Self and Community: Exploring the Anatomy of Modern Society Assignment -

LEARNING OUTCOMES - On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:

1. Describe coherently in writing the principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST), and through a personal written commentary on each one, explain how the concepts of 'self' and 'community' are interrelated.

2. Analyse and evaluate the principles of CST in order to write an argument that shows how issues relating to the dignity of the human person and the realisation of the common good may be addressed by you in your professional practice (ie. the degree program you are studying) now and in the future.

Assignment 1 - Feature article

Choose 3-5 principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST),

1) State, define and describe these coherently; and

2) Explain how each principle helps us to understand the interrelationship between "self" and "community".

What are you being assessed on?

Assessment No.1 is designed to assess the first intended learning outcome, namely:

1. Describe coherently in writing the principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST), and through a personal written commentary, explain that the concepts of 'self' and 'community' are interrelated.

General Instructions:

• Construct a feature article describing, in writing, 3-5 principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST) as outlined in the unit, and draw upon these 3-5 principles to demonstrate the interrelationship between the concepts of 'self' and 'community'.
• The 9 principles are: the Dignity of the Human Person; the Common Good; the Preferential Option for the Poor; Subsidiarity; the Universal Purpose of Goods; the Stewardship of Creation; the Promotion of Peace; Participation; Global Solidarity.
• From this assessment you will receive constructive feedback to assist you in completing the assessment 2.
• The article is to be between 1,000-1,200 words in length.
• The feature article may have illustrations/artwork that relate to the content of your article. Try and make your article interesting and engaging for readers.

Assignment 2 - Op Ed piece

Write an Op-Ed (opinion-editorial) that allows you to demonstrate an understanding of how issues relating to the dignity of the human person and the realization of the common good may be addressed by you in your professional practice now and in the future.

You will need to select one issue from the list below that relates to the degree program you are studying and write a concise but persuasive opinion piece on this issue relating to the dignity of the human person and the realisation of the common good that relates to your future professional practice.

List of issues

• unaffordable health care
• health/wellbeing as a human right (violations)
• nonqualified commentators/advisors giving advice on people's health
• the "lethality" of loneliness (and isolation)
• failing to "close the gap"
• cuts in government funding for education
• unaffordable education
• the task of education (overcoming racism, ageism or sexism)
• excessive profits (business contexts)
• alienation on social media networks
• criminal "youth gangs"
• plastic in the (human) food chain

General Instructions:

• Create an evocative and engaging Op-Ed that applies insights from Assessment 1 (knowledge base) on an issue from the list above relating to the dignity of the human person and the realisation of the common good that relates to your professional practice (ie the degree program you are studying).
• The Op-Ed should clearly explain to readers what your understanding of the issue is and how your understanding of the knowledge you have acquired in the unit addresses this issue in relation to the discipline area you are studying in. Please note that you do not have to come up with the 'definitive solution' rather provide a well-argued view in order to move forward on the issue.
• The Op-Ed is to be no more than 700 words long. The idea is to express your thoughts clearly and concisely and make your argument as directly as you can - just like a journalist or writer. Do not assume that this assignment is easy given the word length. The challenge is to present a persuasive argument in a concise manner!