BBI-TAITE Units

Curriculum Objectives

This unit enables the graduate student to critically explore central methodological issues in Christian ethics, and introduces students to theological reflection on the ethical aspects of Christian life and discipleship.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• distinguish and clarify the sources of Christian ethics
• explain the central concepts and principles in Christian ethics
• evaluate the key developments in the history of Christian ethics
• access and use a broad selection of Christian ethics literature, and
• evaluate current ethical issues on the basis of the various elements of Christian moral reasoning.

Assumed Knowledge 

T8106 and B8101

Study hours

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:

• At least one hour per week for online lectures.
• At least three hours per week of reading.
• At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Curriculum Objectives

Are faith and science in conflict? If there is such a conflict, is it inevitable? If there is conflict has that always been present or did it develop at some stage? Are there other ways of thinking about faith and science beyond conflict? These are just some of the questions we will explore in this unit. Each week we will encounter the key sources that will help us consider the relationship and some of the significant thinkers in science and religion who have contributed to the study of these question. There will be a focus on the Christian faith tradition, and the reason for this will become obvious as the unit unfolds, but other traditions will be touched upon.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a mastery of knowledge of the differences and commonalities across and between the perspectives and methodologies of theology and science, with particular reference to Christianity.
• demonstrate an advanced understanding of the ways in which the two disciplines have intersected across time and to the present day.
• demonstrate the capacity to bring the two perspectives and methodologies into conversation with each other around important areas of common interest.

Assumed Knowledge 

T8106 and B8101

Study hours

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:

• At least one hour per week for online lectures.
• At least three hours per week of reading.
• At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Curriculum Objectives

This graduate course unit provides students with demonstrated initiative and creativity an opportunity to focus at an advanced level in a particular area of Mission and Cultural Studies, under the tutelage and guidance of a specialist in the field. The unit is designed to refine the skills of independent study by allowing the student to define their own study, and to set their own goals by means of an extended guided reading program.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• develop a focused topic for independent scholarly investigation
• conduct independent research, under supervision, in terms of locating, utilising and referencing a wide range of appropriate primary and secondary sources
• analyse and evaluate with critical empathy a range of disparate scholarly positions
• defend an independent perspective on the topic of the investigation, and
• produce a cogent set of researched findings in an extended piece of academic writing

Assumed Knowledge 

T8106 and B8101

Study hours

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:

• At least 10 hours per week of directed study, including reading, research, consultation with tutor and writing up of assessment tasks.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Unit overview and content

This unit provides students with the opportunity to study the cultural, historical and political context of the life of Mary MacKillop Australia’s’ first Church – recognised Saint. An understanding of culture is intrinsic to any study of persons and eras. Culture dictates who we are and how we behave. This course looks at the background of Mary MacKillop and her ancestors in the Lochaber district of the Inner Hebrides in the west coast of Scotland. One very disruptive event in Scotland’s history was the Highland Clearances which, though devastating at the time, meant that the Colonies of the British Empire were enriched with many Scottish migrants. Mary’s parents were from the MacKillop and MacDonald Clans,  the latter was a sept of the former meaning that Mary’s mother’s clan was superior to that of her father. The Highland Clearances meant that Mary MacKillop was born Australian rather than Scottish.

Equally important in human flourishing is the historical, political and cultural context of peoples’ lives. These aspects will be addressed as the context for the social and educational changes Mary MacKillop introduced. No story of Mary MacKilllop would be complete without reference to Fr Julian Tenison Woods, her inspiration and the ‘Father Founder’ of the Institute of St Joseph they founded.  Finally, given the sceptical atmosphere of our 21 century world-view the notions of sainthood, miracles and all associated concepts will be discussed with a view to understanding the Spirit that energized Mary MacKillop and ultimately the spirituality which underpinned her educational and social endeavours. Mary is presented within the unit as a model of the spirituality that is fitting for contemporary Australians.

Assumed Knowledge 

T8106 and B8101

Study hours

11 hours per week for 11 week session, comprised of

• At least 1 hour per week for online lectures
• At least 4 hours per week of reading.
• At least 6 hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Curriculum Objectives

This unit studies each of the four women Doctors of the Church – Hildegard of Bingen, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila and Thérèse of Lisieux. It considers their significance in their particular historical contexts, their theological insights and the relevance of these insights in the twenty-first century.  The unit also explores the contributions these women can make to discussions about the role of women as teachers and leaders in the contemporary Church.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which the women Doctors of the Church are theological sources.
• demonstrate an understanding of the historical contexts of the women Doctors of the Church, and the significance of these women to their particular contexts.
• describe and analyse the theological insights contained in the lives and writings of the women Doctors of the Church, and
• identify connections between the lives and theological insights of the women Doctors of the Church and contemporary global, social, professional, personal and ecclesial contexts.

