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2015/16 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

THEO5390M Philosophy and the Spiritual Life: Contemporary Perspectives

30 creditsClass Size: 15

Module manager: Professor Mark Wynn
Email: m.wynn@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2015/16

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module examines religious and spiritual commitments in their material context, by considering the relationship between religious and spiritual commitment and engagement with the everyday sensory world. The module aims to use the recent philosophical literature on the spiritual life to develop an in-depth and critical understanding of particular spiritual practices and traditions.

Objectives

This module will pursue an advanced study of the nature of the spiritual life by drawing on the contemporary philosophical literature on the spiritual life, to address issues such as: the relationship between the emotional, perceptual, behavioural and creedal dimensions of the spiritual life; the role of the arts and aesthetic experience in the transmission of religious and spiritual traditions; the importance of place-relative practices in sustaining religious and spiritual identities; the relationship between worldview and conceptions of human well-being.

Learning outcomes
- An in-depth and critical knowledge of key concepts and methods drawn from the recent literature on philosophy and the spiritual life
- An ability to apply these concepts with critical awareness to particular spiritual traditions
- A sophisticated appreciation of the interaction between philosophical and theological methods in the study of spiritual practices

Syllabus

Issues explored will typically include some of the following although the exact specification will vary from year to year:

1. The spiritual importance of 'place'
2. The role of emotional experience in the spiritual life
3. The significance of the arts in the formation of spiritual identities
4. Conceptions of the human good in a variety of spiritual traditions
5. The relationship between creedal and practical commitments in a variety of spiritual traditions

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Seminar	10	2.00	20.00
Private study hours			269.00
Total Contact hours			31.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Private study

5 hours doing background reading following each lecture (55 hours)
5 hours per seminar preparation (55 hours)
159 hours essay/ presentation preparation

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Lecture attendance
Seminar attendance and participation
Occasional informal conversation and email correspondence

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	6000 words	85.00
Presentation	Presentation to group & discussion on topic of a chosen seminar.	15.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

In the case of resitting the whole module, a resit of the presentation (one on one with the tutor) will be required if this is possible. If it is not possible (for logistical / timetabling reasons) then in place of the presentation would be a reflective piece of writing / report of 1,000 words presenting findings similar to those required for the presentation: based on the topic of a chosen seminar.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 14/04/2015

Disclaimer

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• Undergraduate module catalogue
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• Taught Postgraduate programme catalogue

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