Moral Theology

MORAL THEOLOGY

INTERACTIVE ONLINE SYLLABUS

THL 315, Spring 2006

Meeting Times: Mon 8:40 – 11:40 a.m.

Meeting Place: Gabriel Hall Seminar Room 1

Instructor: Daniel G. Van Slyke, S.T.L., Ph.D.
Office: Gabriel Hall 107
Phone: 734-337-4193

Required Books:

Budziszewski, J. What We Can’t Not Know. Dallas: Spence Publications, 2003.
Lowery, Mark. Living the Good Life: What Every Catholic Needs to Know About Moral Issues. Ann Arbor MI: Servant Publications, 2003. The Professor owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Lowery for his help in preparing this syllabus.
Rice, Charles. 50 Questions on the Natural Law: What It Is and Why We Need It. Revised edition. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1999.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2^nd ed. Washington DC: USCCB, 2000. [CCC]

Recommended Books

Cessario, Romanus. Introduction to Moral Theology. Washington DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2001.
DiNoia, J.A., and Romanus Cessario, eds. Veritatis splendor and the Renewal of Moral Theology: Studies by Ten Outstanding Scholars. Princeton NJ: Scepter, 1999.
May, William E. An Introduction to Moral Theology, 2^nd ed. Huntington IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2003.
May, William E., ed. Principles of Catholic Moral Life. Chicago IL: Franciscan Herald Press, 1980, c1981

NOTE: Readings available on the web are linked in the course calendar below. If you have any difficulty accessing source, please contact the Instructor immediately.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

10% Attendance.

10% Quizzes.

20% Midterm Exam

30% Final Exam

15% First Paper: Publicity of Moral Wrong

Read Budziszewski, Chapter 9: "The Public Relations of Moral Wrong."
Look through a recent newspaper or news journal in order to find one instance (or perhaps two related instances) of "doubling the script" in order to promote a "new morality." Point out the logic and the lies behind it, and discuss how it represents a reaction to the moral law.
Formatting: approximately five (5) pages, one-inch margins, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. Properly cite both texts read in class and the articles being reviewed, according to the Guidelines of Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal. Properly citing sources is part of this assignment, and will be considered in grading.
Due date: Friday 17 February 2006. Late papers will be penalized at the rate of three percentage points per week day; papers will not be accepted more than eleven days after the due date.

15% Second Paper: Tough Questions

Each students must choose one of the following two assignments or propose one of her own design:
Capital Punishment. Read J. Budziszewski, "Capital Punishment: The Case for Justice." Explain Budziszewski’s argument and evaluate it in light of John Paul II’s Encyclical Evangelium vitae and what you have learned in this class.
Just War Theory. Read Fulton J. Sheen, "Conditions of a Just War," and evaluate the Iraqi War in light of the principles of Catholic just war theory and what you have learned in this class. Do not speak in generalities about the war, but provide specific examples.
Format: use the format specified for the "Publicity of Moral Wrong" paper above.
Due date: Friday 21 April 2006. Late papers will be penalized at the rate of three percentage points per week day; papers will not be accepted more than eleven days after the due date.

COURSE CALENDAR^†

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I. Freedom and Conscience

Class 1, Monday January 16

TOPIC: The Meaning of Freedom

READINGS:

a) Budziszewski, Introduction: The Moral Common Ground

b) Lowery, Chap. 1: Authentic Freedom and Conscience

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MARCH FOR LIFE: January 23 – NO CLASS

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Class 2, Monday January 30

TOPIC: Conscience and Participated Theonomy

READINGS:

a) William B. Smith, "The Meaning of Conscience" [handout 1]

b) VS 31-46, 54-64, 84-89 (pay special attention to 32 and 59.2)

c) CCC 1776-1802

d) ST I, q. 79, aa. 11-13; I-II, q. 19, aa. 5-6

e) Lowery, Chap. 2: Truth is Friendly to Us: The Meaning of Participated Theonomy

f) VS 41 (again), then VS 1-34

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II. The Natural Law

Class 3, Monday February 6

TOPIC: The Natural Law

READINGS:

a) Budziszewski, Chap 1: Things We Can’t Not Know

b) Budziszewski, Chap 2: What It Is That We Can’t Not Know

c) CCC 1954-60

d) Romans, Chapters 1 and 2 (any Bible)

e) Rice, chapters 1 through 7

f) Lowery, Chap. 3: "How Can It Be Wrong When It Feels So Good?": The Natural Law

