Generally, St. Thomas high school students have a certain degree of flexibility in their course selection. Although freshmen and sophomores are somewhat limited in their choices because of the need to take required classes, upperclassmen are able to take a wide range of electives that interest them. Students are even able to drop their study halls or double up on certain subjects, such as math or science. Moreover, students can choose whether or not to take an advanced or AP level course for their core classes, which further allows them to customize their schedule in a way that best suits their skills. However, this flexibility does not exist for theology.
All students, regardless of grades, preferences, or interests are required to take the same theology class for their first three years at St. Thomas. To provide more flexibility to students in this subject, St. Thomas should consider offering Advanced theology classes for non-seniors, such that they would be able to advance their faith to a greater depth and expand their theological knowledge beyond the scope of the regular curriculum.
St. Thomas should consider including Advanced theology into its curriculum because the regular theology class does not cover material at a pace ideal for some students. The current theology classes advance at a pace that all students are deemed capable of handling. This is appropriate because the classes are designed to be taken by every student at the school, regardless of their individual ability. However, some students may prefer a class that advances more rapidly and covers more ground, in greater depth, than the current course offerings at the school.
The reasons a particular student may have for desiring an advanced class may also vary. A student may have an ardent faith that motivates a desire for enhanced instruction in a subject that lies at the heart of an education at St. Thomas. Providing an avenue for such students to enhance their understanding of the faith is consistent with the mission of the school. Other students may have a more intellectual interest in the subject and seek to have an in depth exposure to concepts and issues that lie at the foundation of Western civilization. Such enhanced instruction would benefit anyone interested in pursuing further humanistic studies at university.
If an advanced theology class existed, students who desired an advanced class could enroll at their option, while students that were content with the current level of class could opt for the regular class. Creating such flexibility would enhance the options open to St. Thomas students.
Moreover, the addition of an advanced theology class would allow students to present a stronger transcript in their college admission applications. Currently, because there is no option for an advanced theology class, it is difficult for students to demonstrate and express an enhanced interest and enhanced preparation to admissions counselors demonstrating their interest in and proficiency in theology. If there was an advanced theology class, it would be easier for colleges and other organizations to determine whether a student truly excelled in theology and attempted to take advantage of all of St. Thomas’ academic resources.
Many students would argue that the implementation of an advanced theology class would impose a greater burden on theology teachers to create different curricula for each class. This is correct to a certain extent. However, every other department at St. Thomas is able to operate both advanced and regular classes without forcing teachers to work beyond what is reasonable and Sst. Thomas existing theology teachers have the training and expertise to teach an advanced class in theology. Thus, I believe that there would be a way in which advanced theology could be implemented without overwhelming teachers and imposing too great a burden on them.
It is also clear that some students would enjoy being able to take advanced theology classes in their underclassmen years.
“I would be interested in taking an advanced theology class because of the more in-depth course work,” Milan Shelton ‘26 said.
“I would like to take an advanced theology class because it would be interesting and help my GPA,” Will Prout ‘26 said.
These ideas are further supported by a study in The Journal of Experimental Education which indicated that the offering of advanced classes resulted in students who “expressed more interest in school” and believed that their classes “[were] more useful to their future.” The study also indicated that students who did not take these advanced classes “showed no significant difference in attitudes toward…self.” To this end, this study supports the notion that the addition of an advanced theology class would provide a more interesting and engaging environment for high achieving students, without compromising the self esteem of others.
Ultimately, the addition of advanced theology classes to St. Thomas would be highly beneficial. It would provide for an environment where students can learn at a faster pace and can explore theological topics with greater depth. Similarly, the addition of an advanced theology class would make the theology department more similar to the other departments at St. Thomas, which offer both advanced and on-level courses, while simultaneously easily allowing organizations to determine which students excelled the most in theology. For this reason, advanced theology classes should be added to the underclassmen curriculum, such that students are able to pursue the course of study most optimal to them.
