From Perpetua to Dorothy Day: Women's Spiritual Experience from the Early Church to today (CH9215Y)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This unit explores the meaning of Christian spirituality using the writings of women throughout history. Emphasis will be placed on the historical context of the primary sources used, the struggles of women in coming to find their own voices within their contexts, the theological relevance of their writings, and the specific literary genres that they used. This study enables students to appreciate both the significance of these writings for their own times, as well as their continuing relevance to our life and mission in the Christian Church today.

Unit code: CH9215Y

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Church History

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

Outline and assess the elements that identify Christian Spirituality particularly in relation to women’s writings throughout history.
2.

Analyse and articulate the historical context within which selected women communicate Christian spirituality throughout history.
3.

Evaluate key features of Christian spirituality within women’s writings
4.

Critically interpret a range of literary genres used by women writers in Christian History
5.

Evaluate and describe how women did or did not find their voice through their writings in the context of the Church of their times
6.

Evaluate the implications of the understanding of these texts for ministry in the contemporary Christian church
7.

Analyse and demonstrate the critical and creative tension between an understanding of historical texts in their original context and an appreciation of their contemporary value

Pedagogy

Asynchronous and synchronous lectures, tutorials, and discussion forums

Indicative Bibliography

  • Bennett, Judith M., and Ruth Mazo Karras, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
  • Day, Dorothy. The Long Loneliness. NY: Harper Collins, 2009.
  • Dronke, P. Women Writers of the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
  • Gold, Barbara. Perpetua: Athlete of God. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2018.
  • Harrison, Anna, Thousands and Thousands of Lovers: Sense of Community among the Nuns of Helfta. Collegeville, MN.: Cistercian Publications, 2022.
  • Heffernan, Thomas, The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity. NY : Oxford University Press, 2012.
  • Mayeski, Marie Anne. Women at the Table: Three Medieval Theologians. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press,2004.
  • Mews, Constant. Abelard and Heloise. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  • Smelik, Klaas A.D. et al (eds). Proceedings at the Etty Hillesum Conference at Ghent University, November 2008. Leiden: Brill, 2010.
  • Tyler, Peter and Edward Howells, (ed.). Teresa of Avila: Mystical Theology and Spirituality in the Carmelite Tradition. London: Routledge, 2017.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Portfolio

Portfolio of 5 Tutorial Exercises of 300 words each

 1500 20.0
Tutorial Paper/Seminar Paper 2000 30.0
Essay 4000 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 28 Jul, 2025

Unit record last updated: 2025-07-28 08:49:46 +1000