Undergraduate Course: Contemporary Systematic Theologies (THET10071)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course engages in close study of recent work in Christian systematic theology. Covering a broad range of doctrines, including God, Creation, Providence, Christ, Spirit, Church, and Eschatology, it will explore the output of some of the most influential thinkers over the last twenty years such as Pannenberg, Jenson, Williams, Tanner, Welker, Coakley, Sonderegger, Webster, Ward, Abraham, and Yong. Consideration will be given to different methodologies, perspectives and styles, and also to the agenda of problems with which recent theologians have worked. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
This course engages in close study of recent work in Christian systematic theology. Covering a broad range of doctrines, it will explore the output of some of the most influential thinkers over the last twenty years including Pannenberg, Jenson, Williams, Tanner, Welker, Coakley, Sonderegger, Webster, Ward, Abraham, and Yong. Consideration will be given to different methodologies, perspectives and styles and also to the agenda of problems with which recent theologians have worked.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
The course will follow a traditional creedal structure with attention given in successive weeks to recent work in the doctrine of God, creation, providence, anthropology, the person and work of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the church, sacraments and eschatology. (See 16 below for a full outline of topics and readings.)
Student Learning Experience Information
The course comprises a one-hour lecture and one-hour seminar each week. Students are required to read a prescribed text each week and to prepare notes on this for class discussion. Each member of the class will deliver a 10-minute presentation at least once during the course, and all members of the class will be expected to contribute to group discussion. This may take the form of two or more sub-groups. Lectures will be interactive allowing time for questions and discussion. In relation to formative assessment, students are invited to send to the course organiser an outline of their essay plans. These can then be discussed either by email or in person. Through participation in all class meetings and through formative and summative assessment, students will be able to demonstrate the learning outcomes of the course.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students interested in contemporary Christian theology would benefit from this course. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify and examine contextually key themes in recent systematic theology.
- Evaluate theological ideas in relation to Scripture, tradition and modernity.
- Identify the leading approaches in systematic theology today.
- Assess the main problems facing systematic theology today.
- Develop awareness of the inter-relatedness of doctrines.
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Reading List
Indicative Bibliography:
Abraham, William J. Divine Agency and Divine Action, Volume 3 Systematic Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018).
Berkhof, Hendrikus. Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979).
Ford, David F (ed.). The Modern Theologians, 3rd edition (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2005).
Gunton, Colin. Act and Being: Towards a Theology of the Divine Attributes (London: SCM, 2011).
Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. A Constructive Christian Theology for a Pluralistic World, Vols. 1-5, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013-17).
McRandal, Janice. Christian Doctrine and the Grammar of Difference: A Contribution to Feminist Systematic Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015).
Migliore, Daniel. Faith Seeking Understanding 2nd edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004).
Murphy, Francesca, Balazs Mezei, and Kenneth Oakes. Illuminating Faith: Invitation to Theology (London: Bloomsbury, 2014).
Planting Pauuw, Amy. Church in Ordinary Time: A Wisdom Ecclesiology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2017).
Plantinga Pauuw, Amy & Serene Jones (eds.). Feminist and Womanist Essays in Reformed Dogmatics (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006).
Suchocki, Marjorie Hewitt. God, Christ, Church: A Practical Guide to Process Theology (New York: Crossroad, 1986).
Thiselton, Anthony C. Systematic Theology (London: SPCK, 2015).
Webster, John. God Without Measure, Vol. 1 (London: T&T Clark, 2018).
Webster, John, Kathyrn Tanner and Iain R. Torrance (eds.). Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009).
Van der Kooi, Cornelius and Gijsbert van den Brink. Christian Dogmatics: An Introduction (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2017).
Williams, Rowan. Tokens of Trust (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2007). |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Critical thinking and reflection (through lectures, seminars, essay and exam)
- Close reading skills (through seminars and essay)
- Oral communication skills (through presentations and seminars)
- Working within a peer group (through work in seminars and in sharing presentations)
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| Keywords | Christian theology,contemporary,doctrine,systematics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | |
Course secretary | Miss Rachel Dutton
Tel: (0131 6)50 7227
Email: rdutton@ed.ac.uk |
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