Last modified: 22 Aug 2024 14:16
For theological reflection on disability, the paired issues of “what the Scriptures say” and “how the Scriptures are read” are of decisive importance. This course will first discuss hermeneutical frameworks to interpret Scripture and how these bear on the concepts of biblical authority. Secondly, the course will consider specific texts and their interpretations, exploring and evaluating different – and perhaps opposing – views on disability and the ministries of disabled people in Scripture.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Christians and churches of all kinds consider the Bible to be sacred scripture, allowing it to resource and shape their practice and thought. They disagree, though, over how it is to be read and how its authority might be claimed in relation to views about contemporary matters. For theological reflection on disability, the paired issues of “what the Scriptures say” and “how the Scriptures are read” are of decisive importance. This course will first discuss hermeneutical frameworks to interpret Scripture and how these bear on the concepts of biblical authority. Secondly, the course will consider specific texts and their interpretations, exploring and evaluating different – and perhaps opposing – views on disability in Scripture. As well as the broader issues of belonging and inclusion, the course will consider how scriptural interpretation might relate to, and resource, the ministries of disabled and neurodivergent people.
The material will be broken into 6 units, with each unit running over two weeks of teaching. The first three units lay the broad foundations for the second three, which focus on detailed texts and themes.
The course will be assessed by two book/article reviews (25% each of final mark, totalling 50%) on an assigned reading and by an interpretative or exegetical study of a particular text or theme (50%). Students will be given the opportunity to propose a topic of particular interest to them for this assessment, or to choose from a list of essay topics provided in the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
This assessment will involve an essay centred on the interpretation of scripture in relation to disability, with a particular focus on a specific text or a specific theme traced through several texts. Students will be given the opportunity to propose a topic of particular interest to them for this assessment, or to choose from a list of essay topics provided in the course guide. A portion of the class time during the final six weeks will be given over to discussing this task and how it relates to the teaching, with students given an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. Feedback will be provided through written assessment, with an opportunity to meet the instructor online for further feedback. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | be aware of specific texts in the Bible that are relevant for Disability Theology and will have acquired a critical understanding of the interpretations generated by different hermeneutical models. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | By the end of this course, students will have a better understanding of the relationship between core concepts in disability theology and the representations of disability and difference in the Bible. |
| Procedural | Understand | By the end of this course, students will understand a range of hermeneutical models that bear on the interpretation of the Bible in relation to disability. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
This assessment will involve an extended review of an assigned text. Choices will be provided in the course guide. During the opening weeks of the course, a substantial section of the contact time will be given to discussing this task and how it relates to the teaching, with students given an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. Feedback will be provided through written assessment, with an opportunity to meet the instructor online for further feedback. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Evaluate | By the end of this course, students will have a better understanding of the relationship between core concepts in disability theology and the representations of disability and difference in the Bible. |
| Procedural | Understand | By the end of this course, students will understand a range of hermeneutical models that bear on the interpretation of the Bible in relation to disability. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Understand | By the end of this course, students will understand a range of hermeneutical models that bear on the interpretation of the Bible in relation to disability. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | By the end of this course, students will have a better understanding of the relationship between core concepts in disability theology and the representations of disability and difference in the Bible. |
| Procedural | Analyse | By the end of this course, students will be able to analyse how the Bible functions within particular church settings and how this affects attitudes towards disability and difference. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | be aware of specific texts in the Bible that are relevant for Disability Theology and will have acquired a critical understanding of the interpretations generated by different hermeneutical models. |
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