Unit rationale, description and aim
Ritual is significant, performed human behaviour which conveys meaning, creates and sustains the identity and ethos of religious systems, and navigates the boundary experiences of human existence. This unit introduces students to the study of ritual utilising a variety of ethnographic and liturgical theological methods to plumb the polyvalent depths of ritual and map the ritual field. The range of meaning which is accessible in formal acts of worship goes well beyond what is found in printed liturgical texts and studying enacted rituals is essential to accessing the actual experience and perception of ritual participants. Students will learn the basics of the central methodology of ritual studies: participant observation, a type of experience-oriented research conducted in the ritual context, using observation, analysis, interpretation, judgment and reporting. Students will learn how to heighten individual perception, engage in critical evaluation of ritual praxis and explore the private, public and official horizons of meaning communicated through enacted ritual, with a specific focus on Catholic liturgical rites. This unit aims to foster informed theological reflection on Christian ritual practices and develop skills that can positively affect the ritual experience of worshiping assemblies.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Exhibit comprehension of the foundational concepts...
Learning Outcome 01
Explain how ritual conveys meaning and creates and...
Learning Outcome 02
Demonstrate capacity in the skills and methods of ...
Learning Outcome 03
Work collaboratively in initial field-based resear...
Learning Outcome 04
Evidence critical thinking skills in comparative a...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- What is ritual? What does it do? What difference does it make?
- Modes of ritual sensibilities
- The languages of ritual
- The operation of signs, signals and symbols in ritual
- Ethnographic methods used in ritual studies
- Mapping the ritual field
- Methods of participant observation
- Heightening conscious awareness: recalling, recounting, documenting ritual experience
- Accessing, attending and interpreting horizons of meaning in ritual
- The theologian as ritual observer: exploding the myth of objectivity
- Compilation, analysis and reporting of ritual data
- Applying ritual studies critical praxis in liturgical assemblies
Assessment strategy and rationale
To pass this unit students are required to attempt all assessment tasks and achieve a cumulative grade of Pass (50% or higher). The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to enable students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome.
Assessment Task 1: Short definitional essay. Students will write a short essay defining the foundational concepts and methodologies of ritual studies and addressing the issue of why it is appropriate to use this approach in the study of liturgical rituals. This essay will address the question of how ritual generates meaning and how it works to create and sustain religious identity and convey religious ethos.
Assessment Task 2: Verbal presentation of Participant Observation Exercise findings. After working in groups to undertake beginning fieldwork in a ritual context using the methodology of participant observation, individual student members of the fieldwork groups will present their initial research findings. Each student will articulate, explain and provide justification for the conclusions they present on their fieldwork, identifying/analysing their presuppositions, reporting on and analysing their observations in light of the ritual map, comparing the rite observed with the official ritual, and identifying evident public, official and private meanings of the rite.
Assessment Task 3: Analysis and Write-up of Participant Observation Exercise requires individual students to write an extended critical analytical report of the ritual observation exercise, its process, their findings, judgments and recommendations in dialogue with unit readings, group members’ observations, and other relevant materials. This report will enable individual students to demonstrate an integration of both theoretical materials covered in the unit and what they have learned through their field-work experience.
Overview of assessments
Short definitional essay: requires students to d...
Short definitional essay: requires students to demonstrate comprehension of key concepts/methodology of ritual studies
20%
Verbal presentation of Participant Observation E...
Verbal presentation of Participant Observation Exercise findings: requires students to present an initial articulation, explanation and justification of ritual observation findings.
30%
Analysis and Write-up of Participant Observation ...
Analysis and Write-up of Participant Observation Exercise: requires students to write an extended critical analysis and report of the ritual observation process, their findings, judgments and recommendations, in dialogue with unit readings and materials.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is normally offered in intensive face-to-face mode, providing students with direct interaction with lecturers and peers while engaging with structured materials that support the achievement of learning outcomes.
In class, students learn from experts in liturgy and ritual studies, collaborate in groups to analyse key principles and their practical application, and critically reflect on their own presuppositions and understandings. Practical activities enable students to integrate new knowledge with existing perspectives, draw meaningful connections, and apply insights to assessment tasks.
Assessment is designed to align with the mode of delivery. In intensive classes, students may be required to prepare and present work during the teaching week, while in other modes (e.g. fully online) equivalent tasks are substituted. Assessments provide varied opportunities to demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes, extending beyond class activities to require analysis, research, and application of knowledge.
The intensive format requires active participation during class sessions, including lectures, discussions, and small-group work. Students may be asked to complete preparatory activities beforehand. After the teaching week, students consolidate learning independently through reading, research, writing, and assessment preparation.