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| Unit name |
Theology of Place (Trinity and Baptist College) |
| Unit code |
THRSM0082 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
M/7
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Reverend Dr. Craig Bartholomew |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department |
Department of Religion and Theology |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
This course explores a theology of place with a specific focus on
- place in the OT and NT
- place in the Western philosophical tradition
- place in the Christian tradition
- a trinitarian theology of place for today
- theoretical and practical implications of a Christian view of place today in relation to areas such as the city, the home, gardens, agriculture, the claims of virtual place and globalisation, etc.
The unit aims for all participants to:
- become sensitive to and passionate about the reality of place; of being implaced and the challenge of displacement;
- explore place as a major biblical, philosophical and theological theme;
- learn how to read the Bible as authoritative for an understanding of place;
- develop a non-reductionistic theology of place;
- examine particular examples of place;
- develop and execute a research project on one aspect of place.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On completion of the unit students should:
- be able to articulate the crisis of place today and the importance of constructive engagement in this area;
- have demonstrated an understanding of, and the ability to apply, the theological hermeneutic required to excavate the rich resources of Scripture for a theology of place;
- be able to articulate the contours of a contemporary theology of place;
- have demonstrated the skills involved in developing a research project in the sort of contextual, missional theology that study of place evokes;
- have become more attuned to their own and others’ experience of place.
Teaching Information
This unit will be taught through lectures, seminars, oral presentations and one to one contact with students.
Assessment Information
Formative assessment will be through a journal that is kept during the course in which students:
- reflect on three places that have been meaningful to them in their lives, whether positive or negative.
- keep a record of what they are learning in the course
- record their questions and critical engagement with the material.
Students will also be expected to provide an oral presentation about their research area for their essay, for which the tutor will give feedback.
Summative assessment will be through a 6,000 word essay.
Reading and References
- Bartholomew, C.G., "The Theology of Place in Genesis 1-3," Reading the Law: Essays in Honour of Gordon J. Wenham (ed. J. G. McConville and K. Moller; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2007);
- Brueggemann, W., The Land (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1977);
- Casey, E.S., Getting Back Into Place: Toward a Renewed Understanding of the Place-World (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 2009);
- Davis, E.F., Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible (Cambridge: CUP, 2009);
- Davies, W.D., The Gospel and the Land: Early Christianity and Jewish Territorial Doctrine (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1974);
- Inge, J., A Christian Theology of Place (Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, 2003).
