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Saturday, October 8, 2011

High School Theology: Christian Anthropology

(click on course title to view registration page)

Class dates: Tuesdays, January 10 through February 28, 2012
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 1:00 pm Eastern (Noon Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $90 if you register on or before November 1, 2011. $120 after Nov. 1 for entire 8-week course. Course instructor: Monica Ashour, MTS; M Hum
Prerequisite: None.
Suggested grade level: 11th to 12th
Suggested high school credit: 1/2 semester credit in theology
Course rationale: The student will study the foundational aspects of Christian Anthropology (the Catholic vision of what it means to be human). With this understanding, the student in this course will be challenged to apply such principles to being “in the world, not of the world,” with a critical mind of recognizing distortions regarding the human person that the world holds. Furthermore, the student will delve deeply into Trinitarian and Soteriological (how we are saved) theology in that we are made in the image and likeness of the Trinitarian God and in that Jesus’ death on the Cross gives the highest and deepest revelation of what it means to be human.
Course goal: The student, through his/her embracing of this theological perspective, will be invited to grow in his/her humanity to become “St. Me,” the person he/she was made to be and whom he/she co-creates with God.
Course outline:
Class 1: Foundational Introduction to Theology; Anthropology (Study of Man (man and woman); Foundational Introduction to Theology
Class 2: Study of Man; Solitude for Communion
Class 3: The Goal of Kenosis for Union and Communion with God, within ourselves, others, and creation. Proper understanding of salvation.
Class 4: The Sacramental View of Reality
Class 5: Nominalism’s Role in our Understanding of the Human Person/William of Ockham
Class 6: Man’s Conquest over Nature”—Francis Bacon’s Influence on Modernity
Class 7: Tough Questions and Loving Responses, all based on Anthropology
Class 8: Summation of Entire
Course reading: The reading will assist the student in delving into a deep understanding of the human person, along with its application to the moral life and spirituality. (All are available online free.)
1. The Bible—Gen 1-3; Rom 3:21-8:39;
2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church #’s 249-421;
3. The Documents of Vatican II—Gaudium et Spes, especially Part I;
4. Redemptor Hominis (Pope John Paul’s 1st encyclical)
5. Pope Benedict’s address at Regensburg;
6. The Weight of Glory and Man or Rabbit, both by CS Lewis.

For those who want more of a challenge/more credit earned: CS Lewis’ The Abolition of Man; Thomas Howard’s Chance or the Dance; J. Budziszewski’s What We Can’t Not Know (Part I); Dr. Joyce Little’s The Catholic Church and the Culture War (esp. the part about egalitarianism).

Homework: Weekly quizzes, major project, and final exam: To be graded by parents. (Answer keys provided.)

Instructor's biography: Having had 20 years of experience in the classroom, 3 years of experience working at St. Mary’s Catholic Church at Texas A&M University as one of the Campus Ministers, and Master Degrees in Humanities and Theological Studies from the University of Dallas, Monica Ashour comes to us with a breadth and depth of vision that will solidify and electrify high school students. Orthodox, passionate, and pedagogically adept, Miss Ashour reaches youth especially in the areas of Christian Anthropology, Moral Theology, and Social Ethics. Her former students come to her often with gratitude in preparing them for the various experiences that they faced in college. She is also a gifted speaker for the Theology of the Body Institute.



Equipment requirements: Classes are online, live and interactive. Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.
Misc:
Miss Ashour will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.


(click on course title to view registration page)

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