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.

Secular and Sacred in Australia

Unit Code: 
CH328
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

 This unit draws on historical and theological methodologies to explore the dynamics of belief and unbelief in 19th and 20th century Australia. It uses key metaphorical sites (‘home’, ‘church’, ‘war memorial’, ‘sports ground’, ‘fringe camp’, ‘pub’ and ‘town hall’) to examine Australian perceptions of ‘good’, ‘bad’ and ‘God’. Students should complete the units with a grasp of the historiography of religion in Australia and enhanced understanding of ‘the soul’ as a category of historical analysis. Students will hone skills in reading a range of historical and theological sources (including literary work and material culture), be able to formulate questions for independent research, and analyse the interplay of race, gender and culture in shaping and reflecting patterns of meaning and identity in Australia since 1788.

Learning Outcomes: 

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

  1. identify and discuss key themes in the post-contact history of Australia
  2. set those themes in the context of international literature on the history of faith and belief, and within various approaches to theological reflection
  3. analyse a range of historical sources for the practice of both history and theological reflection
  4. identify and implement strategies appropriate to interdisciplinary research questions.
Lecturer/s: 
Katharine Massam
Timetabling
Semester: 
Intensive
Location: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Frequency: 
Biennial
Years Offered: 
2010
Years Offered: 
2012
Years Offered: 
2014
Notes: 

In 2012 this unit will be taught from 10am-4.30pm on 16-18 and 23-25 January and 25 February. Enrolments for this unit close at 5pm on Monday 9 January 2012.

Unit Fields
Courses: 
Graduate Diploma in Theology
Courses: 
Master of Divinity
Courses: 
Master of Theological Studies
Field: 
Field C Christian Thought and History
Disciplines: 
Church History
MDiv Field: 
Hermeneutics and Culture
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: 
Intensive
Teaching Methods: 

Lectures and seminar discussion for six hours daily over six days  

Workload
Workload: 

36 contact hours

Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

1 x 1000 word reflective site report

Weighting: 
30%
Assessment Type: 

1 x 3000 word essay

Weighting: 
40%
Assessment Type: 

1 x research poster

Weighting: 
30%
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

  • Bachelard, G. The Poetics of Space. Boston: Beacon Press, 1964.
  • *Clark, M. A Short History of Australia. 4th ed. Ringwood: Penguin, 1995.
  • Grimshaw, P. et al. Creating a Nation. Ringwood: Penguin, 1996. (there’s a second edition I think)
  • Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Bringing Them Home. 1997.
  • Inglis, K. S. Sacred Places. Carlton: Miegunyah Press, 1998.
  • Murray, L. A. The Quality of Sprawl. Potts Point: Duffy & Snellgrove, 1999.
  • McCaughey, Davis. Tradition and Dissent. Carlton: Miegunyah Press, 1997.
  • Malouf, D. A Spirit of Play. Sydney: ABC Books, 1998.
  • McDannell, C. Material Christianity. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
  • *Peel, M. A Little History of Australia. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1997.
  • *Richard, J. Australia: A Cultural History. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 1996. 

© United Faculty of Theology, 2008-2012.