. 4. Consistently misses explicit relationships. 5. Is generally unreceptive to any direction.