DIVINITY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr P J Williams

Pre-requisites

This is a beginners course and it is not available for native Greek speakers.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This course offers students the chance to acquire an introduction to first century Greek, the original language of the New Testament. It is aimed at complete beginners and does not assume any prior knowledge or linguistic ability. The course covers basic Greek grammar and sentence structure and, by the end, students will be able to read simplified texts from the New Testament itself.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination paper (60%) and language exercises, internal examination (40%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr L S Tiemeyer

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This course is concerned with an introduction to classical biblical Hebrew without presupposing any prior knowledge. It involves the study of grammar and syntax and the translation of simple Hebrew prose texts.

Structure

2 one-hour tutorials per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination paper (60%) and 1 internal examination (40%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr L S Tiemeyer

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course includes: a survey of the geography and history of ancient Israel; a study of the united monarchy and of the literature of the exilic period.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, some replaced by tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (50%), 2 tutorial papers (30%) and 1 class examination (20%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr P J Williams

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This course introduces the study of the life and teaching of Jesus within his first century historical context. It will try to shed light on the many questions that arise from the Gospels’ presentation of Jesus’ teaching and activity. Among other things, we shall ask how much we can know about the course of Jesus’ life; what he meant by the ‘kingdom of God’; whether he regarded himself as ‘the Messiah’; and why he ran into such opposition. The course will also use material from outside the New Testament to construct a fuller picture of the broad historical and cultural context of Jesus’ ministry.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, some replaced by tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr M Mills

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This is a foundational course in world religions. Each year, the course will examine three of the following four religious traditions: the Semitic traditions of Judaism and Islam; and the Indic traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism. Students will receive a basic introduction to the texts, traditions and social institutions of these religions.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and 2 essays (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr N Thompson

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course is intended to introduce students to the life and thought of the church in the first five centuries, through studying documents, through lectures on key subjects, and through reading. The focus will be both on the historical rise of Christianity to its position of cultural dominance, and on the development of Christian thought and spirituality during the same period, from the post-Apostolic beginnings to the sixth century.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures per week - some lectures will be replaced by tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and two essays (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr P J Williams

Pre-requisites

DR 1023

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This course, which builds on the foundations laid in DR 1023, introduces further study of the grammar and vocabulary of New Testament Greek. The intention is to improve the students' confidence in handling the New Testament in its original language as well as develop greater fluency in translating portions of the New Testament.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination paper (60%) and language exercises, internal examination (40%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr L S Tiemeyer

Pre-requisites

DR 1024

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course continues the study of classical biblical Hebrew begun in Hebrew Language 1 with more advanced study of grammar and syntax and the reading of selected texts from the Hebrew Bible.

Structure

2 one-hour tutorials per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination paper (60%) and 1 internal examination (40%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr J Schaper

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course includes: an introduction to the Pentateuch and to the prophets, including a study of Genesis and Amos.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, some replaced by tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (50%), 2 tutorial papers (30%) and 1 class examination (20%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Professor F B Watson

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

Each of the four gospels presents its own distinctive portrait of the life and teaching of Jesus, and the main aim of this course is to bring out the particular characteristics of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and to compare and contrast them with one another. The four canonical gospels were selected from a wider range of material about Jesus, and the course will look at surviving non-canonical texts such as the Gospel of Thomas and examine the reasons why some texts were included in the New Testament and others excluded. In addition, selected passages from the Gospel of Mark will be studied in more detail. This course can be taken in conjunction with DR 1026 or on its own.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures, with some lectures replaced by tutorial groups.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (60%) and 1 essay (40%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr F Murphy

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course will consider the range of criticisms advanced against the central elements of Christian belief from the Enlightenment to the present day with particular attention to Christian claims about God, Jesus and the natural world. Attention will be devoted to criticism of the traditional arguments for the existence of God, historical scepticism, miracles, and the problem of evil. Tutorials will study recent attempts to re-articulate belief in light of these challenges.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures per week and 1 one-hour tutorial per fortnight.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 essay (20%), seminar assessments (20%), and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Mr M DeLashmutt

Pre-requisites

None.

