Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2013-2014 (archived)
Module THEO2211: Philosophy and the Christian Tradition
100-500
Department: Theology and Religion
THEO2211:
Philosophy and the Christian Tradition
100-500
Type |
Open |
Level |
2 |
Credits |
20 |
Availability |
Available in 2013/14 |
Module Cap |
None. |
Location |
Durham
|
Prerequisites
- Introduction to Christian Theology or
equivalent.
Corequisites
Excluded Combination of Modules
Aims
- To further develop student's knowledge on basic themes of key
ancient philosophical discussions of "God", the soul and some aspects of
epistemology.
- To further student's knowledge of the ways in which these ideas
influenced the development of Christian thought in the period between
100 and 500, with a particular focus on understanding how Christians
adapted non-Christian ideas to their own uses.
- To provide students with skills necessary for exploring the
relationship between Christian theologies and philosophical ideas in the
pre-modern period.
Content
- Since at least the late nineteenth century the charge has
frequently been made that early and medieval Christian thinkers allowed
the clear teaching of the Gospels to be overcome by the alien concepts
of "Greek philosophy". The purpose of this course is to examine some of
the key thinkers and schools of ancient and late ancient philosophy and
explore how those ideas influenced Christian thinking between 100 and
500. The course supposes no prior knowledge of ancient philosophy. As
well as providing concrete case studies of Christian adaptation of
non-Christian philosophy, the course will also help students to explore
a variety of broad questions about the relationship between theology and
philosophy.
- In the first term of the course key relevant philosophical
schools will be introduced. At the same time, during these sessions
frequently small sections of the Christian texts will be introduced and
will be considered at more length in the second half of the course. The
aim in so doing will be to enable students to recognise the
multi-layered nature of those Christian texts when they are later
encountered again after further philosophical studies. This will help
students to learn how to read different layers of philosophical
influence in texts.
- In the second term, the main focus will be on Christian
texts using these non-Christian resources (although considering these
Christian texts will also deepen students' awareness of the intentions
and structure of their non-Christian sources). Much time will be devoted
to considering how Christians adapted philosophical material, how the
demands of the Scriptural text governed adaptation and how far that
which seemed philosophically persuasive shaped interpretation. In order
to focus on a few actual texts rather than engaging in too much survey
work, the focus will be on a small number of Christian
authors.
Learning Outcomes
- A knowledge of the main schools of classical philosophy that
were influential on Christianity, and a detailed knowledge of the
methods Christians used when they adapted material from those
schools.
- Analytical awareness, informed by recent research and methods
in the field, of the contribution of classical philosophy to the
development of classical Christian beliefs.
- An ability to analyse non-Christian philosophical and early
and medieval Christian texts with intellectual rigour and historical
depth.
- A capacity to perceive and interpret relationships between
key theological beliefs and philosophical sources.
- Skills in reading, researching, and writing about complex
texts that depend on a complex range of sources and that reveal
complex patterns of adaptation.
- Skills in the analysis of the interaction between philosophy
and theology in a wide range of traditions an cultures.
- An ability to read sophisticated and multivalent texts with
intellectual nuance.
- Research, presentation, and writing skills.
- A capacity to discern the techniques of adaptation and source
engagement that shaped classical Christianity during its formative
period.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to
the learning outcomes of the module
- Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the
subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of
the material and to improve their skills in interpreting and evaluating
information.
- Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding
both through preparation and through interaction with students and
staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches, as
well as affording developmental opportunities for skills in theological
reflection.
- Presentations assess subject-specific knowledge and
understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation
of information in oral form under time constraints.
- Examinations assess subject-specific knowledge and
understanding, and the ability to structure information in written form
under time contraints.
- Summative essays assess subject-specific knowledge and
understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of
information through reading and research, and in the structured
presentation of information in written form.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
Activity |
Number |
Frequency |
Duration |
Total/Hours |
|
Lectures |
16 |
9 in 1st Term; 7 in 2nd Term |
1 Hour |
16 |
|
Seminars |
6 |
3 in 1st Term, 3 in 2nd Term |
2 Hours |
12 |
|
Preparation and Reading |
|
|
|
172 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
200 |
|
Summative Assessment
Component: Summative Essay 1 |
Component Weighting: 20% |
Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
Summative Essay |
1,500 Words |
100% |
|
Component: Summative Essay 2 |
Component Weighting: 20% |
Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
Summative Essay |
1,500 Words |
100% |
|
Component: Seminar Presentation |
Component Weighting: 20% |
Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
Presentation |
15 min |
100% |
|
Component: Examination |
Component Weighting: 40% |
Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
Examination |
2 Hours |
100% |
|
None.
■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University