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| Unit name |
Miracles in the Christian Tradition |
| Unit code |
THRS20111 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
I/5
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Mr. Ferzoco |
| Open unit status |
Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None
|
| Co-requisites |
None
|
| School/department |
Department of Religion and Theology |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
The miraculous wielded a considerable influence in the premodern world. Events which were called miracula permeated life at every level and were closely woven into the texture of Christian experience. However, in the modern period the attitude to the miraculous changed with the rise of science. This unit will examine the place of miracles in a historical and religious context. It will trace the place of the miraculous in Christianity from the New Testament to the twenty-first century. Special emphasis will be placed on the late medieval period (1200-1500).
Aims:
- To provide an in-depth understanding of the meaning and significance of miracles in the Christian tradition
- To provide in-depth understanding of the role of miracles through the use of primary sources
- To develop and further improve written presentation and argumentation skills through essay writing, a written examination and group work
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the unit students will be expected to have:
- acquired knowledge and skill to discuss the meaning and significance of miracles in the Christian tradition;
- acquired knowledge and skill to discuss the role of of miracles through the use of primary sources and secondary literature
- acquired skills through group work, through summative essay writing, and a three-hour written examination in evaluating complex ideas and arguments in both written and oral forms.
Teaching Information
11 1-hour lectures, 11 seminars
Assessment Information
One summative coursework essay of 2500 words (50%) (ILO's 1-3)
and one unseen examination of two hours (50%). (ILO's 1-3)
Reading and References
- R. M. Burns, The Great Debate on Miracles: from Joseph Glanvill to David Hume (Lewisburg [Pa.]: Bucknell University Press,1981).
- Michael Goodich, Violence and Miracle in the Fourteenth Century: Private Grief and Public Salvation (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995).
- Michael Goodich, Miracles and Wonders: The Development of the Concept of Miracle, 1150-1350 (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007).
- David Johnson, Hume, Holism, and Miracles (Ithaca, N.Y. ; London : Cornell University Press, 1999).
- Howard Clark Kee, Medicine, Miracle and Magic in New Testament Times (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986).
- Benedicta Ward, Miracles and the Medieval Mind: Theory, Record and Event, 1000-1215 ( London: Scolar Press,1982)
