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Father Fogarty is my favorite professor at UVA. This class is great if you want to learn about Catholicism from the perspective of a brilliant Jesuit priest. Even if you already are a practicing Catholic you will gain a lot of insight into theology. Much of the reading consists of church primary source documents (encyclicals, Vatican II, etc) and also a bit of over the head philosophers. Some people find him a bit confusing but he is extremely friendly and accessable if you get confused.
OK, I looked forwarded to taking this course for years but was extremely disappointed by Fogarty's lectures (he reads straight from notes) and his defensive nature when students pose questions. Also, the elephant in the room can no longer be ignored: what is the deal with his behavior with female students!!! Anyway, the readings were good but the course was almost unbearable.
The big elephant in the room is that Gerald Fogarty is an internationally renowned Church historian who, unsuprisingly, knows more about Church teaching and Church history than any of his students. There was also a large donkey in the room, as numerous students attempted to challenge Fogarty to theological debates, as if they hold a PHD from Yale (Fogarty does) and think they will convince him that the Church he has dedicated his entire life to is a fraud. Moreover, the class was the most informative one I have ever taken and should be taken by anybody interested in learning what the Church actually teaches.
Fr. Fogarty is quite nice once you get to know him. His lectures, however, can be a bit disjointed and he has a tendency to drop names during class without fully explaining who he's talking about. The readings are quite doable if you budget your time appropriately (except for Karl Rahner who is impossible to comprehend).
Father Fogarty is a classic example of an expert who is not cut out for teaching. While extremely knowledgeable, he has a very difficult time communicating to his students exactly what he wants them to know. His lectures were usually all over the place and consisted of anecdotes that had nothing to do with the reading or subject matter. The midterm and final were both extremely difficult, considering that the readings were very rarely discussed in-depth. Mark James was my saving grace in this class. He seemed to sympathize with his students without saying as much and he really took the time to break down important concepts that Fogarty only grazed. I would not recommend this class unless you are incredibly interested in the teachings and history of the Catholic church and are willing to teach most of it to yourself.
Father Fogarty is very sweet and earnest to make people learn the material, but you really need to stick to his lecture outlines if you want to know what on earth he is talking about during lectures. He has this funny tendency to get sidetracked, which wouldn't be bad except that you're never quite sure when he gets back on track. However, he's always willing to straighten out any confusion during office hours and you can ask questions during lecture too. As wonderful as he is, though, I will say that the TA is by far the most indispensable aspect of this course - and the readings! The TA and the readings are your road map to help you navigate the winding paths that are Fogarty's lectures. If you stick to your readings, notes, and whatever the TA says (and whatever you happen to figure out from the lectures), you ought to be fine. Mind, you there is a TON of reading involved, so you need to be prepared for that.
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