Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024 (archived)

Module TMMC1107: Introduction to Aspects of Pastoral Care

Department: Theology, Ministry and Mission

TMMC1107: Introduction to Aspects of Pastoral Care

Type Tied Level 1 Credits 10 Availability Available in 2023/24 Module Cap None. Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • L4-20 Introduction to Pastoral Care

Aims

  • To introduce students to major issues relating to pastoral care.
  • To provide students with an understanding of the place of pastoral care in the life and worship of the Christian community.
  • To encourage students to become committed to developing the skills and dispositions required for good pastoral care.

Content

  • An introduction to definitions and issues of pastoral care and understandings of human development.
  • An understanding of the place of pastoral and ministerial practice in the life and worship of the Christian community.
  • Development of skills and competences for informed pastoral care in selected contexts, for example bereavement or relationships.
  • An understanding of best practice in safeguarding, child protection and the protection of vulnerable adults.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Investigate and describe competently definitions and models of pastoral care, its place in the ministry and mission of the church, and some of the questions to which it gives rise.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Respond sensitively to pastoral situations, and reflect on these in the light of learning from this and other modules, communicating their findings accurately and reliably.
Key Skills:
  • Identify, gather and evaluate source materials for a specific purpose.
  • Evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches, communicating their findings sensitively and respectfully, showing self-awareness about their own beliefs, commitments and prejudices.
  • Carry out a guided task that involves: independent inquiry; management of time and resources; using IT; meeting deadlines; evaluating the task and learning from it. '>

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.
  • 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, testing numerous transferable skills such as those of listening, engaging in debate and seeking consensus.
  • Tutorials enhance learning by offering feedback and encouraging students to reflect on their own response to the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
  • Visits enable students to encounter the subject matter in a way that provokes formational as well as cognitive learning that demands critical reflection on the subject area and its implications.
  • 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

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 2 1.75 hours 3.5
Lectures 6 1.25 hours 7.5
Small Group Work 6 30 mins 3
Placement 20 hours 20
Personal study 66
Total 100

Summative Assessment

Component: Written Assignment Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Written Assignment 2500 words 100%

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