Instructor: Dr. Justin M. Anderson, Ph.D. Office Information: 9a, Alfieri Hall (lower level) (973) 275-2112 justin.anderson@shu.edu Office Hours: via Teams or by appointment M/W 10:45-11:25am (in office); MW by appointment via Teams
Course Description This course is taken by second year students as part of the University Core Curriculum. This course considers the relationship between Christianity and culture through an approach based on principles of dialogue, development, and community. Texts from the Christian tradition are studied along with texts from non-Christian traditions to demonstrate direct connections across cultures that influence the development of the Catholic intellectual tradition. The course seeks to foster the development of a community of informed conversation and deliberation on a number of key questions of human life through close readings of historically significant texts that address these questions. • Prerequisites: CORE 1101, ENGL 1201, ENGL 1202
Course Objectives 1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the central questions at work in the encounter between Christianity and culture, faith and reason, religious belief and science, belief and unbelief, and Christianity and society through written assignments, quizzes and exams.
2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the notion of historical development as it
manifests itself in the Catholic intellectual tradition’s engagement with the world, through in- class analysis of texts, and written assignments comparing primary texts in historical sequence.
3. Students will participate in a community of discourse by means of a careful reading of a
common set of primary texts, and by learning to analyze and critique ideas through engagement with other students in class.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1. Three critical response papers The papers will require students to analyze and/or react to issues discussed in class. These written assignments count for 30% of the final course grade. Please consult the “Writing Guide” on Canvas for the grading rubric and helpful suggestions. “Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt.” (William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure Act I, Scene 4. a. Two of these critical response papers are the student’s choice. These must be approximately 1,200 word (which is roughly 4 pages). The topics will be given at the end of each Unit. Each student has the choice to write a third critical response similar to the first two (4 pages in length). I will take the highest 2 of the 3 scores. This is the only method of “extra-credit” available in this course. b. The final critical response paper is mandatory for all students and will be assigned at the end of the last unit. It must be approximately 600 words (which is roughly 2 pages). 2
2. Approximately 10-12 reading quizzes will be given. Each quiz is designed to determine your ability to identify the essential points in the assigned readings. They will be in multiple choice. Quizzes constitute 30% of the final course grade.
3. There will be an in-class written final exam for the course. Part of this exam will be a common essay that all sections will answer. The common essay will require knowledge and intelligent application of the various readings from the class. Students should not make end of semester travel plans without consulting the exam schedule first. The final exam is worth 20% of the final course grade. PLEASE NOTE: THE FINAL EXAM IS TO BE TAKEN IN-CLASS, AT THE TIME/DATE DESIGNATED BY THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE FOR THIS SECTION. NO EXCEPTIONS. PLEASE PLAN YOUR END OF THE SEMESTER TRAVEL PLANS ACCORDINGLY.
4. Class participation is crucial in this class, and each person’s input is valuable. You should come to class prepared to discuss the readings, even if at times that means just asking relevant questions about material you did not understand. Everyone is expected to participate regularly. The participation grade depends on both the quality and the quantity of your participation. Obviously the most basic form of class participation is regular attendance. (If you know you will be absent for a class session, then please notify me as soon as possible. In the case of a prolonged absence, the student can be asked to present a doctor’s note.) Class participation counts for 20% of the final course grade.
GRADING SCALE
Percentage (%) Letter Grade
95 – 100 A 90 – 94 A- 86 – 89 B+ 83 – 85 B 80 – 82 B- 76 – 79 C+ 73 – 75 C 70 – 72 C- 66 – 69 D+ 60 – 65 D 0 - 59 F
REQUIRED TEXTS 1. The CORE 2101 Textbook/Reader, Christianity and Culture in Dialogue, 3rd ed. (Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil, 2018). This book is available for purchase at the Seton Hall University Bookstore. Please note that we will be using the latest edition (3rd ed.) of the course reader/textbook. You must purchase this 2018 edition at the Bookstore for the course.
2. Other materials are available on-line to be downloaded for class via Canvas > Modules. [marked “Canvas” on Course Map]
COURSE MAP Wed., Jan. 17th – Introduction to Course • Read: “Introduction to Course Reader” (viii-xii) Weeks 1-3 3 “The Worlds of the West”: Ancient Greek and Early Christian Thought Mon., Jan. 22nd – The World of Pericles • Read: Excerpts from “The Melian Dialogue” of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War – [Canvas]
[NB: Tues., Jan. 23rd – Last Day to Add/Drop; Registration Closes]
Wed., Jan. 24th – The World of Plato/Aristotle
• Read: Plato’s Crito
Mon., Jan. 29th – The World of Plato/Aristotle
• Read: Aristotle’s Politics (excerpts on Canvas)
Wed., Jan. 31st – The World of Jesus Christ I
• Read: St. Paul, First Letter to the Corinthians
Mon., Feb. 5th – The World of Jesus Christ II
• Read: Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas
Wed., Feb. 7th – The World of Jesus Christ III
• Read: St. Augustine of Hippo, The City of God, Bk. XIX
Mon., Feb. 12th – Collatio
Weeks 4-5 “Putting It All Together… Kinda”: Medieval Perspectives Wed., Feb. 14th – St. Thomas Aquinas I • Read: Summa Contra Gentiles (I, 1-8)
Fri., Feb. 16th – Last day to request course withdrawal without professor/dean approval; Deadline for pass-fail and audit requests.
