Religious Studies

In keeping with School founder Felix duPont's vision and purpose, St. Andrew's has included religious studies in its academic curriculum since its earliest years. Our core curriculum requirements in religious studies—History of Religious Thought, taken in the IV Form year, and a Philosophy or Religious Studies elective taken the VI Form year—provides an understanding of the major religious and philosophical traditions that have shaped Western civilization. Through course discussions and essays, our goal is familiarize students with the many varied ideas and theologies they will encounter in college, and throughout their lives, while also encouraging students to formulate their own faith practices and make conscious decisions about their value systems.

Sophomores taking History of Religious Thought are asked to rigorously examine the claims of great religious thinkers—from Aquinas to Marx, Avicenna to Freud, Maimonides to Thomas Paine, St. Theresa of Avila to contemporary theologians and philosophers. In dialogue with these writings and with the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible, and the Qur’an, students consider differing answers to central religious questions. This course provides an opportunity to analyze the Judeo-Christian worldview in particular, the importance of revelation in Christianity through historical events and persons, and the moral implications of religious commitment within contemporary life.

Sixth Form students spend the first half of the year taking Philosophy, which provides an introduction to central philosophical inquiries, and an exploration of epistemology, ontology, metaphysics, theology, ethics, and aesthetics. In the second half of the VI Form year, students take a religious studies elective that explores world religions and philosophies using a particular critical or topical lens (such as gender, violence, service, or applied ethics); a full list of electives is available below.

Religious Studies Courses

Yearlong Courses

History of Religious Thought

History of Religious Thought

REQUIRED FOR IV FORM STUDENTS

IIn this course, students rigorously examine the claims of great thinkers from Aquinas to Marx, Avicenna to Vivekananda, Maimonides to the Dalai Lama, St. Theresa of Avila to contemporary theologians and philosophers. In dialogue with such scholars and with the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible, the Qur’an, the Upanishads and Buddhist Scriptures, students consider differing answers to central religious questions such as:

Is there a divine? If so, how have people claimed to know the nature of the divine?
What is religious experience? What, if anything, happens after death?
Why does suffering exist?
How shall we act in the world as a result of our views on the divine?

Our studies are informed by classroom visits with imams, rabbis, ministers, and scholars, as well as trips to local places of worship (synagogues, mosques, churches, etc.) and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.

Students write frequent short analytical essays. In conjunction with their work in English Literature 2, they build their understanding of argument, evidence, the difference between an observation and a claim, and how to deal with ambiguity and complexity in an author’s writings. To prepare students for their work in Advanced Study history courses and VI Form philosophy and religious studies electives, students examine their own positions in the context of the wider scope of human history and culture, strengthening their ability to identify a writer’s rhetorical maneuvers and implicit assumptions. About midway through the course, they write and deliver a ten-minute long talk exploring a religious or philosophical conundrum. For their capstone project, students use their shorter writings from the year as the backbone for a ten to twelve page theological analysis, then assess and critique their papers in an oral defense with their teacher and a classmate.

Semester-long Electives

Applied Ethics

Open to V & VI Form students

Semester-long half-credit course

This course introduces students to the basic principles of moral reasoning, with the goal of enabling students to engage independently in critical analysis of contemporary ethical issues. Students practice constructing formal logical arguments, and briefly examine the ethical theories of divine command, virtue (Aristotle), utility (Mill), and duty (Kant). They then use these tools to discuss topics including:

abortion;
euthanasia;
cloning;
civil rights;
criminal justice;
the death penalty;
sexual orientation and gender identity;
poverty and welfare;
drug legalization;
animal rights; and
just war theory.

Students prepare short position papers on these issues, and present their viewpoints in class for discussion and debate.

