Spirituality and Wisdom in Practice (DP9305C)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This practice-based unit seeks to integrate spirituality into daily life, work, and ministry. It will focus on the notion of ‘wisdom’ and the contribution of Christian wisdom in a context of increasing interest and need for wisdom today. Wisdom will be approached as a way of ‘participatory knowing’ and intrinsically connected to human wholeness. The unit will firstly establish a spirituality of wisdom. It will then propose a ‘wisdom framework’ for practical application with four dimensions: compassion, contemplation, creativity, and communion. Through a process of ‘theological reflection’ students will engage with the framework in an area of life/work of their choosing. Particular attention will be given to ‘caring for the carer’ in a range of contexts. The unit is for anyone who would like to explore a deeper living of spirituality in life and leadership.

Unit code: DP9305C

Unit status: Archived (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Pastoral Theology and Ministry Studies

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Catholic Theological College

Show when this unit is running

Learning outcomes

1.

Analyze the meaning of Christian wisdom in relation to other perspectives of wisdom in contemporary context.
2.

Articulate a theology and spirituality of wisdom centred on Jesus as the incarnation of divine wisdom.

3.

Understand and critically engage with the wisdom framework and associated practices and how they relate to a theology of wisdom.

4.

Critically engage with and apply a model of theological reflection in conjunction with the wisdom framework to an area of life/work/ministry.
5.

Demonstrate the capacity to research a specific topic in a critically rigorous, sustained, and self-directed manner.

Unit sequence

1 DS, DP or DR unit or equivalent

Pedagogy

Learners will engage in intensive mode with lectures, workshops, facilitated peer discussion, electronic resources and practical experience.

Indicative Bibliography

  • Barnhart, Bruno. The Future of Wisdom: Toward a Rebirth of Sapiential Christianity. New York: Continuum, 2007.
  • Dunn, James. "Jesus: Teacher of Wisdom or Wisdom Incarnate?" In Where Shall Wisdom Be Found? Wisdom in the Bible, the Church and the Contemporary World. Edited by Stephen C. Barton, 75–92. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1999.
  • Frohlich, Mary. "Spiritual Discipline, Discipline of Spirituality: Revisiting Questions of Definition and Method." In Minding the Spirit: The Study of Christian Spirituality. Edited by Elizabeth Dreyer and Mark S. Burrows, 65–78. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.
  • Holder, Arthur G., ed. The Blackwell Companion to Christian Spirituality. Maldon: Blackwell Publishing, 2007.
  • Keating, Thomas. Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel. New York: Continuum, 2019.
  • Keator, Mary. Lectio Divina as Contemplative Pedagogy: Re-appropriating Monastic Practice for the Humanities. New York: Routledge, 2017.
  • Perrin, David Brian. Studying Christian Spirituality. New York: Routledge, 2007.
  • Sternberg, Robert J., and Jennifer Jordan, eds. A Handbook of Wisdom: Psychological Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2005.
  • Thompson, Judith, Stephen Pattison, and Ross Thompson. Theological Reflection. 2nd ed. London: SCM Press, 2019.
  • Woods, Richard and Peter Tyler, eds. The Bloomsbury Guide to Christian Spirituality. London: Bloomsbury, 2012.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Report 1500 20.0
Portfolio 5500 80.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 19 Jul, 2021

Unit record last updated: 2024-08-12 18:10:03 +1000