Overview

Cinema going, pubbing, clubbing, listening to music, gaming, shopping, reading and watching TV are all part of our engagement with popular culture. Yet, what do theology or religion have to do with and episode of South Park, buying a new pair of jeans from the Gap, or listening to the new U2 album? This course will engage with the 'texts' and practices of popular culture and encourage students to critically think about the relationship between theology and popular culture. Areas covered will include 'texts' such as popular film and television, popular music, and popular fiction, as well as practices such as sport, clubbing, pub going and consumerism. Students will engage with the texts an practices of popular culture by learning about the historical relationship between religion and culture, specifically within the Christian tradition, and by familiarising themselves with the theology of culture, theological method, and popular cultural studies.

Structure

2 two-hour lectures, 1 weekly seminar (1hr).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessement (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K T Aitken

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course includes: a study of covenant and wisdom in the Hebrew Bible; exegesis of texts from Deuteronomy and Proverbs in English.

Structure

5 one-hour lectures per fortnight, some replaced by tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (50%), 2 tutorial papers (30%), 1 class examination (20%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Head of School of Divinity, History and Philosophy

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course will link together a series of interlocking doctrines associated with the third article of the Apostle's Creed. Following from an initial examination of the doctrine of the Spirit, the course will examine the doctrine of the Church and its implications for ecclesiastical order (including sacraments, ministry, and liturgy), as well as eschatolapy (the church's hope). The course will then examine a range of ethical questions touching on the shape of life within the church before proceeding to the topics of missiology (how the church's boundaries are extended) and pastoral care (how alienation within the church is healed).

Structure

3 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour seminar per week, plus 3 one-hour tutorials over the course of the half-session.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%), 2 essays and tutorial assignments (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr P J Williams

Pre-requisites

DR 1524 and either DR 1026 or DR 1527.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The Johannine literature - consisting of John’s gospel, and the three Epistles - constitutes a large part of the New Testament. This course will pay particular attention to the gospel and the letters. We investigate the origins of the community which produced these texts; examine allegations of anti-Jewishness and Christian sectarianism; uncover the distinctive Christology and the ideas of salvation within the literature; and look at the background to some of the best known images within the whole New Testament. We will read selected passages from John’s gospel and 1 John in the original Greek.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures each week and 1 one-hour tutorial each alternate week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr P J Williams

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course will be available in 2005/06.

Overview

The Johannine literature - consisting of John’s gospel, and the three Epistles - constitutes a large part of the New Testament. This course will pay particular attention to the gospel and the letters. We investigate the origins of the community which produced these texts; examine allegations of anti-Jewishness and Christian sectarianism; uncover the distinctive Christology and ideas of salvation within the literature; and look at the background to some of the best known images within the whole New Testament. We will read passages from John’s gospel and 1 John in English.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures each week and 1 one-hour tutorial each alternate week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr L S Tiemeyer

Pre-requisites

DR 1024 and DR 1525.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course involves study of convenant and wisdom in the Hebrew Bible and will involve exegesis of texts from Deuteronomy and Proverbs in Hebrew.

Structure

5 one-hour lectures per fortnight, some replaced by tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (50%), 2 tutorial papers (30%), 1 class examination (20%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr G Marranci

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06 and every year thereafter.

Overview

The course introduces students to an understanding of Islam by means of an anthropological approach. Although an introduction to the doctrine of Islam is provided, the course focuses on the experience of ordinary Muslims in different contexts and places. In this course, the Islamic experience of Muslims in immigration and displacement contexts receives particular attention with regard to their identity formation. The course is founded on the idea that Islam is defined by what Muslims say in different places and contexts. During the course fieldwork methodologies to conduct research on Islam are discussed.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour seminar (to be arranged) per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (55%), 1 essay about 3,000 words (35%) and 1 Power Point (or overhead) presentation (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr L S Tiemeyer

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course includes a study of the theology of the prophets, the Psalms (including the Messiah and Zion theology), exegesis of texts from Isaiah and Psalms in English.

