Bishop Carroll Catholic High School

CSD    Church History

Catholic Social Doctrine

Mr. Holthaus

Theology Teacher

Bishop Carroll Catholic High School

holthausjesse@bcchs.org

Textbooks:  Citizens of the Heavenly City, Arthur Hippler

                    Primary Source Readings in Catholic Social Justice, Jerry Windley-Daoust

                    Evangelium Vitae, John Paul II

        Holy Bible, New American version

You will also need to bring:  1 box of Kleenexes, 1 small poster board and 1 pack of markers or colored pencils

Catholic Social Doctrine is a class about Christ’s interaction with society.  It is about the Holy Spirit transforming the everyday lives of Christians.  The various social doctrines of the Church are about us representing Christ when we go into our homes, into our workplaces and even deal with the range of moral issues that may come up in our cities, countries and other political spheres.  Why bring God into society?  Because he loves us so much that he wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives: our homes, our workplaces, even our country.  Catholic Social Doctrine is about inviting Christ into all of these areas so that he can receive his proper place as God in our broken world.

In this class, you will learn about:

©     Jesus’ teachings on various social issues in his day, as well as the social concerns of the Apostles and the early Church and what we can glean from this

©     Having a respect for life in all its forms, including the unborn, the elderly, the poor and even the environment

©     Catholic writings on various social concerns of the Church, issues ranging from just wages to abortion

©     How various saints and other holy people have impacted the society around them

©     Our individual duties to each other and the world at large

©     The outlook and duties that a just society should have in order to promote the betterment of all peoples

Points:

I do go by a total point system.  Points will be divided up approximately as follows:

Homework/Classwork-800 points

Tests/Quizes-400 points

Total-1200 points

+Final-10% of overall grade

Attendance/Late Work:

You are expected to attend class every school day.  You are expected to complete all assignments unless I say otherwise directly to you.  If you do have to miss class for any reason, it is up to you to come and see me about anything you missed.  I will not track you down if you are missing an assignment.  You will simply have a zero until it is turned in.  All unexcused late work or excused late work that has been turned in excessively late (due date will be determined between you and I if you have to have make up work) will receive a 25% penalty (the most you can get is a 75%) before even being graded.  Turn your work in on time and this will not be a problem.

Classroom Guidelines

©     Be prepared to enter the classroom each day with a positive attitude and a willingness to participate and to learn. 

©     Be sure to come to class with all of the materials you need, especially your textbooks, a pen or pencil (pencil on test days) and a notebook.  You will not be allowed to go to your locker to get something you forgot. 

©     If you brought your backpack, do not take it to your seat but get what you need out of it for class and line it up against the wall. 

©     You should be in your seat by the time the bell rings each day.  If you are not in your seat, you will be counted tardy and receive a demerit. 

©     Mutual respect shall be the rule, not the exception.  Therefore, if you talk will I or anyone else who has the floor is talking, you will receive a demerit. 

©     While in this class, it is time to do theology.  Do not bring books or homework from other classes to your desk or you will have them confiscated. 

©     Do not write, read or pass notes in this class.  You will have them taken away and you will not receive them back. 

©     Sleep at night in your own bed, not in class.

©     You are expected to keep the classroom clean.  If all you do is pick up the trash around your own desk towards the end of class, this should not be a problem.  I will keep the entire class late if I see a lot of trash around the room at the end of the hour. 

©     You are expected to do your own work.  Any cheating will result in a zero for the assignment/test and a detention. 

©     All other school rules will be followed at all times including rules pertaining to: dress code, cell phone usage, foul language, food/drink, etc.

©     Above all else, be charitable.  Help each other follow these guidelines.  Help each other to be good Christians.  I know everybody has their own friends but do not leave anybody out, especially if we are having class discussion or doing some type of group activity.  It is not that hard to invite someone else into your group or to speak in class.  This applies just as much in class as out. 

Class in General

In general, we will have lectures about every other day and some type of activity on the off days.  You need to take notes during lectures.  It is not a time for getting homework done, sleeping or anything else but listening, participating when asked a question and taking notes.  You will be tested on both the lectures and the book.  We will also have about 1 big project a week which I will generally give you at least some class time to do.  I will let you know the specifics on these and their due dates as they come up.

Homework Policy

All homework will be typed unless I say otherwise.  If you do not have a computer at home, you will need to find one to use somewhere else (either here at school or at a friend or relative’s house).  You will need to use either Times New Roman or Arial font in size 12 or smaller unless I say otherwise.  DO NOT attempt to make your paper appear longer than it is by making the margins wider or using all bold or italic words.  You will be docked points for this.  If you have a question about any grade received for an assignment or test, you need to come outside of class time, before or after school, to speak to me, or simply shoot me an email.

Journal Papers

You will receive a journaling assignment every Monday that will be due the following Monday.  This assignment will consist in a statement or question or series of questions pertaining to whatever subject matter we are covering that week that you will journal on.  In general, there are no right or wrong answers to this, as long as it appears to me that you gave an honest personal reflection and stayed on the topic of the week.  Each journal that you turn in will need to be 1 page long (all the above typing rules apply) and done in paragraph form. 

