CST Teaching &
Learning Forum
Dennis Jerz
Drama as Literature
EL 250 (Umbrella)
 Major Writers and Genres

Using CST
 not
as content...
 ... but as critical lens.
I’m the New Media Cyberguy
…Now.
 Drama and CST fit with my past interests.
 My dissertation: Modern American Drama
 “Soul and Society in a Technological Age.”

My Previous CST Knowledge
I doubt I knew more than the average
“cradle Catholic”
 Beyond Mother Teresa & John Paul II…
 CST abstractions helped me grasp
underlying unities

Objectives for "Drama as
Literature"
Origins of drama
 Range of dramatic texts
 Recognize dramatic elements
 Theatrical context (from page to stage)
 Discern core cultural values of works

CST: Anti-Plagiarism Vaccine?
Few term papers for sale covering CST in…
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Oedipus the King (Common Good,
Subsidiarity, Respect Life)
Fuddy Meers (Human Dignity,
Association, Equality)
The Importance of Being Earnest
(Preferential Option, Association)
I adjusted syllabus to include more
CST-friendly plays syllabus…
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“Everyman” –
Good Deeds lead the soul to heaven
Doctor Faustus – lust for power deforms the
intellect of a man who misuses talents.
A Man for All Seasons –
Thomas More stands up to Henry VIII
Kindertransport – Holocaust
Dead Man Walking & Machinal – death penalty
CST Material

First Few Weeks
 Two
short readings (Jacko; Byron)
 One lecture
 Quiz
(matching, short answer, take-home essay)

November: “CST Application Report”
(Apply a CST principle to a literary work.)
Assessment Mechanism

Tricky.

“Drama as Literature” teaches skills, not
content.

CST is a critical tool, not a subject itself.
Assessment Mechanism
Expected of a freshman course:
 Discussion of CST texts a bit rote and shaky.
 Some students bombed simple CST quiz.
CST Application Paper: Routine
 Designed to push students away from plot
summary & character analysis.
 Not designed primarily to assess student
mastery of CST principles.
Ongoing Assessment
Informal Oral Presentations This Week

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Students trying out ideas for final paper.
Several are expanding their CST papers.
Discussions
 In Class Discussion
 Before Class (on student weblogs)
Students Familiar with CST

Junior: “I have taken two theology courses at
Seton Hill and I had learned about these
principles over and over again.”
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Freshman: “My whole senior year religion
class consisted of the Catholic Social
Teaching”
Students Grasped Concept Quickly

“But I don't think that these princples
[sic] should be narrowed down to being
‘Catholic’ teaching. … It Sounds like to
me that these princples [sic] are
universal and should be expressed by
every one.”
Students Grasped Concept Quickly

But I don't think that these princples
[sic] should be narrowed down to being
‘Catholic’ teaching. … It Sounds like to
me that these princples [sic] are
universal and should be expressed by
every one.
Students Approved of Concept

“I enjoyed reading about CST. I do not
feel that it is just a religous aspect or
theory. The principles of CST can be
used in everyone's life and are like
morals.”
Interfaith Sensitivity Emerges

I know about the women treatment in
Islamic faith, but we should respect ALL
people no matter what they do. Of course,
Islam is different and maybe down right
scary to some people but by giving
them the respect God told us to give
them we will be rewarded. We have no
right to judge anyone.
Personal Reflection Ensues

I am not Catholic and know very little
about the beliefs, but [John Paul II], who
was previously just an unreachable entity
to a non-Catholic, has touched me in a
way few authors do. I suppose this just
stablizes my belief that religion should not
cause a rift amongst us, but unite us…
(On Karol Wojtyla’s The Jeweller’s Shop)
CST and Critical Thinking
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CST describes human and ethical tensions that
help students leap from plot/character to more
sophisticated literary analysis.
CST opened up common areas of inquiry when
analyzing religious literary elements.
Students developed the habit of applying moral
and ethical principles to literary analysis. (No
evidence of ars gratia artis.)