| CODE | SHG3251 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Seminar: Environmental Issues in Scripture | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Sacred Scripture, Hebrew and Greek | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | With the rising global temperatures, deforestation, depletion of habitat, diminishing energy reserves, and loss of biodiversity, among others, the world is facing an ecological crisis. This crises requires a multi-faceted response from every field, including "green" theology, which has gained popularity both among scholars as well as among the believing communities. In view of the above, this study-unit is aimed at equipping students with hermeneutical strategies for thoughtfully engaging the Bible within their communities in this time of ecological crisis. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims at enabling the students to identify specific biblical texts that are pertinent to the discussion of "green" theology and ecological ethics. It also aims at forming them with a "hermeneutical" eye to glean from such tests the pressing issues of our ecological crisis and point to new perspectives of sustainability. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - describe the extent to which the Bible is relevant in contemporary debates on the environment and its conservation; - Identify key texts from the Bible that are relevant to the study of environmental issues; - comment on key from the Bible to form sound ethical and theological decisions in environmental conservation; - develop skills and resources that would equip them as agents of transformation, who would bring about the necessary changes, especially where ethically and biblically informed responses to specific ecological issues are required; - cultivate a sense of spiritual "responsibility" and concrete personal practices that are committed to the conservation and the safeguarding of the environment. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify key "ecological" texts from both the Old Testament as well as the New which offer an important understanding of the human collective responsibility of caring for and safeguarding the natural environment; - Implement their growing understanding of biblical hermeneutics and ecologic concerns in the formation of their local congregations and communities, leading to concrete ethical and moral actions in favour of the natural environment; - explore a critical ecological problem, either on a global, or a local level, and articulate a biblically informed response. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - HABEL, NORMAN C. - TRUDINGER PETER, EDS., Exploring Ecological Hermeneutics, Atlanta: SBL, 2008. - HORRELL, DAVID, G., The Bible and the Environment, London: Equinox Publishing, 2010. - WIRZBA, NORMAN., The Paradise of God, New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. - DAVIS ELLEN F., Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. |
|||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Seminar and Independent Study | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
|||||||||
| LECTURER/S | ||||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
||||||||||