Religious Studies

List of 7 items.

• Grade 9 - Foundations and Intro to the Bible

  This course introduces the freshman student to Justin-Siena High School, the history and tradition of the Christian Brothers, and the student’s membership and participation in the Lasallian heritage. This course assists freshmen in discerning a focus about themselves and their faith. They will be asked to consider mature and thoughtful approaches to issues concerning their own growth, questions about God, and human destiny, as well as personal and social responsibility. The second semester helps students comprehend the wealth of Judeo-Christian spiritual traditions as revealed in the Old Testament. Special attention is given to the role of prophecy in the Judeo-Christian call to justice, as well as the ongoing dialogue that occurs between God and God’s people. The historical and cultural context of the oral tradition and the subsequent written version of the Hebrew Scriptures are explored. The major books and themes of the Old Testament are studies to gain a deeper understanding of how God works in human history.
  
  (Year – 10 units)  
  
  This course is approved on the UC “g” list.

• Grade 10 - Christian Scripture

  This course continues the study of the Scriptures from the freshman year. The first semester of this course leads students toward a deeper understanding of the human need for redemption and how Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise of redemption. The course explores the socio-economic world of Jesus’ time and its influence on his teachings. The second semester of the course will lead students toward a deeper understanding of the life of Jesus by examining the Gospel using exegesis. The concepts of the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery will be explored as to how, from his birth to his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus makes redemption possible. The course ends with the Church as a means to encountering the living Jesus. 
  
  (Year – 10 units)
  
  

  This course is approved on the UC “g” list.

• Grade 11 - Christian Living: Ethics and Social Justice

  Ethics and Social Justice is a course on the fundamental principles of moral life and how it is lived personally and in society. In the first semester, the moral life is presented in the context of God’s love, the foundational principle of the moral life, and the dignity and goodness of the human person. In the second semester, students will survey Catholic Social Tradition and its underlying principles and then learn a four-step social analysis and theological reflection process. Being a Lasallian Catholic Institution, the course is presented through the lens of the Roman Catholic tradition, which draws its moral wisdom from Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Tradition, reason, and experience. The ultimate goal of the course is to help students develop into morally mature persons. 

• Grade 12 (Fall) - Social Advocacy

  Social Advocacy empowers motivated seniors to explore how Gospel values can inform and lead action to bring about a more just world. Students enrolled in this class will be guided through the process of applying Catholic social teaching into direct service.They will focus on a social justice issue, investigate the cultural, economic, political, and social structures and forces at play, and develop real world solutions. This class will guide students in how to transform a passion for justice, love and care for the “dear neighbor" to developing initiatives working towards a solution. In the process of developing solutions, students' possible learning activities may include: research, interview or perhaps shadow subject matter experts, participate in service immersions, and visit pertinent sites. The final assessment will include a presentation of the research and student solution (which may take the form of a written grant, public policy, non-profit proposal, etc.). 
  
  (Fall Semester- 5 units)
  
  

  This course is approved on the UC “g” list.
  
  
  

• Grade 12 (Fall) - World Religions

  In humankind's search for truth and meaning, different peoples and cultures have contemplated their experiences of life, death, suffering, and joy and wrestled with the Big Questions of human origin, place, and destiny. Through the ages peoples and cultures have found numerous ways to express the truths and wisdom discovered in this search. This course emphasizes the academic study of the origins, beliefs, practices, and lived experience of the world’s major religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, and Islam. 
  
  Fall Semester- 5 units
  
  
  

  This course is approved on the UC “g” list.

• Grade 12 (Spring) - Faith in Film, Media and Literature

  The class will explore the presence of faith and the portrayal of Christianity (and in particular Catholicism) in a variety of media (novels, short stories, film, news, and non-fiction writing). Students will analyze various media to discern the presence of various theological themes or to evaluate the religious portrayal within such media. The assessments will primarily be presentations, discussions, and essays. 
  
  Spring Semester- 5 units

  
  This course is approved on the UC “g” list.

• Grade 12 (Spring) - Mindfulness and the Contemplative Tradition

  This course will provide opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of prayer, spirituality, relationships with God and others, and to study the emerging science of mindfulness. The course explores the prosocial practices of mindfulness, gratitude and compassion, integrating traditional contemplative practices from various wisdom traditions with contemporary psychology and scientific research. Students will engage in evidence-based practices to cultivate mindfulness and well-being; they will develop resources for their individual and communal search for God and understanding of self.
  
  Spring Semester- 5 units
  
  This course is approved on the UC “g” list.