Structure

5 one-hour lectures per fortnight, some replaced by tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (50%), 2 tutorial papers (30%), 1 class examination (20%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr S J Gathercole

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

On the road to Damascus Saul the Persecutor became Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ. He went on to take the gospel to the Gentile world against considerable opposition. This course traces the progress of his mission, studying each of his letters in historical context; sections from at least one Pauline letter will be studied in detail (in English). Paul was the first and most influential Christian theologian. We will also attempt a synthesis of his thought.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour lecture or tutorial every alternate week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr S J Gathercole

Pre-requisites

DR 1524 and either DR 1026 or DR 1527.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

On the road to Damascus Saul the Persecutor became Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ. He went on to take the gospel to the Gentile world against considerable opposition. This course traces the progress of his mission, studying each of his letters in historical context; sections from at least one Pauline letter will be studied in detail (in Greek). Paul was the first and most influential Christian theologian. We will also attempt a synthesis and integration of his thought.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour lecture or tutorial every alternate week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K T Aitken

Pre-requisites

DR 1024 and DR 1525.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course involves study of the Prophets and Psalms in the Hebrew Bible and will involve exegesis of texts from Isaiah and Psalms in Hebrew.

Structure

5 one-hour lectures per fortnight, some replaced by tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (50%), 2 tutorial papers (30%), 1 class examination (20%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Thompson

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This course introduces the thought and history of the European Reformations. It traces developments in the Catholic, Protestant and Radical traditions from their origins in the Middle Ages to the entrenchment or religious divisions in seventeenth century Europe. Students will have the opportunity to engage with the work of thinkers such as Erasmus, Luther, Müntzer and Calvin, as well as with evidence relating to their religious, social and cultural context.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written exmination (60%) and 2 short essays (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written exmination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr W Tuladhar-Douglas

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Overview

A comparative examination of the history and ethnography of Himalayan Buddhist traditions. We will begin with an introduction to the literature and ritual theory of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Once prepared, we will read through ethnographic accounts of three traditions - Newar, Ladakhi and Gurung - and consider the use of rituals, narratives and philosophical doctrines in the lives of ordinary Himalayan Buddhists. We will close with a study of the Eastern Tibetan nonsectarian movement of the 18th-20th centuries.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%), 1 essay (30%) and 1 presentation (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr S J Gathercole

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above who have passed DR 1023.

Notes

This is a 6 week course. This course may not be taken by students who have taken or wish to take DR 2021 or DR 2522. It is a course which will allow students entry to Level 3 courses in New Testament texts in Greek. This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This course is concerned with reading selected texts from the gospels and 1 John in Greek, looking especially at issues of grammar, language and translation. Students will be expected to prepare sections of text for translation and comment in class.

Structure

2 one-hour tutorials per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr F A Murphy

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2006/07 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

An overview of the impact of philosophy upon religious thought in the West since the Enlightenment. Special reference will be made to the problems raised by the plurality of world religions and to some leading responses.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and 2 short essays (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor F B Watson

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above who have passed any Level 2 course in New Testament.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2006/07 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

Selected texts from the Gospels and Acts will be studied in detail. Attention will be concentrated on the interpretation of the texts, but the course will also cover historical, literary and theological questions.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Thompson

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This course examines the intellectual development of Protestantism with particular reference to the two most influential Reformation theologians, Martin Luther and John Calvin.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and two essays (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr M Mills

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

This course closely analyses the methodologies and theories developed by social anthropologists for studying religion and how those have influenced how we think about religion in the modern day. It particularly focuses on ritual, symbolism and myth. The course introduces a wide range of ethnographic material.

The course also includes a significant ethnographic component with students doing fieldwork within a local religious community or group.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment: one essay (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Head of School of Divinity, History and Philosophy

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2006/07 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

This course will explore the main themes in the current science-religion debate. The first part of the course will explore general issues of the relationship between scientific and religious language in both Christian and non-Christian contexts. Attention will then be given to the implications of Big Bang cosmology, evolutionary theory and methodological naturalism for the Christian doctrines of creation and providence.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar; 1 two-hour lecture.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 2 essays (40%), 1 peer-assessed seminar presentation (10%) and 1 three-hour written examination (50%).

Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Swinton

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course is available to RGU students as a 15 credit version under the code DR 3064 (different assessment methods will apply). This course will be available in 2005/06.

Overview

The course aims to explore the connection between spirituality, health and healing within the contemporary practice of health care. The course is multi-disciplinary (including Medicine and Nursing students). It examines issues of health and healing within various contexts, highlighting the benefits of a multi-disciplinary approach which incorporates the spiritual as well as the material aspects of human beings. Areas covered will include: the relationship between the ‘medical’ and the ‘spiritual’ within healing; the practice of Christian healing; psychiatry and religion; and alternative medicine.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture and 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 major essay of 5,000 words (60%), one class presentation (20%) and two critical book reviews of around 1,500 words each (20%).

