Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025

Module THEO3391: THE FIRST URBAN CHURCHES

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO3391: THE FIRST URBAN CHURCHES

Type Open Level 3 Credits 20 Availability Not available in 2024/2025 Module Cap Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To introduce students to social analysis of earliest Christianity.
  • To make disciplinary connections between history, text-analysis and the social sciences.
  • To enable students to engage with top level scholarship on Christian origins.

Content

  • Who were the first Christians and what was it like to belong to one of the first churches in the multicultural environment of a Roman city? How did Christians react to critical issues in their environment, such as slavery, 'idolatry' and life in the household? Exploring the social context of the first Christians and using tools drawn from sociology and anthropology, we will investigate how Christian communities developed their own identity, and the very varied patterns of leadership, gender-roles and cultural assimilation which they adopted.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • A systematic understanding of key aspects, and a coherent and detailed knowledge of scholarship on Christian origins, at least some of which is informed by the most recent research and methodologies.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Ability to understand and deploy select resources from the social sciences in analysing early Christianity.
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 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 approaches.
  • 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 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.
  • 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 22 Weekly 1.5 hours 33
Preparation and Reading 167
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination Component Weighting: 60%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
examination 2 hours 100%
Component: Essay Component Weighting: 25%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
essay 3000 words 100%
Component: Seminar Presentation Component Weighting: 15%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
seminar presentation 1500 words 100%

Formative Assessment:

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