Download Ethics Across the Curriculum

Setting the Context
Ethics across the
Curriculum
A Workshop for the
Seattle Archdiocese
Presenter:
Sandra Foy
Seattle Preparatory School
Presented by:
Sandra Foy
Agenda
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Welcome
Activity
Role of teachers
Our heritage and legacy
The importance of Catholic Social Teaching
Important definitions
Overview of strategies to develop EAC
Examples of lesson plans, units developed
by ASB
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Reflect on:
Write down 3 things about the student with whom
you work that:
make you hopeful
Write down 3 things about the students with whom
you work that:
cause you concern
Share these with the person next to you.
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Setting the Context
Clip from The Emperor’s Club
What is our role as educators
in the formation of students’
character?
What is our relationship with
parents in this endeavor?
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Our Heritage and Our Legacy
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Worldview rooted in gospel values
and lived experience as a
community.
Intellectual tradition: recognizing
truth wherever it can be found.
Examen: reflective living and
relating.
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A Key to Catholic Identity
Catholic Social Teaching
Office for Social Justice
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
328 West Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102
651-291-4477 http://www.osjspm.org
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The Problem:
Far too many Catholics are unfamiliar with the
basic content of Catholic social teaching. More
fundamentally, many Catholics do not
adequately understand that the social mission
of the Church is an essential part of Catholic
faith.
This poses a serious challenge for all Catholics,
since it weakens our capacity to be a Church
that is true to the demands of the Gospel. We
need to do more to share the social mission and
message of our Church.
Sharing
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Catholic Social Teaching:
Challenges and Directions
Sandra Foy
U.S. Bishops, 1998
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A Key to Catholic Identity
The central message is simple: our
faith is profoundly social. We cannot
be called truly “Catholic” unless we
hear and heed the Church's call to
serve those in need and work for
justice
and peace.
Communities of Salt and Light, U.S. Bishops, 1993
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Vatican II’s Ecclesiology
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The Church is a sign and a safeguard
of the dignity of the human person.
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A religious organization whose purpose it is
to help bring about the reign of God in
history.
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The social mission is “constitutive”
not extra-curricular or optional.
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Justice in the World, 1971 Synod
Action on behalf of justice and
participation in the transformation of
the world fully appear to us as a
constitutive dimension of the
preaching of the Gospel, or, in other
words, of the Church's mission for
the redemption of the human race
and its liberation from every
oppressive situation.
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Constitutive Elements of Church
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Scripture
-- hearing the Good News
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Sacraments
-- worship, prayer life, etc.
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Social Mission
-- action for social justice
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Catholic Social Teaching
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Rooted in the Bible
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Continually developed in Catholic Social
Teaching
-- Observe, judge, act
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Biblical themes of justice
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God is active in human history
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Creation
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Covenant relationship
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Community
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Anawim -- "the widows, orphans and
aliens”
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The example of Jesus – reign of God,
healing
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In biblical faith, the doing of justice
is the primary expectation of Yahweh.
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Vatican II
This split between the faith which
many profess and their daily lives
deserves to be counted among the
more serious errors of our age.
Long since, the Prophets of the Old
Testament fought vehemently against
this scandal and even more so did
Jesus Christ Himself in the New
Testament threaten it with grave
punishments.
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Modern
Modern Catholic
Catholic Social
Social Teaching
Teaching
1891
1931
1961
1963
1965
1967
1971
1971
1979
1981
1988
1991
1995
Rerum Novarum
Quadragesimo Anno
Mother and Teacher
Peace on Earth
Church in the Modern World
The Development of Peoples
A Call to Action
Justice in the World
Redeemer of Humanity
On Human Work
On Social Concern
The One Hundredth Year
The Gospel of Life
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Leo XIII
Pius XI
John XXIII
John XXIII
Vatican II
Paul VI
Paul VI
Synod of Bishops
John Paul II
John Paul II
John Paul II
John Paul II
John Paul II
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Society
Individual
Individual
Commutative (Contractual)
Major Themes from Catholic Social Teaching
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Human dignity
Community
Rights and duties
Option for the poor
Participation
Economic Justice
Stewardship of Creation
Solidarity
Role of Government
Promotion of Peace
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1. Human dignity
The person is sacred, made in the image
of God.
