Unit rationale, description and aim
Understanding Australian culture and society requires a sophisticated appreciation of the diverse religious traditions that have shaped, and continue to shape, contemporary Australian life. This unit examines the nature, expression, history, and practice of religion in contemporary multicultural and pluralistic Australia.
Students will critically interrogate how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spiritualities/cultures and the world’s major religious traditions, including Christianity, are practised and represented in the Australian context. Attention is given to the category of ‘religion’ itself, to the challenges and possibilities of secularisation and religious pluralism, and to the role of religion in Australia for shaping contemporary Australian culture, civic life and public policy.
This unit advances students’ engagement with the academic study of religion in Australia by developing their capacity to evaluate and apply competing theoretical and methodological frameworks, to construct original scholarly arguments about religion in its historical, political, and postcolonial dimensions, and to design and execute independent research inquiries. This unit prepares students for honours-level and postgraduate study in theology, religious studies, and related disciplines.
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.
Reflect critically on the theory and practice of r...
Learning Outcome 01
Evaluate and synthesise theoretical and methodolog...
Learning Outcome 02
Construct evidence-based arguments about the histo...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics may include:
• Approaches in the academic study of religion, including with regards to the category of ‘religion’.
• The relationship between religion, culture, society, and theology in the Australian context.
• The nature, history, practice and ethics of Australian Aboriginal spiritualities/cultures/religions;
• The history, practice and ethics of major religious traditions in Australia;
• The contemporary presence of religions and secularity/post-secularity in Australia, including with reference to empirical research and post-colonial critiques.
• Religion and the arts, literature, and aesthetics in Australia.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an overall grade of Pass (50%) or higher.
Assessment tasks are progressively sequenced and aligned to enable students to achieve the learning outcomes and undertake advanced undergraduate study of religion.
Assessment Task 1 establishes the research project through a written proposal and an in-class oral thesis defense, which serves both as a scholarly milestone and as an academic integrity checkpoint.
Assessment Task 2 involves a research project, integrating and extending the work of Assessment Task 1 through a focused analysis on a topic related to the unit content.
Assessment Task 3 is an interactive oral or written exam that assesses all learning outcomes with respect to the major themes of the unit and develops work undertaken in Assessment Tasks 1 and 2.
Overview of assessments
AT1a — Research Proposal (10%) Students submit a...
AT1a — Research Proposal (10%)
Students submit a formal research proposal identifying: a specific research question about religion in contemporary Australia; the theoretical or methodological framework they intend to apply; and an indicative bibliography of at least eight peer-reviewed sources.
AT1b — In-Class Oral Defense (10%)
In a scheduled tutorial or seminar session, each student presents an oral defense of their AT1a proposal before the group.
20%
AT2 — Research Project Design and execute a focu...
AT2 — Research Project Design and execute a focused research inquiry into a specific dimension of religion in contemporary Australia, demonstrating capacity to respond to a research question, select an appropriate methodology, synthesise scholarly literature, and formulate and communicate an argument.
40%
AT3 — Examination Assessment Task 3 is an intera...
AT3 — Examination
Assessment Task 3 is an interactive oral or written exam that assesses all learning outcomes with respect to the content and methods examined in the unit.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, equivalent to 10 hours per week over 15 weeks. Formally structured learning activities include lectures, tutorials, and online learning; the remaining hours involve reading, primary source engagement, and preparation of assessment tasks.
Tutorials require active preparation. Students are expected to arrive having read the assigned modules / primary and secondary texts and contribute to collaborative analysis of methodological and substantive questions. Peer review of draft proposals prior to the AT1b defense session is encouraged as a formative activity. The unit leader is available for individual supervision consultations at each stage of the research arc.
THSR303 is designed for students with prior grounding in theological or religious studies and to develop this prior learning with regards to religion. The unit positions students as emerging scholars, and the learning sequence reflects this: the first third of the unit builds methodological fluency (supporting AT1); the second develops sustained engagement with scholarship and primary sources (supporting AT2); the final third provides space for independent research and scholarly writing (supporting AT3).