| CODE | PLC5014 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Resources for Religious Education | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Pastoral Theology, Liturgy and Canon Law | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit will focus on the various resources available. The following resources will be explored: nature, texts, symbols, rites and rituals, other religions (particularly Judaism, Jewish culture and Jewish traditions), Maltese customs and traditions, other cultures (e.g.Roman Culture and Tradition), (Sacred) art, (Sacred) Music, Church architecture, history (Maltese history and Church history in general), the Catholic liturgy (Mass and sacraments), the liturgical calendar, current political events and social affairs, contemporary ethical issues. The study-unit will apply a cultural, a psychological and also a theological approach to symbolic resources. Work by Tania Zittoun on Symbolic Resources will be studied along with Rahner’s theology of symbol and with Louis-Marie Chauvet’s sacramental interpretation of existence. The study-unit will also explore how symbols work, how they evolved, how they have been used to address issues which humankind has had to face, and how they can be used today to address issues which humanity faces, which Christians face, and which students face in their everyday lives. Study-Unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are to help student-teachers recognize, explore and understand the the various resources available, the significance of objects and gestures which have deep symbolic value, and which serve as resources for the teacher of Catholic Religious education within the Secondary School. The emphasis will be on the usefulness of these resources for the appreciation and understanding of our Maltese identity, for the interpretation of the current Religious context and for the teaching of Religious Education in schools. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify the various religious artifacts and symbols associated with Catholicism. - Comprehend the origin of these artifacts and religious symbols. - Interpret the significance of these artifaccts and religious symbols. - Evaluate the depth, relevance and value of these artifacts and symbols. - Use these artifacts and symbols as resources for the RE classroom. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Recognise how, within religious traditions, elements of nature, literature, history etc have been turned into symbolic resources which were consequently used to address issues which humanity faced, and which Christians faced in their everyday life. - Acquire the methodology for turning nature, literature, history etc into symbolic resources which can be used within the classroom to address issues which students face in their everyday life. - Appropriately and effectively, use these objects and symbols in the classroom, as effective resources for Secondary School students. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Chauvet, Louis-Marie, Symbol and Sacrament: A Sacramental Reinterpretation of Christian Existence, translated by Patrick Madigan and Madeleine Beaumont (Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1995). Rahner, Karl, ‘The Theology of Symbol’, in Theological Investigations, Volume 4. Tzvetan Todorov, Theories of the Symbol, Translated by Catherine Porter (New York: Cornell University Press, 1982. Originally Published as Théories du Symbole, Editions du Seuil, 1977. Gallagher, Michael Paul, Clashing Symbols: An Introduction to Faith and Culture (New York: Paulist Press, 2003). Supplementary Readings: Alex Gillespie and Tania Zittoun, ‘Using Resources: Conceptualizing the Mediation and Reflective Use of Tools and signs’, Culture and Psychology, 2010, Vol.16 (1), 37-62. Tania Zittoun, Gerard Duveen, Alex Gillespie et al., ‘The Use of Symbolic Resources in Developmental Transitions’, Culture and Psychology, Sage Publications, Vol 9 (4): 415-448. Tania Zittoun, ‘Symbolic Resources in Dialogue, Dialogical Symbolic Resources, Culture and Psychology’, 2007, Vol.13 (3): 365-376. |
||||||||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualification: First cycle degree (70 ECTS) in Theology | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Project | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Edward Wright |
||||||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||||||