Undergraduate - UnitATS2573 - Relics and legends: Deciphering popular Christianity

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2013 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	History
Offered	Not offered in 2013
Coordinator(s)	Dr Peter Howard

Notes

Previously coded HSY2045

Synopsis

This unit explores and critiques the history and ideas underpinning popular representations of Christianity (e.g. The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons). It aims to investigate the construction of religious cultures in their broader context: versions of the life of Jesus; saints' lives (e.g. the role of Mary Magdalene); relics and legends (e.g. the Holy Grail); the role of societies (e.g. medieval Templars and the modern Opus Dei); the impact of new thinking on artists (da Vinci, Botticelli) and on Christian architectural and artistic representations; the popularity of popular Christianities in the new millennium.

Outcomes

Students successfully completing this unit will have:

Developed a critical understanding of the historical construction of religious cultures;
Acquired an understanding of the historical roots of Christianity in the context of gnosticism and other Ancient Near Eastern religions;
Acquired an understanding of the historical matrix of texts out of which emerged the codification of the Christian bible;
Explored the complex history of the traditions surrounding saints' lives and the function of these traditions in different historical contexts;
Reflected on the role of relics and legends in Christianity;
Explored the role societies in Catholic Christianity;
Examined the impact of new thinking in relation to the textual, architectural and artistic representations;
Examined the role of women, and theologies of womanhood, in Catholicism;
Developed an understanding of the role of myth and symbol in religion, and of the romantic resurgence of myth in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries;
Reflected on reasons underpinning the attractions of popularized (and often fictional) myths and legends of Christianity in the context of contemporary culture;
Acquired the capacity to critique contemporary representations of historical material;
Had opportunities to work effectively with others and to express ideas verbally in group situations;
Developed skills in bibliographic research, analysis, and written expression;
Be capable of independently devising and executing an advanced research project in the above areas of study, based predominantly on primary sources;