FAMILY ETHICS (CEST-2106)

The course will engage Christian thinking on sex, gender, marriage, family, and children, with an emphasis on Catholic theological ethics. By taking family as its primary frame, the course carves out a space at the intersection of sexual ethics and social ethics. Questions include: Why (and how much) do Christians care about marriage and family? What is marriage? What is sex for and how does its telos shape Christian sexual ethics? What is gender and how much does it matter? What is the place of singleness in Christian life? What place does family hold in Catholic social thought? What does Catholic social thought contribute to the question of work-life balance? What does Christianity offer to families experiencing divorce, migration, incarceration, and poverty? What can Christians learn about family from those on the margins? Course material can be applied in a variety of pastoral settings. Enrollment limited to 15. Course will be delivered in a hybrid format accessible to students on campus and online, using brief recorded instructor lectures, online or in-person small group discussions, and one class meeting 6:10-7:30pm on campus. Online students can Zoom into class or view and interact with the recorded class at a more convenient time.