| Unit name | Symposium II in Religion and Theology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THRS20097 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. David Leech |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
none |
| Co-requisites |
none |
| School/department | Department of Religion and Theology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
In this mandatory unit, students will be assigned to two different symposium groups (one focusing upon Judeo-Christian religions and one upon Asian religions) and will participate in two parallel sets of ten weekly hour-long seminars. The tutor of each small group will guide students through the in-depth discussion and analysis of a central theme or key text in theology and religious studies, with an emphasis on the in-depth critical analysis of a specialist body of material. Emphasis will be placed on (a) student participation, which will take the form of (i) oral presentation of independent work and (ii) working with other students to develop close readings of a text or texts; and (b) enhancing essay writing skills.
On successful completion of this unit students will have:
(1) learnt how to explore a body of religious material in depth through critical reading and engaged discussion; (2) further improved their capacity for oral expression; (3) further developed methodological rigour; (4) demonstrated the advanced ability to identify and critically evaluate pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate a cogent argument in both oral and written form.
2 x 1-hour seminar per week.
Students will be assigned to two different symposium groups (one focusing upon Judeo-Christian religions and one upon Asian religions) and will participate in two parallel sets of ten weekly hour-long seminars, with the total assessment for the unit comprising: 2 x oral seminar presentations of approx. 15 mins (50%) and 2 x 2000 word essays (50%) based on the material presented The presentation will assess (1) students’ ability to explore a body of pertinent material in depth through critical reading and engaged discussion; (2) their advanced capacity for oral expression. The essay will assess (3) methodological rigour and (4) the advanced ability to identify and evaluate data in order to demonstrate a cogent argument.
Rowan Williams, On Muslim-Christian Dialogue in Britain and Beyond Debra Dean Murphy, Feminist Appraisal of Milbank Alan Unterman, ‘The Jewish Mystical Tradition’ in Jews: Their religious beliefs and practices Steven T. Katz, ed. Mysticism and Philosophical Analysis Fiona Bowie, The Anthropology of Religion, Augustine, Confessions
