Module: Eastern & Western Christianity in Dialogue

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Eastern & Western Christianity in Dialogue
Module Code	TP324 (ITS) / RET1049 (Banner)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Theology, Philosophy & Music
Module Co-ordinator	John Murray
Module Teachers	-
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

Coursework Only

Description

This module focuses on the relationship between Eastern and Western Christianity, with special attention given to ecumenical and intercultural dialogue and discourse. In particular, this module provides an introduction to the key events and teachings that have shaped the thought and development of Eastern Christianity, including its art, spirituality, key figures, doctrines, and liturgical life. Students will develop knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand and appreciate the interrelationship of East and West in Christianity. Students will also have the opportunity to compare and contrast Orthodox and Catholic perspectives in relation to a number of issues, including the use of images in worship, approaches to prayer and meditation, and key theological concepts. Finally, students will explore how Eastern and Western traditions approach the study of theology and religious education.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate a general knowledge of the key beliefs, practices, and figures of the Orthodox Tradition.
2. Compare and contrast Western and Eastern Christianity, identifying key differences and similarities in these traditions of Christianity.
3. Engage in intercultural dialogue, understanding and respecting divergent viewpoints from different traditions.
4. Appreciate the ways in which Eastern and Western traditions approach religious education and the study of theology.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Lecture	24	No Description
Directed learning	61	No Description
Assignment Completion	40	No Description
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

1. Eastern Christianity: Key beliefs, practices, and figures of Orthodoxy

2. Revisiting the Great Schism

3. Christian Art: The value and significance of images and statues in both traditions

4. Liturgy, Spirituality and Prayer

5. Western and Eastern Monasticism

6. Christian Ethics: Eastern and Western moral theology

7. Didactics: Religious Education in Eastern and Western Tradition

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Essay	n/a	100%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Andreopoulos, Andreas: 2013, Gazing on God: Trinity, Church and Salvation in Orthodox Thought and Iconography, James Clark and Co., Cambridge,
Campenhausen, Hans F. von: 1963, The Fathers of the Greek Church, A & C Black, London,
Chadwick, Henry: 2009, East and West: The Making of a Rift in the Church: From Apostolic Times until the Council of Florence, OUP, Oxford,
Congar, Yves: 1998, After Nine Hundred Years: The Background of the Schism between the Eastern and Western Churches, Fordham University Press, New York,
Demacopoulos, George E. and Aristotle Papanikolaou: 2013, Orthodox Constructions of the West, Fordham University Press, New York,
Elias, John L.: 2002, A History of Christian Education: Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Perspectives, Krieger Publishing, Malabar, Florida,
George, K. M.: 1994, The Silent Roots: Orthodox Perspectives on Christian Spirituality, WCC Publications, Geneva,
Louth, Andrew: 2007, Greek East and Latin West: The Church, AD 681-1071, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York,
Hagan, Kenneth: 1994, The Bible in the Churches: How Various Christians Interpret the Scriptures, Paulist Press, New York,
Michael J. Gorman (ed.): 2017, Scripture and Its Interpretation: A Global, Ecumenical Introduction to the Bible, Baker Academic, Michigan,
Kilmartin, Edward J.: 1979, Toward Reunion: The Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, Paulist Press, New York,
Lossky, Vladimir: 2017, Dogmatic Theology: Creation, God’s Image in Man, and the Redeeming Work of the Trinity, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, New York,
McGuckin, John Anthony: 2011, The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to its History, Doctrine, and Spiritual Culture, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester,
John Paul II: 1995, That They may be One: Ut Unum Sint; on Commitment to Ecumenism, Encyclical Letter, United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, Washington, D.C.,
Sagovsky, Nicholas: 2000, Ecumenism, Christian Origins, and the Practice of Communion, Cambridge U. Press, Cambridge,
Sherrard, Philip: 1959, The Greek East and the Latin West: A Study in the Christian Tradition, OUP, New York,
Thomas L. Humphries, Lewis Ayres, and Medi Ann Volpe (eds.): 2019, The Oxford Handbook of Catholic Theology, OUP, New York,
Thompson, Norma H.: 1988, Religious Pluralism and Religious Education, Religious Education Press, Birmingham, AL,
Wilkerson, Barbara: 1997, Multicultural Religious Education, Religious Education Press, Birmingham, AL,
Wogaman, J. Philip: 2011, Christian Ethics: A Historical Introduction, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky,
Ρεράκης, Ηρακλής [Rerakis, Hercules]: 2010, Σύγχρονη Διδακτική των Θρησκευτικών [Modern Didactics of Religious Education], Pournoras, Thessaloniki, Greece,

Other Resources

None