Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2017-2018 (archived)

Module THEO2301: THE MAKING OF MODERN CHRISTIANITY: MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION EUROPE

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2301: THE MAKING OF MODERN CHRISTIANITY: MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION EUROPE

Type Open Level 2 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2017/18 Module Cap Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To provide students with an overall religious history of the period;
  • To introduce students to the development of theology in the period;
  • To introduce students to the interrelationship between religious and theological factors and social and cultural developments in the period;
  • To introduce students to the interpretation of theological and historical texts in translation.

Content

  • This module examines the emergence of modern Christianity. The medieval and Reformation periods were pivotal for the making of the modern world because the theological, spiritual and moral ideas of both leading intellectual and more popular movements influenced the long-term development of Churches, governments and culture, and their impact is still evident in church and society today. This module will examine these ideas but will also explore the ways in which they were profoundly affected by the social, political and economic conditions that characterized the medieval and early modern world. In this module, students will have opportunities to engage with primary medieval and Reformation sources.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • A knowledge and critical understanding of the overall religious history of the period and of theological developments within it, along with an appreciation of the interrelationship between, on the one hand, religious and theological factors, on the other, social and cultural developments.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Skills in the close reading and analysis of appropriate theological and historical texts
Key Skills:
  • Skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.

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 knowledge and a clear understanding of the subject, and to improve their skills 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 approaches, and enhancing skills in the analysis of texts, concepts and arguments.
  • 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.
  • Examinations assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 16 Weekly, but no lectures in weeks 5,8 (Michaelmas), 14,17 (Epiphany), 20 or 22. 1 hour 16
Seminars 12 Seminar slots after lectures, to fall in weeks 3,4,6,7,9,10 (Michaelmas), 12,13,15,16,18,19 (Epiphany) 1 hour 12
Preparation and Reading 172
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Summative Essay Component Weighting: 25%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Summative Essay 3000 words 100%
Component: Examination Component Weighting: 75%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Examination 3 hours 100%

Formative Assessment:

One formative essay (2500 words).


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