Overview
An exploration of the role of the arts in expressing, shaping, nourishing and critiquing Christian faith and theology.
About this paper
| Paper title | Christian Theology and the Arts |
|---|---|
| Subject | Pastoral Studies |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2024 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $981.75 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One 200-level PAST paper
- Restriction
- MINS 414
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Theology
- Eligibility
- Any student can study Theology, whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no Christian commitment from students. All it requires is an inquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.
- Contact
Academic Liaison: Professor Murray Rae - murray.rae@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
View more information on the Theology Programme’s website
- Teaching staff
Dr Adrienne Dengerink Chaplin
- Paper Structure
This paper will cover 6 topics:
- The emergence of ‘art’ and its divorce from religion
- Modern art and the quest for the spiritual
- Religious references in contemporary art
- Protestantism, iconoclasm and ‘neo-Calvinist’ aesthetics
- Art, affective experience and embodied meaning
- Art in society, socially engaged art, art and church
Assessment:
- Classroom Participation
- One Essay
- Teaching Arrangements
The paper will be taught as a five-day compulsory intensive block course in Dunedin from Monday 13 February to Friday 17 February.
- Textbooks
There is no textbook for this paper.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Interdisciplinary Perspective, Global Perspective, Cultural Understanding, Critical Thinking Information Literacy, Research Skills, Self-Motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
In order to pass this course, students at 300 level must demonstrate that they have achieved all of the following learning outcomes:
- Be able to identify different strands of Christian thinking about the relation between faith and art and understand some of their underlying theological and philosophical presuppositions and assumptions
- Develop a hermeneutical framework for the interpretation of art including its religious dimensions
- Understand the central role of the body and the senses in the making and receiving of art
- Develop awareness of art’s role in society, including socially engaged art and art in church
Timetable
Overview
An exploration of the role of the arts in expressing, shaping, nourishing and critiquing Christian faith and theology.
About this paper
| Paper title | Christian Theology and the Arts |
|---|---|
| Subject | Pastoral Studies |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2025 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One 200-level PAST paper
- Restriction
- MINS 414
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Theology
- Eligibility
- Any student can study Theology, whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no Christian commitment from students. All it requires is an inquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.
- Contact
Academic Liaison: Professor Murray Rae - murray.rae@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
View more information on the Theology Programme’s website
- Teaching staff
- Paper Structure
The paper will cover the following topics:
- Doing Theology through the Arts
- Construing the World through Architecture
- Inhabiting the World Through Architecture: Theological Considerations
- Cities of Earth and the City of God
- Church Architecture
- Teaching Arrangements
The paper will be taught as a five-day compulsory intensive block course in Dunedin from Monday July 7 – Friday July 11, 2025.
- Textbooks
Murray A. Rae, Architecture and Theology: the Art of Place (Waco, TX.: Baylor University Press, 2017)
Available as an eBook through the University Library.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Interdisciplinary Perspective, Global Perspective, Cultural Understanding, Critical Thinking Information Literacy, Research Skills, Self-Motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
In order to pass this course, students at 300 level must demonstrate that they have achieved all of the following learning outcomes:
- Be able to articulate and provide examples of how architecture is an expression of human values and aspirations.
- Develop an appreciation of the ways in which architecture can contribute to or hinder the flourishing of human life.
- Understand the contribution that Christian theology has made to the building of cities down through the centuries.
- Understand the theological features of church architecture.
- Assessment details
Assessment:
- Two Essays