Module THEO44430: Inter-disciplinary Research in Theology and Religion

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO44430: Inter-disciplinary Research in Theology and Religion

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To develop an understanding of the range of sub-disciplines within Theology and Religion.
• To equip students in selecting and limiting their choice of disciplines/sub-disciplines in a single study.

Content

• The course will introduce students to the variety of ways in which the academic disciplines within Theology and Religion evaluate and research the beliefs and practices of religious communities.
• The module’s lectures and seminars will focus principally on Christian theology, and will explore the purposes and methodologies of various sub-disciplines within Theology and Religious Studies, including: Biblical Studies, Systematic and Philosophical Theology, Christian Ethics, Sociology of Religion, Anthropology and History. (Areas such as Church Growth, Digital Theology, Youth Ministry and Homiletics will be touched on, but not explored in depth.)

Learning Outcomes

• A developed and critical understanding of methodologies in theology and the study of religion.

• The ability to deploy an appropriate range of methodologies in the study of religion and theology
• Skills in using critically a variety of disciplines to understand practice

• Communicate complex information and argument in a clear and orderly way
• Understanding of a range of complex phenomena
• Understanding the limits of interdisciplinary study; demonstrating a clear rationale for the choice of particular sub-disciplines for the student’s proposed research.
• Problem posing and problem solving

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

• The module functions primarily as the third module in the Doctor of Theology and Ministry (DThM) degree. It introduces students to a variety of methodologies drawn from the wide range of disciplines/subdisciplines within the study of Religion and Theology, and to the potential, and the necessary limits, in designing a methodology that draws on more than one subdiscipline.
• Students will already have been introduced to a variety of empirical and ethnographic approaches to theology. This module allows them to refine those concepts by exposure to methodologies drawn from the wider range of disciplines within the study of Religion and Theology.
• The module will be structured around lectures and seminars with a formative assignment on which written feedback is given and a summative assignment of 5,000 words.
• Lectures and seminars are delivered as a block of teaching during the 5 day spring DThM Residential programme, which is held out of term during the Easter break.
• It is anticipated that the summative assignment may serve as an exploratory study towards the candidate’s choice of subdisciplines for their DThM research project.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

2,000 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