Social Justice Compulsory and Ancillary Texts Schedule

Class Syllabus

Mr. Funk/Mr. Mayer 2010-2011

“What is the What?”

Compulsory Texts
Summer Reading: Nickel and Dimed—Barbara Ehrenreich
Brave New World—Aldous Huxley
Cry, the Beloved Country—Alan Paton
Invisible Man—Ralph Ellison
Waiting for Godot—Samuel Beckett
The Merchant of Venice—William Shakespeare
The Unheard Truth—Irene Kahn
Christmas break reading: The Weight of All Things—Sandra Benitez
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Deus Caritas Est (God is Love)—Pope Bendedict XVI

Ancillary Texts
Print articles from newspapers, magazines, and blogs
Poems
Rerum Novarum: Encyclical Pope Leo XIII
Social doctrine encyclicals of Pius XI, John XXIII, Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope
Benedict XVI
-Examples:
-Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Pope John Paul II)
-Caritas in Veritate (Pope Benedict XVI)
Gaudium et Spes: Vatican II Document
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Brothers and Sisters to us All—Pastoral Letter (USCCB)
The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response—Pastoral Letter (USCCB)
Sowing Weapons of War—Pastoral Letter (USCCB)
Statement on Capital Punishment: An Appeal to End the Death Penalty—Pastoral Letter
(USCCB)
A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death—Pastoral Letter (USCCB)
Catholic Essentials—Ave Maria Press
The Catholic Spirit—Ave Maria Press
Hotel Rwanda
Crash
Salvador
July-August 2010

• All students read the first two chapters of Nickel and Dimed prior to Kentucky
mission trip.
• All students respond to each chapter in a page-long handwritten journal entry in
their composition notebook
• Students respond to various postings and articles on the social justice blog.
• Students will continue to read the next two chapters of summer reading text and
receive instruction through direct inquiry and discussion of analytical techniques
during Kentucky mission trip.

Quarter One Essential Question: Who is God? Who is man?

• Deus Caritas Est (God is Love)—Pope Bendedict XVI

• Brave New World—Aldous Huxley
• Aligned sections in the Compendium
Catholic Social Teaching themes integrated through:

God’s plan of love for humanity/ the human person and human rights—God is Love

The family the vital cell of society—Brave New World

Writing Component
--Life After High School (application, cover letter, resume)
--Literary analysis
--Process/metacognitive journal responses

Quarter Two Essential Question: How do our relationships with others reflect the
Church’s mission and principles?

• The church’s mission and principle’s of social doctrine—The Merchant of Venice

• Aligned sections in the Compendium
*Crash (if time allows)

Writing Component
--Extemporaneous Timed Writing
--Close reading of text (i.e. psalms)
--Outside reading journals
--Process/metacognitive journal responses

Christmas Break: The Weight of All Things (read before, discussed during quarter three)
--Process/metacognitive journal responses
Quarter Three Essential Question: How does man exist in a world where creation as
it is intended is in conflict with creation as it exists?
 • Safeguarding the environment—The Weight of All Things

• Human work/Economic Life—Invisible Man

• Aligned sections in the Compendium

• *Salvador (if time allows) *Romero

Writing Component
--Extemporaneous Timed Writing
--Multi-genre project (comparative analysis in a team presentation format)
--Literary theory and criticism
--Outside reading creative project

Quarter Four Essential Question: What is man’s response?

The political community/promotion of peace/international community—Cry, the Beloved

Country

Social doctrine and ecclesial action for a civilization of love— Waiting for Godot

Writing Component
--Formal literary analysis
--Exemplary portfolio
--Oral Research Project (serves as final exam)