Module TMMC3087: Conflict Transformation in the Church

Department: Theology, Ministry and Mission

TMMC3087: Conflict Transformation in the Church

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To provide skills and tools to work towards effecting transformation in situations of conflict.
• To promote understanding of conflict in church settings.
• To develop awareness of personal working style as a leader facing conflict.

Content

• Our Experience of Conflict:
• Definitions and associations of conflict
• Christians and conflict
• Ways of working with conflict
• Gilmore-Fraleigh style profile – personal profile in calm and storm; defining and recognising excess The Church and Conflict:
• Biblical material dealing with conflict
• Positions and interests
• Levels of church conflict Tools for Conflict Transformation: • Re-framing
• Apology
• The ‘conflict spectrum’
• Centred speaking and listening
• Informal mediation
• Facilitating good group process
• Being an effective leader in the face of conflict

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate analytical understanding of the causes and structures of human conflict.
• Demonstrate analytical understanding of themes and resources from Christian theological tradition for dealing with issues of conflict.
• Demonstrate critical awareness of the ethical impact of conflict in Christian ministry and of principles of effective leadership in ecclesial settings involving conflicting positions, interests and needs.

• Articulate and analyse ways for working constructively with conflict in the church.
• Draw critically upon resources informed by Scripture, tradition and the human sciences in their approach to conflict and pastoral care within church settings.
• Demonstrate awareness of their own working style preference.

• Demonstrate developed self-awareness and integrative ability as reflective practitioners.
• Identify, gather, analyse and evaluate textual source materials, including material from primary sources and scholarly research, for a range of purposes, and communicate their findings with clarity and fairness to specialist audiences.
• Critically evaluate ideas, arguments and assumptions, using them to construct and communicate coherent and well-reasoned arguments, showing critical awareness of their own and others’ beliefs, commitments and prejudices, to specialist audiences.
• Take responsibility for their own personal and professional development

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

• Teaching methods to be specified by each TEI, selecting from the following:
• Lectures provide content, a conceptual framework and a survey of approaches within a subject area that enable students to locate their learning in a wider context, to make connections with other disciplines, and to evaluate and apply their learning to different contexts.
• Seminars offer students an opportunity to present, evaluate and apply their knowledge to specific contexts, and to engage with teaching staff and peers in debate and reflection.
• Guided reading in conjunction with lectures encourages independent learning and underpins the knowledge and understanding gained in lectures and seminars.
• Small group learning creates an environment where students learn to articulate their knowledge and understanding effectively and in a way that is relevant to the group and its context. Tutorials enhance learning by offering feedback and encouraging students to reflect on their own response to the knowledge and skills they have acquired
• Case studies offer students the opportunity to apply their knowledge, analytical and problem-solving skills to the kinds of complex, realistic and often ambiguous situations they are likely to encounter in their profession / ministry/ vocation. They can be designed to encourage group work and varying degrees of independent learning.
• Placements and/or work-based learning ensures that students make habitual connections between knowledge, understanding, skills, professional practice and the reality of a specific context, under the supervision of an experienced practitioner.
• Programmed online learning materials guide students through knowledge content, its wider framework and different approaches to its application.
• Virtual discussion forums offer students the opportunity to articulate the knowledge and understanding they have acquired to others and to engage in informed debate.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Students will be expected to demonstrate engagement with the subject matter and the learning outcomes throughout the module by suitable formative assessments that encourage integrative and reflective skills.

■ 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