Catholic World View in Social Studies

CATHOLIC WORLD-VIEW IN SOCIAL STUDIES

Teachers are responsible for demonstrating Faith’s integration at all times and should reflect on the Catholic World View (CWV) in lesson planning for Social Studies. Approaching details from this very broad lens takes practice for all ages but adds the ever sought relevance of lesson content to “real life”.

The standards for social studies for the Diocese of Charleston have four main strands: Civics, Economics, Geography, and History. These four stands integrate all of the content strands from the social studies curriculum framework and contain objectives with learning outcomes for each grade for each of the four standards.

• • An integral part in the study of social studies should include the integration of Catholic social teachings. It is appropriate for students in a Catholic environment to focus on:

    • • LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – People are more important than things, and the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.

      • CALL TO FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND PARTICIPATION - How we organize our society, in economics, politics, law and policy, directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community.

      • RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES - Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met.

      • OPTION FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLE - In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, we are instructed to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

      • DIGNITY OF WORK AND RIGHTS OF WORKERS - If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the rights of workers, to decent wages, to organize and join unions, and to private property, must be respected.

      • DIGNITY OF WORK AND RIGHTS OF WORKERS - If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the rights of workers, to decent wages, to organize and join unions, and to private property, must be respected.

      • SOLIDARITY - We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences.

      • CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION - We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation.

The points with the reference number to Catechism of the Catholic Church should serve as a springboard to further investigation, study, and meditation. Using the four strands throughout the Social Studies Curriculum serves a practical purpose, but the reality in the CWV is that all is one and therefore impossible to categorize without overlaps. Although not directly in the outline, the principles in Catholic Social Teaching (CST) apply to each strand as they apply to the lunchroom and global decision making.

Civics

A person is a religious and moral being. (CCC #27-35, 44)

Various cultures, by reason, have formed a religion usually involving worship and sacrifice. God made us to search for Him and to know He exists by reason alone. (35-39,47,237,286)

All cultures demonstrate that man has an intrinsic desire to do good and avoid evil. (1706,1777)God judges man according to conscience. (819,1776-1802)

Cultures form and enforce laws. The Ten Commandments follow the natural law, written on the hearts of all men. (1954, 2070-2073) 

made in the image and likeness of God. (355-361; 1700-1715).

Man is a relational/social being. The Trinity is a relationship of three persons. (1877-1885)

Family: As original cell of social life (2207) family must be protected by social measures (2209-2213)

Solidarity: humanity is one family. (1939-1942).  We are our brother’s keeper. (2196)

We must protect the vulnerable. (1932, 2443)

Man is called to Communion with self, others, and God. (1, 1719)

Man’s rights bring responsibility. (1734, 1913-1917)

Social structures (government) exist to serve mankind/the common good. (1905,1929-1933)

Progress (1908) and politics (1910) serve the common good.

Economics

• All economic systems should serve the common good and protect man’s dignity. (2419, 2426-24-36)

• The disordered desire which makes money or power an ultimate end violates the dignity of the human person. (2423-24)

• Justice and solidarity call economic systems to recognize the poor. ( 2443-2449, 2459)

• Catholic Social Teaching provides principles for reflection, criteria for judgment and guidelines for action. (2420-2463)

• Catholic Social Teaching may name systems as incompatible with principles, but will not endorse political parties. (1884, 2423)

• Catholic Social Teaching principles apply from the smallest transaction to global actions. (2423, 2437-2442)

History

• History contains a series of interconnected choices/events. (310)

• God does not intend our bad choices but permits them in respect of our freedom (385-402, 1730-1742). 

• Sin creates a proclivity to sin (1965-1869).

• What may seem to be God’s apparent incapability of stopping evil (272-274) surfaces in the study of history and prompts important existential questions which call for reflection, which takes time for mediation, study, and prayer. (1742)

• Divine providence is an understanding of God’s grace throughout time. (309-314)

God’s time is not man’s time.

• Jesus is real. He entered into our time and space by becoming man to redeem us. (1698)

• Catholics are fulfilled Jews and as such are traced man’s first creation. (59-752)

• The Catholic Church, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, has and will continue to survive and transcend every temporal boundary and political system. (760)

• Behaviors of individual Catholics do not alter truths of the faith. If popes or Catholics have done evil, the evil done does not represent the Church’s teaching. (769, 308)

• The paradox of the Cross: only in Jesus do suffering and death “make sense”. (604-607, 618, 1460)

Geography

• God transcends Creation and is present to it. (300, 770,771)

•  God gave man dominion over all creation. (2415-2418)

• Universal destination of goods. (2402, 2452)

• Right to private property. (2401)

• Governments have the right to oversee lands and property ownership. (2237, 2406)

• Man is steward of creation. (2415-2418, 2456)

Finally, a goal of the Social Studies Standards is that the students in the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Charleston will be multi-culturally literate and globally aware. Multicultural literacy is the ability to understand and appreciate the similarities and differences in the customs, values, and beliefs of one’s own culture and the cultures of others.

Students Who Are Multi-culturally Literate:

• Value Diversity

  • • Are aware of how cultural beliefs, values and sensibilities affect the way they and others think and behave.

    • Appreciate and accept similarities and differences in beliefs, appearances and lifestyles.

    • Understand how technology impacts culture.

• Exhibit an Informed Sensitivity

  • • Know the history of both mainstream and non-mainstream American cultures.

    • Can take the perspectives of other cultural groups.

    • Are sensitive to issues of bias, racism, prejudice and stereotyping.

• Actively Engage with/in Other Cultures

  • • Are bilingual/multilingual or are working toward becoming bilingual/multilingual.

    • Communicate, interact and work with individuals from other cultural groups, using technology where it is appropriate.

    • Are familiar with cultural norms of technology environments and are able to interact successfully in those environments.

Global awareness is the recognition and understanding of inter-relationships among international organizations, nation-states, public and private economic entities, sociocultural groups and individuals across the globe.

Students Who Are Globally Aware:

• Are knowledgeable about the connectedness of the nations of the world historically, politically, economically, technologically, socially, linguistically and ecologically.

• Understand that these interconnections can have both positive benefits and negative consequences.

• Understand the role of the United States in international policies and international relations.

• Are able to recognize, analyze and evaluate major trends in global relations and the interconnections of these trends with both their local and national communities.

• Understand how national cultural differences impact the interpretation of events at the global level.

• Understand the impact of ideology and culture on national decisions regarding access and the use of technology.

• Participate in the global society by staying current with international news and by participating in the democratic process.