If all of these rules are followed, we should have a great semester!

Church History

Mr. Holthaus

Theology Teacher

Bishop Carroll Catholic High School

holthausjesse@bcchs.org

Textbooks:  The History of the Church The Didache Series

        Holy Bible, New American version

You will also need to bring:  1 box of Kleenexes, 1 small poster board and 1 pack of markers or colored pencils

Church History is a class about the journey of the Body of Christ since the time of Jesus until now.  The last 2000 years of Christianity have quite literally changed the face of the earth.  By founding the Church, Christ set up a visible institution, a work place of charity that serves as a light in the darkness of this world so that all peoples may come to know Him who is their Only End.

In this class, you will learn:

©     How the Holy Spirit has guided and instructed the Church

©     How the Gospel has been spread to non-Christians in the vast missionary efforts of the Church

©     How our doctrines have organically developed through various Papal teachings and Church Councils

©     How Catholic Saints have impacted the Church both in and out of their own times

©     How the Church has weathered the multitude of attacks against her dogmas and her very existence

©     About the impact the Church has had on the secular world

Points:

I do go by a total point system.  Points will be divided up approximately as follows:

Homework/Classwork-800 points

Tests/Quizes-400 points

Total-1200 points

+Final-10% of overall grade

Attendance/Late Work:

You are expected to attend class every school day.  You are expected to complete all assignments unless I say otherwise directly to you.  If you do have to miss class for any reason, it is up to you to come and see me about anything you missed.  I will not track you down if you are missing an assignment.  You will simply have a zero until it is turned in.  All unexcused late work or excused late work that has been turned in excessively late (due date will be determined between you and I if you have to have make up work) will receive a 25% penalty (the most you can get is a 75%) before even being graded.  Turn your work in on time and this will not be a problem.

Classroom Guidelines:

©     Be prepared to enter the classroom each day with a positive attitude and a willingness to participate and to learn. 

©     Be sure to come to class with all of the materials you need, especially your textbooks, a pen or pencil (pencil on test days) and a notebook.  You will not be allowed to go to your locker to get something you forgot. 

©     If you brought your backpack, do not take it to your seat but get what you need out of it for class and line it up against the wall. 

©     You should be in your seat by the time the bell rings each day.  If you are not in your seat, you will be counted tardy and receive a demerit. 

©     Mutual respect shall be the rule, not the exception.  Therefore, if you talk will I or anyone else who has the floor is talking, you will receive a demerit. 

©     While in this class, it is time to do theology.  Do not bring books or homework from other classes to your desk or you will have them confiscated. 

©     Do not write, read or pass notes in this class.  You will have them taken away and you will not receive them back. 

©     Sleep at night in your own bed, not in class.

©     You are expected to keep the classroom clean.  If all you do is pick up the trash around your own desk towards the end of class, this should not be a problem.  I will keep the entire class late if I see a lot of trash around the room at the end of the hour. 

©     You are expected to do your own work.  Any cheating will result in a zero for the assignment/test and a detention. 

©     All other school rules will be followed at all times including rules pertaining to: dress code, cell phone usage, foul language, food/drink, etc.

©     Above all else, be charitable.  Help each other follow these guidelines.  Help each other to be good Christians.  I know everybody has their own friends but do not leave anybody out, especially if we are having class discussion or doing some type of group activity.  It is not that hard to invite someone else into your group or to speak in class.  This applies just as much in class as out. 

Class in General:

In general, we will have lectures about every other day and some type of activity on the off days.  You need to take notes during lectures.  It is not a time for getting homework done, sleeping or anything else but listening, participating when asked a question and taking notes.  You will be tested on both the lectures and the book.  We will also have about 1 big project a week which I will generally give you at least some class time to do.  I will let you know the specifics on these and their due dates as they come up.

Homework Policy:

All homework will be typed unless I say otherwise.  If you do not have a computer at home, you will need to find one to use somewhere else (either here at school or at a friend or relative’s house).  You will need to use either Times New Roman or Arial font in size 12 or smaller unless I say otherwise.  DO NOT attempt to make your paper appear longer than it is by making the margins wider or using all bold or italic words.  You will be docked points for this.  If you have a question about any grade received for an assignment or test, you need to come outside of class time, before or after school, to speak to me, or simply shoot me an email.

Journal Papers:

You will receive a journaling assignment every Monday that will be due the following Monday.  This assignment will consist in a statement or question or series of questions pertaining to whatever subject matter we are covering that week that you will journal on.  In general, there are no right or wrong answers to this, as long as it appears to me that you gave an honest personal reflection and stayed on the topic of the week.  Each journal that you turn in will need to be 1 page long (all the above typing rules apply) and done in paragraph form. 

If all of these rules are followed, we should have a great semester!