Resit: in-course assessment (100%). NB: New in-course assessment work must be submitted.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr P J Williams

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above, who have completed a level 2 course in New Testament.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. The course will run in 2006/07 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

The course will be based upon a coherent selection of theological topics that will be studied in detail. The course will involve the detailed exegesis of texts and a critical analysis of the system of thought they represent. Comparison will also be made between the theology of New Testament texts and the context in which the texts arose. There will be the option for students to use Greek in their study of certain topics.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); in-course assessment - essay of 2000 words (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Schaper

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above who have passed DR 2019 or DR 2519.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in the second half-session of 2005/06 as DR 3572.

Overview

This course studies the variety of methods used in the reading and interpretation of the literature of the Hebrew Bible, with special reference to the Patriarchal Narratives (Genesis 12-50), the story of King David’s reign (2 Samuel 9-1, Kings 2), the book of Job, and selected poetic texts. A special study is also made of the ‘art’ of Biblical narrative, the forms of Hebrew poetry, and the place of the literature within the Canaanite literary tradition.

Structure

4 one-hour lectures/seminars/tutorials per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Essays and/or assignments (40%) and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr K T Aitken

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above who have passed DR 2518 and DR 1525, and are deemed by the Course Co-ordinator to have a sufficient grounding in Hebrew.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course is concerned with the exegesis of selected texts from the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr B Brock

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in the second half-session of 2005/06 as DR 3574.

Overview

This course provides an opportunity for students to participate in the Christian tradition of moral reflection. It does so by looking at how moral questions have been resolved by the main thinkers in that tradition. Students will learn how Christians approach moral problems in the light of Christian faith as they trace the 2,000 year development of Christian moral thought left by the wrestling of Christians of different ages with specific ethical questions (such as war, the death penalty, or truth-telling).

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 2 one-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (50%), 1 essay (20%), 1 presentation [either to the class or to the class e-mailing list] (20%), participation in class and e-mail discussion (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor F B Watson

Pre-requisites

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed any level 2 course in New Testament.

Notes

This course will be available in the first half-session of 2005/06 as DR 3075.

Overview

Selected texts from the New Testament will be studied in detail. Attention will be concentrated on the interpretation of the texts, but the course will also cover historical, literary and theological questions.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr G Marranci

Pre-requisites

DR 1027 or DR 2030. Available to students in Programme Year 3 and above. Students with relevant experience from other disciplines may attend, dependent on the agreement of the Course Co-ordinator.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2005/06 in the second half-session as DR 3576, and in alternate years thereafter.

Overview

The historical relationship between the political organisation of the Middle East and the content of Jewish and Islamic religious traditions. Areas covered will be Jewish and Muslim ideas of law and legitimate statehood, early precedents for religious politics: the Jewish nation and the Islamic empire, the religious and political organisation of medieval Islamic empires, religious thought in the 20th Century Middle East: post-colonial theory, secular nationalism and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, political thinkers in moderm Islam, religious politics within the modern Middle East: the Israel-Palestine Conflict, the Iranian Revolution and Turkey.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment.

Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Schaper

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above, who have passed DR 2029 or DR 2529.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2006/07 and in alternate sessions thereafter. This course will alternate with DR 3078 / DR 3578.

Overview

There will be an overview of the Semitic languages and then the focus on one specific Semitic language from among Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, or Ugaritic. Texts in that language will be studied from the perspective of comparative linguistics.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); in-course assessment consisting of four written grammatical and/or translation exercises (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Schaper

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above. From the year 2006/07 onwards it will be available only to students who have passed DR 2029 or DR 2529. In the year 2005/06 it is also available to students who have passed DR 1525, DR 2019 and DR 2519. However, for certain languages DR 2021, DR 2523, or DR 2801 may be required as well.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in alternate years, alternating with DR 3077 / DR 3577 'Comparative Semitic Languages'.

