Fred Glennon, Ph.D. (Courses) Professor (RH 216) Department of Religious Studies Le Moyne College Syracuse, New York 13214 (315) 445-4343

THE 237

Christian Social Ethics

Fall 2017    Location:  Reilly Hall 338   Email:  glennon@lemoyne.edu

Course Description and Objectives	Methods of Instruction	Texts	Office Hours	Student Responsibilities and Rights
Evaluation	Learning Covenant Guidelines	Activity Options	Tentative Course and Reading Schedule	Course Related Web Sites

Mission Statement:  Le Moyne College is a diverse learning community that strives for academic excellence in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition through its comprehensive programs rooted in the liberal arts and sciences. Its emphasis is on education of the whole person and on the search for meaning and value as integral parts of the intellectual life. Le Moyne College seeks to prepare its members for leadership and service in their personal and professional lives to promote a more just society.

Course Description and Objectives: This course is a study in Christian social ethics. During our time together, we will look at how basic Christian beliefs, such as understandings of God, humanity, love, and justice, have influenced the churches' moral teachings on significant social issues, including sexuality, gender, marriage and the family, death and dying, injustice and oppression, economics, the environment, and violence. By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. discuss clearly the elements of a social ethic (knowledge/comprehension);
2. understand and appreciate how different religious values/beliefs/loyalties within Christianity lead to different conclusions on social issues (comprehension/affective);
3. clarify and develop further their own ethical perspective on at least one social issue (synthesis/application);
4. make clearer and stronger moral arguments (application);
5. develop further their written communication skills (synthesis/application);
6. work cooperatively with others on various tasks in a group context (affective); and
7. take an active role in and responsibility for their learning (affective).

Methods of Instruction: The content of the course will be covered by lectures, group discussions and presentations, audio-visual presentations, structured reading and writing assignments, and other media depending upon student interest and involvement.

Texts and Other Readings: The required readings for this course will be available through Canvas or linked online. Reference is made to them in the tentative course and reading schedule.

Office Hours: I will be in my office at the following times: T/TH 1:00-2:00; W 10-11. If these times are not convenient, see me to make other arrangements. Come by if you have any questions related to the course.

Student Responsibilities and Rights: Students have the responsibility for sharing in and contributing to the learning process. This responsibility includes developing a learning covenant (see attached), reading assigned material prior to class, participating actively in group process, class presentations and discussions, completing written assignments on time, evaluating and suggesting positive directions for the class, and assessing their learning. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the student has certain rights. These include a right to voice an opinion that is based on a self-chosen value system, a right to dissent or differ from the professor or from others in the class, a right to graded activities returned at a reasonable time, access to the professor at hours other than class time, and a right to know the grading system.

Evaluation: Student evaluations will be based on successful completion of assigned and self-chosen activities. The assigned activities include group participation (100 points), a case analysis (75-100 points) and a group final case analysis (75-100). The remaining 200-250 points of the student's grade will be determined on the basis of the student's learning objectives and the completion of learning activities to meet them (see attached learning covenant). The grading scale will be as follows:

For College grading policies, including grievance policies for grades, please refer to the College Catalog, pp 26-27, or online.

Course Grading Scale

	%	Points		%	Points		%	Points
A+			A	465-500	4.0	A-	450-464	3.67
B+	440-463	3.3	B	425-439	3.0	B-	410-424	2.7
C+	390-409	2.3	C	375-389	2.0	C-	350-374	1.67
			D	310-349	1.0
			F	< 310	0.0

Canvas: The bulk of the materials for this course will be distributed through the use of Canvas at Le Moyne. To access these materials, just point your Internet browser to http://canvas.lemoyne.edu/. The course will be listed under fall 2017, Christian Social Ethics, THE 237-01, 02. Students who are enrolled in the course already have access to the course and just need to register their password for the course. I will use the email given to you by the school (your Le Moyne account) as the official means to communicate with you. If you want to use a different email account, you must make that change in your blackboard profile.

Tentative Course and Reading Schedule: The daily class schedule can be accessed online through the link above or here). Students should consult the file frequently in order to be apprised of any changes in the schedule. All changes made by the instructor in this file will be considered official. 

Learning Covenant and Activity Options: Also under Learning Covenant module on Canvas, you will find two files related to the Learning Covenant and Activity Options. These files describe the teaching philosophy and approach to this class and the various ways student can be evaluated.

Special Needs: In coordination with the Academic Support Center  (ASC), located on the first floor of the Noreen Reale Falcone Library, reasonable accommodations are provided for qualified students with disabilities. Qualified students should register with Mr. Roger Purdy (purdyRG@lemoyne.edu), Director of Disability Support Services(445-4118 [voice] or 445-4104 [TDD]), for disability verification and determination of reasonable accommodations. After receiving the appropriate form from the ASC, students should meet with the instructor to review the form and discuss their needs. Students should make every attempt to meet with the instructor during the first week of class so that accommodations can be implemented in a timely manner.  

Students with Personal Problems: Students who encounter personal problems of any kind, especially problems that might affect their academic performance, are encouraged to contact the Wellness Center for Health and Counseling. The Center is located in Romero Hall; appointments may be arranged by phone at 445-4195. The Center provides both individual and group counseling on a strictly confidential basis. The professional staff is also available on an emergency basis.

Policy on Academic Honesty:  Academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating) undermines the trust between instructors and students and among students themselves. Such dishonesty is the attempt to fulfill a course requirement by representing as your own the intellectual property (ideas, words, or work) of another person (living or dead; professional writer or student) found in print or electronic sources, even with the person’s permission. Please note that this definition includes paraphrasing another’s work: if you read it somewhere, cite it.  As a member of an intellectual and academic community, you are obliged to acknowledge the source of phrases and ideas that are original to someone else.  The minimum penalty is failure of the assignment but could lead to failure of the course.  In addition, I will report the incident to the Dean of Arts and Sciences who may decide to take further disciplinary action.  A second act of academic dishonesty during your career at Le Moyne often results in expulsion from the college (College Catalog, p. 10).  The Landmark Citation Machine or RefWorks

are excellent resources for students.  These websites will format any type of citation into MLA or APA style.