Religious Studies

Our religious studies curriculum, in the Catholic tradition, is relevant and actionable for our students. In our program we:

• Focus on Catholic Social Teaching and putting faith into action

• Spiritual growth through integration of mindfulness practices and social emotional learning

• Connect Catholic values to their lives

• Increase opportunities for self-reflection

• Embed the charism and spirit of the founding Sisters of St. Joseph as contemplatives in action who serve the dear neighbor. 

The Religious Studies Department aims to meet the needs of the student and model what it means to be a loving, Gospel-valued human being through the students’ four years at Carondelet.

Courses

• An Introduction to Church History

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  none

  This course explores the Catholic Church’s development from its birth as a sect of Judaism to the present day. It begins with a focus on the Ancient Roman world and the historical contexts around the rise of Christianity as a major world religion. The course presents the historical events and persons who have played a vital role in the two-thousand-year history of the Catholic Church’s development. Students will study: the early church’s foundational members; the church councils; the Great Schism; the Middle Ages; the Crusades; the Protestant Reformation; The Global Catholic Church; and the Church in the Americas.

• AP Seminar: Criminal Justice in the United States

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  Successful completion of English 3 or A.P. Language and Composition

  This AP Seminar course on Criminal Justice in the United States is framed within a Catholic social justice perspective, providing students with the tools to research, debate, collaborate, and present on topics related to the U.S. criminal justice system. Through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching—specifically the principles of human dignity, solidarity, and the common good—students will examine issues such as mass incarceration, racial disparities, reform efforts, and media bias. Critical thinking and research skills will be central to the course, alongside an analysis of how media coverage shapes perspectives on criminal justice.

• Christian Living: Who am I called to be?

  Course Level(s): 10th grade
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  Building on the foundation laid in their freshmen class, this course develops students’ understanding of Catholic Christian history, faith, and the spiritual life. Students will consider topics such as the early Christian community, forms of prayer and Christian spirituality, historical challenges to faith, and responses. The class focuses on what it means to be a person of faith living in the contemporary world. Students will reflect on their beliefs and who they are called to be.

• Christian Prayer & Meditation

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  This course explores the rich tradition of Christian spirituality and the practice of prayer and meditation within the Christian Tradition. Students will examine the historical development of Christian spirituality, key theological concepts, various forms of prayer, and practical approaches to deepening one’s spiritual life. Students will gain a deeper understanding of Christian spirituality and how to incorporate prayer and meditation into their daily lives.

• Foundation in Faith

  Course Level(s): 9th grade
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  n/a

  Foundation in Faith is designed to deepen students’ understanding of the Catholic Faith and the mission and spirituality of the Carondelet Sisters of St. Joseph. Students will be introduced to the Carondelet community and encouraged to find their place in it. Throughout the year, students will explore core concepts of religion, God, Scripture, and the Catholic Faith. Students will also be invited to explore how prayer and reflection are beneficial to one’s spiritual life. By the end of the course, students will have gained a deeper appreciation for the Catholic faith and the Carondelet charism of “unifying love.”

• Intro to Philosophy

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet/De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  In this course, students will become familiar with major thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Aquinas, Locke, and Kant and such philosophical positions as Rationalism, Empiricism, and Determinism through a systematic study of four areas of philosophical investigation. These four areas include: consideration of our human nature, epistemology, philosophy of God, and the mind-body connection. Its focus will be on increasing the ability of students to read for comprehension and understanding, think critically, and communicate effectively through both the spoken and written word. Students will analyze the wisdom found from philosophical thought, both classic and contemporary, with the intention of considering their effect on their everyday lives and lived faith.

• Senior Capstone

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  None 

  Senior Capstone is an opportunity for graduating seniors to create a meaningful and reflective paper or project that incorporates Carondelet’s Integral Student Outcomes and core teachings learned through Carondelet’s Religious Studies classes. Each senior will demonstrate their ability to think critically by addressing a social issue of importance to them through the lens of our school’s integral student outcomes and informed by the Religious Studies core curriculum. The project or paper can take many shapes and will be driven by each student’s interests and passion.

  Full details of the capstone will be introduced at the end of their junior year.

• Spiritual Journey

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet/De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  This course invites students to reflect on how they encounter the divine in their lives by reading, analyzing, and discussing the spiritual journeys of others. The accumulated wisdom and spiritual teachings of the men and women of many religious traditions who have gone before us can serve as guides for our own personal spiritual journey. Journal-type reflection questions will assist each student to concretely identify his/her options for a lived spirituality.

• Spirituality in the Arts

  Course Level(s): 11th & 12th grades
  Credits: 5
  Campus: De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  n/a

  Religious and spiritual themes have been sources of creativity for various art practitioners since time immemorial. Students will have the perceptual tools and the necessary mental furniture to increase their capacity for awareness by studying the concepts drawn from a range of disciplines including film studies, the philosophy of aesthetics, liturgical and sacramental theology, and art history. Students will also familiarize themselves with critical-analytical tools for visual, performing, and social artistic practices.  

   

  Note: can be taken as a junior elective

• Symbols and Ethics

  Course Level(s): 11th grade
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  This course invites students to explore their relationships with God, themselves, and others in light of the Sacraments of Vocation of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church’s teaching in the areas of Morality and Social Justice. Students will consider the symbolic, ritual, and historical elements of the Sacraments of Initiation, Sacraments of Vocation, and will also be challenged to see themselves, others, and their environment as sacred. This will include a consideration of the personal and social dynamics that go into morality and ethical decision-making in light of Church teaching. The issue of justice, particularly social justice, will be studied, and a process for Christian moral decision-making will be learned and applied to contemporary issues of morality and justice with an emphasis on Catholic Social Teaching.

• World Religions

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet/De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  World Religions is an introduction to the comparative study of the great religious traditions of the world. Religion is a way humankind has responded over the centuries to the mystery of God and living a life with meaning and purpose. This course will examine the major religions of the world including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and others. Topics related to the earliest forms of religious expression and religion’s role in the modern world will be explored.