THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES ST MARY S UNIVERSITY TWICKENHAM LONDON 2018/2019 SEMESTER 2/SPRING MODULES FOR STUDY ABROAD STUDENTS IMPORTANT NOTES: 1. Possible module combinations making up a full course load are: 3 x 20 credit modules = 60 credits in total 4 x 20 credit modules = 80 credits in total Note that a UK student normally takes 3 x 20 credit modules in a semester) We recommend that you check what the practice at your home institution is of converting UK credits into US credits. 2. A timetable in order to ensure that clashes are avoided will be available in due course. 3. The list provided here may be subject to change or availability. The information and detailed course descriptions included in this document were extracted from the most recently updated validation documents. However, minor changes may be operated by the module convenors, which do not justify a full revalidation.
TRS4010 Foundations in Christian Theology This module takes an historical approach to the development of Christian theology, introducing the main areas of tradition and thought. It is designed to help the student understand the diversity within theology, some of the major threads which run through all Christian approaches and some of the connections between developments in theology and wider social and cultural changes. TRS4050B Foundations in Religious Studies Religions are both complex and diverse. Ninian Smart's seven dimensions provide a way of approaching different religions at a foundational level. The focus is also on contemporary religions in the British context so that you can study religious faith and practice through field work. The module introduces you to some of the ways of studying religion, and develops your knowledge and understanding of six world religions. Some trips to local places of worship may require travel costs. TRS4005 Introduction to New Testament Greek This module offers a year-long Level 4 module in New Testament Greek. This will introduce you to the alphabet and basic grammar and vocabulary so that you can begin to read some New Testament passages in the original Greek, and use a dictionary to help you. The aim of the module is to develop your ability to understand and use biblical interpretation which relies on the original language. TRS4006 Key Modern Theologians This module seeks to introduce Level 4 students very early on in the degree programme to some of the main theologians and theological movements of the twentieth century. The theologians come from a wide range of backgrounds, institutions and denominations and the hope is to give students a flavour of some of the major issues in the field, such that they can be stimulated to pursue later, in greater depth, the areas and thinkers that appeal to them most.
TRS4002 Religion, Community, and Culture London is a wonderful resource for the study of theology and religious studies. This Level 4 module gives students the opportunity to begin to use fieldwork methods to explore a variety of aspects of the connections between Christianity and other religions with changing and diverse cultures and communities. It develops skills in fieldwork, to help students be aware of historical, literary, scriptural, artistic and geographical aspects of the study, and to begin to develop a critical understanding of the ideas of 'community' and 'culture'. Some day trips may require a student contribution. TRS5014 Hermeneutics with Special Reference to the Historical Books of the Old Testament The Old Testament text has not changed much over the centuries. What has changed are ways of reading the text. From the Diachronic methods of the historico-critical Method of Level 4, students are encouraged to explore the more synchronic methods such as Feminist Criticism, Structuralist Criticism and Reader-Response Criticism focusing more on the reader of the text at Level 5. This module enables students to become more aware of the act of reading, to test their own assumptions and to be able to read the Old Testament in different ways. TRS5020 Grace, Sin and Salvation This module will explore the complex nature of human existence, using wisdom from the Christian traditions to promote discussion and debate. If, as Christianity claims, God is the author, sustainer and goal of human existence, then the human person is the being who is oriented towards God and whose essence is determined by this orientation, and it becomes clear that a thorough study of the human person necessarily involves the study of God, and vice versa. This analysis provides a starting point for this module, which seeks to explore systematically grace, sin and salvation in the Christian traditions, to consider the practical implications that flow from faith in these doctrines and to appreciate how the Christian s theological, spiritual and moral life are to be understood synthetically and in mutual codependence.
TRS5029 Trinity This module investigates different theological approaches to the Christian concept of the Trinitarian God. It explores how these mysteries of doctrine may give shape to many aspects of theology and life lived within a contemporary Christian conspectus. It aims to help the student understand the implications of Trinitarian imagery in Christian doctrine and praxis through the analysis and discussion of key themes and central ideas of eminent theologians. The module is assessed by a 10 minutes oral presentation (25%) and an essay of 3000 words (75%). TRS5004 Islam This is another opportunity to explore a religion in greater depth. The key conceptual idea in this module is acquaintance with Islam and the diversity within this worldwide religion. The module explores Islam at the personal, local, national and international level, focusing particularly on what it means to be a British Muslim. The aim is to study Islam as both a historical and particularly as a contemporary phenomenon. Students will explore contemporary Muslim identity in Britain through fieldwork interviews. Students will be encouraged to be increasingly independent in their study and to develop their oral and writing skills. TRS6087 Religious Perspectives on Conflict In recent years, attention has been drawn to the prevalence of religious violence : does religion cause violence? This module will examine various aspects of the entanglement of religion and violence through the theoretical work of René Girard, William Cavanaugh, Sigmund Freud and others. The Bible contains many different treatments of violence, the most problematic of which are God s apparent approval of violence and war on behalf of a religious nationalism. Islam too has a complex approach to violence that has surfaced again in certain modern strands of political Islam. This module gives students the opportunity to reflect critically on a phenomenon that is disturbing and challenging.
TRS6013 Christian Living in Contemporary Culture This module invites you to explore the changed context for religious belief in contemporary western culture and to consider whether or not religious faith is still a credible position. After considering the possibility of seeing the world differently, the module goes on to explore what that new vision might imply for one's acting in the world. TRS6010 Apocalyptic Apocalyptic literature describes what can seem a strange world of visions, beasts and battles, but it has an important place in the Bible and a powerful religious message. This module will look at apocalyptic literature from the Old and New Testaments and from Second Temple Judaism. Texts to be examined include Ezekiel, Daniel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mark Chapter 13 and the Book of Revelation. It will examine a variety of historic and contemporary interpretations.