Mon., Feb. 19th – St. Thomas Aquinas II
• Read: Summa Theologiae (Ia, q.1, art. 1-3).
Wed., Feb. 21st – Jewish and Islamic Medievals
• Read: Divided Reading Group #1: Ibn Rushd [Averroes], The Decisive Treatise Concerning Theology and Philosophy Group #2: Moses Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed
Mon., Feb. 26th – Collatio
Weeks 6-8 “How the World Fell Out of Bed”: The Rise of Modernity – The Great Disembedding Wed., Feb. 28th – The Bible 4 • Read: Genesis 1-3 • Read: Kugel, The Bible as It Was [Canvas]. • Read: Augustine, Literal Meaning of Genesis [Canvas].
Sat., Mar 2nd – Sun., Mar 10th – SHU Spring Break (no class)
Mon., Mar. 11th – Embedding, Disembedding, & What We Got Out of “Bed” to Discover (no assigned reading)
Wed., Mar. 13th – Galileo Galilei
• “Letter to the Grand Duchess Cristina”
Fri., Mar. 15th – Last day to request a course withdrawal
w/ Professor/Dean approval
Mon., Mar. 18th – Charles Darwin
• Read: The Descent of Man: Introduction & Ch. 4.
Wed., Mar. 20th – Pope St. John Paul II
• Read: “Message to the Pont. Aca. of Sciences: On Evolution”, Oct. 1996. [Canvas]
Mon., Mar. 25th – Pope Benedict XVI
• Read: “The Regensburg Address”, Sept. 2006. [Canvas]
Wed., Mar. 27th – Collatio
Thur., Mar. 28th – Mon., Apr. 1st – Holy Triduum/Easter Break (no class) Weeks 9-12 “How We Found Ourselves Lost”: The Rise of Modernity – Society, the Common Good, and Individualism Wed., Apr. 3rd – John Locke • Read: Second Treatise on Government, selections.
Mon., Apr. 8th – Karl Marx
• Read: The Communist Manifesto, I-II.
Wed., Apr. 10th – The Second Vatican Council
• Read: Gaudium et Spes [“The Church in the Modern World”], §1-39. (Dec. 7, 1965) AND • Read: Brief excerpts from Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ [“On Care for Our Common Home”] – [Canvas]
Mon., Apr. 15th – Collatio
Weeks 13-14 “On Deciding Whether Anything Matters… and What to Do in the Meantime”: 5 The Shattering of Modernity & the West’s Future Wed., Apr. 17th – Friedrich Nietzsche • Read: On the Genealogy of Morals, Intro. and Essay 1.
Mon., Apr. 22nd – G. K. Chesterton
• Read: Orthodoxy, selections from chapter VI “The Paradoxes of Christianity” [Canvas]
Wed., Apr. 24th – Flannery O’Connor
• Read: Divided Reading Group #1: “Parker’s Back” [Canvas] Group #2: “Good Country People” [Canvas]
Mon., Apr. 29th – Marilyn Robinson
• Read: “Darwinism” from The Death of Adam (2005)
Wed., May 1st – Excerpts from various authors [Canvas]
Mon., May 6th – Final Collatio/Review for Final
SHU Reading Day Tues., May. 7th
NB: Requests for ‘Incomplete’ grade must be submitted before final examination
Final Exam Wed., May. 8th from 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Academic Integrity Policy:
All forms of dishonesty, whether by act or omission, including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism and knowingly furnishing false information to the University, are prohibited. Intentional disruption or obstruction of teaching, research or administrative proceedings is prohibited. University sanctions may extend to suspension and dismissal.
Work submitted in course must be the product of the efforts of the student presenting the work, and contributions of others to the finished work must be appropriately acknowledged. The presentation of another’s work as one’s own is a serious violation of the academic process, and it is penalized accordingly. The decision on the appropriate penalty is in the first instance the professor’s, and it may extend to a failing grade for the course.
With the exception of exercises developed by your Professor, the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools such as ChatGPT (and other AI generative software) is not permitted in this course. Any use of AI tools in the writing of papers, quizzes, exams, etc. is in violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, since the written work is not the product of the student presenting the work and will be penalized accordingly.
CORE 2101: Christianity and Culture in Dialogue: The faculty of CORE
2101 considers plagiarism or cheating of any kind a breach of academic honesty. It is the policy of this faculty to fail a student for the entire course if 6 caught plagiarizing. Letters will be sent to the Dean and to the student’s academic adviser informing them of the offense.
DISABILITY STATEMENT: It is the policy and practice of Seton Hall University to
promote inclusive learning environments. If you have a documented disability you may be eligible for reasonable accommodations in compliance with University policy, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and/or the New Jersey Law against Discrimination. Please note, students are not permitted to negotiate accommodations directly with professors. To request accommodations or assistance, please self-identify with the Office for Disability Support Services (DSS), Duffy Hall, Room 67 at the beginning of the semester. For more information or to register for services, contact DSS at (973) 313-6003 or by e-mail at DSS@shu.edu.
