Literature and Theology

RELT31131 Literature and Theology 20 Semester 1 Undergraduate Level 3 Clare Radford Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Last part of a Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 This course will examine the relationship between theology and literature by reading and discussing theological texts as well as novels, short stories, and poems. Students will come across popular works and genres they are familiar with and be introduced to new authors and styles; prior familiarity with the specific texts and topics is not necessary to engage with and enjoy the course. We will consider how and why contemporary theological movements have turned to literature as a key source, highlighting where literature raises critical questions and challenges to theology. In particular we will think about how specific theological movements have engaged with literary texts for questioning how race, gender, sexuality, global location, and traumatic experiences are represented in society and in theological thought. Students will be equipped with the critical skills to identify the theological and ethical questions emerging from different literary modes, including speculative fiction, historical fiction, autobiography, and genre-blending forms. Students will be encouraged to think about the role that particular texts have played in shaping their own worldviews and learning, and whether discussing The Hunger Games or The Handmaid’s Tale, Andrea Levy or Alice Walker, students will be encouraged to develop their own critical theological readings of literary texts. Students do not need to have studied theology or literature before, as they will be familiarised with relevant secondary material on literary texts and on the relationship between theology and literature. This course will examine the relationship between theology and literature by reading and discussing theological texts as well as novels, short stories, and poems. Students will come across popular works and genres they are familiar with and be introduced to new authors and styles; prior familiarity with the specific texts and topics is not necessary to engage with and enjoy the course. We will consider how and why contemporary theological movements have turned to literature as a key source, highlighting where literature raises critical questions and challenges to theology. In particular we will think about how specific theological movements have engaged with literary texts for questioning how race, gender, sexuality, global location, and traumatic experiences are represented in society and in theological thought. Students will be equipped with the critical skills to identify the theological and ethical questions emerging from different literary modes, including speculative fiction, historical fiction, autobiography, and genre-blending forms. Students will be encouraged to think about the role that particular texts have played in shaping their own worldviews and learning, and whether discussing The Hunger Games or The Handmaid’s Tale, Andrea Levy or Alice Walker, students will be encouraged to develop their own critical theological readings of literary texts. Students do not need to have studied theology or literature before, as they will be familiarised with relevant secondary material on literary texts and on the relationship between theology and literature. <ul> <li style="text-align:justify">To introduce students to the use of literature as a key theological source.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">To equip students with the tools to examine the theological and ethical themes emerging from different literary genres and texts. </li> <li style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px">To develop students’ critical reflection on issues of representation of social issues and human experiences in literary and theological texts. </li></ul> By the end of this course students should be able to: <ul> <li style="text-align:justify">Outline how feminist, womanist, postcolonial, and trauma theologies have engaged with literature and specific literary texts</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Discuss literary and theological representations of particular social issues and human experiences</li> <li style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px">Assess the theological and ethical dimensions of contemporary literary texts.</li></ul> By the end of this course students should be able to: <ul> <li style="text-align:justify">Demonstrate knowledge of different theological approaches for working with literary texts</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Analyse both primary and secondary sources in forming their own reading of a literary text.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Provide a nuanced assessment on literary and theological representations of particular embodied experiences and historical events </li> <li style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px">Develop a reflective critical position on theological and literary texts</li></ul> On successful completion of this course, students will have developed their skills in:<ul> <li style="text-align:justify">Essay writing </li> <li style="text-align:justify">Taking effective notes during lectures</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Presenting the results of their work in a scholarly manner with appropriate referencing</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Participating in discussion</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Research and essay planning</li> <li style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px">Peer feedback </li></ul> On successful completion of this course, students will have developed their skills in:<ul> <li style="text-align:justify">Conducting independent research</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Reflecting critically on how interaction with literary and cultural sources shapes worldviews </li> <li style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px">Using reflexivity to undertake self-evaluation </li></ul> Other ¿ Enhance your ability to recognise different perspectives while assessing critically the evidence for positions and arguments ¿ Managing deadlines ¿ Responding to a brief 0 Other 100% <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:500px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td>2 Reflective Learning Logs </td> <td>0%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Essay 1 (Approaches) </td> <td>50%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Essay 2 (Critical reading)</td> <td>50%</td> </tr> </tbody></table>  <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:500px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Written feedback on Reflective learning logs </td> <td>Formative</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Written feedback on Essay 1</td> <td>Summative</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Peer feedback on Essay plans in seminar 11 </td> <td>Formative</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Written feedback on Essay 2</td> <td>Summative</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Oral feedback on class discussion </td> <td>Formative</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Additional one-to-one feedback during office hours or by appointment  </td> <td>Formative</td> </tr> </tbody></table>   Y Gloria Anzaldúa, Borderlands: la frontera. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books, 1987.Eric Boynton and Peter Capretto (ed), Trauma and Transcendence: Suffering and the Limits of Theory. New York: Fordham University Press, 2018. (Library has online version).Katie G. Canon, Katie’s Canon. New York, Continuum, 1995. Anna Fisk, Sex, sin, and our selves: encounters in feminist theology and contemporary women’s literature. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2014.Stephen D. Moore and Mayra Rivera (ed), Planetary Loves: Spivak, Postcoloniality, and Theology. New York: Fordham University Press, 2011. Shelly Rambo, Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining. Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 2010. Lectures 22 Seminars 11 0 167