Overview

The course will involve learning one of the following languages: Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, Classical Greek, Coptic, Ugaritic and the study of texts relevant to biblical studies from within that language. In all cases except for Classical Greek the languages will be taught without assuming prior knowledge of that language.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); in-course assessment consisting of four written grammatical and/or translation exercises (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor J Webster

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in the first half-session of 2005/06 as DR 30.

Overview

After initial orientation to the subject through lectures, the course will consist of seminars on selected texts and themes in Barth's work, including:

• The 'early' Barth.


• The rediscovery of the biblical world; Barth's Romans commentary and associated writings.


• Early lectures on the historical theology of the Reformation.


• Barth's first systematic theology.


• The Ethics.


• Barth's interpretation of Anslem.


• Themes from the four volumes of the Church Dogmatics


• Selected minor writings.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1 two-hour written examination (30%), essay (50%) and literature report (20%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr F Murphy

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2006/07 and in alternate years thereafter.

Overview

Twelve central issues in contemporary Christian doctrine will be dealt with. Lectures will outline the history of each theme and the central questions surrounding its contemporary restatement. Seminars will study key texts in each area. Topics to be dealt with include divine impassibility, providence, universalism, political and feminist theologies, and the relationship of Christianity to other faiths.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture, 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 2 essays (40%) and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr P J Williams

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2005/06 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

The Graeco-Roman world of the first century CE was the multi-cultural context in which the first Christians lived and within which they endeavoured to express their faith. These people, whether Jews or Gentiles, were deeply integrated into the fabric of that society before they encountered the Gospel. They also regarded themselves in continuity with that rich and ancient heritage which was reflected in the practices and literature of contemporary Judaism. This course assesses some of the political, social and religious influences which dominated that multi-cultural world of the New Testament.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

To be notified

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will not be available in 2005/06.

Overview

The course will introduce the gradual development of Christology in the first five centuries, taking account of both heretical and orthodox perspectives. Students will be expected to read closely short passages from such figures as Tertullian, Athanasius, Arius, Gregory of Nazianzus, Cyril of Alexandria and Severus of Antioch, and encouraged to draw connections between classic early Christian formulations and modern debates. Students will be encouraged to explore the increasing amount of early Christian material being placed on the Internet and to rediscover the primary documents as a living resource.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 2 one-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 2 essays (40%) and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Head of Divinity, History and Philosophy

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Co-requisites

Students are not permitted for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will not be available in 2005/06.

Overview

The course will examine perceptions of the family within the Christian tradition and their relationship to wider cultural concerns in different historical and contemporary settings. It will seek to understand the specific challenges to family life in Britain today; there will be theological reflection on the church's role in supporting children and adults in the church and the wider community.

Structure

1 four-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Course journal (40%), essay or practical project (50%) and class presentation (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Thompson

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will not be available in 2005/06.

Overview

This course traces the history of Christianity from its establishment as the religion of the Roman Empire to its arrival in the Americas in the late 15th century. Lectures and seminars examine the main strands of Christian theology, spirituality and institutional life in this period. They also consider marginal groups such as the Cathars, Waldensians and Lollards and Mediaeval Christianity's relationship with Islam, Judaism and the religions of pre-Christian Europe and the Americas. The course provides useful historical and theological background for students interested in the Reformation period and for students interested in Medieval art, literature and history.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr M Mills

Pre-requisites

DR 1027 or DR 2531. Students with relevant experience in other disciplines may join, conditional on agreement from the Course Coordinator. This course is available to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2006/07 and in alternate years thereafter.

Overview

An ethnographic and historical examination of the relationship between religious traditions and political and social power in South Asia. The course will concentrate on three areas:

• The structure and history of pre-colonial Hindu and Buddhist rule in South Asia, and the nature of religious conflict in this context.


• An examination of the rise of South Asian religious nationalism within the colonial and post-colonial period, centering on (a) the religious disputes of Partition in the sub-continent, and the subsequent influence of Hindu and Muslim fundamentalism; (b) the Hindu-Buddist conflict in Sri Lanka, and the origins of Buddhist nationalism; and (c) the history of invasion and ethnic conflict within modern Tibet.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (50%); in-course assessment (50%).

Resit: one 3000 word essay (50%) and 1 three-hour written examination (50%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr F A Murphy

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 who have passed DR 2530, or by special permission of the Head of School.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in 2006/07 and in alternate years thereafter. Either this course or DR 4548 is required of Church of Scotland ministerial candidates.

