Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
(Nature
and
Environmental
Ethics
from
Aquinas
to
Liberation
Theology)
REL
280‐101
TTh
2:40‐4:10
Instructor:
Anthony
Paul
Smith
(anthonypaul.smith@gmail.com)
Office
hours:
Tuesdays
12:00‐1:00
or
by
appointment
Course
Description
The
environmental
crisis
is
one
the
defining
issues
of
our
age.
To
call
it
“the”
environmental
crisis
obscures
the
reality
of
it.
For
the
environmental
crisis
is
not
like
a
single
event,
like
the
recent
oil
spill
in
the
gulf,
it
is
not
“out
there”
as
a
single
event
to
which
human
society
could
respond.
Rather
the
environmental
crisis
extends
beyond
a
number
of
individual
ecological
catastrophes,
but
also
extends
to
the
very
way
we
relate
to
nature,
to
our
local
environments,
to
non‐human
creatures,
and
to
other
human
beings.
Roman
Catholic
theology
offers
a
distinctive
response
to
this
set
of
issues,
as
questions
about
the
“being
of
things”
(metaphysics)
and
“how
one
should
live”
(ethics)
are
not
considered
separately
from
one
another
in
the
tradition.
As
we
will
see
considerations
of
nature
as
creation
go
hand
in
hand
with
the
ethical
teaching
of
theologians
and
the
magisterium.
This
class
aims
to
provide
a
survey
of
Roman
Catholic
theological
thought
on
nature
and
environmental
ethics
and
there
will
be
an
emphasis
on
reading
whole
texts
where
possible.
We
begin
with
the
official
teaching
of
the
Roman
Catholic
church
on
the
environment
in
the
light
of
the
doctrine
of
creation.
We
then
turn
to
a
selection
of
medieval
theological
sources,
which
will
deepen
our
understanding
of
the
Roman
Catholic
idea
of
nature
as
creation.
The
last
half
of
the
course
is
devoted
to
contemporary
theological
thought
that,
in
dialogue
with
the
medieval
sources,
address
the
theological
issue
of
creation
in
the
light
of
ecology
and
the
environmental
crisis.
Learning
Outcomes
Upon
completing
the
course
the
student
should
be
able
to:
• identify
and
explain
the
relationship
between
our
ideas
about
nature/creation
and
our
attempts
to
create
an
ethical
relationship
to
the
biosphere/environment.
• identify
and
explain
the
central
questions
and
methods
of
Catholic
Social
Teaching,
the
medieval
theologians,
and
the
contemporary
theoloians;
• be
able
to
identity
the
central
themes
and
arguments
of
the
texts
and
state
them
in
a
clear
and
sympathetic
way
in
class
discussion;
• be
able
to
formulate
criticisms
in
a
way
that
is
attentive
to
the
original
author’s
intent
and
argumentation.
Grade
Summary
There
will
be
two
exams
(comprised
of
short‐answer
questions
and
essay
questions)
and
a
final
paper
(10‐pages,
double‐spaced).
Each
will
count
as
one‐third
of
your
grade.
It
is
important
that
you
do
not
miss
a
class
and
especially
an
exam.
Any
make‐up
for
the
in‐class
exams
will
only
be
given
due
to
extreme
situations,
and
this
is
done
very
rarely.
You
must
have
prior
permission
from
the
instructor
to
take
a
makeup.
1
The
paper
is
due
to
the
departmental
secretary
on
Friday
November
19th
by
4:30pm.
Details
concerning
the
paper
(its
format
and
content)
will
be
passed
out
after
the
first
exam.
Late
papers
will
not
be
accepted.
Cheating/plagiarism
will
be
dealt
with
as
the
serious
infractions
that
they
are,
possibly
leading
to
failure;
see
the
Student
Handbook
for
details.
Attendance
is
important
but
will
not
be
taken
every
day.
It
is
your
responsibility
to
attend
every
class.
I
can
guarantee
that
poor
attendance
will
make
it
impossible
to
do
well
in
this
class.
Required
Texts
I
will
provide
a
number
of
handouts,
clearly
marked
in
the
reading
schedule,
and
these
are
not
listed
here.
