CONSCIENCE, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND CATHOLICISM (CE-4467)
(01/31/2022-05/20/2022)
Course Memo
This class will examine conscience and religious freedom in the Catholic tradition of moral theology. We will consider the theology of conscience and its implications for the internal life of the church. But our focus will be on conscience and religious freedom in light of contemporary global social and political challenges for Catholicism. We will study classic texts and figures in the tradition such as the Letter to the Romans, Aquinas and Newman, and relevant documents from the Second Vatican Council. We will also study relevant philosophical thought in such figures as Nietzsche, Arendt, and Levinas. And we'll consider relevant moral concepts like conscientious objection, civil disobedience, and the principle of cooperation. The aim of the class is to familiarize students with the key ideas on these matters in the Catholic moral tradition and to empower students in their own contexts to analyze situations involving claims of conscience or religious freedom. Evaluation will be based on class participation, short papers, (two to three pages), class presentations, and a final, major paper. [Faculty Consent required; 15 max enrollment]