This course introduces the student to the anthropology of the human person in light of the Christian perspective as it is articulated by St. John Paul II in Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. Grounded in four foundational principles - body-soul integration, Christological anthropology, human nature, and hermeneutic of gift – it will examen John Paul II’s exegesis of sacred scripture in his three-part analysis as it reveals the complete vision of the human person from an anthropological viewpoint. The course seeks to answer questions such as: What is the nature of the human person? What is his identity? What is the meaning of human embodiment?

The goal of this course is to examen how the anthropology set forth in Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body applies to the vocations of marriage and celibacy. It will explore the complementarity between the celibate vocations and the vocation of marriage, the sacramentality of marriage, the spousal meaning of the body as the foundation of both vocations and the necessity of both vocations from an anthropological perspective.

This course analyzes the implications of Christian anthropology as it applies to common moral dilemmas in current culture, including contraception, reproductive technologies, pornography, and same-sex attraction. Students familiarize themselves with these contemporary concerns, thoroughly analyze Catholic teaching, and reflect on responding to these dilemmas with compassion and truth in their relationships and ministries.         

This course will survey the development of gender theory beginning with theories of sex polarity & sex unity as they were articulated by Aristotle and Plato, respectively, and the development of thought underlying the aspects of feminism that has lent to current cultural understandings of gender. Students will compare underlying anthropologies of gender theory with Christian anthropology in order to aid in understanding arguments opposed to Catholic teaching and better respond to persons who struggle with gender identity and desire to accompany them toward an integrated understanding of self.

In this course the student will consider pedagogy regarding Christian anthropology from three perspectives: education, encounter & embodiment. Students will learn to consider their audiences in educating others on Christian anthropology, will seek to encounter Christ themselves and consider best practices for helping their audiences to encounter Christ. Students will also consider the nature of holiness as a participated gift and seek to apply the principles learned earlier in the course of study regarding embodiment to effectively communicate the central precepts and themes of Christian anthropology to their audiences.