Dates:  September 5 – December 19, 2025 (First Semester)

            January 16 – May 8, 2026 (Second Semester)

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Course Syllabus:

 

Catholic Polytechnic University’s Online Academy provides dual-enrollment opportunities. This course counts for high school credit as well as credit towards a degree at Catholic Polytechnic University. (The CPU course code is THEO 200.)

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Apologetics is a two-semester course consisting of philosophical, scriptural and historical arguments in defense of Catholic doctrine and morals. The objective of this course is two-fold: first, to bolster students' faith and make them even more convinced of what they already believe, and second, to give students the intellectual and spiritual "ammunition" they need against Protestant and non-Christian objections to Catholic teachings.

 

Course Overview

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• Duration: Two semesters, 15 weeks per semester

• Cost: $500 for the whole year (register and pay with the links at the bottom of this page)

• Weekly Structure:

  • Assigned reading from Summa Apologetica

  • Lecture with Q&A

  • Weekly quiz (5-10 questions)

• Tests: One after each unit (units vary in length), consisting of short-answer and essay questions. There is also a final exam each semester.

• Objective: Equip students with a robust defense of Catholic doctrine using reason, scripture, and history.

 

The main topics covered are:

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1. Basic principles of logic, epistemology and metaphysics.

2. Proofs for the existence of the human soul.

3. The relationship between faith and reason.

4. The proofs for God’s existence and attributes.

5. Christian apologetics: how we know that Jesus existed and rose from the dead, how we are saved in Christ, how to reconcile the Yahweh of the Old Testament with the Father of the New Testament, and how the Bible and science are compatible.

6. Catholic apologetics: how we know that the Catholic Church is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ, and how distinctly Catholic doctrines like the Sacraments, Tradition, and Purgatory are justified scripturally.

7. The relationship between the Church and science: how the two are actually in harmony with each other.

8. Reasonable scriptural, logical, and historical answers to the typical objections raised against Catholicism: the Papacy, saints, Mary, sacraments, clerical abuse, Crusades, Inquisition, missionaries in the New World, etc.

9. Moral Apologetics, which consists of explaining and defending Catholic moral doctrine.

10. World Religions, for a basic understanding of non-Christian and non-Catholic beliefs.
     

The textbook for this course is Summa Apologetica: Catholic Apologetics and Moral Questions, by Joseph Freymann. Weekly readings are assigned from the book’s units and chapters, with quizzes to assess comprehension and critical thinking. This course provides a structured, comprehensive exploration of Catholic apologetics, balancing foundational philosophy, doctrine, history, and ethics, with regular assessments to reinforce learning.

 

First Semester​

Focus: Natural and Christian Apologetics (Units 1 & 2), Catholic Apologetics, Part 1 (Unit 3)

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Weeks 1-2: Introduction to Apologetics and Metaphysics

• Reading: Preface, Unit 1, Chapter 1.1 (Metaphysics and Epistemology, pp. 1-2)

 

Week 3-4: Faith, Reason, and God’s Existence

• Reading: Unit 1, Chapter 1.2 (Faith, Reason, and the Existence of God, p. 14)   

 

Weeks 5-6: Attributes of God and Objections

• Reading: Unit 1, Chapter 1.3 (The Attributes of God, and Objections, p. 25)

 

Week 7-8: Jesus Christ in the New Testament

• Reading: Unit 2, Chapter 2.1 (Jesus Christ, the God of the New Testament, p. 37)

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Week 9: Yahweh in the Old Testament

• Reading: Unit 2, Chapter 2.2 (Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, p. 55)  

 

Week 10: The Church, Papacy, and Apostolic Succession

• Reading: Unit 3, Chapter 3.1 (pp. 64-73)

 

Weeks 11-12: Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide

• Reading: Unit 3, Chapter 3.2 (pp. 73-83)

 

Weeks 13-14: Mary and the Saints

• Reading: Unit 3, Chapter 3.3 (pp. 83-100)

 

Week 15: First Semester Review and Final

• Final Exam for the First Semester

 

Second Semester​

Focus:  Catholic Apologetics, Part 2 (Unit 4); Historical Apologetics, Moral Apologetics, and Sects/Religions (Units 5-7)

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Week 1: Sacraments, Part 1

• Reading: Unit 4, Chapter 4.1 (pp. 100-125)

 

Weeks 2-3: Sacraments, Part 2

• Reading: Unit 4, Chapter 4.2 (pp. 125-146)

 

Weeks 4-5: Purgatory and Catholic Practices

• Reading: Unit 4, Chapter 4.3 (pp. 146-157)  

 

Week 6: The Great Schism and Church-Science Relations

• Reading: Unit 5, Chapter 5.1 (pp. 157-165)

 

Week 7: Crusades

• Reading: Unit 5, Chapter 5.2 (pp. 165-177)

 

Week 8: Inquisitions

• Reading: Unit 5, Chapter 5.2 (pp. 165-177)

 

Week 9: Oppression of Jews and Indigenous Peoples

• Reading: Unit 5, Chapter 5.3 (pp. 177-184)

 

Week 10: Ethical Principles and Reproductive Ethics

• Reading: Unit 6, Chapter 6.1 (pp. 184-190), Chapter 6.2 (pp. 190-203)

 

Week 11: Abortion

• Reading: Unit 6, Chapter 6.3 (pp. 203-214) 

 

Week 12: Capital Punishment, War, and Euthanasia

• Reading: Unit 6, Chapter 6.4 (pp. 214-221)

 

Week 13: Sexual Morality

• Reading: Unit 6, Chapter 6.5 (pp. 221-232)   

 

Week 14: Christian Sects and Non-Christian Religions

• Reading: Unit 7, Chapters 7.1-7.2 (pp. 232-248)

 

Week 15: Second Semester Review and Final

• Second Semester Final Exam

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To register, click here.

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