Course finder

Semester 1

Modern Theology: From the French Revolution to the First World War (DIVI10095)

Subject

Divinity

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

This Level 10 course examines key thinkers and themes in theology in the nineteenth century in their various contexts, tracing the notable developments and innovations across the period. Visiting students are encouraged to enrol, subject to consultation with and the approval of the Course Organiser.

Course Summary

This Level 10 course examines key thinkers and themes in theology and religious life in the nineteenth century in their various contexts, tracing the notable developments and innovations across the period. The course both orients students to the wide landscape of modern theology in this profoundly formative age, and also provides for detailed investigation of central issues.

Course Description

Academic Description: This course aims to explore the development of theology in the 19th century, the foundational era for modern Christian thought. It examines key thinkers and themes in theology and religious life in their various contexts, tracing the notable developments and innovations across the period. The impact of cultural, social, political, and scientific changes on theology's development, and vice versa, will be considered. The course addresses both larger historical transformations and specific theological issues in order to be critically conversant with theology as it was re-imagined from the Enlightenment and French Revolution to the end of the First World War, and to engage with ongoing debates about the relationship between theology and modernity. Syllabus/Outline Content: The course begins by considering the nature of theological enquiry at the threshold of the 19th century. After discussing the Enlightenment and French Revolution, it considers the role of Romanticism and Idealism in shaping theological reflection in figures such as Friedrich Schleiermacher, G. W. F. Hegel, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Attention is given to various prominent critiques of the Bible and religion offered by key thinkers in the period, for instance D. F. Strauss, Søren Kierkegaard, and Friedrich Nietzsche, and the major attempts to construct theological programmes in response. Questions of secularisation and important instances of theological renewal and religious revival are considered together. The course concludes by examining the fate of the notable syntheses characteristic of the 19th century, the relation of theology to modern culture, and the rise of new theological and religious movements in the face of the First World War. Student Learning Experience Information: The course involves one two-hour seminar per week, which will consist of a combination of lectures and engaged discussion based on readings prepared in advance. Each student will be required to make two short presentations. Through discussions, written assignments, and an examination, students will demonstrate their achievement of the intended learning outcomes.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 50%, Coursework 30%, Practical Exam 20%

view the timetable and further details for this course