This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
This 12-week course will follow the videos and two books of Theology of the Body expert and author, Monica Ashour. The two books, Theology of the Body Marriage Preparation and Catholicism for EveryBODY, will elucidate God’s plan for marriage and its relationship to salvation history. Although this former book was written for young adults who are contemplating marriage and the latter book for 8th graders, both will illuminate the truth of the human person for the mature high school student. He or she will thus not only to be shored up against secularist’s messages but equipped to work toward the goal of marriage or celibacy for the Kingdom, while remaining a solid Catholic.
Total classes: 12
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: Graduating Seniors (or mature Juniors)
Suggested credit: 1-semester credit in theology
This Course Requires Permission From Parents
Due to some of the segments being of a sensitive nature, Homeschool Connections recommends that parents of students taking the course give expressed permission to their student to hear this important information so as to prepare them for the potential onslaught of wrong ideas in college. We also recommend that parents discuss the lessons of the course with their teen and oversee the instruction closely.
Parents are more than welcome to email Miss Ashour to ask questions about this course: [email protected] since parts of it are adult subject matter (presented in a sacred way), but very necessary given this culture which inculcates youth in sexual promiscuity, Gender Ideology, among other ideologies. Parents: PLEASE email us at [email protected] for the enrollment key.
Description
This 12-week course will follow the videos and two books of Theology of the Body expert and author, Monica Ashour. The two books, Theology of the Body Marriage Preparation and Catholicism for EveryBODY, will elucidate God’s plan for marriage and its relationship to salvation history. Although this former book was written for young adults who are contemplating marriage and the latter book for 8th graders, both will illuminate the truth of the human person for the mature high school student. He or she will thus not only to be shored up against secularist’s messages but equipped to work toward the goal of marriage or celibacy for the Kingdom, while remaining a solid Catholic.
In following the guidelines of The Pontifical Council for the Family’s document, The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality, this course addresses difficult issues that students will encounter in college which distort the proper understanding of sexuality and chastity. Thus, students will be equipped with the beautiful vision of vocations so they can remain true to Catholicism’s mosaic of truth and love, giving them a solid foundation for later taking vows. Miss Ashour is basing much of this material on the experiences that her own homeschooled nieces and nephews have encountered (and are encountering now) in their college career.
The creative, unique diagrams serve as exemplary, “incarnational” visuals to solidify in the students’ imaginations the Church’s teachings on the truth of love, marriage, and celibacy.
Outline
Week 1: What Is TOB and Why Should I Care?
Week 2: TOB’s 3 Basics: The Body Matters as a Firm Foundation
Week 3: Sensitive Topics—Addressed through a TOB Perspective
Week 4: TOB in Everyday Life: Love-Suffering vs. Sentimentality
Week 5: TOB & Sacraments: Bodily Encounter with Christ vs. Mechanistic View
Week 6: Becoming my “I”: Vocations and the Theology of the Body PART 1
Week 7: Becoming my “I”: Vocations and the Theology of the Body PART 2
Week 8: Dating, Discernment, and TOB
Week 9: The Body as an “Alphabet” and the Heart as the “Interpreter”
Week 10: A Sacramental View of Reality: Our Bodies Made Male and Female
Week 11: Catholicism for EveryBODY (Lessons 1-3): Overview, Sacraments, & The Body as a Prophet
Week 12: The Body of Christ as the Center of Catholicism (Lesson 4)
Materials and Homework
Textbooks:
1. Theology of the Body Marriage Preparation: A Christ-Centered Guide to Happy Marriages by Monica Ashour
2. Catholicism for EveryBODY, Level 8, Book 2 by Monica Ashour (From The Body Matters Program)
To purchase these 2 required books: www.tobet.org $19.99 each (other books are available for purchase from The Body Matters)
Course Work:
With her busy speaking and writing schedule, Miss Ashour regrets not being available much for questions. She hopes that, nevertheless, the students will benefit from understanding a broader vision of the Theology of the Body.
Weekly Online Computer-graded Quizzes (65%)(Be finished before the start of the next class)
Computer generated Final Exam (10%) 50 questions taken from previous quizzes (Be finished by 7 days after you finish watching Segment 12.) (This means that you take the 10 question Quiz 12 first; later, take the Final Exam-Cumulative TEST.)
Major Project (15%)(Grading Rubric will be posted) Parents use Miss Ashour’s Grading Rubric to grade project.
Assigned Reading (10%)(The student will be expected to read both required books on their own after the week it was discussed.) Parents and/or students will calculate this portion based on reading assignments finished. Miss Ashour will not grade anything for this course; this is on the honor system. If the student has read, he or she gets a 100% for that week’s assignment for reading. This is an easy completion grade.
Extra Credit—Parent may add 2 points per book to the final grade if their student reads Dr. Edward Sri’s Men and Women and the Mystery of Love and Monica Ashour’s Our Bodies Made Male and Female. (+4 points added to the final grade)
NOTE: Miss Ashour will not keep the calculations of students’ grades. This is a recorded class, and thus, the student/parents keep up with calculations. The objective parts (quizzes and final exam) will be calculated automatically through Moodle. Parents and/or students ought to calculate the rest of the grade, based on the percentages given above for Major Project and Assigned Reading. If both of those deserve 100% each, that is ideal.
Time Commitment to Study: A minimum of 1 hour a week for reading, study, doing quizzes, and working on and completing the final project.
Course Reading: The reading assignments give students an understanding of their identity, the vocation of marriage, the truth and meaning of sex and of the sexes, and a TOB perspective of Catholicism. For the first day’s class: please read the required reading from the Bible.
Required Reading:
1. The Bible—Genesis 1-3; Ephesians 5 (before Week 1)
2. The Theology of the Body Marriage Preparation, author: Monica Ashour, MTS; M Hum buy at www.tobet.org
3. Catholicism for EveryBODY, Level 8, Book 2 of The Body Matters series, author: Monica Ashour, MTS; M Hum www.tobet.org
Optional Reading:
1. Dr. Edward Sri’s book, Men and Women and the Mystery of Love.
2. Monica Ashour’s book, Our Bodies Made Male and Female, Level 7, Book 1 of The Body Matters Program.
Advanced Optional Reading for a very difficult but very worthy challenge:
1. Pope John Paul’s Love and Responsibility
2. Pope John Paul’s Man and Woman: He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. (This is the actual name of the Theology of the Body).