Class 4, Monday February 13

TOPIC: Apologia for Natural Law

READINGS:

a) Budziszewski, Chap. 4: The First and Second Witnesses

b) Budziszewski, Chap. 5: The Third and Fourth Witnesses

c) Budziszewski, Chap. 6: Some Objections (skim this chapter)

d) VS 12, 35-46, 51-53 (especially 40, 43, and 51)

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*** FIRST PAPER DUE: Friday February 17

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Class 5, Monday February 20

TOPIC: St Thomas on Law

READINGS:

a) ST I-II, qq. 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, and 97

a) EV 68-74

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Class 6, Monday February 27

MIDTERM EXAM

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SPRING BREAK: March 6-10

Moral Theology Practicum: Be good during the break

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III. The Body and the Natural Law:

The Challenge of ‘Biologism’ or ‘Physicalism’

Class 7, Monday March 13

TOPIC: The Body, Natural Law, Physicalism, Biologism, Contraception and Birth Technologies

READINGS:

a) Lowery, Chap. 4: The Natural Language of the Body

b) VS 47-50

c) Rice, chapters 41- 43 and 49

d) Pope Paul VI, Humanae vitae, entire

e) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and the Dignity of Procreation, only part II: "Interventions Upon Human Procreation"

Class 8, Monday March 20

TOPIC 1: Revelation and Morality

TOPIC 2: Homosexuality

READINGS:

a) Budziszewski, Chap. 3: Could We Get By Knowing Less?

b) Rice, chapters 24-30

c) Rice, chapter 44

d) CCC 2331-59

e) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons

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IV. Partaking in the Divine Law

Class 9, Monday March 27

TOPIC: Partaking in the Divine, the Magisterium and Morality

READINGS:

a) Lowery, Chap. 5: Partaking in the Divine

b) CCC 1716-29

c) VS 6-34 again, 84-88, 95-97, 102-120

d) Rice, chapters 31-37

e) EV 57, 62, and 65

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V. Sin and the Fundamental Option

Class 10, Monday April 3

TOPIC: Venial Sin, Mortal Sin, and Fundamental Option Theory

READINGS:

a) Lowery, Chap. 6, 123-34

b) CCC 374-421, 1846-76

c) ST I-II q. 71, aa. 3 and 6; q. 72, aa. 1, 8, and 9; q. 73, aa. 3, 6, and 7; q. 80, a. 4

d) William E. May, "Sin and the Moral Life" [handout 2]

e) Lowery, Chap. 6, pp. 135-48

f) VS 65-70

g) CCC 2563 on the "heart"

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VI. The Moral Act

Class 11, Monday April 10

TOPIC: The Moral Act and the Proportionalist Error

READINGS:

a) Lowery, Chap. 7: The Nature of the Moral Act: Making Christ Present in History

b) CCC 1749-61

c) CCC 2408 and 2482-87 for the definitions of theft and lying

d) William E. May, "John Paul II, Moral Theology, and Moral Theologians" [handout 3]

e) VS 71-83, 90-97

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EASTER MONDAY: April 17 – NO CLASS

*** SECOND PAPER DUE: Friday April 21

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Class 12, Monday April 24

TOPIC 1: St Thomas on the Moral Act

TOPIC 2: Complex and Conflict Situations (Principle of Totality, Lesser of Two Evils, Principle of Double Effect, Cooperation with Evil)

TOPIC 3: Virtue

READINGS:

a) William E. May, "The Natural Law and Objective Morality: A Thomistic Perspective" [handout 4]

b) Lowery, Chap. 8: The Tough Cases

c) CCC 2258-2330

d) Lowery, Chap. 9: "There Is No Upper Limit: The Virtues

e) CCC 1803-45, and 1987-2029

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FINAL EXAM: to be held during the exam period, April 29 – May 3

† The Instructor reserves the right to make substitutions, deletions, or additions to the schedule of readings.

in te domine speravi non confundar in aeternum