Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2015-2016 (archived)
Module THEO3451: RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE IN THE REFORMATION ERA
Department: Theology and Religion
THEO3451:
RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE IN THE REFORMATION ERA
Type |
Open |
Level |
3 |
Credits |
20 |
Availability |
Not available in 2015/16 |
Module Cap |
|
Location |
Durham
|
Prerequisites
Corequisites
Excluded Combination of Modules
Aims
- To introduce students to questions and problems arising from the
interaction between violence and religion, through a detailed study of
violence of various kinds in the Reformation era.
- To foster a study of religious cultures which is both historically
and theologically situated.
Content
- Like our own era, the Reformation age was one of violence
carried out in the name of faith; from state persecution of heretics and
other religous deviants, through religious riot, lynching and
iconoclasm; through to full-scale wars of religion. This module will
examine the violent faces of early modern Christianity. We will look in
detail at state persecution in the English Reformation, and at the
French Wars of Religion, while also drawing in other case-studies from
elsewhere in Europe. We will be asking questions such as: what really
motivates 'religious' violence? Are some religious traditions more
violent than others? And how does violence change the religious cultures
which inflict it, and which suffer from it?
Learning Outcomes
- A detailed understanding of the course of the English
Reformation and the French Wars of Religion, and in particular of the
role which violence of various kinds played in shaping their
outcome.
- A thorough awareness of the anthropological, sociological,
theological and political-theory issues surrounding religion and
violence in this period, and of the interaction between
them.
- An ability to contextualise, sift and analyse complex sources
and to develop arguments based on detailed research into both
historical and theological questions.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to
the learning outcomes of the module
- Lecture conveys information and exemplifies an approach to the
subject matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of
the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in 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
appraoches.
- Formative essays develop 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.
- Examinations assess subject-specific knowledge and
understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation
of information in written form under time constraints.
- Summative seminar presentations enhance the ability to select
relevant academic information and develop skills of oral communication
and presentation, including the employment of relevant media.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
Activity |
Number |
Frequency |
Duration |
Total/Hours |
|
Lectures |
2 |
Weeks 2 and 12 |
1 hour |
2 |
■ |
Seminars |
18 |
|
10 1-hour classes, 8 2-hour classes |
26 |
■ |
Student preparation & reading time associated with the
contact hours listed above, coursework, general background reading,
reivison for written examinations etc. |
|
|
|
172 |
|
SLAT totals |
|
|
|
200 |
|
Summative Assessment
Component: Examination |
Component Weighting: 80% |
Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
Examination |
3 hours |
100% |
|
Component: Seminar Presentation |
Component Weighting: 20% |
Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
seminar presentation |
|
100% |
|
Seminar presentation and 2000 word
essay
■ 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