The Awakened Mind

Open to V and VI Form students

Semester-Long Half-Credit Course

What is the best way to live? How do we reach human flourishing? Our great philosophical and spiritual traditions have offered many answers to this question. One of Socrates’ most famous sayings is, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” After Socrates and Plato, Aristotle wrote on the best sort of life for a human being in his Nicomachean Ethics, with an emphasis on the development of virtue and the centrality of friendship. When Siddhartha Gautama reached enlightenment, he became known as the Buddha, meaning “the awakened one,” and taught about how to be free of suffering through mindful living. The Hindu epic, the Bhagavad Gita, contains several chapters on the meditative life and the path to Self-realization. Where Confucius emphasized self-cultivation, ritual, and social order in order to become “the exemplary person,” Daoism through the lens of Lao Tzu calls for harmonizing with the way of nature and effortlessness. Jesus preached that we must be “born anew” and that “the kingdom of God is within you.” Are there commonalities among these different wisdom teachings? If “the unexamined life is not worth living,” then what exactly is the examined life? What does it mean to be “awakened” and mindful? Through a survey of some of the most pivotal works in philosophy, we will seek to develop a global perspective on the human condition and what leads to human flourishing. As we do this, we will direct our attention to fundamental concerns such as: human nature, knowledge and ignorance, friendship and love, freedom, justice, and the aims and effects of society. As we engage in this comparative exploration and quest for a global lens, we will also learn how each work is the product of its author’s own examined life, and we will inquire how each author and tradition understood awakening in their respective historical and philosophical contexts.

The Call to Serve

Open to V & VI Form students

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

This course examines the intellectual, moral, and spiritual mandates for community service as an integral part of human development. By participating in service-learning work, students develop a sense of their individual link to the larger world, and a sense of responsibility to care for it. Students explore concepts such as vocation, voluntarism, and the “ethic of care." The aim of the course is to find links between school coursework, opportunities to serve our world, and how students react to those opportunities. Weekly journals reflect on both classroom discussions and various service activities. Guest lecturers—advocates for the homeless and those with disabilities; blood bank executives; United Way representatives; Habitat for Humanity builders—join us in the classroom to share their insights and experiences of serving others.

Global Wisdom

OPEN TO V & VI FORM STUDENTS

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

This course is a cross-cultural exploration of diverse philosophical traditions into accounts of reality (being and existence). What do some of history’s greatest thinkers throughout the ages have to teach us about the nature of reality and the meaning of our existence? Is existence an event, flux, process? Or is it something static, stable, or unchanging? What is thinking? What are the capacities of our mind, and how should we use it? What is the relationship between consciousness and reality? Our journey into these questions begins with the work Plato’s Phaedo and the famous Hindu epic, The Bhagavad Gita. We then look to the French philosopher, Rene Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, followed by the Buddhist text, The Dhammapada. Readings may also include excerpts from Carl Jung, Gnostic literature, indigenous Peruvian thought, German philosophy, Alan Watts, and others. What do these wisdom teachers have to tell us about the universe and how we should live in it?

The Hero’s Journey

OPEN TO V & VI FORM STUDENTS

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

Since St. Andrew’s is a boarding school, you have already begun to start your own individual journey—or as Joseph Campbell would call it, “the hero’s journey,” just by making the decision to leave your families, friends, and home to come to the middle of Delaware in the pursuit of knowledge. Similar to the protagonist in many epics, religious texts, and myths, as part of your journey, you will wrestle with the ideas of free will, destiny, and fate as you start to develop your own philosophy based on your own personal experiences. Thus the hero’s journey serves as an appropriate metaphor for the individual journey that you must take in your life.

While, the hero will often receive gifts, supernatural aid, or the advice from a wise old hermit, in the end the hero will have to find the resources from within in order to overcome the obstacles standing in their path. In life, the monsters and the dragons you must encounter often represent the inner conflict between our irrational desires and the needs of the community. Only through slaying these inner dragons can one progress to the next stage of life and eventually achieve self-realization.

In this class you will also explore the universal patterns that have supported the hero’s journey; specifically, the archetypes, symbols, and guides that serve as a roadmap for human development and assist the individual’s integration into society. These patterns (archetypes) are found in the ancient myths of Hercules, King Arthur, Thor, and even in the modern day Disney movies, comics, and Harry Potter books. In short, these myths (stories) help us to understand who we are and what our place is in this world while continuing to inspire, comfort, and provide hope in a world that often feels in peril.