Overview

This course is designed to provide advanced study of major themes and figures in Scottish Theology from 1560 to the present day. Particular attention will be given to the theology of the Scots Confession and the Westminster Confession and to their subsequent interpretation in Scotland. The latter half of the course will focus on major Scottish theologians of the 20th century, including the Baillie brothers and TF Torrance.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 two-hour seminar per week, plus 1 one-hour individual tutorial on the preparation of the in-course essay.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (50%) and in-course assessment (50%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Head of School of Divinity, History and Philosophy

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 and by permission of the Head of the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. Only one special subject may be taken.

Overview

This course allows a student to do in-depth study in a specific area in Divinity or Religious Studies agreed upon with his or her supervisor and approved by the Head of School.

Structure

1 hour of tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 six thousand word essay (60%) and 1 three-hour examination (40%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Head of School of Divinity, History and Philosophy

Pre-requisites

This course is only available to Senior Honours candidates in the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course applies to all sections of Divinity and Religious Studies.

Overview

A dissertation on a subject in either Church History or Hebrew Bible or New Testament or Practical Theology or Religious Studies or Systematic Theology to be approved by the Head of School.

Structure

Candidates are permitted to submit one dissertation (max 10,000 words) as part of their degree programme.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Dissertation (100%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor F B Watson

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 4 who have passed either DR2021, DR2523 or DR2801, or with special permission of the Head of School, to students in programme year 3 who have passed DR2021, DR2523 or DR2801.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course is run on a cycle with DR 4046 and will be available in 2006/07 and in alternate years thereafter.

Overview

Selected texts from the Gospels and Acts will be studied in detail. The aim of the course is that students may develop experience in advanced reading of the New Testament in Greek. Attention will be concentrated on the translation and interpretation of the texts, but the course will also cover historical, literary and theological questions.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (50%) and in-course assessment (50%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr P J Williams

Pre-requisites

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. Available only to students in Programme Year 2 who have passed either DR2021, DR2523 or DR2801 (or with special permission of the Head of School, to students in Programme Year 3 who have passed DR2021, DR2523 or DR2801).

Notes

This course is run on a cycle with DR4045 and will be available in 2005/06 and alternate years thereafter.

Overview

Selected texts from the Epistles will be studied in detail. The aim of the course is that students may gain experience in advanced reading of the New Testament in Greek; attention will be concentrated on the translation and interpretation of the texts, but the course will also cover historical, literary and theological questions.

Structure

1 two-hour seminar per week and 1 one-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (50%) and in-course assessment (50%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Thompson

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4, or by special permission of the Head of School.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in the second half-session of 2005/06 as DR 4548. Either this course or DR 4041 is required of Church of Scotland Ministerial candidates.

Overview

This course examines the radical changes, as well as the continuities, in Scottish religious life and thought between c1470 and the Covenanting revolution of the 17th century. Students will be introduced to a range of primary sources - textual, visual and material - relating to the following topics: religious life and thought on the eve of the Reformation, Christian humanism, martyrdom, the privy kirks, poetry and drama in the service of reform, Catholic reformers and controversialists, the reformed confessions of faith, the establishment of a reformed ministry, fasting and communion seasons, poor relief and education, discipline and repentance, reformed piety, Episcopacy and Presbyterianism, theologies of resistance and obedience, the National Covenant and the Covenanting revolution.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture/seminar and 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour examination (50%) and in-course assessment: one 2500 word essay (50%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr B Brock

Pre-requisites

Available to students from any discipline in Programme Year 4.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will run in 2006/07 and will alternate with DR 4051 in subsequent years.

Overview

Modern technology poses significant challenges to society at a number of levels: philosophical, theological and practical. This course examines the moral implications of technology for contemporary society and explores how philosophy and theology and the practices which emerge from such understandings might contribute to their resolution. Seminars and lectures will explore key issues relating to modern technology exploring the crucial implications of the moral questions modern technology raises in areas such as human reproduction, agriculture, politics and economics.

Structure

2 two-hour sessions per week using a combination of lecture/seminar format.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (20%), one essay (20%) and in-course assessment (60%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr B Brock

Pre-requisites

Available to students from any discipline in Programme Year 4.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will run in 2007/08 and alternate with DR 4050 in subsequent years.

