Units timetabled for 2013 and 2014 are provisional only, and details of semester and time will change. The official timetable for each year is released on 1 September of the prior year.

Archived unit descriptions for 2011 are available here.

Christianity and Ecology

Unit Code: 
OCT327
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

This one semester unit offers an introduction to contemporary issues at the juncture of Christianity and ecology. The background for the course is the challenge of the current environmental crisis (as experienced in matters of, for example, global warming and loss of biodiversity) for Christian theology and praxis. Particular emphasis will be given to the intersection between matters of ecological justice and social justice. Students will be given the opportunity to develop skills in doing integrative contextual theology that addresses questions of faith and understanding in the context of human interconnectedness with, and responsibility towards, a wider earth community of human and non-human others.

Learning Outcomes: 

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

  1. articulate a clear understanding of the intersections between environmental and social justice
  2. appraise a variety of ecotheological perspectives carefully and critically
  3. demonstrate a capacity for critical and creative theological reflection on issues of contemporary ethical and practical concern
  4. undertake a small, independent research project that brings theological insight to bear on an ecological issue of the student’s choice.
Lecturer/s: 
Anne Elvey
Timetabling
Semester: 
Semester 1
Unit Frequency: 
Biennial
Years Offered: 
2010
Years Offered: 
2012
Years Offered: 
2014
Unit Fields
Courses: 
Graduate Diploma in Theology
Courses: 
Master of Divinity
Courses: 
Master of Theological Studies
Field: 
Field C Christian Thought and History
Disciplines: 
Systematic Theology
MDiv Field: 
Theology and the Public Realm
Department Name: 
Department of Christian Thought and History
Unit Level
GradDip Field: 
Elective
MDiv Type of Study: 
Integrative
Prerequisites: 

30 points of Foundational study in Christian Thought and History

Mode of Teaching: 
Online
Teaching Methods: 

There are six fortnightly sessions covering Christianity and Ecology consisting of lessons which guide reading from the set texts and provide additional reading resources and some notes and virtual tutorials. Students will be expected to contribute to the discussions in each session. 

Workload
Number of timetabled hours per week: 
0
Expected personal study hours per week: 
12
Total workload hours per week: 
12
Total workload hours for unit: 
144
Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

Participation in each of the six online tutorials, comprising intentional, reflective and critical interaction with lecturer and peers to the equivalent of 1000 words

Weighting: 
20%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
1, 2, 3
Assessment Type: 

1 x 500 word project plan

Weighting: 
10%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
4
Assessment Type: 

1 x 500 word annotated bibliography

Weighting: 
10%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
4
Assessment Type: 

1 x 4000 word independent research project essay

Weighting: 
60%
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 
1, 3, 4
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

  • Edwards, D. Breath of Life: A Theology of the Creator Spirit. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2005.
  • Gebara, I. Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1999.
  • Habel, N. An Inconvenient Text: Is a Green Reading of the Bible Possible? Adelaide: ATF Press, 2009.
  • *Hessel, D. T. and R. R. Ruether (eds). Christianity and Ecology: Seeking the Well-Being of Earth and Humans. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000.
  • Kearns, L. and C. Keller (eds). Ecospirit: Religions and Philosophies for the Earth. New York: Fordham University Press, 2007.
  • *McFague, S. Life Abundant: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001.
  • McNeill, J. R. Something New under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World. New York: Norton, 2001.
  • Plumwood, V. Feminism and the Mastery of Nature. London: Routledge, 1993.
  • Ruether, R. R. Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1992.
  • Wennberg, R. N. God, Humans, and Animals: An Invitation to Enlarge our Moral Universe. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. 

© United Faculty of Theology, 2008-2012.