Theology, Ethics and Public Issues

Module title	Theology, Ethics and Public Issues
Module code	THEM128
Academic year	2022/3
Credits	30
Module staff	Professor Susannah Cornwall (Convenor) Professor Christopher Southgate (Lecturer) Dr Esther Reed (Lecturer)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	5

Module description

This module will focus on the interaction between theology and matters of current social and political importance. Attention will initially be given to introducing students to the range of approaches to this subject currently reflected in research taking place in Exeter. Focus will then be given to developing an in-depth project supervised by one member of staff. Such projects may include examinations of theology’s relationships with criminal justice, international law, sexuality and gender, scientific developments and changing modes of mass-communication.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module introduces you to a range of political, ethical, and social issues arising from theological belief and religious practice in the modern world.

The module will have three taught segments, each lasting for three weeks. Each segment will be on a different topic. Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

Adventures in ecotheology

This segment will enable you to explore how recent explorations in ecotheology interact with classic frameworks in Christian theology. It therefore presumes a basic knowledge of those frameworks. It will include not only radical proposals in ecofeminism and Christanimism, but also work in ‘cli-fi’ futuristic literature, and in poetry.

Decision-making: a brief guide from Thomas Aquinas

This segment investigates Thomas Aquinas’ approach to moral reasoning. It tests the proposition that his guidance is more comprehensive and therefore more useful than many modern approaches, and examines possibilities for dialogue with present-day behavioural sciences. The module takes in Aquinas’ theory of human nature and action, including the intellect, the will, and the passions of the sensory appetite. It considers the intellectual structure of decision-making, his explanation of wrong action, and privative account of evil.

Theology and trauma

In this segment you will engage with and critically analyse Christian theologies of trauma. You will be introduced to material on the origins of trauma theology in psychology, chaplaincy and pastoral care. You will reflect on trauma theologies' interactions with and implications for elements of doctrinal Christian theology such as theodicy and atonement. You will engage in close analysis of writings by key scholars in this area. (Note that the segment is likely to include discussion of traumatic events and may involve engagement with difficult and upsetting material.)

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Engage with recent scholarship concerned with interconnections between theology, ethics and public issues
2. Critically assess, in depth, one case study example related to the study of theology, ethics and public issues

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Critically assess the relationship between theology and matters of current social and political importance
4. Weigh up the place of theological discourse in the public square

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Develop a project that engages contemporary scholarship
6. Shape detailed information into a clear written account
7. Show significant originality and rigour in argument
8. Demonstrate independent and critical research skills
9. Convey ideas to your peers through oral presentation

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

introduction
research specialisms at Exeter
discussion of project proposals
oral presentation of project focus
directed research with supervisor

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
18	282	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	15	Seminar time
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	3	Supervision meeting
Guided Independent Study	282	Private study

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Annotated bibliography	1000 words	1, 8	Oral

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
90	0	10

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Oral presentation	10	15 minutes	1-5, 7-9	Written
Essay	90	6000 words	1-8	Written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Oral presentation	Oral presentation	1-5, 7-9	Refer/Defer period
Essay	Essay	1-8	Refer/Defer period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Esther D. Reed, Theology for International Law (T & T Clark, 2013)
Susannah Cornwall, Sex and Uncertainty in the Body of Christ: Intersex Conditions and Christian Theology (Acumen, 2010); Christopher Southgate (ed.)
God, Humanity and the Cosmos , 3rd ed. (T&T Clark, 2011).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11626

Key words search

Theology, religion, ethics, public issues

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	01/02/2014
Last revision date	14/02/2022