In-class readings to include excerpts from:

Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth;
The Red Book, Carl Jung;
Ramayana, an ancient Indian epic poem;
Epic of Gilgamesh
Idylls of the King (Arthurian Legend), Lord Tennyson;
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling; and
Anthem, Ayn Rand

Films:

Star Wars: A New Hope
Whale Rider
Disney's The Lion King

Nuclear Ethics

Open to V & VI Form Students

Semester-long Half-Credit Elective

This semester-long course introduces students to fundamental nuclear physics; in particular, radioactive decay, giving them the scientific knowledge needed in order to then fully tackle some difficult ethical questions regarding its many modern-day applications. As well as understanding decay processes on a subatomic level, students will learn how radioactive materials are used in abundance in industry and medicine. They will then be asked to explore the human cost in developing these usages as well as the ethical questions raised by the use of radioactive isotopes in medical treatments, particularly in cases involving children and pregnancy. We will then explore nuclear power and the physical processes by which electricity is generated in a nuclear plant. With an understanding of the science behind realistic safety standards in nuclear electricity generation, as well as of the risks posed by radioactive waste, students will be able to dissect difficult questions involving whether nuclear power is preferable to coal, where a nuclear plant should be located, and who exactly should be able to make those decisions. Finally, we will consider nuclear warfare; covering the development, testing, and function of atomic bombs, as well as their human and environmental impacts. Students will consider the experience of the scientists involved in the Manhattan Project, which developed the weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as being asked to contemplate whether the usage of nuclear weapons in warfare can ever be justified.

Religion and Ecology

OPEN TO V AND VI FORM STUDENTS

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

This semester-long course explores the intersections between the world’s major religious traditions (Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam) and ecology. Through comparative investigation of the ethical and moral systems of such faith traditions, students will consider how religious values can be employed to address pressing ecological concerns.

To explore religious ecology in practice, various ecological challenges facing the St. Andrew’s School campus and Middletown area will be used as case studies alongside consideration of global ecological issues. Students will explore how religious tenets, both individually and in conversation, could be used to motivate human behavior for environmental action and to promote change in a world marked by the realities of human-caused ecological devastation. The course will include at least one overnight camping trip to reflect upon the sacredness of creation in connection with class texts. In addition, various guest speakers from both faith communities and academia will enhance student understanding of how faith groups are using their beliefs to care for creation and engage in religious environmentalism.

Asian Philosophy & Religious Traditions (not offered in 2022-2023)

Open to V & VI Form students

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

What happens when my truth and your truth are not the same? In this class, students explore what it means to live in a world where so many religions and worldviews coexist. As a complement to History of Religious Thought, students study traditions including (but not limited to):

Hinduism;
Buddhism;
Confucianism;
Taoism;
Jainism; and
Sikhism.

The course seeks to understand historical and contemporary expressions of the world's religions through readings, films, current events, site visits, written reflections, and classroom discussions. Students consider why religions exist in the first place, and how, as global citizens, we might enter into a more effective dialogue with various traditions.

Christian Ethics: Turn the Other Cheek (not offered in 2022-2023)

OPEN TO V AND VI FORM STUDENTS

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

Our founder, A. Felix duPont wrote, “The purpose of St. Andrew's School is to provide secondary education of a definitely Christian character at a minimum cost consistent with modern equipment and highest standards.” What exactly is Christian character? What are the values and principles that it is based on?

Using the New Testament as a guide, this course will focus on the Christian understanding of moral responsibility regarding issues including economic ethics, the common good, evil, extremism, creation care, suffering, theodicy, pacifism, bioethics, criminal justice, altruism, pluralism as well as unity and diversity. Texts may include: The Good Book by Peter Gomes, The Most Good You Can Do by Peter Singer, Justice by Michael Sandel, and The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Religion and Violence (not offered in 2022-2023)

OPEN TO V AND VI FORM STUDENTS

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

Throughout history, there has existed an uneasy relationship between religion and violence. In this course, students will critically examine the intersection of religion and violence, studying two central questions:

How is it that violent acts are committed and justified in the name of religion? What is, for example, the path from "blessed are the peacemakers" to the brutality of the Crusades?
How have religious movements actually sought to alleviate violent conflict? What role, for example, did religious traditions have in the Civil Rights Movement and the Indian Independence Movement in the 20th century?

Students will look both to historical and present-day examples, focusing on conflicts noted above as well as those located in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.