Secular and Sacred in Australia

UFT Code: 
CH328
Unit Credit Points: 
15
Timetabling
Semester: 
Intensive
Lecturer Profile: 
Katharine Massam
Location: 
United Faculty of Theology
Years Offered: 
2010
Notes: 

 10am-4.30pm 7-8 and 11-12 and 14-15 January + 10am-4pm on 27 March

 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.

Description
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.
Prerequisites: 
30 points of Foundational study in Christian Thought and History
Teaching Methods: 

Lectures and seminar discussion for six hours daily over six days  

Contact Hours: 

36 hours

Assessment: 
  • 1 x 1000 word reflective site report (30%)
  • 1 x 3000 word essay (40%)
  • 1 x research poster (30%) 
Mode of Teaching: 
Intensive
Bibliography: 

* = 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. 
Unit Fields
Course: 
Graduate Diploma in Theology
Master of Divinity
MTS
BTheol Field: 
Field C Christian Thought and History
MDiv Field: 
Hermeneutics and Culture
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Department Name: 
Department of Church History
Unit Level
GradDip Field: 
Elective
MDiv Type of Study: 
Integrative
MTS: 
MTS
Postgraduate: 
No

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