Unit rationale, description and aim

Human dignity, the common good, and social justice are central principles of Catholic social thought which play a vital role in contemporary society. This unit provides a well-rounded sense of the core concepts and theological underpinnings of Catholic social thought, drawing on biblical texts, Church teaching, and the writings of theologians. Students will be enabled to critically assess and analyse the ideas and principles of Catholic social thought, including their major influence in promoting understanding of the dignity of the human person, the common good and social justice globally. Students will be supported in drawing on these concepts in order to engage with contemporary social, economic, and ecological issues, including those with relevance to their personal and/or professional contexts. The aim of this unit is for students to be introduced to Catholic social thought so that they can understand its foundations and key concepts and be able to draw on Catholic social thought to engage with and assess issues of human dignity and social justice. This unit is available within ACU's Core Curriculum.

2026 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

PHIL102 Theories of Human Nature , PHCC104 Ethics and the Good Life , UNCC100 Self and Community: Exploring the Anatomy of Modern Society , PHCC102 Being Human , PHCC106 Making Sense: Practical Reasoning for Life and Career , TPCC100 Life and Meaning: Imagining Ourselves through Art and Cinema , THCC100 Revolutionary Values: Christianity in History

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Explain the core concepts of Catholic Social Thoug...

Learning Outcome 01

Explain the core concepts of Catholic Social Thought, and their biblical and theological foundations.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC6, GC7

Analyse the impact of key Catholic Social Thought ...

Learning Outcome 02

Analyse the impact of key Catholic Social Thought principles on communal and societal relationships.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC7, GC9

Construct responses to contemporary issues using p...

Learning Outcome 03

Construct responses to contemporary issues using principles of Catholic Social Thought.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC5, GC6, GC7

Content

Topics may include:

  • Foundational understanding and skills in critical analysis and argumentation.
  • The development of modern Catholic social thought and its foundations in biblical texts, official Church teaching documents, and the writings of theologians. 
  • Core concepts of Catholic social thought including human dignity, the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity and integral ecology, a preferential option for the poor, and structures of sin.
  • Reading the signs of the times.
  • The relevance of Catholic Social Thought to contemporary issues such as justice for First Peoples, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, healthcare access, and the climate crisis.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an overall minimum grade of pass (50%).

The assessment strategy is designed to enable students to display achievement of all learning outcomes.

To enhance assessment authenticity, assessment is integrated with class activities. This involves written and oral activities that assess understanding of key concepts and debates, as well as discussion with peers and the production of individual work.

Task 1 asks students to explain key ideas or approaches discussed in the unit, as well as their contemporary relevance. It is a written or oral assessment task undertaken in class that is designed to allow students to display achievement of Learning Outcome 1. The task fosters core skills which will be further developed in Tasks 2 and 3.

Task 2 invites students to develop a project which analyses key themes in the unit. The focus of this task is on enabling students to display achievement of Learning Outcomes 2 and 3.

In Task 3, students are asked to reflect on their range of learning across the unit from Catholic Social Thought, and apply key insights to contemporary contexts or issues. It will constitute a written or oral defense that enables students to display achievement of all three learning outcomes.

Overview of assessments

Task 1: Foundational Task : Requires students to ...

Task 1: Foundational Task :

Requires students to explain key concepts of the unit.

Weighting

20%

Learning Outcomes LO1
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC6, GC7

Task 2: Critical Analysis Project: Requires stud...

Task 2: Critical Analysis Project:

Requires students to analyse key themes in Catholic Social Thought. 

Weighting

40%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC9

Task 3: Reflection and Application Task: Requires...

Task 3: Reflection and Application Task:

Requires students to reflect critically on the key themes of the unit and apply insights to specific contemporary contexts.

Weighting

40%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC5, GC6, GC7, GC9

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit will be offered as a flipped classroom, drawing on the standard 150 hours of focused learning. Students are required to complete online modules as well as attend on-campus seminars, where some assessment will be conducted. 

Students are asked to define key terms and approaches, analyse and integrate new information with existing knowledge, draw meaningful new connections, and then apply what they have learned to contemporary contexts. Collaborative and peer learning is also emphasised. Active participation in this unit is an essential element of student learning, reflected in the assessment strategy.

Learning is designed to be an engaging and supportive experience, which helps students to develop critical thinking and reflection skills, as well as to engage with a range of approaches and perspectives. Because of the humanities-based nature of the unit, the learning strategy aims to help students to develop skills in analysis, critical thinking, reflection, and the interpretation of complex and nuanced themes, and then to relate these themes back to their own contexts. In this way, the student is placed at the centre of learning, and learning is an active and relevant process.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Brady, Bernard V, Essential Catholic Social Thought. 2nd edition. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2017.

Bradley, Gerard V. and E. Christian Brugger (eds). Catholic Social Teaching: A Volume of Scholarly Essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Brazal, Agnes M. “Ethics of Care in Laudato Si’: A Postcolonial Ecofeminist Critique.” Feminist Theology 29, no. 3 (May 2021): 220–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/09667350211000614.

Clark M.J, and A. Rowlands, “Fratelli tutti: Reading the Social Magisterium of Pope Francis.” Journal of Catholic Social Thought 19 no.1 (2022): 5-23.

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. London: Burns & Oates, 2004. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472985194.

Fernando, Sahayadas. “Revitalizing Catholic Social Thought in a Multireligious World.” Journal of Catholic Social Thought 20, no. 1 (2023): 123–41. https://doi.org/10.5840/jcathsoc20232017.

Francis. Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Encyclical Letter. Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2015. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.  

Francis. Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship. Encyclical Letter. Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2020. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html.

Heyer, Kristin. “Radical Solidarity: Migration as Challenge for Contemporary Christian Ethics.” Journal of Catholic Social Thought 14, no. 1 (2017): 87–104.

O’Neill, William. Catholic Social Teaching: A User’s Guide, Maryknoll: Orbis, 2021.

Strangl, Rebecca. Neither Heroes nor Saints: Ordinary Virtue, Extraordinary Virtue, and Self-Cultivation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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