Module Level
Level 8
Time Allowance
Time Allowance for Constituent Elements: 4 hours on campus lectures during the weekend residentials (divided between 2 weekends) 6 hours live on-line lectures on Wednesday evening, 6 hours of self-directed learning, Assignment – 15 hours, Private Study – 24 hours.
Assessment
Two essays 2500 words each approx. (one extended book review and one essay)
Module Aims
Theology is “faith seeking understanding” (St. Anselm). In this introductory module we will explore this statement by asking such questions as: What is faith? How is the human person a seeker? How are faith and reason (understanding) connected? The etymology of the term “theology” has to do with “theos” (God) and “logos” (discourse). Hence theology is discourse about God. But it is also a discourse about the human person (anthropology) made in the image and likeness of God (“imago Dei”) and his or her call to communion with God (spirituality).
Taking the ‘human person and his/her acts adequately considered’ as its cornerstone, the module seeks to develop a ‘Christian ethic within the contours sketched by dogmatic theology’ (G. Meilander and W. Werpehowski). The module, moreover, aims to present theology in an integrated way that reflects on the unity of faith and morality in the life of the Christian in the church. The importance of the Bible as a foundational source for Christian conversion and in connecting the drive to goodness and the call to holiness will also be explored.
Indicative Syllabus:
- Theological Anthropology: The Christian Vision of Humanity
- The Specifically Christian Understanding of God as Triune
- The Doctrines of Creation, Incarnation, and Redemption
- Exploring Revelation and its Transmission in Scripture and Tradition
- Christ, Covenant, Sin and Conversion
- Bible and Morality
- Theology and Church
- Integrating Theology, Morality and Spirituality
Learning Outcomes
- — Articulate a Christian vision of humanity
- — Understand the nature of faith
- — Appreciate the integrated nature of theology
- — Identify the connections between faith and morality.
Bibliography
- — Hession, Anne & Patricia Kieran, eds. Exploring Theology: Making Sense of the Catholic Tradition. Dublin: Veritas, 2007.
- — Stephen Bevans, An Introduction to Theology in Global Perspective. Orbis, 2009.
- — Patricia Lamoureux and Paul J. Waddell, The Christian Moral Life. Faithful Discipleship for a Global Society. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2010.
- — William C. Mattison III, Introducing Moral Theology. True Happiness and the Virtues. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Books, 2008.
- — Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004.