Module THEO3691: Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth, and contemporary Catholic-Protestant Dialogue

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO3691: Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth, and contemporary Catholic-Protestant Dialogue

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• -To introduce students to the theology of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth. -To familiarize students with the content and development of Christian theology in key periods of its history. -To familiarize students with the ways that philosophy and theology intersect. -To familiarize students with the issues facing and methods used in ecumenical dialogue, -To sharpen students’ capacities to interpret and engage critically with primary texts.

Content

• Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth have come to be treated as archetypal representatives of Catholic and Protestant thought respectively; their work is central to ecumenical dialogue between Catholic and Protestant thinkers today. This module will introduce students to the theology of these two figures with a view to furthering students’ understanding of the work of two of the seminal figures in the Christian tradition as a whole and in Catholic-Protestant dialogue more particularly. Students will be introduced to the background, context, and legacy of each thinker’s work, and will then explore this work through dialogue on significant theological topics such as the nature of theology, revelation, God, Trinity, creation, and soteriology. Emphasis will be laid on working with primary sources, on considering the way that the primary source material reflects the commitments of Catholic and Protestant thought more broadly, and on the contrasts and similarities that emerge between Aquinas and Barth.

Learning Outcomes

• Students should develop an understanding of: -the content and significance of the theologies of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth; -significant topics in Christian theology including revelation, God, Trinity, creation, and salvation; -the importance of and the difficulties facing ecumenical dialogue; -the way that differing theologies shape differing conceptions of Christian life and practice; -the philosophical resources used in theology, and of the way that the use of these resources shapes theological work.

• Students should develop an ability to: -read, interpret, and evaluate the theology of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth; -situate each figure in his historical context and appreciate the way that this context shapes his work; -develop an account of the way that Aquinas and Barth reflect the priorities of Catholic and Protestant thought; -sustain a dialogue between the opposing viewpoints of Catholic and Protestant thought as they are represented by Aquinas and Barth.

• • Students should develop an ability to: -read challenging texts carefully and respectfully, produce sensitive accounts of their arguments, and appreciate their idiom and context; -learn and think independently; -develop and sustain their own arguments clearly and cogently; -relate abstract concepts to practical situations and vice versa; -engage constructively with the perspectives of others.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• -Seminars contribute to the development of subject specific knowledge by providing an opportunity for information regarding figures and topics to be conveyed to students; they facilitate the development of subject specific and key skills by furnishing an occasion for an approach to primary source reading to be modelled, for collaborative engagement with texts, and for dialogue between students and faculty. -Formative reading response assignments provide an occasion for students to deepen their subject specific knowledge by engaging carefully with a key text; they enable the development of subject specific and key skills by requiring students to give clear, concise articulation to a mature understanding of the content of a text. -A summative essay facilitates the development of subject specific knowledge by requiring students to give a detailed, cogent account of some aspect of course material. It requires them to engage at some length with a particular topic through consideration of both primary and secondary sources. The essay then contributes to the growth of subject specific and key skills by requiring students to work independently to develop a well-expressed and mature engagement with particular texts. -A summative exam pushes students to develop subject specific knowledge by requiring them to review and to master the sweep of material covered in the module. It facilitates the growth of subject specific and key skills by requiring them to present a mature grasp of course material clearly and concisely under time constraints.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Students will be required to submit six reading response assignments of approximately 300 words over the course of the module.

■ 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