Social Studies
The philosophy of the Social Studies program in the Diocese of Lincoln is based on an understanding that all persons are made in the image and likeness of God and are destined for eternal life. As such, the five academic disciplines which collectively form Social Studies, ultimately explore the interaction between God in His Providence and mankind in his response to God's initiatives,- Salvation History They are: Geography, History, Economics, Sociology, and Civics. A study of the interplay of the geographic, political and economic realities, influenced by the people and their history in the development of societies, is meant to help students understand themselves and the world around them in order to instill the Christian values necessary for morally responsible citizenship, and to focus on the dignity and destiny of mankind. The Social Studies program strives to have the students realize that they have a responsibility to God and to others to develop an understanding and respect for various peoples, cultures, and geographic regions of the earth, and that the history of mankind should teach a direction for the future. The course of study for Social Studies in the Catholic schools of the Lincoln Diocese will prepare students to become active citizens by being tolerant, understanding, and appreciative of all, based on the common Fatherhood of God, but never sacrificing the Truth.
The Social Studies curriculum begins with the study of a person in the family and expands to a study of neighborhoods, communities, states, regions, nations, and the world. The studies will include an analysis, based on a Catholic perspective, of historic and geographic features, and the sociology, economics and politics which have shaped and continue to shape our world.
The students should be given opportunities to use critical thinking skills, extensive research, and the tenants of our Faith to evaluate the reliability of various sources of information and the implications of the information itself. Students will study and become involved in current political, social, and economic activities in the school and community.
Multiculturalism in its truest sense is to be highly valued in our Catholic schools, although we must be cautious in using that term because of what it currently has come to mean. The Catholic Church is truly multicultural because it includes and transcends every culture. Our children must be taught to value human dignity and to respect differences in human cultures, but never to accept immorality under the pretext of multiculturalism. They must be taught to analyze cultural proposals and trends in the light of faith and to integrate into their own Christian lives only those aspects that are truly good. It is in Christ, the perfect God made Man, that all human values find fulfillment and unity. This is what makes the Catholic school distinctive from those others that teach values outside of Christ. It is Christ “Who ennobles the human being, gives meaning to human life, and is the model which the Catholic school offers to its pupils,” (Catholic Schools, 35).
