Instructor: Rev. John P. Cush, STL

Course Description: This class intends to introduce students to both fundamental moral theology and specialized moral theology in the Catholic Tradition. Based on the fonts of Divine Revelation: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition as well as the Magisterium of the Church, the student will come to an understanding of the Church's teachings and be able to implement it in his spiritual and personal life. Great emphasis will be placed on the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Second Vatican Council's sacred constitutions, Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes, as well as  the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Primary Texts:

Back to Virtue by Peter Kreeft (Ignatius Press)

Requirements:

Students are required to have a notebook, exclusively for Theology, as well as a folder for any hand-outs. There will be two to three exams per quarter, as well as occasional quizzes. In the third quarter, every student will participate in the Duval essay contest. Each semester, the student is required to complete an integration paper (based on a topic from Kreeft's text chosen by the instructor).

The format for the quarterly integration paper is as follows:

1. No Handwritten work will be accepted.

2. No e-mailed work will be accepted.

3. Papers must be handed in on the due date. Failure to do so will result in a loss of five points a school day.

4. There must be a cover page with the title of the paper in the center, the student's name and the class title (Theology III) in the lower left section and the date and the Instructor's name in the lower right. Please, no pictures! There must be a staple in the upper left hand side.

5. All papers must be typed. The only font to be used is Times New Roman. The only size to be used is 12 point. The ink must be black. Margins must be justified and there must be proper grammar, spelling and syntax. There is no excuse for misspelling and there is no excuse for improper grammar. 

6. The paper must show an understanding of the thought of Professor Kreeft, but it is NOT a summary or book report. The paper must show that the student has reflected on the topic, but is NOT just your thoughts. There must be a synthesis of understanding and reflection; that is what this instructor means by an integration paper.