Year
2024Credit points
20Campus offering
Prerequisites
Students must have completed or, for the first semester of this unit, be concurrently enrolled in THEL619 Introduction to Theological and Philosophical Research .
Incompatible
THSP624 Capstone Integrative Project (Spirituality) A
Teaching organisation
This unit involves 300 hours of focused reading and thinking, including discussion with the student's supervisor, and preparation of assessment over the course of two concurrent semesters.
Unit rationale, description and aim
Graduates of programs in Spirituality should develop knowledge and skills in this discipline and be able to reflect critically on the ways in which their personal development impacts upon their professional roles. This unit enables postgraduate students to fulfil the capstone requirements related to their award and is intended to be taken in the student’s final year. It directs, supports and encourages the integration of student learning across the theological disciplines by means of participation in an integrative seminar and completion of a project in an area of interest that draws on the student’s prior learning and directs it towards an integrative treatment of a chosen topic. Students present their ideas to their peers and members of faculty and receive feedback within the seminar process. In contrast to the 10 credit point Capstone unit, the 20 credit point version enables students to engage in an extended piece of research writing. The topic for the project must be approved by the supervisor to ensure its feasibility. Students follow their own interests and direct their own learning to a large degree, under the guidance of a supervisor. The aim of this unit is to provide students with the opportunity to consolidate and integrate their learning throughout their course, and to develop their skills in planning, implementing and disseminating research. The unit is thus designed to build students’ advanced research capacity.
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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Demonstrate a critical understanding of the methodologies, concepts and issues from at least two fields of study |
| LO2 | Articulate points of synthesis and integration between at least two fields of theological study (biblical, historical, systematic, philosophical, practical) |
| LO3 | Generate questions and insights in relation to a chosen project that relate to at least two fields of theological study |
| LO4 | Plan, execute and complete a major integrative project |
Content
The area of investigation is to be devised by the student. The project must:
- Be on a topic relating to some aspect/s of spirituality;
- Include explicit engagement with methodologies, concepts, and content from more than one theological discipline;
- Demonstrate awareness of the issues related to creative and effective communication of theological ideas;
- Demonstrate management and evaluation of academic research;
- Include a 40-minute presentation during the semester, highlighting the integration of learning throughout the course;
- Include an extended piece of research and writing (equivalent to approximately 12,000 words) using appropriate academic conventions.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
THSP625 will be delivered in multi-mode, that is, in various combinations of face to face and mediated learning environments, utilising strategies which will include:
- Independent research and self-directed activities which enable each student to build a detailed understanding of a topic;
- Participation in student-led seminars (virtual or face-to-face).
It will involve 300 hours of focused reading and thinking, including discussion with the student’s supervisor, and preparation of assessment over the course of two concurrent semesters. Through the provision of supervisory support, students will be assisted to meet all of the unit learning outcomes. Such support will include assistance in the refinement of the research project, direction in terms of reading lists of key texts in the field, clarification of key concepts and theories arising from this reading, provocations toward critical analysis of scholarship, and support during the research essay drafting process.
The unit is delivered with the expectation that participants are adult learners, intrinsically motivated and prepared to reflect critically on issues as well as on their own learning and perspectives. Teaching through individual supervision provides appropriate support for students to frame questions with increasing independence, and enables students to follow their own research interests, test ideas, and plan their research activities. Active learning is encouraged as students share and expand their understanding of their research materials and questions with the supervisor and peers. A dialogical method, where students become expert conversation partners, supports deep learning. As students share ideas and provide drafts to supervisors, they are provided with written and oral feedback, learning how to frame arguments, analyse information, respond to feedback, and communicate ideas more effectively. They also provide such supportive feedback to others, and are encouraged to reflect on their own learning. Through processes like these, students are encouraged to become more active, collaborative, and reflective learners.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to pass this unit, students are required to complete all assessment tasks and achieve an overall minimum grade of pass. All assessment tasks are designed for students to show their achievement of each learning outcome and graduate attribute. The final project will be assessed by two examiners independently of the supervisor. Students and examiners will be given a clear rubric to promote transparent assessment. The assessment tasks require students to demonstrate the nexus between their learning, dispositions, and spirituality, and the evidence on which this demonstration is based.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Presentation on the chosen project: (30 minutes, including 10 minutes of discussion (equivalent to 2000 words). This task is designed to provide students with the opportunity to share and discuss their research with their peers, elucidating their research question and evaluating key evidence and sources. Students also receive feedback in a supportive environment. Material from the presentation will be integrated into Assessment Task 2. | 25% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Research project (12,000 words). This task is designed to provide students with the opportunity to synthesise their learning, and requires them to demonstrate advanced research capacity, including through correct use of research conventions, defining and exploring a research topic, critically analysing an important debate in the field, evaluating key questions, and developing coherent and independent arguments, guided by a supervisor. | 75% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Representative texts and references
To be determined according to the area of focus, but the following represent the core texts used in the study of spiritual direction:
Au, Wilkie and Noreen Cannon Au. Urgings of the Heart: A Spirituality of Integration. New York: Paulist Press, 1995.
Conn, Joann Wolski. Spirituality and Personal Maturity. Integration Books. New York: Paulist Press, 1989.
Dyckman, Katherine, Mary Garvin, and Elizabeth Liebert. The Spiritual Exercises Reclaimed: Uncovering Liberating Possibilities for Women. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2001.
Gallagher, Timothy M. The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living. New York: Crossroad, 2005.
Haight, Roger. Christian Spirituality for Seekers: Reflections on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2012.
Haight, Roger. Spirituality Seeking Theology. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2014.
Jones, Cheslyn, Geoffrey Wainwright, and Edward Yarnold. The Study of Spirituality. London: SPCK, 1986.
Sheldrake, Philip. Spirituality and History: Questions of Interpretation and Method. 2nd ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1995.
Sheldrake, Philip. Spirituality and Theology: Christian Living and the Doctrine of God. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998.
Tyler, Peter and Richard Woods. The Bloomsbury Guide to Christian Spirituality. London: Bloomsbury, 2012.