THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY TWICKENHAM LONDON
2017/2018 SEMESTER 1/FALL
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.
Foundations in Biblical Interpretation
Code:
TRS4000
Level:
4
This course aims to familiarize you with essential features of biblical literature so that whether you
are a believer or not, you will be able you will gain genuine insights into the text and be able to read
it more thoughtfully. In particular, the course aims to increase your knowledge and understanding of
the composition and content of the Old and New Testaments. To help you engage with a variety of
intriguing and exciting biblical texts and aspects their historical, sociological and geographical
background. To promote an appreciation of the place of the Bible in the historical, religious and
cultural developments of the past two thousand years.
Foundations in Religious Studies
Code:
TRS4050A
Level:
4
As part of this module there will be the opportunity to visit local religious institutions. Examples of
previous visits include: Jamia Masjid Mosque, Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh temple, Wat
Buddhapadipa, Shree Ganapathy Temple as well as other institutions.
There are three assessment tasks: A 900 word essay on ‘Some perspectives on Religion in the
Modern World’ (30%). A 1200 word essay on ‘Reflections on my Visits to Religious Sites’ (40%). A
group presentation (3 or 4 students) on an aspect of the course (30%).
Bioethics
Code:
TRS5003
Level:
5
Social changes and technological innovations from the late 1960s gave rise to a new area of
study - ‘bioethics’. This discipline actually has its roots in the reflections of theologians and
Christian philosophers such as Paul Ramsey and Edmund Pellegrino, but it really
mushroomed with the publication of Tom Beauchamp and James Childress’ Principles of
Medical Ethics in 1977. Bioethics arose out of medical ethics but has since expanded
beyond the professional ethics of medical practitioners to tackle broader fundamental
questions relating to health, society, and the ethical understanding of the new biology,
especially of genetics.
Judaism
Code:
TRS5005
Level:
5
At Level 5 there is the opportunity to study a religion in depth, using a number of the approaches
introduced at Level 4. This module will look at the distinctive features of Jewish religion and identity,
different from Christianity because ‘Jewish’ marks both a religious and an ethnic identity. Its roots
and separation from the Messianic Judaism that becomes Christianity in the 1st Century CE, will be
the basis of understanding its present character. We will look at Jewish feasts, practices and worship
including a visit to the West London Synagogue, and study Jewish responses to the Holocaust that
has marked so much of contemporary Jewish identity.
Atheism and Non-Religion
Code:
TRS5006
Level:
5
Why should atheism emerge so strongly now? Modern unbelief has both intellectual and cultural
roots that will be examined in this module. Increasingly, an atheistic stance has become the default
position for many people and religious believers are made to feel that their faith is an infantile
delusion. But important modern research traces the roots of atheism to the way Western Christian
theism treats God. This module will enable students to engage intelligently with modern discussions
about God and offer the opportunity for serious reflection on the tangle of atheism, unbelief, nonreligion, secularism and Christian belief.
Christology
Code:
TRS5028
Level:
5
The module will examine central questions in Christology. It will consider different approaches to
‘the historical Jesus’ and the role that Jesus’ self-understanding plays, or does not play, in
Christology. Issues relating to the interpretation of the evidential status of the Gospel traditions will
be discussed, and the weight to be given to these traditions in attempted reconstructions of the
aims and self-understanding of Jesus. Issues relating to the Resurrection and its significance for the
identity of Jesus will also be addressed. The way in which the life of Jesus has been presented in
modern cinema is also examined, particularly ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ and ‘The Gospel
according to Matthew’.
Ecclesiology
Code:
TRS5040/TRS6040
Level:
5/6
Ecclesiology is the theology of the Church. The life of the Christian is expressed in celebration,
prayer, sacraments, worship, and mission. The development of the Christian community from its
origin in the New Testament era to its current understanding is explored. The module explores the
historical theological and doctrinal divisions of Christianity and investigates particular aspects of its
pastoral roles. It particularly focuses on the developments in Catholic theology at the Second Vatican
Council (1962-65) and current ecumenical developments.
Eastern Christianity
Code:
TRS5041
Level:
5
Eastern and Oriental Christianity is a rich and diverse part of the living Christian religious tradition. In
recent years travel and immigration have opened this tradition to the European and British cultural
setting. The diversity of the eastern churches, their antiquity, the rich liturgical and spiritual
tradition, and fidelity to a particular interpretation of the Christian faith are important for a fuller
understanding of Christianity as a whole. This module is based around a comprehensive study of
particular churches and will visit some of these communities in London. It will develop the students’
understanding of the diversity of eastern traditions of Christianity, and help them develop critical
understanding of theological, ecumenical, cultural and pastoral issues.
Scripture in Contemporary Context
Code:
TRS5044
Level:
5
This module aims to deepen the students’ understanding of how the Biblical text has come to be
interpreted in such radically different ways. After a short review of classical and historical
approaches to criticism, the course offers deeper insights into selected hermeneutical schools.
The Gospel of John
Code:
TRS6008
Level:
6
The impact of the Fourth Gospel over the centuries, as Ruth Edwards points out, has been
extraordinary, and it continues to absorb and wholly challenge its readers. Not surprisingly it has been
the focus of a range of critical approaches, a number of which will be examined in the course of this
module. While the historical-critical method remains important, significant insights are offered
through literary, feminist, socio-scientific and other approaches. Part of the wonder of narrative
criticism applied to John’s Gospel, for example, is that it highlights both the skill of the writer and the
depth of the narrative in ways that were perhaps less evident in earlier studies. In addition the
evangelist’s use of the Old Testament and its significance will be explored as it contributes to what is
of first importance here, namely the theological purpose and message of the Gospel.
Prophets
Code:
TRS6009
Level:
6
This module on prophetic literature in the Hebrew Scriptures shows, inter alia, that prophetic figures
still walk our streets. But in order to understand their societal impact we need to go back to the
classical prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is therefore a pleasure for me to welcome you to TRS
6009: Prophets. This module will be taught primarily through lectures and seminars centred on the
primary source of the Hebrew Scriptures. Please remember to bring with you a copy of your Bible to
every session. Through coursework you will be encouraged to map your knowledge of the classical
prophetic figures onto our contemporary prophetic figures.
Worship
Code:
TRS6011
Level:
6
The purpose of this module is to explore theologically and historically the nature of worship in the
Christian tradition, involving specifically at the study of liturgy, that is, set forms of largely public
worship. (cf Spirituality) Much of it will be descriptive, looking at particular forms of worship. This
should enable you to carry out a substantial assignment which in which you have a lot of freedom to
draw on what we have done and your own experience.