Postgraduate - Area of Study Religion and theology

All human cultures reflect on the meaning of life through myth, symbol and abstract reflection. Studying the religions and theologies of different cultures, within a variety of historical contexts is both an important intellectual exercise and a fascinating process that provokes many questions about the past, the present and the future. The Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology was established in order to promote interdisciplinary teaching and research in the areas of religion and theology. The centre has established extensive links with the Melbourne College of Divinity and offers symposia, workshops and seminars in which research into religion and theology is presented and discussed. The centre is devoted to the critical study of a wide range of religious traditions, as interpreted both in the past and in the contemporary world. It is also concerned with thinking about the ways in which specific religious traditions (such as Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity) engage in intellectual reflection on a wide range of specific issues, such as the nature of God, ethics, social issues, gender, the environment and the meaning of life.

The centre has research strengths in the area of the relationship between culture and belief, both in relation to contemporary society and to the past. There is supervisory expertise in the historical and literary analysis of religion in biblical, medieval and early modern periods, as well as in contemporary (postmodern) approaches to the study of religious questions, including religion in Australian society. Expertise also exists in Islamic studies, contemporary hermeneutics, gender studies, environmental thought, philosophical theology, and Jewish civilisation, religion and history, ancient and modern.

Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research)

Students complete 48 points including a research project, at least one methodology unit, and two elective units chosen from the list below (note that not all units are offered each year).

Research unit

• APG4675 Research paper in religion and theology

Methodology units

• APG4289 Medieval dialogues: Reason, mysticism and society
• APG4302 Interpreting the Bible: Jewish and Christian perspectives
• APG4343 Religion and ceremony in Australian society

Elective units

• APG4278 Religion and secularism in the quest for European integration
• APG4285 Dante's medieval world: Politics, religion and the city
• APG4288 Angels and demons: Rome, the papacy and the world
• APG4307 Cultures of devotion in Renaissance Italy
• APG4319 Zionism: The argument
• APG4320 Jewish history, Jewish memory
• APG4339 Sustainability and the sacred
• APG4340 Confronting death through ceremony and symbol: A cross-cultural analysis
• APG4341 Interpreting the sources of Islam: The Qur'an and Hadith
• APG4342 Islamic thought in the modern world
• APG4344 Sexuality and religion: Monotheist traditions
• APG4676 Medieval women and their world: Literacy, authority and spirituality

Students may apply to undertake units at level four at another tertiary institution, such as the Melbourne College of Divinity, approved by the director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology.

Units taken outside Monash will not amount to more than 50 per cent.

Course coordinator

Professor Constant Mews

Master of Arts by Research and Coursework

The entry below only details the coursework component of this degree. For all requirements including the research/thesis component refer to the full course entry at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2011handbooks/courses/2846.html.

Units

Students complete 24 points at fifth year level from:

• APG5278 Religion and secularism in the quest for European integration
• APG5289 Medieval dialogues: Reason, mysticism and society
• APG5302 Interpreting the Bible: Jewish and Christian perspectives
• APG5307 Cultures of devotion in Renaissance Italy
• APG5319 Zionism: The argument
• APG5320 Jewish history, Jewish memory
• APG5339 Sustainability and the sacred
• APG5340 Confronting death through ceremony and symbol: A cross- cultural analysis
• APG5342 Islamic thought in the modern world
• APG5343 Religion and ceremony in Australian society
• APG5344 Sexuality and religion: Monotheist traditions
• APG5675 Research paper in religion and theology
• APG5676 Medieval women and their world: Literacy, authority and spirituality
• other units by permission

* At least one of these units must be taken if not already completed at honours or masters qualifying or in the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research).

Course coordinator

Professor Constant Mews

Further courses

For a list of units studied or course outlines, refer to the relevant courses.

• 3937 Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research)
• 2695 Master of Arts*
• 2846 Master of Arts by research and coursework
• 0020 Doctor of Philosophy*

* By research.