Texts
listed
below
are
available
in
the
campus
bookstore
and
you
are
expected
to
have
your
own
copy
of
each.
• Joseph
Cardinal
Ratzinger,
In
the
Beginning...:
A
Catholic
Understanding
of
the
Story
of
Creation
and
the
Fall
(Eerdmans)
• Nicholas
of
Cusa,
Selected
Spiritual
Writings
(Paulist)
• Rosemary
Radford
Ruether,
Gaia
&
God:
An
Ecofeminist
Theology
of
Earth
Healing
(Harper
San
Francisco)
• Leonardo
Boff,
Cry
of
the
Earth,
Cry
of
the
Poor
(Orbis)
Outline
of
Course
and
Reading
Schedule
Readings
listed
are
to
be
read
for
that
class
period.
If
the
reading
is
listed
under
September
14th,
it
is
to
be
read
prior
to
the
September
14th
session
of
class.
To
help
guide
your
reading,
I
will
provide
two
study
question
per
reading
assignment
(via
email)
which
you
should
come
to
class
as
prepared
as
possible
to
answer;
writing
out
answers
beforehand
is
not
required
but
is
encouraged.
The
schedule
and
procedures
for
this
course
are
subject
to
change
in
the
event
of
extenuating
circumstances;
changes
will
be
announced
in
class.
September
9th
Introduction
Part
1:
Catholic
Social
Teaching
September
14th
Official
Church
Teaching
Pope
John
Paul
II,
“Peace
with
God
the
Creator”
(handout)
US
Bishops
Conference,
“Renewing
the
Earth”
(handout)
Joseph
Cardinal
Ratzinger,
“In
the
beginning…”,
pp.
1‐40
September
16th
Sacred
Doctrine
and
the
Doctrine
of
Creation
Ratzinger,
pp.
41‐100.
Pope
Benedict
XVI,
Caritas
in
veritate,
chapter
4
(handout)
St.
Thomas
Aquinas,
Summa
Theologiae
Ia.1
(handout)
Part
2:
Theological
Sources
September
21st
Doctrine
of
Creation/Grace
&
Nature
St.
Thomas
Aquinas,
Summa
Theologiae
Ia.45,
Writings
on
the
‘Sentences’
of
Peter
Lombard,
II.1.1,
Summa
Theologiae
Ia.IIae.109‐112
(Handouts)
September
23rd
Franciscan
Spirituality
and
Creation
St.
Francis,
“Canticle
of
the
Sun”,
“Sermon
to
the
Birds”
Roger
D.
Sorrell,
St.
Francis
of
Assisi
and
Nature,
pp.
55‐97
September
28th
Mystical
Theology
and
the
Doctrine
of
Creation
I
Cusa,
On
Learned
Ignorance,
pp.
87‐127
(Book
1)
2
September
30th
Mystical
Theology
and
the
Doctrine
of
Creation
II
Cusa,
pp.
127‐169
(Book
2)
October
5th
Mystical
Theology
and
the
Doctrine
of
Creation
III
Cusa,
pp.
169‐204
(Book
3),
Dialogue
on
the
Hidden
God,
pp.
209‐
213
October
7th
Exam
#1
Part
3:
Creation
after
Ecology
October
12th
Ecofeminism
and
Creation
Ruether,
Gaia
&
God,
pp.
1‐58
October
14th
Creation
and
Destruction
Ruether,
pp.
61‐111
October
19th
Ecofeminsm
and
“Human
Ecology”
I
Ruether,
pp.
115‐172
October
21st
Ecofeminsm
and
“Human
Ecology”
II
Ruether,
pp.
173‐228
October
26th
Ecofeminsm
and
“Human
Ecology”
III
Ruether,
pp.
229‐274
October
28th
Liberation
Theology
on
Creation
Boff,
Cry
of
the
Earth,
Cry
of
the
Poor,
pp.
1‐61
November
2nd
Crisis
and
Sin
Boff,
pp.
61‐114
November
4th
Dignity
and
the
Godhead
I
Boff,
pp.
115‐173
November
9th
Dignity
and
the
Godhead
II
Boff,
174‐220
November
11th
Conclusion
November
16th
Exam
#2
3