Religious Education, Grade 10, Open
Course Title: Christ and Culture
Course Type: Open
Ministry Course Code: HRE2O
Credit Value: 1
This course examines the relationship between the person and message of Christ and the dominant attitudes of contemporary culture. Central to this course is the sacramental nature of Jesus and through His incarnation, the sacramentality of the Catholic Church, persons, and all of creation. Beginning with students’ own life experiences, seen in light of the Gospel narratives, students acquire a deeper and more systematic knowledge of Christ, his message, and his Church. Connections between the Church and contemporary culture are explored in terms of what it means to be a responsible adolescent developing as a member of a Catholic, Christian community while living within the context of a secular society. In the Family Life Education strand, students explore a variety of topics related to the themes of person-hood, interpersonal relationships, and sexuality. Students have the opportunity to experience first-hand the call and response to Christian Community Service.
How This Course Supports the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations
The fundamental premise of this course is that both teacher and students are discerning believers formed in the Catholic faith tradition, intent on participating in the transformation of society. Understanding that the students operate from, and yearn to deepen their spirituality, this course encourages students to articulate Catholic beliefs, and to continue to journey as reflective, creative thinkers. By raising important questions about their faith, this course leads students to a deeper understanding of their relationship with God and neighbour. The students are called to be caring family members and responsible citizens who respect and understand the history, cultural heritage, and pluralism of today’s contemporary society.
Unit Titles (Time + Sequence)
Called to Jesus
Called to Be Church
Called to Be and Relate
Called to Be Holy
Called to Be Just
Unit 1: Called To Jesus
Time: 27.5 hours
Through the study of the Gospels as an extension of their Judaic roots in Hebrew Scriptures, students come to know the Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith. Understanding Jesus as the Sacrament of God leads students to an appreciation of their call to live a sacramental life. This knowledge forms the basis for students to begin to think critically about their world.
Unit 2: Called To Be Church
Time: 21.25 hours
Students enter into a three-way conversation about their own life experience, their experience of parish life, and their encounters with Church teaching in order to answer the core question for this unit: What does it mean to be Catholic? Students first explore their personal faith journey. This experience, along with an investigation of an aspect of parish life, provides the experiential basis for exploring the core question. Then a study of the notion of sacramentality is undertaken. At this point students investigate the Sacrament of Anointing. This core understanding is then applied to particular aspects of Catholicism, namely: prayer, the communion of saints, Mary, and the Church. Finally, students are challenged to come to an understanding of the Eucharist as a life-giving sacrament. Throughout the unit, students write a journal that traces their explorations of each of the topics. Students compile an artistic response to their experiences and insights throughout the unit. In the culminating activity students integrate their learning by means of an artistic response to the core question of the unit question.
Unit 3: Called to Be and Relate
Time: 21.25 hours
Steeped in Jesus’ call to love God with one’s whole body, mind and soul, students come to know the sacredness of the human person. Students are challenged to examine the quality of their relationships in light of the profound example of Jesus’ inclusive love. Acknowledging the impact of culture on the lives of individuals but with a focus on youth, students compare cultural priorities with the Gospel imperative. A culminating activity is the production of a media campaign, which promotes a Christian vision of personhood, relationships, and sexuality for teens.
Unit 4: Called to Be Holy
Time: 16 hours
Informed by Christ’s life and the teachings of the Church, students apply Christian moral principles to the relevant moral issues in their lives. Students are given opportunity to illustrate maturity in their understanding and practice of Catholic moral decision making methods. In addition students examine the virtue of holiness in the Scriptures and apply insights gleaned to their own faith lives.
Unit 5: Called to Be Just
Time: 24 hours
Through this unit students grow in their understanding and appreciation of the gospel call to live justly. In light of social justice teachings found in Scripture and Catholic Church Tradition, students explore local and global social justice issues. Students carry out a research project on global issues. As a culminating activity, students develop and begin to implement a plan of action that addresses a local social justice issue. Time is allotted at the end of this unit for review of the course material in preparation for a final exam.