Personal Experience of God and Personal Ethics in Spiritual Direction (DD8704Y)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

In conversation with key writers from the Christian spiritual tradition, the unit examines understandings of God as experienced through human life and personal lived experience, through kenosis, and through prayer and contemplation. Attention will be paid to the influence that the visual and narrative arts, images and imagination have on human and religious experience as well as the roles each of these play in the formation of spiritual directors. It is through this theoretical reflection that questions of ethical maturity and best practice in ethical leadership of spiritual direction can be addressed appropriately. This enables the Spiritual Director to reflect on how ethical decisions can be made, and of how this affects the Spiritual Director's role itself. Finally, these reflections raise issues of spiritual integrity and professional standards in the light of the Royal Commission for Institutional Responses to Child Abuse.

Unit code: DD8704Y

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Foundational

Unit discipline: Spiritual Direction

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

Critically analyse a variety of ways of expressing human encounter with God through the utilisation of one’s reading, reflection and personal experience
2.

Critically evaluate different traditions and intercultural aspects of spirituality and their methods of proclaiming the sacred immanent in human experience
3.

Critically apply the intercultural expressions of spirituality to the practice of spiritual direction
4.

Critically integrate the theoretical, moral and legal aspects of ethics into the practice of spiritual direction
5.

Critically articulate professional standards for the practice of spiritual direction

Unit sequence

Pre-requisites: DD8701Y, DD8703Y and DD8705Y Co-requisites: DD8702Y and DD8706Y

Pedagogy

Synchronous lectures, tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

Readings for The Nature of Human Experience and the Human Experience of the Divine

  • Cocksworth, Ashley and John C.McDowell, T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Prayer, Bloomsbury Publishing US. 2022.
  • Edwards, Denis. Human Experience of God. Sydney: Paulist Press, 1983.
  • Gallagher, Brian msc. No Greater Love Coventry Press, Bayswater, Vic. 2021.
  • Obbard, Elisabeth Ruth, Through Julian’s Windows: Growing into Wholeness with Julian of Norwich, Canterbury Press, UK 2008.
  • Valters, Paintner and Betsey Beckman. Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction. New York: Morehouse, 2010.

Readings for Professional Standards

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Personal Reflection - Nature of Human Experience...

3000 word personal reflection

 3000 50.0
Essay - Professional Standards
  • 1) Class presentation on ethical dilemma and
  • 2a) 1500 word reflective essay on their presentation OR
  • 2b) 1500 word personal reflection
 3000 50.0

Variant 2

Personal Reflection - Nature of Human Experience...
  • 1) A 1500 word personal reflection and
  • 2) A multi-media project (equivalent to 1500 words)
 3000 50.0
Essay - Professional Standards
  • 1) Class presentation on ethical dilemma and
  • 2a) 1500 word reflective essay on their presentation OR
  • 2b) 1500 word personal reflection
 3000 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 9 Aug, 2022

Unit record last updated: 2022-08-09 09:29:31 +1000