Content

In this unit students will examine a range of personal spiritual formation approaches that contribute to the deepening awareness of how an individual’s spiritual journey impacts their lived experience and engagement with the world. Students will be introduced to the concepts of spirituality and spiritual formation to set the context for the course. This will provide a basis for exploration of themes including spiritual direction, retreats, Sabbath, personality and spirituality and contemplative practices.

Unit code: DS3031W

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Spirituality

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Explain how spirituality and spiritual formation relate to their personal lived experience

2.

Outline a history of spiritual writers who have influenced awareness of spiritual practices

3.

Critically describe personal experiences of spiritual direction and spiritual retreats

4.

Critically analyse the way in which personality impacts spiritual development

5.

Describe the spiritual practices that lay a foundation for spiritual growth and illustrate this from within different practices

Pedagogy

Lectures, seminars, tutorials, group conversation (discussion), reflective practice

Indicative Bibliography

  • Barry, William, and William Connolly. The Practice of Spiritual Direction. Second ed. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2009.
  • Hughes, Gerard W. God of Surprises. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans Pub Co., 2008.
  • Kidd, Sue Monk. When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions. San Francisco, CA: Harper, 2006.
  • May, Gerald G. The Wisdom of Wilderness: Experiencing the Healing Power of Nature. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2007.
  • Nouwen, Henri, Michael J. Christensen, and Rebecca J. Laird. Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2006.
  • ______. Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2010.
  • Palmer, Parker J. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. Somerset: John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
  • Pitchford, Susan. The Sacred Gaze: Contemplation and the Healing of the Self. Collegeville, Minnesota Liturgical Press, 2014.
  • Rohr, Richard. Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer. New York, NY: Crossroad Pub., 2003.
  • Rohr, Richard. Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2013.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

Essay (3000 words)

3000 50.0
Book Review

Book review (1000 words)

1000 25.0
Report

Retreat field report (1000 words)

1000 25.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 19 Oct, 2017

Unit record last updated: 2022-10-27 15:00:06 +1100