Content

This unit introduces and examines a conversation between the resources of Christian theology and those of poetry, exploring and practising ways that these two fields of human action both inform and are informed by each other. Students will be encouraged to consider the implications of such a conversation for theology, for poetry, and for the vocation of both poet and theologian.

Unit code: CT9026W

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Identify and analyse the respective contributions that theology and poetry have made to each other and to the forming of Christian imagination

2.

Analyse and argue for a coherent position on how relationships between theology and poetry are demonstrated in set works

3.

Exhibit independent and critical responses to both a selection of poetry and to the conversations in which poets and theologians are engaged

4.

Explain and demonstrate how processes involved in writing poetry can foster theological reflection

5.

Propose and evaluate a practical approach that can combine poetry and theology to inform both a person’s faith and a communal identity

Unit sequence

30 points in CT

Pedagogy

Lectures, workshops, seminars

Indicative Bibliography

  • Alves, Rubem A. The Poet, The Warrior, the Prophet. London: SCM Press, 2002.
  • Barks, Coleman. Rumi: The Big Red Book: The Great Masterpiece Celebrating Mystical Love and Friendship. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2010.
  • Davidson, Toby. Christian Mysticism and Australian Poetry. Amherst, NY: Cambria Press, 2013.
  • Fiddes, Paul S. Freedom and Limit: A Dialogue Between Literature and Christian Doctrine. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1999.
  • Guite, Malcolm. Faith, Hope and Poetry: Theology and the Poetic Imagination. Farnham: Ashgate, 2010.
  • Hart, Kevin, ed. The Oxford Book of Australian Religious Verse. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1994.
  • Hart, Trevor A. Between the Image and the Word: Theological Engagements with Imagination, Literature and Language. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013.
  • ––––––., Making Good: Creation, Creativity and Artistry. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2014.
  • Mahan, David C. An Unexpected Light: Theology and Witness in the Poetry and Thought of Charles Williams, Michael O’Siadhail, and Geoffrey Hill. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010.
  • Maritain, Jacques. Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry. Bollingen Series: The A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1955.
  • Murray, Les A., ed. Anthology of Australian Religious Poetry. Melbourne: Collins Dove, 1986.
  • Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994.
  • Williams, Rowan. Grace and Necessity: Reflections on Art and Love. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse, 2005.
  • Wiman, Christian. Ambition and Survival: Becoming a Poet. Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press, 2007.
  • ––––––., My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013.
  • Wright, Judith. Born of the Conquerors: Selected Essays by Judith Wright. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press, 1991.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

Essay (4,000 words)

4000 50.0
Portfolio

Portfolio of creative writing (1,000 words)

1000 30.0
Seminar or Tutorial

Seminar Paper (1,000 words)

1000 20.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 19 Oct, 2017

Unit record last updated: 2020-10-09 16:36:36 +1100