Overview

The psalms have played a central role in Christian prayer, worship and self-discovery throughout the Christian tradition. This class will introduce the psalms as templates for understanding the contours of human life with God. This entails a descriptive task which will be aided by engaging with a wide range of theological and biblical discussions of the content of the psalms. This will be complimented by practical explorations as students privately engage in the practice of praying the psalms. Several Psalms will be studied closely each week and their theological and pastoral implications outlined.

Structure

2 two-hour sessions per week using a combination of lecture/seminar format.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (30%) and in-course assessment (70%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Schaper

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 who have passed DR 2019 or DR 2519.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in the first half-session of 2005/06 as DR 4053.

Overview

The courses involves study of a range of issues in the study of the literature and theology of the Hebrew Bible.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (60%), in-course assessment (40%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Swinton

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

A course on pastoral care with people who have disabilities. People with disabilities are often considered “non-persons”, a designation which is reflected in the negative ways we conceptualise disability, the exclusive theologies we develop, and the discriminating ways in which we choose to structure our communities. Drawing on insights from liberation theology, biblical studies, disability theology and contemporary disability studies, the course will develop an alternative perspective which begins with the assumption that people with disabilities are fully-human-as-they-are and that the theology and practice of church and society should reflect this reality.

2 two-hour sessions which will use a combination of teaching methods, primarily lectures, seminars, small group work, with additional teaching being delivered via the internet. (The course will have a dedicated web page which will contain information and WWW links as well as forums for electronic discussion and online chatting).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 major essay of 5,000 words (60%), one class presentation (20%) and two critical book reviews of around 1,500 words each (20%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Swinton

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching. This course will not be available in session 2005/06.

Overview

The course explores the meaning and implications for mission and ministry of the moral and social fragmentation that has come to be known as post-modernism. The course will reflect on the ways in which the discipline of practical theology (understood as critical reflection on the praxis of the church), can enable students to gain access to vital cultural and theological dimensions of contemporary culture, and provide fresh and innovative ways of addressing the perceived and real needs of those who live within such a culture.

Structure

1 major essay of 5,000 words (60%), one class presentation (20%) and two critical book reviews of around 1,500 words each (20%).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (30%) and in-course assessment (70%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr G Marranci

Pre-requisites

Available only to students who have been admitted to Level 4 Honours.

Notes

Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching.

Overview

The course presents an analysis of fundamentalism, which will be observed through its social and cultural expressions. Different sociological and anthrpological theories concerning religious fundamentalism will be presented and critically discussed during the course. A further key issue which will be discussed is the relationship between fundamentalism and modernity. Particular attention will be paid to Jewish, Christian, and Islamic fundamentalisms.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour examination (50%), one 4,000 essay (40%) and one oral presentation (10%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr D Wood

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Overview

Through lectures and close readings of selected texts, this course will introduce students to major themes in a Christian account of God and his effective presence in Jesus Christ. The first half of the course will treat the doctrine of the trinity and the divine perfections; the second half will treat the enacted identity of Jesus.

Structure

2 hour seminar, 1 hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (40%), 2 essays (60%).

Resit: 1 three-hour written exam (60%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr W Tuladhar-Douglas

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or above who have completed DR 2531 (or its precursors), DR 3571 or DR 3057. Year 3 students may join with the consent of the course co-ordinator.

Notes

For students with Sanskrit there may be a separate reading group.

Overview

The course is built around the close reading of Vajrayana Buddhist ritual and iconographic texts from the origins of Vajrayana in the 7th century to its post-Pala localisation in Newar and Tibetan forms in the 15th century. Students will acquire fluency in the basic ritual and iconographic elements in these texts, study their historical development and proceed to assess whether they are intended primarily as instruments of healing and immortality, of personal and political domination, or of inducing englightenment. We may look at some comparative material from the Shaiva and Pañcaratra traditions.

Structure

2 two-hour seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 3,000 word paper (40%), 1 in-class presentation (10%) and 1 three-hour written examination (50%).

Resit: (For Honours students only) Candidates achieving CAS mark of 6-8 may be offered compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving less than 6 will be required to submit themselve for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for details.