Secular and Sacred in Australia

UFT Code: 
CH228/328
Unit Credit Points: 
15
Timetabling
Semester: 
Intensive
Lecturer Profile: 
Katharine Massam
Location: 
CTM
Years Offered: 
2010
Notes: 

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

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: 
Level 2: 15 points of Church History and 15 points of Systematic Theology at Level 1 Level 3: 15 points of Church History and 15 points of Systematic Theology at Level 2
Teaching Methods: 

Lectures and seminar discussion for six hours daily over six days   

Contact Hours: 

36 hours

Assessment: 

Level 2 

  • 1 x 1000 word reflective site report (20%)
  • 1 x 2000 word essay (40%)
  • 1 x research poster (40%)

Level 3 

  • 1 x 1000 word reflective site report (30%)
  • 1 x 3000 word essay (40%)
  • 1 x research poster (30%) 
Mode of Teaching: 
Intensive
Bibliography: 
Recommended reading:
* = set texts recommended for purchase
Please format reading lists according to Turabian
 
  • 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: 
Bachelor of Theology
BTheol Field: 
Field C Christian Thought and History
BTheol Discipline: 
Church History
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Department Name: 
Department of Church History
Unit Level
Undergraduate Level: 
2
Undergraduate Level: 
3
MTS: 
No
Postgraduate: 
No

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