Assumed Knowledge 

T8106 and B8101

Study hours

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:

• At least one hour per week for online lectures.
• At least three hours per week of reading.
• At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Curriculum Objectives

This independent directed study unit builds on those theories and concepts developed in Foundations of Catholic Understanding I. It enables students to develop an in-depth understanding of the basis of Catholic thought introduced in a second chosen Cornerstone subject. The selected subject must be different from that chosen in Foundations of Catholic Understanding I.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a critical understanding of the foundational theological issues for Catholic teachers
• apply critically a range of theological understandings of Catholic practice in the Catholic Schools context
• research and develop student appropriate, critically grounded responses to theological issues raised in the classroom
• effectively communicate the value of critical theological understanding for fulfilling the mission of Catholic education.

Assumed Knowledge 

Nil

Study hours

11 hours per week for 11 week session, comprised of:

• At least one hour per week for online lectures
• At least four hours per week of reading.
• At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Unit overview and content

This unit of study is designed to engage students in a conversation about the ways in which Christian Second Peoples live on Indigenous land. It seeks a critical understanding of the rights and dignity of First Peoples who may also be Christian. After 60,000 years of occupation Australia’s First Peoples found themselves invaded and dispossessed by British colonial power. What does this mean for the way Christian Second Peoples live in this land and forge their identity as a people of Christian faith? This is not an Indigenous Studies Unit.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• articulate a deep understanding of listening, storytelling, and relationship building as primary ways of engaging with First Peoples and what invasion and colonial occupation has meant for them
• demonstrate a critical understanding of why being on Indigenous land, and engaging with and understanding the rights and dignity of First Peoples, matters to Christian theology and life
• demonstrate a critical awareness of the colonial history of Indigenous Australia, including the impact of churches on Australian Indigenous people and their religious identity
• engage in the processes of acknowledgement, reconciliation and justice with a deep understanding, and
• articulate a well-developed understanding of the issues involved in speaking of ‘Second Peoples,’ and what it means for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Peoples who are not descendants of the those who colonised to engage in reconciliation and justice.

Assumed Knowledge 

T8106 and B8101

Study hours

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of

• At least 1 hour per week for online lectures
• At least 3 hours per week of reading.
• At least 6 hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Curriculum Objectives

This graduate course unit aims to provide candidates with the opportunity to spend a significant period of time in one or more remote locations relevant to the biblical, theological or historical narrative of theological texts and/or movements, in order to appreciate more fully the impact of such locations on the interpretation of those narratives.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• analyse key contextual features which have contributed to the field under study
• assess the relative importance of various local historical, geographical or cultural features in terms of their positive or negative contribution to the particular narrative within the field under study
• critically analyse a specific topic within the field under study in terms of its local origin and its subsequent broader development
• reflect on the impact of the travel experience on their personal development and theological and/or ministry understanding within the field under study, and
• produce a presentation depicting the connection between the location visited and the narrative within the field under study, with a focus on an application to contemporary theological understanding and/or practice.

Assumed Knowledge 

T8106 & B8101

Study hours    

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of:

• 9 hours per week of independent study.
• 12 hours (approximately) across the session of guided study in dialogue with the supervisor.

Teaching methods

Guided reading; independent research.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Abstract

This graduate course unit focuses on the foundational elements of Christian leadership and details the distinction between leadership functions required for success in a religious, non-profit ministry vis-à-vis a commercial, for-profit business.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

• articulate an integrated knowledge of the historical, biblical and theological frameworks that shape a Christian leadership approach
• explain in detail the leadership functions required for success in a religious, non-profit ministry as distinct from a commercial, for-profit business
• critically analyse the relationship between specialised leadership qualities and an organisation’s non-commercial, world-changing mission
• analyse scholarly literature to reflect on their own personal strengths and identify opportunities for personal growth as a Christian leader within a specific context, and
• apply knowledge of a Christian leadership framework to provide practical recommendations for the effective governance, management or ministry operations of their own organisation.

Assumed Knowledge 

N/A

Study hours

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of

• At least three hours per week of reading.
• At least seven hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.

Curriculum Objectives

This unit builds on the skills and knowledge developed in T8106 and P8155 to cultivate in students a specialised understanding of the intersections between leadership, mission, identity and community. Students analyse how it is that these areas are related to the knowledge and skills they have developed previously to explore themes of church and mission; mission and theology; leading faith communities; and mission and identity.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• demonstrate coherent knowledge and understanding of the intersections between leadership and mission theology, and the manner in which a theological vision can underpin, inform, transform, and enliven models of leadership
• demonstrate an understanding of the scriptural basis underpinning contemporary mission theology, and how this has evolved since Vatican II in both Catholic and Protestant Churches.
• demonstrate the capacity to recognise the uniqueness of leadership in the religious context, and to utilise creativity in identifying and solving problems related to leadership in such contexts, and
• demonstrate the capacity to communicate complex ideas related to the intersections between leadership and mission theology in various contexts.

Assumed Knowledge 

Not applicable

Study hours

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of

• At least one hour per week for online lectures
• At least three hours per week of reading.
• At least six hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.