Untitled - Saint Andrew's School Archive - St. Andrew's School

RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Since we recognize that students
come to St. Andrew's
from a number of different
backgrounds and traditions,
our Religious Studies curriculum
aims to examine the Christian religion
from both a historical and academic
point of view. While the
courses themselves do not require
commitment to any one set of beliefs,
our concern is that personal
decisions in matters of faith should
be informed choices, based on careful
thought and an intelligent understanding
of what Christian commitment
involves.
Thus the course at the IV Form
level covers the major parts of the
Bible, the life and teachings of Jesus,
the nature of man and his world, and
the understanding of Christianity as
a religion in which revelation occurs
through historical events and persons.
Some attention is also gi·;en to
the moral implications of Christian
commitment for contemporary life.
The VI Form courses examine various
aspects of the Christian faith
and life in the light of philosophy,
psychology and social dynamics.
The aim here is to introduce students
to some of the many varied
ideas and theologies they will
encounter in college, and to provide
an intellectual structure for Christian
belief. An attempt is made during
this year to help the students formulate
their own value systems
through discussions and essays
and to expose them to some of the
important writers and thinkers
of western J udeo-Christian culture.
History & Literature of the
Old and New Testaments
he content of this course covers
major themes of the Bible. Selec­
from the Old Testament
Ttions and
interpretive texts trace the history of the
people of Israel and their developing
understanding of the nature of their God
and their covenant relationship with
Him. The readings from and about the
New Testament emphasize the life and
teachings of Jesus as found in the Gospels,
as well as selections from the
Epistles of St. Paul. The growth and
spread of Christianity during the first
century are studied in the Acts of the
Apostles. The final unit of the course is
devoted to contemporary books, sometimes
a novel, sometimes a biography, in
an attempt to illustrate how the issues
and problems raised by the Biblical
writers are still faced by people today.
Texts: The New English Bible; Charpentier,
How to Read The Old Testament; Link, The
Sroenth Tru mpet. (IV Fonn)
Health and Human
Potential
his course, which meets twice per
week for half the school year,
Tfocuses on self-esteem, physical
and emotional health care, decision
making, values clarification and coping
skills. Discussions and experiential
exercises are aimed to give students a
better understanding and acceptance of
themselves, others and the changing
world in which they live. Journal writing,
roleplaying, films and current research
are used to explore critical issues such as
drugs, alcohol, sexuality, changing relationships,
stress and specific adolescent
concerns. (IV Fom1)
Ethics
his introduction to ethics studies
human behavior and values such
Tas right and wrong, good and evil.
The course examines the basis of natural
morality and how various ethical systems
have been developed. Ethical judgments
are explored through discussion of case
studies, and the Spring Term is devoted
to oral presentations and the writing of a
research paper on an issue of contemporary
social concern. (Elective minor; V and
VI Fonn)
An Introduction to
Philosophy
T he aim of this unit is to introduce
students to philosophical thinking
in the western tradition. Questions
such as-What is the nature of reality?
and How can we know it?-are traced
from the age of the Pre-Socratics, Plato,
and Aristotle down to the religious and
scientific questions of the modern world.
A short unit on ethics is included. Text:
Hollis, Invitation to Ph ilosophy. (VI Fonn,
Fall Tenn)
*IN THE WINTER AND SPRING TERMS,
VI FORM STUDENTS CHOOSE ONE
OF THE FOLLOWING ELECTIVES.
*Psychological Perspectives
on Human Behavior
he student is encouraged to think
about the dynamics of human be­
and to consider
Thavior various
classical and contemporary views of
human personality. The course concentrates
on the following issues: religious,
philosophical and psychological views of
human personality and behavior; the
nature/nurture discussion, with reference
to behaviorist and psychoanalytic
points of view; the causes of aggression;
guilt, religious, moral and psychological
perspectives. Freudian and other theories
of human development will be discussed.
Authors read will include Fromm, The
Anatomy of Human Destructiveness; Berne,
Games People Play; Festinger, When Prophecy
Fails; and some shorter articles and papers.
(VI Fonn-Winter and Spring Tem1s)
*Sociological Perspectives
on Human Communities
eople seem to have a universal
need to live in some kind of community.
This course looks at
P
some
ot the forms that the search for community
has taken in the Western World; it
examines some utopian schemes springing
from dissatisfaction with existing
conditions and some groups which have
been established to put into practice
particular ideals of community. Readings
include parts of Plato's Republic, The Acts
of The Apostles, The Rule of St. Benedict,
More's Utopia, Skinner's Walden Two,
Kanter's Commitment ami Community,
Huxley's Brave New World, and Callenback's
Ecotopia. (VI Fonn-Winter and
Spring Tem1s)
32