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2. Community / Common Good
The social nature of the human person
The fact that human beings are social
by nature indicates that the betterment
of the person and the improvement of
society depend on each
other.…humanity by its very nature
stands completely in need of life in
society.
Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World
“Every man for himself,” said the elephant
as he danced among the chickens.
Charles Dickens
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3. Rights and duties
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Civil/political
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Economic/social
Every person has a right to the basic
material necessities that are required to
live a decent life.
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4. Option for the Poor
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Remember the “widows, orphans, and
aliens.”
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A necessary element of the common
good
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5. Participation
All people have a right to
a minimum level of participation
in the economic, political, and
cultural life of society.
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6. Economic Justice
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The economy must serve people, not the other
way around. People are more important than
things; labor is more important than capital.
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All workers have a right to productive work, to
decent wages, to safe working conditions; and
they have a right to organize and join unions.
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People have a right to economic initiative and
private property, but these rights have limits. No
one is allowed
to amass excessive wealth when others lack the
basic necessities of life.
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7. Stewardship of Creation
The goods of the earth are gifts.
We hold them in trust, as stewards.
“God destined the earth and all it contains for all people
and nations so that all created things would be shared
fairly by all humankind under the guidance of justice
tempered by charity.”
On the Development of Peoples
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8. The Virtue of Solidarity
“It is a firm and persevering
determination to commit oneself to
the common good; that is to say, to
the good of all ...because we are all
really responsible for all.”
Pope John Paul II, On Social Concern,
1987
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Role of Government
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The state has a positive moral function.
It is an instrument to promote human
dignity, protect human rights, and build
the common good
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Subsidiarity
As small as possible
As big as necessary
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10. Promotion of Peace
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Peace is not just the absence of war
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“If you want peace, work for justice.”
Pope Paul VI, 1972, World Day of Peace Message
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Implications for Catholic Educators
Catholic schools, religious education
and faith formation programs are vitally
important for sharing the substance
and values of the Catholic social justice
heritage.
Just as the social teaching of the
Church is integral to Catholic faith, the
social justice dimensions of teaching
are integral to Catholic education and
catechesis. They are an essential part
of Catholic identity and formation.
9/24/03
FoyChallenges and Directions
Sharing Catholic Social Sandra
Teaching:
U.S. Bishops, 1998
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“Seven Commandments” for Integrating
Catholic Social Teaching into Our Faith
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Rooted in prayer and worship.
Integrate, don’t isolate.
Content counts – study the documents.
Competency really counts.
Charity (social service) is not enough.
Thou shalt observe, judge, act.
Thou shalt have fun!
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Make sure the teaching
is rooted in prayer and worship.
Cultivate a spirituality that is not just private,
but also public and social.
Catholicism does not call us to abandon
the world, but to help shape it.
This does not mean leaving worldly tasks and
responsibilities, but transforming them.
Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and Thirst for Justice
U.S. Bishops, November, 1998
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Integrate, don’t isolate
The commitment to human life and
dignity, to human rights and solidarity is
a calling every Catholic must share. It is
not a vocation for a few, but a challenge
for every Catholic educator.
The values of the Church's social
teaching must not be treated as
tangential or optional. They must be a
core part of teaching and formation.
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, U.S.
Bishops, 1998
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Content counts
Study the documents.
There is a universal need to be more
explicit in teaching the principles of
Catholic social thought and helping
people apply and act on those
principles.
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions
U.S. Bishops, 1998
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Competency really counts
We strongly urge Catholics to create
additional resources and programs that
will address the lack of familiarity with
Catholic social teaching among many….
