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RELS387 Earliest Christianity: Social Context and Sacred Text

Updated: 15 January 2010
Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study Online Level
Armidale Semester 1 Off Campus C - Internet access required
Armidale Semester 1 On Campus C - Internet access required
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
Pre-requisites 12cp in ANCH or ASST or HIST or RELS or candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites None
Restrictions HIST387 or HIST487 or HIST587 or RELS206 or RELS306 or RELS406 or RELS587
Notes

offered in even numbered years
Combined Units RELS587 - Earliest Christianity: Social Context and Sacred Text
Coordinator(s) Lesley McLean (lmclean4@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

This unit investigates political, social and religious influences which gave rise to the early Christian movement in the first century. Historical perspectives will be advanced along with sociological models in order to assess the Jewish and Graeco-Roman roots of the most influential ideology from antiquity which is still alive today. There will be a focus on primary documents, with particular attention to the texts of the New Testament. A variety of models of interpretation of the New Testament will be studied.
Prescribed Material
Mandatory 		Text(s):

Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material

The Holy Bible
ISBN: 9780310902621
Collins New International Version
Text refers to: Semester 1 , On and Off Campus
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment
Title Exam Length Weight Mode No. Words
Assignment 1 50% 3000
Assessment Notes
Essay.
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-5 GA: 1-6
Assignment 2 50% 3000
Assessment Notes
Essay.
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-5 GA: 1-6

Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. critically assess the influence of the various settings (political, social, religious) on the early Christian movement;
  2. exemplify competence in the use of primary texts as resources for historical and sociological study;
  3. analyse sections of the New Testament using a variety of critical methods;
  4. show a critical understanding of early Christianity through the study of primary texts, including the New Testament;
  5. express an informed and educated attitude towards, and a continuing curiosity and interest in, the varieties of religious belief and practice;

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Knowledge of the studies in religion discipline will be taught in a seminar atmosphere. It will be assessed in both written assessments. 		True True
2 Communication Skills
Students will be taught communication skills through written and oral feedback on the essay and online components of the unit. Students studying on-campus will learn valuable communication skills through participation in seminars. Students will be assessed on the style of writing, clarity of writing, expression and development of ideas, and referencing. Students will practice their communication skills through completing the assessment tasks (written through the essay and online components). 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
This unit concentrates on a comparative perspective on world religions and this means it has an inherently global aspect. Earliest Christianity is one of these units that require students to learn a global perspective through the basic content of the course and the models of analysis provided. A global perspective is both practised and assessed in written and online assessment work. 		True True
4 Information Literacy
Students will be taught, and directed, to relevant literature and how to assess its validity. Students will be assessed (through the essay) on their ability to identify relevant literature, and on their ability to critically analyse the literature. 		True True
5 Life-Long Learning
Through completing the assessments, students will be provided with the necessary lifelong skills to be able to research, write and discuss social issues. These skills can be transferred to any discipline, and will be useful in any research positions. These attributes will be assessed in all of the assessments (written skills; analytical skills). In addition, students who attend the weekly seminar will be provided with the skills to debate contentious topics and develop their understanding of a topic through group activities. 		True True
6 Problem Solving
Students will be assessed on their ability to deconstruct the essay question and to integrate theory and literature into their answer. Students will need to work out how to address the question and where the most appropriate material is to answer the question. 		True
7 Social Responsibility
Within the unit there are specific discussions concerning ethics in relation to the interpretation of texts, especially texts of other cultures than the students' own. Students are expected to practise such ethical approaches to religion when doing their assignment work and in their online postings. 		True True
8 Team Work
Team work applies in general to discussions between students on Blackboard about problems they encounter or interesting questions for discussion. 		True
   

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