Daily Assignments

1/7	Read “Introduction” in Catholic Social Teaching and Movements (CSTAM), “The Separation of Church and State,” by the Culture Wars website folks and “Dangerous Religion” by Jim Wallis. Write a one-page paper on what you think ought to be the role of religion in U.S. government. Do you agree or disagree with the article about President Bush overstepping his bounds in bringing his own personal theology into how he governs? Why or why not? To what extent should we citizens allow our faith to effect the way we vote and participate in our country? Also, check (and if necessary change) your e-mail address at http://address.udayton.edu
1/9	Read: Leviticus 25: 1-4, 10, 23-28, 39-41 Jeremiah 7:3-7 Isaiah 10:1-4 Isaiah 11:1-9 Amos 5:10-15, 21-24 Micah 2: 1-10 Micah 6:6-8 All are available in a Bible or at The Bible Gateway Write a one-page paper reacting to these words of the prophets. In what ways do they connect faith with justice?
1/12	Read: Luke 1:46-55 Luke 2:1-18 Luke 4:16-21 Matthew 5:1-12 Luke 16:19-31 Mark 10:17-25 Matthew 25:31-46 All are available in a Bible or at The Bible Gateway Write a one-page paper reacting to these words of Jesus. In what ways does Jesus connect faith with justice?
1/14	Read Divine Right by Francis Wilkinson. Write a one-page reaction paper to this news item. Do you agree with Susan Pace Hamill’s thesis or not? Why or why not? Why is it so strange for this to come out of a very conservative Evangelical Christian college in Alabama? Do you think the Bible really supports a left-wing tax code?
1/16	Read this short biography of St. Francis of Assisi. Write a one-page reaction paper about the life of St. Francis. In what ways did he most exemplify the connection between faith and justice?
1/21	Read "Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching" by William J. Byron. Be ready for a quiz on these 10 Principles
1/23	"The Busy Christian's Guide to Catholic Social Teaching" Be sure to read second page too (you need to click on it). In a one-page paper, pick two of these important documents (don’t just pick the first two!) and explain how they addressed pressing social justice issues with Biblical principles.
1/26	Chapter 1 of Catholic Social Teaching and Movements. Write a one-page paper on one of the questions on p. 29.
1/28	Read Paragraphs 1-8, 29-34, 59-72, 81-83 of Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII. Write a one-page paper on what you think is still relevant, if anything from this encyclical. If you think it has nothing to do with society today, why not?
1/30	Read Chapter 2 of CSTAM. Write a one-page paper on one of the questions on p. 60.
2/2	Read “The Power of Alliance” by Bill Wylie-Kellerman and “Creating an Atmosphere for Reform” by Jim Wallis. Write a one-page paper on anything that struck you from these articles about the relationship of Christianity and unions today.
2/4	Read “Mainstreaming Justice” by Susan Dolan-Henderson, the Introduction to Kathleen Deyer Bolduc’s book His Name is Joel, “Welcome and Justice for Persons with Disabilities” by the US Catholic Bishops and par. 104-106 of Laborem Exercens by Pope John Paul II. Write a one-page paper on anything that struck you from these short articles on the relationship between justice for people with disabilities and Christian faith.
2/6	Read Chapter 3 of CSTAM. Be ready for a quiz on the chapter.
2/9	“The Living Legacy of Dorothy Day” and “What I Learned about Justice from Dorothy Day” by Jim Forrest. Write a one-page paper on what you think is the most important lesson we can learn from the life and work of Dorothy Day.
2/11	Read Chapter 4 of CSTAM. Write a one-page paper on one of the questions on p. 118
2/13	Read pp. 119-133 of CSTAM. (We’ll come back to Part II of that chapter later.) Write a one-page paper on question 1 on p. 153.
2/16	Read Chapter 6 of CSTAM. Write a one-page paper on one of the questions on p. 176.
2/18
2/20	Mid-Term exam
2/23	Read Chapter 9 of CSTAM. Since you will be working on a second or third draft of your research paper/project at this time, I’ll let you off the hook for writing a one-page paper. But only if you promise to read this chapter and think about the questions!
2/25	Research paper due
2/27	Read Chapter 7 of CSTAM. Write a one-page paper on one of the questions on p. 209.
3/1	Read Chapter 11, Part I (pp. 313-333) in CSTAM. Write a one-page paper on question 1, 2, or 3 on p. 346.
3/3	Read Chapter 11, Part II (pp. 333-346) in Catholic Social Teaching and Movements (CSTAM) and John McKnight's article “Why ‘Servanthood’ is Bad” (handout). Write a one-page paper on question 5 on p. 346 of the text.
3/5	Read McKnight’s article. (Sorry I forgot to give them to you earlier!) No written assignment.
3/8	Read Chapter 10 of CSTAM. Write a one-page paper on one of the questions on p. 312.
3/10	Read U.S. Bishops’ “Statement on Iraq” from November ’02 and “The Project for a New American Empire.” Write a one-page paper addressing this question: Why do so many Christian Church leaders seem to object to the Bush Administration’s foreign policy and, in particular, with Iraq?
3/12	Read the Introduction and What is Nonviolent Conflict? from the “A Force More Powerful” website and “If Today You Understood the Things That Make for Peace” by Fr. John Dear, SJ. Write a one-page paper addressing these questions: Do you think Jesus was a pacifist? Should Christians use only nonviolent actions to fight injustices? Why or why not?
3/22	Read Chapter 8 of CSTAM. Write a one-page paper on one of the questions on pp. 237-238.
3/24	Work on your service-learning essay
3/26	Service-Learning Essay due
3/29	Read "Abortion and the Sexual Agenda" by Sidney Callahan (handout). Write a one-page paper in response to this question: Which of Callahan’s points is strongest in proving her thesis that abortion on demand is contrary to feminism?
3/31	Read “How I Came to Forgive the Unforgivable” by Robert McClory. Write a one-page paper about anything that struck you from this articles as something you hadn’t thought of before with regards to capital punishment and how it relates to Christianity.
4/2	Read “Gandhi/Ahimsa” in preparation for our guest presenter on Gandhi. No paper due or quiz, but please read this short article so that you have some background.
4/5	Read Chapter 13 of CSTAM. Be ready for a quiz on that chapter.
4/14	Read pp. 133-153 in CSTAM and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Write a one-page paper on one of the questions on p. 153, except #1.
4/16	Read Chapter12 of CSTAM. Be ready for a quiz on that chapter.
4/19	Read the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s letter to bishops “On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons,” the U.S. Bishops’ document “Always Our Children,” and Bishop Spong’s “A Message to the Anglican Communion on the Subject of Homosexuality.” Write a one-page paper on whether you think the Catholic Church’s official position on homosexuality promotes the human dignity of homosexual people and the teaching against discrimination.
4/21	Read John Kavanaugh, SJ’s article “The World According to Abercrombie and Fitch.” Write a one page paper on the extent to which you agree or disagree with his assessment of the pervasiveness of consumerism in our culture?

FYI: The final exam is scheduled for Thursday, April 29 from 12:00-1:50pm