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions
U.S. Bishops, 1998
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Charity (social service)
is not enough.
There is a need for Catholic educational
and catechetical programs not only to
continue offering direct service
experiences, but also to offer
opportunities to work for change in the
policies and structures that cause
injustice.
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Sharing Catholic SocialSandra
Teaching:
Challenges and Directions
Foy
U.S. Bishops, 1998
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Thou shalt observe, judge, act
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Observe the facts; know the reality
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Use social analysis and moral values to
make judgments about the facts
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Plan a realistic and effective strategy
for action
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Thou shalt have fun
No one likes a grim do-gooder!
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What if we applied those themes
to our classrooms?
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Human dignity
Community
Rights and duties
Option for the
“poor”
Participation
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Economic justice
Stewardship of
creation
Solidarity
Role of
government
Promotion of
peace
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Let us be:
Salt and Light for the World
“You’re supposed to be the leaven in the
loaf, not part of the lump.”
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Cardinal Bernardin & the Seamless
Garment
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Respect to life applies in
all areas:
– Abortion
– War
– Death penalty
– End-of-life decisions
– Poverty
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Cardinal Bernardin & the Seamless
Garment
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Respect to life applies in
all areas:
– Abortion
– War
– Death penalty
– End-of-life decisions
– Poverty
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The Gannon Lecture
“If one contends, as we do, that the right of every fetus to be
born should be protected by civil law and supported by civil
consensus, then our moral, political and economic
responsibilities do not stop at the moment of birth. Those who
defend the right to life of the weakest among us must be equally
visible in support of the quality of life of the powerless among
us: the old and the young, the hungry and the homeless, the
undocumented immigrant and the unemployed worker. Such a
quality of life posture translates into specific political and
economic positions on tax policy, employment generation,
welfare policy, nutrition and feeding programs, and health care.
Consistency means we cannot have it both ways: We cannot
urge a compassionate society and vigorous public policy to
protect the rights of the unborn and then argue that
compassion and significant public programs on behalf of the
needy undermine the moral fiber of the society or are beyond
the proper scope of governmental responsibility.“
--The Gannon Lecture, 1983
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Important Basic Definitions
Ethics and Morality
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Ethics: Refers to the principles of conduct governing
an individual or group. Can also refer to a systematic
study of those principles of conduct
Ethical: suggests the involvement of more difficult or
subtle questions of just, fair, or equitable behavior in
accordance with accepted standards of conduct.
Moral: Implies conformity to established sanctioned
codes or accepted standards of behavior considered
to be good. The ethics of a person or group make up
the formula from which moral conduct follows.
Morality: the practice of ethical behavior in
conformity with established norms of what is
considered to be good. Morality is the conduct that
follows from one’s ethical base.
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Important Basic Definitions
Virtue, Character, and Wisdom
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Virtue
Character
Wisdom
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Sources of Ethics
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Laws, justice
Sentiment, feelings
Reason
Good will
Greatest good for the greatest number
Respect for persons
Absolute values of truth and nonviolence
Self-interest
Concern for one’s soul
Moral codes
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Specifically for Catholic Schools
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The Christian worldview and Natural
Law
Theological virtues “the foundation
of Christian moral activity”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Faith—hope—charity
Catholic Social Teaching
Gospel
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A challenge and an opportunity for
Catholic Schools
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Schools are
built on a
culture that
emphasizes
“knowing”
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Community is
built on a
philosophy of
“not knowing”
all of the
answers: filling
each other up
and relying on
one another
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Classroom Application
Initial Moral Orientations
How important are these in your life, the life of your students?
Your Life
The Lives of your
Students
Less  More
Less  More
Religious commands
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
Conscience
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
Selfishness
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
Duty
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
Respect
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4– 5
Rights
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
Consequences for everyone
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
Justice
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
Personal virtues
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
Care
1–2–3–4–5
1–2–3–4–5
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