Our Common Home: The Origins, Theology and Implications of Laudato si

This course explores the encyclical Laudato sl in the context of the Catholic Social Tradition, the discipline of Ecotheology, and the broader geo-political matrix of modern society. The course emphasizes the historical development of the encyclical, the scientific content of its assumptions, the ground of its theology and ethics, the practical applications of its teachings, and the pastoral implications of its ideas. Beginning with a background on the history of the environmental movement and ecotheologlcal movements, the course uses a chapter of the encyclical each week as a springboard for a deeper analysis of relevant topics. Students will explore the realities of ecological crises and the cultural, religious and scientific roots of the tenuous relationship between humanity and Earth. Pope Francis' "Gospel of All Creation" will be explored through the lens of the Catholic Social Tradition and ethical reflections on the non-human world and ecoúChristology. An examination of the liberation theology influences (e.g., Boff) at work In the encyclical will be followed with a review of various ecological themes such as race, gender and sexuality, that do not figure as prominently in the encyclical. The course will end by considering some "Lines of Approach and Action" and the practical application of the encyclical in activism, churches and the classroom. To this end, the final integration paper/project will ask students to apply the themes of the encyclical to their own teaching and/or activist context.