Beginning Theological Studies (CT8001W)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

In this unit, students will be introduced to major themes, figures, and methods of Christian thought. They will also explore the definition and scope of theology as an academic discipline and begin to utilise skills necessary for reading, thinking, and communicating during their study of theology.

Unit code: CT8001W

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Foundational

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Understand and evaluate the origins and development of some key themes and approaches to Christian theology.
2.

Identify and explain the significance of several critical events and persons in the history of Christian thought.
3.

Demonstrate skills in critically evaluating theological arguments, both individually and in conversation with others.
4.

Critically appraise some important influences and commitments in their approach to theology.
5.

Exhibit critical and self-directed learning in and research for postgraduate theological study.

Unit sequence

Foundational-level unit in CT

Pedagogy

Lectures, class discussions

Indicative Bibliography

  • Barth, Karl. Evangelical Theology: An Introduction. Translated by Grover Foley. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979.
  • Bourne, Richard, and Imogen Adkins. A New Introduction to Theology: Embodiment, Experience and Encounter. London: T&T Clark, 2020.
  • Coakley, Sarah. God, Sexuality, and the Self: An Essay 'On the Trinity'. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
  • Ezigbo, Victor I. The Art of Contextual Theology: Doing Theology in the Era of World Christianity. Eugene: Cascade, 2021.
  • Gutiérrez, Gustavo. On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent. Translated by Matthew J. O’Connell. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1987.
  • Hart, David Bentley. The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2003.
  • Jennings, Willie James. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.
  • Keller, Catherine. On the Mystery: Discerning Divinity in Process. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008.
  • Morse, Christopher. Not Every Spirit: A Dogmatics of Christian Disbelief. 2nd ed., Valley Forge: Trinity Press, 2008.
  • Pears, Angie. Doing Contextual Theology. London: Routledge, 2010.
  • The Rainbow Spirit Elders. Rainbow Spirit Theology: Toward an Australian Aboriginal Theology. 2nd ed., Hindmarsh: ATF Press, 2012.
  • Sölle, Dorothee. Thinking About God: An Introduction to Theology. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2016.
  • Song, Choan-Seng. In the Beginning Were Stories, Not Texts: Story Theology. Cambridge: James Clarke, 2012.
  • Watson, Natalie K. Feminist Theology. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2003.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Short Answer Tests

Short Test equivalent to 250 words

 250 13.0
Essay

Essay (4,000 words)

 4000 50.0
Short Answer Tests

Short Test equivalent to 250 words

 250 12.0
Forum

Online Forum (1,500 words)

 1500 25.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 11 Sep, 2024

Unit record last updated: 2024-09-11 09:16:05 +1000